Coldplay @ Key Arena

Coldplay is one of my favorite bands. I had seen them a couple of years back when they came to the Gorge. This time around at the Key Arena I had great seats - first row seats! I had a great view of them especially of him playing the piano mid arena and during the encore when they played amidst the crowds. At luck would have it he came into my section and then ran by just past us :) A great show though it's tough to best a concert in the backdrop of the Columbia river Gorge!!


Coldplay concert's stunning visuals at KeyArena overshadow music

There was a moment during Coldplay's KeyArena concert when singer Chris Martin did the seemingly impossible: He ended "Paradise" on the main stage, and moments later began singing "Us Against the World" standing near the back of the hall in the cheap seats. He managed it by being in good enough shape to sprint 100 yards, but also because the clean-cut Martin can easily fit into the landscape of his audience.

Everyman populism has always been at the core of Coldplay's success, and that was abundant at the band's sold-out show Wednesday at KeyArena. The band delivered 90 minutes of hits, complete with state of the art production that rivaled a Broadway show. Those effects started during "Hurts Like Heaven" when wristbands given to the audience began to blink, making the crowd appear like a Lite-Brite toy whenever the band cued up certain songs. Soon, confetti machines filled the sky. During "Major Minus," a cascade of beach balls followed.


The night's high points, however, came when Martin and his three bandmates dispensed with the wizardry, as on "Violet Hill," and let their anthemic rock soar unadorned. And though this was the "Mylo Xyloto" tour, it was the title track from their previous album, "Viva La Vida," that most engaged the audience, albeit with canned strings, particularly with drummer Will Champion's skilled playing.

A show with so many special effects and lighting cues had to lack some spontaneity, so it was telling that Martin's most authentic sentiment came not during a song, but during an introduction, in which he said he was singing about his "self loathing." As if he'd revealed too much, he quickly added, "no, it's about a girl." Both sentiments could apply to every song in Coldplay's catalog, but this one, done at the piano, felt like Martin unguarded.

A show that started with confetti, flashing wristbands and laser lights was bound to end that way, and Martin was soon back to running all over KeyArena. By the time he threw up his arms during the finale of "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall," he seemed both filled with the exuberance of an athlete sprinting across the finish line, and an actor hitting the final curtain call of the night.