Coldplay: Live 2003
I was not able to attend any live music shows for this critical review, so instead I decided to watch Coldplay’s live recording of their 2003 concert for A Rush of Blood to the Head. Coldplay is one of my favorite bands, and I was able to see them live two years ago for their Mylo Xyloto tour, so I have first hand experience seeing Coldplay perform live.
The band opened up the show with their song “Politik”, with Chris Martin on vocals and piano, Johnny Buckland on guitar, Guy Barryman on bass, and Will Champion on drums. “Politik” is not the typical song you would expect from a show opener – it is much darker and slower than you would expect, as opposed to the upbeat songs band usually start with to get the audience’s energy up. Their decision to start with this song was actually very smart, though. You can tell right away that A Rush of Blood to the Head is a much edgier album than its predecessor, Parachutes.
“Politik”, with its intense instrumentals and edgy sound, nevertheless did its job in getting the audience excited for the rest of the concert. The band next played “God Put a Smile on Your Face”, which was a crowd favorite, as evident from their roaring cheers. This song is much faster paced than “Politik” and with it, the band set the pattern they would follow for the rest of the show, alternating slow songs with faster, more upbeat songs in order to keep the audience’s energy up throughout the whole concert.
Will Champion led into the next song, the title song “A Rush of Blood to the Head”, with a guitar solo, showcasing his talent as the group’s lead guitarist. This song was another slower, darker song, which was highlighted by Chris Martin’s vocals, as he was singing this song in a very low key to emphasize the somber lyrics about war and the destruction it brings.
Throughout the show, Chris Martin displayed great versatility in his musical abilities, showing off his vocal range and his incredible ability to switch between piano and acoustic guitar effortlessly, never compromising his vocals in order to play his instruments effortlessly well.
After a few more alternating slow and fast songs, including “One I Love” a B-side from “In My Place” which was sung specifically for this show, the band played some songs from their first album “Parachutes”. This was one of my favorite parts of the show, since they played my all time favorite Coldplay song “Shiver,” which I love for its hopeful, earnest lyrics and excellent guitar. I probably would have cried if I had been at this show and was able to hear “Shiver”, I’m not even going to lie. But watching a good, live recording of the song is pretty awesome too.
After a couple more songs, the band played “Moses”, a new song that they wrote specifically for this show. I think it was really cool that Coldplay spent the time to write a new song just for this show. It showed how much the recording of their live show meant to them, and how they wanted to give back to their audience for sharing the experience with them. From the sound of their appreciative cheers once the song was over, this moment was not lost on the audience either.
The final song on the set list was “Yellow”, the song from Coldplay’s first album that launched them into stardom. It was so obvious how much this song meant to every member of the band. They were all exuding excitement, as was most evident in Chris Martin, who could not stop himself from bouncing and dancing all over the stage. The audience loved this enthusiasm from the band, and I really appreciated that the band celebrated where it all started for them.
Of course the show did not end there. Coldplay came back out for their encore, singing three of their most popular songs from A Rush of Blood to the Head: “Clocks”, “In My Place”, and “Amsterdam”. “Amsterdam” is actually my sisters’ favorite Coldplay song, a really lovely but sad song about death that features beautiful piano solos.
Not wanting to end on such a melancholy note from “Amsterdam”, Coldplay came back for a second encore to finish the show, playing a song called “Life is Worth Living”, which carries a very uplifting and hopeful message. They actually did not play this song live again until 2011, so in retrospect, it was an excellent song to wrap up the show with.
Overall, Coldplay was a very excellent band to see perform live. The played every song with the same amount of energy and enthusiasm that one would hope from a live performance. No song was exactly how it was on the albums; the band didn’t shy away from adding instrumentals or changing up melodies to showcase their artistry and versatility. All of these qualities and more made Coldplay a very excellent band to see perform live.
