Coldplay at Small Show: 'We're Used to Lasers and Posh Stuff'

Coldplay at Small Show: ‘We’re Used to Lasers and Posh Stuff’

2011-12-07

Story by Charles Ken

Coldplay’s Chris Martin says intimate show ‘is like playing to our family’

Corey Taylor and Chris Cornell are making the rounds on an intimate, acoustic tour this fall, but the guys of Coldplay don’t seem to have any plans to follow suit. The Brit-pop gents played a small gig at the 500-capacity Camden Dingwalls last night (Dec. 6) to be recorded for a BBC broadcast, and they poked fun at how naked they felt without all the stage hoopla and electricity that usual comes with a Coldplay show.

Opening the set of Mylo Xyloto tracks, the Chris Martin-fronted outfit made a few small blunders during opener, “Hurts Like Heaven,” making Martin burst out in laughter. “This is like playing for our family,” he said to the crowd, as reported by NME. “… I’ve got more cousins than this.”

He added that the guys weren’t used to such a bare-bones presentation: “We’re used to lasers and posh stuff, and now we’ve got nothing but our instruments and our handsome bass player.” Anyone who has been to a Coldplay concert knows it usually brings lush lights and stretching lasers, so it’s no surprise this stripped-down approach felt a tad odd to Martin and the gang.

Coldplay first played Camden Digwalls in May of 1998, just after their debut Safety EP came out, and last night was the first time they’ve played there since. The show brought plenty of Coldplay traditionals, including their breakout hit “Yellow,” as well as “The Scientist,” “Paradise” and “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.” Next up: Coldplay will play to a crowd much bigger than 500 — try 20,000 — on Saturday at London’s O2 Arena in a show called, “Under 1 Roof,” to raise money for the children’s charity, Kids Company.

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Charles Ken

Meet the expert - Charles Ken is a graduate of Michigan State University where he studied writing and history. He's a longtime music buff and covers classic rock for Audio Ink Radio. Contact him at ken@audioinkradio.com.