Just like Chris Martin exclaims in the strong transcendent single Charlie Brown “We’ll be glowing in the dark!” the 20,000 people that filled up the American Airlines Arena and I lived up to that excerpt on June 29!
There was no doubt that Coldplay was going to put a great show, but some people, like myself who just expected to attend a casual rock show, were in for a plethora of surprises. With an incandescent and triumphant #1 album in the charts of at least 30 countries, including the U.S, under their belts, Coldplay managed to go ahead and extend even further the themes of lights, optimism, unity, exuberance, gratitude, and engagement in their performance.
When Coldplay released their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto, the band was harshly lambasted by many people for creating a “commercial” album therefore, “selling out”. I, personally, am not the biggest, much less, the number one Coldplay fan, so I can’t really empathize with those “true” fans that felt like Coldplay did sell out. Was it maybe the fact that Coldplay was appealing to many more people? Was it the incandescent and graffiti art theme behind the album? Was it the joyous and effective use of the synthesizer? Though I must agree that Coldplay has leaned towards an inorganic musical sound, they have declared this album to be very artistically inclined, and they have appealed to the “masses,” all these things, in my opinion, make the album even more magnificent; The synthesizer gives it a more optimistic, happy, “let’s get out there and dance” vibe, the fact that Coldplay is appealing to more people should be a testimony of their growth and success, and the graffiti, lights, and artistic inclination is what made the live show an exquisite experience!
For a band that has played to sold out festivals all over the world including Glastonbury, Rock in Rio, and Big Day Out, Coldplay’s tickets for the American Airlines Arena ranged between meager prices of $75-$125, depending where you are seating (tickets also gave you a glow in the dark bracelet that had Mylo Xyloto written on it). My tickets were $75 and they were side view, a good view if I must say, especially when you have a super active Chris Martin running around pointing and facing your side. The set up was very cool; there was a main stage that lid up with tons of lights and had colorful graffiti all over it, a runway that lead to an X-shaped stage in the middle of the arena that was outlined with neon red lights, and a mysterious, very small stage that was all the way in the back of the arena, right in the middle of one of the sections, that was used for a small acoustic session.
The show began with the theme song of Back to the Future, then the four band members, dressed in colorful neon shirts and pants, came out and began to play the first track of their new album, Mylo Xyloto, all while the whole insipid Arena, literally, transcended into an incandescent venue with our bracelets glowing in synchronization with the music. I could hear nothing but the music and tons of screechy girl screams, even from guys (including myself), that overwhelmed any sideline conversations or comments. As the show went on, Coldplay blessed us with their beautiful lyrics and wonderful presence, constantly extending their gratitude to us for supporting them, giving shout outs to “the basketball world champions”, and sticking to their promise to give us the best performance ever! The show included humungous air balloons that were thrown at the crowd, cannoned colorful paper butterflies, pop-up characters/symbols for their songs, and the never-disappointing quote from Charlie Brown “We’ll be glowing in the dark!”
To top this all off, I had the pleasure to share this experience with friends, but most importantly with my beautiful girlfriend and best friend, Julianna. Next time Coldplay comes around, make sure you’re there, not alone, but with someone special. I mean, what’s better than, along with Chris Martin, singing to your loved one “Look at the stars, look how they shine for you!”