2024-08-21 23:27:03
Far away outside the ancient Ernst Happel Arena on Wednesday night, thousands of people could probably be heard throat-shouting “Ohohoho” – as British band Coldplay and their fans gathered in Vienna Telltale signs of Pratt. Their combination of pop rock and colorful performances successfully brought the atmosphere back to Happel Oval after the Vienna Taylor Swift concert was cancelled.
Coldplay kicked off their two-hour set shortly before 9pm, with security being significantly increased after Swift’s concert was canceled due to a terror incident. From the start, frontman Chris Martin made his way across the vast stage landscape of Austria’s largest stadium to “Higher Powers”. Orchestras also need this size to put on their elaborate shows. But the event didn’t begin until a brief explanatory video explained how energy was saved at the event.
Speaking of energy: Coldplay have been in the stadium entertainment industry for years and know how to make the sparks fly. Recurring stylistic devices include hook-and-line embellishments in song passages or “Ohoh” formats, which conveniently do not require the audience to determine the lyrics. If so, the 63,300 visitors wouldn’t have a problem – almost everyone has nerve pain lines. The LED wristbands also create an atmosphere where every audience member becomes part of the performance. This looks really great.
Sound-wise, there’s a lot of room for improvement, especially when you’re just starting out. As part of four Vienna concerts scheduled for Sunday, “The Sphere” will feature singer-pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion As part of the “music” tour, improvements are certainly possible – a start would be to reduce the sample system noise by a few decibels.
In any case, not much of the thoughtful reserve, even shyness, of 2000 debut Parachutes remains on more recent releases. The band had long since moved firmly into mainstream radio pop-rock suitable for stadiums and sing-alongs, and they clearly felt comfortable with the first three songs of the night. Recent numbers rarely display the kind of deep, sometimes surprising songwriting that characterized earlier albums, such as the seminal “A Rush of Blood to the Head.” At least some songs from the 2002 production will also make their way onto the 2024 playlist. The quartet’s “The Scientist,” for example, provided the evening’s first quiet highlight.
Martin – a very charismatic frontman – sometimes finds it difficult to let his voice slide into soaring heights as effortlessly as before. But in the end it didn’t matter because he had thousands of supporters. He acknowledged this immediately, praising Vienna as apparently “the city of opera singers.” Unfortunately, she’s been in global news “not for the right reasons” lately, Martin said, referring to her arrest earlier this month after an alleged plot to hit Taylor Swift’s show was revealed.
The two “Swifts” and the eponymous lead singer of the opening band, American singer Maggie Rogers, started with a cover of Swift’s “Love Story”. They also sing for young people who have been “brainwashed” into doing stupid things, such as planning terrorist attacks.
As a result, the band doesn’t always find a balance between old and new musical styles – from “Yellow” (i.e. Doorway to Fame) to the current “My Universe” (a collaboration with Korean boy band BTS), there’s nothing like that. Very far. They attempt to bridge these distances – often with success – through generous doses of pathos, impressive light shows, grand gestures and refreshing self-irony on stage.
For the encore, we went down a few gears again. Thus, the acoustic performance of “Sparks” from the first album actually provided great emotional cinema on a very small special stage – perhaps Martin’s best vocal performance on this late summer evening. “Thank you for not being afraid to be here,” he reiterated before delivering another highlight with the rest of the set and the super ballad “Fix You.”
This might be the ideal ending. The band followed up with the popular title “feelslikeimfallinginlove” – a precursor to new album Moon Music, announced for release on October 4th. This number – unfortunately one of the weakest of the night – can be seen as a clear sign that people are unlikely to consider abandoning the successful formula of the past few years. If you look at the audience reaction in the federal capital, there is no need to change direction.
(Nicholas Tauber/APA)
(Serve – https://www.coldplay.com)
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