Coldplay

Jess and me hit the Coldplay concert at Starlake. 4 years ago a bunch of us went up to see them. Neither of us could believe that show was FOUR years ago. Time flies. Finding tickets was rough. The weather was fantastic so there was an unusually big walk-up crowd. We managed to scrounge up a couple (one for $20, one for face) and zipped in.
This band truly understands how to deliver a concert. All aspects of the show were "larger than life." In a way, they remind me of Pink Floyd. Regardless of whether you enjoy their music, Coldplay has this rich, encompassing sound. They make you feel as if you're in a stadium atmosphere. Perhaps that's why the show was so compelling. They brought a European Soccer stadium stage show into a 20,000 seat venue.
I'm not going to recant all the details, but this show really took you for a ride. Great choice for the opener - Violet Hill. They unleashed about 100 giant yellow, inflatable beach balls during Yellow. The set list was a solid mix of old and new tunes. Tremendous version of Fix You. There was a 3 song acoustic/skitlike performance on the East side of the lawn, complete with a "Let's Go Pens" chant and the first "cell-phone wave," which I'd be willing to admit was a little on the gay side. Alright, it was steeped in fagocity. They encored with Politik and some other stuff.
As you exited the ampitheatre, everyone got a free Coldplay cd with 9 tunes on it (all live recordings). I've been pushing this idea for years. I can't believe that a band out there finally took my advice. This is a fantastic way to build customer loyalty. It's incredibly cheap and easy as well. And listening to the songs on the way home from the show helps reinforce your enjoyment of the evening. Kind of like a salivating Pavlovian dog.
Major label bands have got to realize that the days of making money off their cds is OVER. All the material is readily available online and every conceivable video is pasted on youtube. Get over it. Make money through merchandising and touring. That's the way it should be anyway. In a strange way, the proliferation of free music has improved the music industry. The real bands will find a way to survive. It's amazes me that Metallica still hasn't figured this out. They're still trying to sue some Ohio State dickhead for using Enter Sandman on his myspace page.