Coldplay's back to back gigs last week at the legendary Madison Square Garden in NY showed a band at the top of their game. The performance opened with a stopwatch counting down 2 minutes on the background screen. The intro to Square One gives the crowd its first taste of Chris Martin's crisp vocals. The clock hits zero and the song kicks in along with the light show. The band's energy was at full tilt from the beginning which is a must at The Garden or the venue can swallow the performer (as happened the last time I saw Coldplay there).

Politik gave Martin his first opportunity to emulate Bono's stage presence and lyrical improvisation - "Brooklyn, Bronx and then to Queens; and send your love to New Orleans" pleaded Martin with typical sincerity. On the second night, Martin's spontaneity was a little weaker - "Please don't let it happen again; sorry for the Hurricane". Either way, the song is brilliant live and the crowd loved it.

I was surprised to hear their first ever hit single Yellow so early in the concert but then remembered (once again) that this is a very young band - only 3 albums. Coldplay doesn't exactly have a repertoire of early material. I'm sure they eventually want to have a U2-like group of fans who only like their "older stuff". For now, though, they'll have to settle for a unified fan base. The coda to Yellow had balloons (yes, yellow ones) released from the rafters of The Garden. That probably seems cheesy but hardly surprising at a Coldplay concert.

God Put a Smile was followed by Speed of Sound, both great tracks. Unfortunately, the middle portion of the show lulled slightly - Low, Amsterdam, White Shadows - descent songs but nothing special. They also played A Rush of Blood, which I just don't think plays well live. It's a multi-layered studio track and stands out on the album as an epic wall of sound. However, this effect does not come through on stage.

The lull was fortunately followed by the strongest part of the show. Chris Martin was in control when he took the stage on his own to begin The Scientist. As is the case with much of Coldplay's material, the band tend to chime in after a few bars and fade out toward the end to let Martin finish the song off delicately. The acoustic set is perfect for Coldplay and another leaf out of U2's veritable Gig Gospel. Till Kingdom Come was dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. They then broke into a short rendition of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire which, although novel and entertaining at the gig, is definitely NOT a Coldplay song. The 'Man in Black' makes Chris Martin look like a frat boy singing karaoke. Green Eyes finished out the acoustic set.

I was convinced during the intro to Clocks that the band were about to break into U2's powerhouse Where the Streets have No Names. Comparing Coldplay to U2 seems like an obvious and hackneyed thing to do. But it really is unavoidable. Chris Martin doesn't just try to emulate Bono. He wants to be Bono. Period. And there were times when Jon Buckland's lead guitar was absolutely meant to sound like The Edge. Even his guitar playing posture mimicked the U2 lead guitarist in the way he wanders forward on stage as he belts out his searing melodic rifts.

The show ended with Talk, and the encore opened with Swallowed In the Sea. Of course, In My Place had the crowd singing the "Yeahhhh" refrain with gusto. Coldplay finished with Fix It as girls frantically embraced their boyfriends, determined to make the ballad 'their song' as if the moment would make their wayward beaus realize that love conquers all. Coldplay certainly think so.

Labels: Coldplay