Coldplay / Ash - New York Jones Beach Theatre - 19/9/02
5/5
By: Joshua K
Coldplay Set-List: 'Politik', 'Shiver', 'Spies', 'Daylight', 'Trouble', 'One I Love', 'Don't Panic', 'Everything's Not Lost', 'Green Eyes', 'God Put a Smile Upon Your Face', 'Yellow', 'The Scientist', 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head', ENCORE, 'Clocks', 'In My Place', 'Life is for Living'.
The last time your correspondent saw Coldplay, in April 2001, they were on the way to going mega in the United States. Unfortunately, the extensive worldwide touring had taken its toll, leaving the band dour and the music solid, but uninspired.
Fast-forward to September 2002, however, and the signs are good: Glasto went down a storm; 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head' is a quantum leap forward from 'Parachutes' and sold an impressive 140,000 copies in the US its first week alone; and 10,000 seats have been sold to their show at this gorgeous amphitheater in suburban NY, a venue literally surrounded by the sea, that Fran Healy has called in his time, 'the coolest place ever'.
So, how will tonight go down?
We're off to an auspicious start with Ash. Tim is in fine voice, no one demonstrating any ill effects from last month's bus crash, and the band treat the growing crowd to a 45-minute mini-greatest hits set. Highlights, naturally, include 'Girl from Mars', 'Goldfinger', 'Shining Light', 'Jack Names the Planets' and 'Sometimes', all capped off by blinding spins through 'King Fu' and 'Burn Baby Burn'. It's a tight performance, and with record-label support, America could still yet fall for their punk-pop coalition that finds room to unearth tales of love, space aliens and Jackie Chan.
Finally, at 9:30, it's time for Coldplay. The stage is backlit by a full moon and Chris Martin welcomes us to 'this beautiful, beautiful place.' 'Politik' lifts off with a bang, pummeling the crowd with that distinctive rich, full sound as white flashes erupt at all the right moments... Yeah - you know it's going to be quite a night.
Demonstrating a fine balance of material throughout, everything bristles with energy.
'Shiver' and 'Spies' dance by, and 'Daylight' hits in all its quasi-psychedelic glory, and it's at this point that Chris rolls out a playful yet commanding stage-presence, a newfound (or at least newly-vocalized) confidence that bodes well for this band in the years to come. Teasing us that 'Jones Beach looks like the type of place 'N*sync would sell out fifteen weeks straight. We may not be as good looking, but we've got better ballads,' he launches into 'Trouble'. After demanding that the audience sing the closing 'she's spun a web for me,' and then 'yell like bastards' (which we do), he rewards us with snippets of 'N*sync's 'Bye, Bye, Bye'.
For b-side 'One I Love', they go all U2 on us - with black and white video screens, running across the stage and gesturing to the crowd. Certainly a contrast to 'Don't Panic', meanwhile, which stands out for its jaunty 'Bob Dylan harmonica' and goofy intro in which we find out that the band's favorite snack is Cracker Jacks. Insightful. Then Chris continues his penchant for cover-tunes by turning 'Everything's Not Lost' into a Burt Bacharach version of Nelly's 'Hot in Herre'. Sensational.
That one, 'Yellow', is dedicated to Ash, as glorious as ever, while the longing melancholy of 'The Scientist' simply brings goose-bumps. 'A Rush Of Blood...' wraps up the main-set, with the stage appropriately bathed in red and blue. Seventy-five minutes in, and a booming encore of 'Clocks' and 'In My Place' cements the boys' ability to cut it as a stadium band, Chris soon grinning during a final 'Life is for Living', even he surely knowing that Coldplay have - as Simon Cowell might say - taken it to the next level. Thrilling.
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