Photo: TOBIAS STEINMAURER (APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)
Excessive “Ohohoho” calls from thousands of throats could probably be heard far outside the venerable Ernst Happel Stadium on Wednesday evening – an unmistakable sign that the British band Coldplay and their fans had gathered in Vienna’s Prater. Shortly before 9 p.m., Coldplay began their two-hour show, for which security measures had been greatly increased following the cancellation of Swift concerts due to terror attacks. Frontman Chris Martin moved through the expansive stage landscape in Austria’s largest stadium to the tune of “Higher Powers.” Such dimensions are also needed for the band to be able to put on their elaborate program. But the show only started after a short explanatory video had been shown explaining how energy would (also) be saved at the event.
Speaking of energy: After many years in the stadium entertainment business, Coldplay know how to get the spark going. Recurring stylistic devices include song passages or just hook lines in the “Ohoh” format, which conveniently do not require the audience to know the lyrics. If that were the case, the 63,300 visitors would not have had a problem with it – almost everyone remembered the neuralgic lines. The LED bracelets, which make every viewer part of the show, also create a good atmosphere. It really looks great.
“The Scientist” as the first highlight
As far as the sound is concerned, there was still a lot of room for improvement, especially at the beginning. Improvements can definitely be made in the four Vienna concerts scheduled up until Sunday as part of the “Music of the Spheres” tour by singer and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion – a start would be made with a few decibels less from the system, for example.
In any case, there is not much left of the thoughtful restraint, almost shyness, of the debut album “Parachutes” from 2000 in the newer releases. The band has long since undergone a complete transformation towards stadium- and sing-along-friendly mainstream radio pop rock, and they are visibly comfortable with it in the first three songs of the evening. The more recent numbers rarely show the profound and at times surprising songwriting that characterized the early albums such as the groundbreaking “A Rush of Blood to the Head”. At least some songs from the 2002 work also find their way into the 2024 setlist. Such as “The Scientist”, with which the quartet set the first quiet highlight of the evening.
Photo: TOBIAS STEINMAURER (APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)
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Photo: TOBIAS STEINMAURER (APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)
Source: Nachrichten