The night had finally arrived as brit-pop hopefuls and all around fine tunesmiths Coldplay
returned to San Francisco to yet again grace us with their presence. Their previous appearance in
February had been tight, yet too brief. This time around, however, the band played the show that
everyone had hoped to see. Entering to a stage bathed in purple light and fog, and with their trademark
globe showcased on the piano, the band exploded into “Shiver,” the huge disco ball on stage
illuminating the venue simultaneously. The rendition was exceptionally thrash-worthy, as it seemed the
boys who met at University College, London were definitely in the mood to ROCK.
Two more standards from their debut album Parachutes followed, “Don’t Panic” and “Spies,” the
live versions somehow even outdoing the recorded versions. Frontman Chris Martin, who is
well known for his between song banter, informed the throng that to commemorate their return to San
Francisco, Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland had gone out and bought shiny new
electric guitars, as they were “Aerosmith wannabes.” The new guitars were put to good use on
the new song, “Murder” with Martin chopping at his new found electric toy. Edginess was at a
premium, the dual electric guitar attack adding an heretofore unseen rock aspect to the quartet.
Returning to Parachutes, the plaintive tones of “Everything’s Not Lost” echoed throughout the
Warfield, Martin’s soulful vocals soaring into every nook and cranny of the venue. “We Never
Change,” didn’t get a fair chance, as it’s repetitive vocal line of “I wanna live…” caused the song to be
prematurely ceased just two minutes in, by Martin changing the last line to “I wanna play on the electric
guitar” to the cheers of the massed followers, his new toy obviously lingering on his mind. Again, the
new axes were unleashed on “God Put a Smile On My Face,” another new number, not wholly unlike
Primal Scream’s driving drum beat on “Rocks.”
To the quote of “you may know this one, as it’s our hit single” (repeated twice for further effect), the
acoustic intro to “Yellow” burst from the speakers and was met by a crowd eruption, virtually the entire
crowd singing along, moving or both. One song later, Martin shared an anecdote: “If you’re an English
band, when you first start touring, you are given a set of rules by Paul McCartney, and those
rules say that you play about 10 songs, including your hit single, then you leave the stage and then come
right back on and play a few more. So that’s what we’re gonna do right now,” as the band launched into
“See You Soon.” At the end Martin quipped, “Thanks! See you later! See you in a little while,” playing
on his pending return to the stage.
The encore consisted of the epic “Trouble,” a newbie entitled “In My Place,” and a rompy-stompy rendition of Hank Williams’ “Lost Highway.” The rest of the band proceeded to
leave the stage and Martin said “I wanted to play this song for you. I hope you don’t find it irritating or
patronizing,” as he tickled the keyboard to the intro to “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.” The older
members of the crowd recognized the tune instantly and by the time the chorus dropped, the entire
crowd was cheering. A perfect way to end a nearly perfect show.
Set list for Coldplay @ The Warfield, June 20:
Shiver
Animals
Don’t Panic
Spies
Murder
Everything’s Not Lost
We Never Change
God Put A Smile On My Face
Yellow
? (whoops)
See You Soon
Encore
Trouble
In My Place
Lost Highway
I Left My Heart In San Francisco
Source: Jeremy P. Goldstein
