Coldplay Live on Austin City Limits
Aired: December 17th, 2005
Genre: Panty-Dropping Rock/Alt Country
Well, this was a surprise. Not knowing this was going to air on a Saturday night when I just happened to have nothing to do, I lucked out for the second time on this show. The first time was a snowy Friday night in Louisville, and I stumbled upon a Tom Waits performance from 1978. Both serendipitous episodes were worth a night in.
My opinions on Coldplay have always been mixed. Any time I listen to the band I enjoy it, but I don't go out of my way to look for the albums I own. There's somthing about this band that doesn't quite draw me in normally, but I can't put my finger on it.
I'll have to keep wondering, because this show was mindblowing. Mostly shying away from tracks from their most recent album X & Y, the band pulled out an eclectic songbook for the show, with a few interesting covers. For those of you that have seen them live on their 2005 tour, you probably have seen the Chris Martin version of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." Coldplay performs it here, with a modern but respectful rendition of a brilliant classic.
One of the highlights of the program was when Chris Martin welcomed "surprise" guest Michael Stipe of R.E.M., who performed Joseph Arthur's "In the Sun" and R.E.M.'s "Nightswimming," from Automatic for the People. I have no idea who Joseph Arthur is, but the song sounded good. "Nightswimming" was probably the highlight of the show, with only Stipe on vocals and Martin on piano. The song is from the only R.E.M. album I can stand, although I appreciate their music.
The rest of the show consisted of a greatest hits compilation, including "Yellow," "In My Place," and "Clocks," which was the finale. "Clocks" really resonated with me, not only because it may be my favorite Coldplay song, but also from seeing such a big song being played in such a small studio, especially compared to the amphitheaters and arenas Coldplay is used to. The precision and dynamics of the song were on full display, and the band executed perfectly.
I know this review might be a little moot, since the show aired 2 days ago, but ACL is prone to replay their most popular shows fairly quickly. Also, the program is slowly releasing DVDs of select artists, dating back to almost 10 years ago, so you might find it at Best Buy soon. If you haven't seen the show before, I definitely recommend watching to see some of the greatist artists of our time play in a very intimate environment.
posted by Doc @ 12/19/2005 01:55:00 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Things like this make me want to get Tivo. Then I could just record it whenever it shows up and not worry about it. You have Nightswimming in my head now. And that's good, except that it won't be leaving any time soon. Dammit.
Yeah, R.E.M. is terrible. Fables of the Reconstruction, Murmur, Green, Dead Letter Office, Automatic for the People, Out of Time, and the greatest album of all time, Document. What an overrated band.
Doc, you and I have very similar musical tastes, but you just have to let yourself give in to the magic of early R.E.M. It will make you a shineier, happier, person. Okay, that was a little gay.
R.E.M. is a little over-rated, I think. The early stuff is okay, but I think it's been done better by a lot of indie bands.
Okay, don't shoot me, but here's my two cents: everyone's overrated.
Yes, I totally agree that REM is overrated. I have a couple really close friends who just adore REM. To them, everything they put out is gold.
I will say that the album with Nightswimming is good. In general, I think most REM is good. But it's all overrated.
Anytime a band has longevity coupled with inventiveness and success...they are overrated. I think the Beatles are overrated. Does that mean they weren't great? No. The Beatles are maybe the greatest band ever. But they're spoken of in these hushed tones...in terms as though they invented every single facet of rock and roll...as though rock and roll didn't exist before they came along. I simply do not believe that every great thing about rock can be traced back to the Beatles. But walk into any guitar shop and talk to any long-haired guy playing Mockingbird on a guitar he can't afford...and you'll hear the Beatles equated to God.
I love U2. I think they are the greatest modern band. I love everything they put out, especially lately. And they do a lot of charity work and promote a lot of causes. But U2 did not--contrary to what some passionate fans believe--save the world.
Just my two cents. Oh--and I like Coldplay. Really wish I would have caught this. Man, do I need me some Tivo.
As I said, I do appreciate REM's music, but it's not my cup o' tea. I actually own most of the early stuff, like Document, Green, Monster, and AFTP, but I can't get into it.
As far as most bands with longevity and success being overrated, I like that point. I'm glad you said that about U2, because that's my sentiment exactly for that band. I don't know if Rolling Stone should have devoted an entire issue to Bono (November 2005), or any one man. Go figure.
Next up, Neil Diamond.
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