Stretched on the lawn, taking in the warm, spiced air, I felt elated as I awaited Coldplay’s symphonic melodies. The crowd buzzed with electric chatter, sharing their favorite Coldplay songs, describing their long road trips to get to Cricket, and partaking in small talk with nearby blanket neighbors. As the darkness finally encroached upon us, the packed amphitheater stood in unison as Coldplay rushed the stage. Bright, bold colors illuminated the night, ranging from deep red to cold blue, as thick smoke and fire torches initially hid the members from sight. With a loud crashing, Coldplay opened the show with the crowd favorite, Violet Hill, sending us into ecstasy as we all tonelessly attempted to sing along. The lead, Chris Martin, seduced us with perfectly in-tune vocals, crisp, rich and smooth in sound. His melodic resonance, matched by the genius chords of Jonny Bluckland, Guy Berryman, and the heart racing tempo of Will Champion was heightened by the dramatic crowd pleasers. During Yellow, the entire stage was blasted with the brightest, brilliantly cheddar yellow lights, while, from out of no where, hundreds of yellow beach balls descended from the heavens. Total sense exhilaration took over as we lifted our arms, in hopes of getting a grab at one of the large balls, while screaming Coldplay’s chart topper at the top of our lungs. Midway through the concert, Martin began singing a soulful ballad, then suddenly, without pause, the band drove into Viva la Vida, instantly taking the crowd to cloud nine. As we jumped and danced in our Coldplay induced stupor, the “heavens” once again let off hundreds of thousands techni-colored paper butterflies, both bright and glowing against the dark night sky. Looking up, it seemed the sky held millions of sparkling stars, all falling softly around us. The spectacle lasted the entire song, and with round, silver worlds spinning from the top of the stage, sided by gloriously mind-altering lighting effects – I was enjoying every moment of the show. 

Coldplay provided San Diego with a spectatcular show, creating the visual effect of a million dollar music video, only live and in real time. There was not one hitch in the entire 70 minutes, and although they seemed to play every one of their hits, I left feeling unsatisfied, and in desperate need of an encore. I recommend a Coldplay show for all music lovers, regardless of your musical race, color, or creed. They are truly awesome to see live.