The Personal Memoir Of A Bristolian Gal etc.

Okay so it's a little bit later than intended but here we are.

I suppose writing a review about the Coldplay concert last Monday is a bit ridiculous, seeming as a review should technically be written immediately after a gig. A week and a half is an eternity in the review world and so in the scheme of things I'm definitely a bit behind.

Plus there are so many other write-ups and pictures to look at online so I'll leave that to you.

Instead, Ladies and Gents, here is, 'The Personal Memoir Of A Bristolian Gal's Glorious Four Day Jubilee Weekend And Her Trip Around London And Stuff.'

It's all VERY exciting. However let's keep it short and simple.

Firstly props to Alicina, my partner in crime. She tells me she reads my blog, so heads up, there will be a test, Miss O. She was with me at Wembley in 09, she was with me last Monday and she'll be with me again the next time we see Coldplay live, if I have anything to do with it.

So she knows, she relates, she understands, just how incredible that band are live....

On the cold, overcast (Sod's law) Bank Holiday Monday we arrived at Emirates Stadium. Stop. Breathe. This is a momentous occasion. We got there when the gates opened and freaked out. The queue was massive. Our fault really, we should have got there earlier. Pffft you call me a real fan. Anyway we still got a fantastic view right by the central catwalk. Coldplay later moved to the end of it to play a couple of 'intimate' songs and occasionally when Chris and Jonny did their thang, we were so close. We could almost touch them. Except we couldn't because that would be weird.

Rita Ora was surprisingly good. Not knowing many of her songs I sort of expected her to do about 5 different versions of RIP, maybe an acoustic one, then a dubstep one etc.  However her short set turned out to be really entertaining and she actually does have a good voice. There were also some pretty hardcore Rita fans in front of us, they were about fourteen and they went wild.

Robyn was slightly disappointing, knowing that she has some great songs, I was looking forward to her. In all honesty she was quite strange to watch. Maybe it was her dancing. Although to be fair it was just a warm up for Chris's moves! Or maybe, it was because she didn't interact enough with the audience. I'm not sure but if I get a chance to see her again, I'll be able to rethink my opinion.

The Xylobands were stunning. I have never witnessed anything like it. Please check out some videos if you haven't seen the effect. It's quite unimaginable. When it finally got dark and Charlie Brown started to play, it was awe-inspiring and definitely worth good ol' Coldplay diving into their pockets for.



As for other special effects...well what didn't they have? They had massive confetti-filled balloons bouncing through the audience (always great to keep us amused), laser beams, huge inflatable shapes at the front of the stadium, confetti cannons, plenty of fireworks, coloured smoke and Simon Pegg on the harmonica. Add to this the vivid colourfulness of everything; the instruments painted in the typical MX style, the ginormous backdrop suspended behind the stage, the huge light rigs and of course the five, massive, circular video monitors and you get an idea of how incredible the stadium looked.

But who needed it? Coldplay were on top form as always. I could have sat in a dingey room and still had the same amazing experience. However adding all those special visuals, the sheer scale of the whole thing and the best crowd in the world and you are left with a cherished memory that you won't forget for an extremely long time.

We left with out ears ringing and our wrists donning those very special bands. Our minds were racing with after-show euphoria until we later fell into that trusty pit of post-gig depression. When will I see this band again? When?! God knows.

Well seeming as this is entitled 'The Personal Memoir Of A Bristolian Gal's Glorious Four Day Jubilee Weekend And Her Trip Around London And Stuff.' I should talk about what else we got up to.

It was the Jubilee weekend. We were in London. We were in prime position at Kings Cross. So what do we do? Do we go stand in a damp and cold crowd for hours to see a glimpse of the Queen? Screw that. I only do that for Coldplay. I'm a proud British but really not patriotic enough.

We went and took our photo at Platform 9 and 3/4 and then went to Camden Market and spent a bit too much money....but not enough. I'm definitely going to have to save up and go again. That place is bizarre but awesome!

So that was our trip. If I had a time machine, I would do it all again....and again....and again. Or perhaps less likely, if I had the money.

Generic Exam Post & A Little Bit Of Fan-Girling

Goodness me! Well hasn't it been a long time since my last post? Over a month has been and gone already and so where do I begin?

As most of my very small demographic can relate to, I have been incredibly busy procrastinating - sorry - revising for some important, up and coming exams. So for the past couple of weeks very little else has been at the top of my agenda. Therefore, it goes without saying, that although it's been hectic, this past summer term (and also my last) has been pretty dull.

My final day of school - one of the biggest milestones in your life people! - turned out to be a massive anti-climax. However I hope the large quantity of exciting events happening after the exams will make up for that fact.

'After the exams'....only two weeks away! Who would have thought it would come around so soon? Let me just say what everyone else is saying, "I can't wait!"
However we all have these generic feelings, we all have exams, we can all relate, so let's move on.

What I really want to talk about (what I usually end up talking about lately) is Coldplay - if you can't stand that band then this would be a good time to stop reading and go about your daily lives. Although you will miss my fan-girling.

Yes....finally....finally....after 3 years of waiting and lots of blood, sweat but mainly tears, I eventually got to see them again. Monday the 4th of June 2012 at Emirates Stadium. That date will stay in my mind for a long time. Just like Saturday the 19th of September 2009 at Wembley Stadium.

As you can imagine or relate to (if you're lucky enough to have seen them) they are frickin' fantastic. To be honest there aren't any decent adjectives to describe seeing Coldplay live*. I was saying to my friend after the concert, you just have to go and experience them for yourself and perhaps ambivalent fans or even Coldplay haters will be persuaded otherwise.

Now most people might be saying at this point, "I don't care. She's obviously biased."
I am.
But I have also been to a lot of other gigs and concerts on all different scales and so I can gauge CP against others. I have seen some bloody brilliant musicians and some, not so great. Of course personal taste does influence one's perception of enjoyment as well. But Coldplay has always topped my list of best live experiences, ever.
That's why they are one of the biggest bands in the world right now (a phrase thrown around a lot, I know) ....and then in a couple of months they will disappear off the radar again *sigh*.

By tomorrow I will have finished a third of my A levels. It will also have been a week since I saw Coldplay, which perhaps makes it an ideal time to write about their concert. So hopefully a little review will be up soon.

Sweet dreams and I wish everyone with any exams looming loads of good luck!

* Monumental, stupendous, spectacular, phenomenal, mind-blowing, breath-taking, blah, blah, blah.