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I saw Coldplay for the first time on Saturday night. I already loved their music, but that didn’t necessarily mean I would love their live performance. Honestly, it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. Not only are they great musicians, they really know how to thoughtfully craft an experience for their audiences. I think [similar to u2] they understand that by creating a unique experience that the audience participates in—you can connect on another level.

There were several examples of this, here are a few:

• A couple of times, Chris Martin changed the lyrics of a song to include the name of the venue, or something that was happening in the moment (it started raining, etc). This created a feeling that this show is different from the other 130 on the tour. They weren’t just going through a playlist, it was a customized show with planned spontaneity. We had a sense that we were part of something special and unique.
• There were several moments when the crowd was directly asked to participate – being asked to sing, hit giant beach balls, yell, etc. This created a feeling of a communal activity – not just a spectator event. Those who attended shaped what the concert was, because we participated in making it. The band and audience interacted and responded to one another.
• Although there was fixed seating, they played 3 mini sets in various locations around the venue. The people immediately surrounding those spots got a unique up-close experience  (instead of just the people in the front row close to the stage). There also were 2 thrust stages. These changes in vantage point helped  break down the barriers between the stage and crowd – also the barriers between presenter and attendee.

I was inspired. The thought that occurred to me:
When we change the normal format of what we do to align with the underlying shifting values of our culture, we separate ourselves from the ordinary and create the extraordinary.

Thanks Coldplay for the inspiration!

This entry was posted on 07/28/2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.