Coldplay and Arena Rock's Last Breath
11:45 AM
Coldplay at Solider Field -- July 24, 2016
Despite how grossly cliche it is, one of my favorite movies is "Almost Famous". A standout
moment in this film is the blink-and-you'll-miss-it David Bowie scene. Penny
Lane, Will, and the rest of Stillwater's entourage arrive at a hotel where
hundreds of David Bowie fans are waiting in the lobby for Bowie to arrive.
They're sporting Aladdin Sane makeup and shiny spandex clothing reminiscent of Bowie himself. When Bowie enters the building, the crowd goes crazy and quickly
start screaming and chasing him. (He escapes into an elevator unscathed.)
As someone who is very nostalgic for the glamorous rock n roll lifestyles of
yesteryear, I have always been intrigued by arena rock. Arena rock is much more
than just a rock show. It's a large scale event that takes place in a huge
venue where thousands of people pay a substantial sum of money to scream all
the words to all their favorite songs by a very popular band. Adoring fans wear puffy painted shirts and carry signs they made on huge pieces of posterboard. It's a celebration of a musician's artistry as much
as it is a concert.
In today's music climate, there are very few contemporary artists, much less
rock bands, who can fill an entire arena. Last night I witnessed the biggest
rock concert I've ever been to. I went to a Coldplay show.
COLDPLAY??? GROSS!!!!!! You like Coldplay??? I thought you were into GOOD music.
Ugh. Coldplay is the kid who takes gym class way too seriously. Coldplay tries
too hard to be U2. Coldplay doesn't even have any good songs. Chris Martin is
soooo up his own ass. Coldplay sucks!!!!!!
Coldplay is a rock band that is very often shit on by casual and passionate
music fans alike. They are a band that people love to recreationally hate.
Conversely, a band that is so despised by so many was able to sell out two
nights at Chicago's Soldier Field... The same enormous venue that Beyonce, arguably
the most popular contemporary American musician, was able to sell out two
nights back in May.
It's no secret that rock and roll is taking the slow train to its grave.
Beyonce is more of a Bowie than Coldplay will ever dream of being. At her May
gig, I saw tons of people with painted signs about how much they slay and
homemade shirts about having hot sauce in their bag (swag) - sights very reminiscent
of the aforementioned Almost Famous scene.
Beyonce is loved very very much and has made countless huge impacts on
contemporary culture. While Beyonce is able to pull off an arena concert with
ease, she is not arena rock. This is where Coldplay steps in.
Soldier Field is by far the biggest venue I've been to in my twenty years as a
music fan. I don't believe there is any rock musician who has released new
music within the past five years that could fill a venue as huge as Soldier
Field - not once, but twice. I've been to other large rock concerts
(Fleetwood Mac at the BMO Harris Bradley Center and Paul McCartney at Miller
Park are two standouts), but they were no comparison in size or grandeur to
Coldplay.
Was Coldplay's concert anywhere close to my fantasies of 1970s arena rock
shows? No. Was it good anyway? Yeah. Coldplay gave wristbands to every attendee
that glowed in sync to the songs. When Chris Martin was belting out the words
to "Yellow", the audience was a twinkling sea of yellow lights. It
was as much about the aesthetics as it was about the music. They played all
their hits ("Clocks", "Sky Full of Stars", "Fix
You") and seemed genuinely happy to be in the presence of thousands of
fans.
Now, I bet you're wondering: Wait, so you actually like Coldplay? You betcha!
Coldplay is one of the first rock bands I ever loved. The two first CDs I
remember buying at age 11 are The Beatles' "1" and Coldplay's
"Viva La Vida". The first song I ever learned how to play on any
instrument is "Clocks" on piano. When my family purchased infamous
late 2000s video game craze Rock Band, my band was called Hotplay. I would not
be the pretentious, music obsessed, UP MY OWN ASS piece of garbage aspiring
music writer I am today without Coldplay. They introduced me to the world of
alternative indie rock (long, long after they were alternative and/or indie, of
course).
I am a proud Coldplay fan, and it even hurts ME to say this: Coldplay is probably the biggest contemporary rock band in the world right now. Despite their music being, uh, soft, they exemplify many qualities of the greatest arena rock bands of the 1970s. Their concert featured intricate fireworks, flames, and lights. They have anthemic ballads that the whole crowd knew every word to. Their music is often played on Top 40 stations alongside the likes of the today's biggest pop and R&B stars.
I don't want to turn this into a "Is Rock And Roll Officially Dead?" piece because I really don't believe that it is. Contemporary rock is at its most indie point in decades. It's best experienced at smaller venues to smaller crowds. Arena rock is slowly becoming a distant memory of rock and roll's peak. We may never have another rock band who can fill a 61,500 seat venue two nights in a row.
Next month I'll be seeing Bruce Springsteen, one of the most beloved rock stars of all time (as well as one of the forefathers of Arena Rock). He'll be playing at the United Center, a venue that fits a measly 20,500 people. According to my math, that is only 16% of the two night Coldplay crowd.
Yikes.
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