Coldplay Rocks The Bowl (The Hollywood Bowl, That is)

It's hard to believe that it's been over four years since the hit British band Coldplay last performed on tour in Los Angeles. For three nights in May, Chris Martin and Co. charmed over 18,000 fans at the sold-out Hollywood Bowl on the Mylo Xyloto tour. Having been an obsessed Coldplay fan for years,  I went into complete fan-girl mode when I heard they were coming to L.A. The 90-minute set was nothing short of magnificent, spectacular, entertaining, bold, iridescent--defying my expectations completely.

When entering the arena, everyone was given a Xyloband bracelet (blue, white, pink, green, red, etc) and was curious to know what the purpose of it was, as it didn't exactly do anything or look particularly promising (except for a small battery or contraption of some sort). Whatever the reason for the bracelet was, I couldn't figure it out. As my friends and  I took our seats, the main act still had a while before coming on stage, so we people-watched. It made us smile to see parents holding their little kids' hands at their first concert and seeing young and old couples in love. Everyone was smiling, energetic, and radiating with excitement. And so the sense of unity that always comes with a mutual love for a band was activated.

When the lights went down and Jay-Z's "99 Problems" faded, the stage lit up--and so did the sky (literally). Kicking off with "Hurts Like Heaven," the multi-colored bracelets found their purpose. Like a rainbow of colors, they were all blinking according to each note in the song and so the fireworks, which were definitely Fourth of July material, illuminated the  L.A. skyline as streams of confetti blasted from all directions. It was already the first song and the crowd was in a frenzy.  During "Lovers in Japan," giant multicolored neon balloons filled with more confetti were tossed to the crowd, who tried to keep them in the air, away from the security guards who popped the spheres any chance they got. Martin played the piano, singing classic yet beautiful hits like "The Scientist" and "Yellow" while the crowd echoed the lyrics back to the stage. During "Viva La Vida," the atmosphere felt more like a room full or resounding echoes of the audience chanting the chorus than that of an outdoor amphitheater. "Charlie Brown" and "Paradise" are without a doubt two of the most invigorating upbeat tracks of the new album. Every single fan was off their feet dancing around with an inspirational, adrenaline-rushed, and energetic spirit while Chris Martin jumped around onstage during both of these songs. "Us Against the World" and "Fix You" momentarily slowed things down a bit, well, until the guitar picked up during "Fix You" and the fireworks shot into the sky. There was a moment during this song, while the crowd was singing so ecstatically, that the monumental epitome and realization that despite one's differences, music brings people of all ages together hit me fully. And it was this chemistry between every single being in that moment that gave me a simple and beautiful feeling. Cliche, I know.

The show ended on "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" as the fireworks returned for the grand finale, which was a fusion of brilliant colors in the sky while the crowd continued to sing along. I hadn't seen so much spirit from such diversifying age groups since a Springsteen concert in New Jersey a few summers back (wow, I sound old). The high notes were hit perfectly, the quality and sound was phenomenal. The creativity behind the tour design was spectacular. The slow songs were beautiful and the thrilling intensity of the upbeat ones set the tone for the following nights. The show was far from disappointing and well worth the L.A. traffic craze. The show should've gone on at least an hour longer.

Some may say the performance felt more like a "rave" than a concert due to the lights show and lasers, but nevertheless fans were thrilled with the entire technicolor spectacle of the night. Maybe it's the timeless love ballads that us teenagers can't seem to get out of our heads or the throwback feelings of sentimentality and appeal that so many seem to able to connect with. Maybe it's the interaction between Martin and the crowd that drives everyone wild. Or maybe it's the fact that so few bands nowadays have the global recognition that Coldplay has, when the crowd's echoing of the lyrics is louder than the band performing the song. Whatever it is, Coldplay's array can consume your soul. They must be doing something right.