Check Out My Wind-up Lederhosen

Well, ladies and gentlemen,Coldplay was amazing in concert. The whole thing was absolutely perfect. Well...except for the opening band but that's another story for another day...or later in this post. i haven't decided yet. Let's start with the weather: it was in the mid-seventies when we got there but as the sun set, it dropped into the sixties with not a cloud in the sky. After a bit of a shock from the general admission line to get in (it snaked around at least three hundred yards), we were relieved to discover that we could get in at the much less crowded Premier Parking entrance. Once the gates opened ten minutes or so after we arrived, we were in within three minutes. Next on the agenda was to buy a $35 t-shirt and find seats on the lawn. Good ones. Not a difficult feat if you weren't planning to drink alcoholic beverages or smoke. Not that people didn't try...they just got beat down by the "fan safety" security team lady who seemed to get a rise out of warning people off of her patch of grass if they so much as looked like they'd enjoy a beer or a cigarette.
We found a great spot right at the base of the lawn with a decent view of the stage (it was still the lawn) and proceeded to hang out for the next three hours. I was a bit disappointed that though the concert started at seven, the opener didn't start until seven-thirty and Coldplay didn't come on until close to nine. But when they did, boy howdy. It wasn't U2 in concert but it was pretty darn close. The music sounded amazing, the set looked amazing, and the band was overall...amazing. Chris Martin, I was happy to discover, has a great sense of humor and that (much to be appreciated in famous or semi-famous people) ability to laugh at himself. He coughed loudly into the mic during "The Scientist", laughed it off with a quick joke and attempted to continue the song, only to be interrupted by Will Champion, the drummer, who informed him that the song sucked and he should start over. Maybe you had to be there, but it's those kinds of things that make me LOVE live shows. It's then that you not only get to hear the music you love live and see what the band looks like performing it, but you also get to see a little bit of them being who they are and that's worth every bit of the extra cash to see the show (and wait in line). Anyway...long story short because I can't rave on forever, but if you ever get a chance to see Coldplay in concert, GO. They sound amazing live and you'll love every minute. Plus, Chris Martin is a very energetic (and pretty) guy and he's lots of fun to watch. I thought he'd destroy his piano stool before the show was over with and he even came out into the audience at one point. They were also very gracious performers and actually seemed genuinely grateful to all of us for coming out to watch the show. No, really. I'd go see them again in a heartbeat.

Moving right along because I've got to head out, my family and I will have visitors over the next couple of days, thanks to hurricane Ophelia, which is currently churning in a very slow-moving, bored fashion off the coast of North/South Carolina and is headed our way. I can only say I hope to goodness that it'll all come to nothing, we'll be back to normal in a couple of days, and in the meantime, I'll get to hang out with my brother, Nathan, his girlfriend Caroline (who also came with us to Coldplay), and her brother....I don't know his name yet. Should be tons of fun. I'm supposed to "entertain" them tonight so go ahead and start feeling sorry for them.

Have a lovely day and remember: ...I don't know...make up something.