What I'm Listening To - "Adventure of a Lifetime" by Coldplay

I am not whatsoever what I'd consider a Coldplay fan.  While I somewhat appreciate their singles, I've found their albums as wholes to be disappointingly one-note when played out in their entirety.  So I will readily admit that I didn't have the greatest of expectations heading into seeing them in concert as part of their A Head Full of Dreams tour at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, August 6.  I was sure they'd put on a good show, but I had this tinge of worry that I'd be a little bored.

Well, I couldn't have been more wrong.  This was, undoubtedly, the best concert experience I've had.  Now, can it compare with the first time I saw Paul McCartney back in 2009?  Well, I mean, McCartney's a legend and I was totally swept up in seeing the former Beatle take on hit after hit from his gigantic repertoire.  That said, this Coldplay show was a visual spectacle and the group -- particularly lead singer Chris Martin -- sounded fantastic live crafting an experience with over 45,000 people that I likely won't forget for quite a while.

One would think that lasers, fireworks, plumes of fire, giant video screens, confetti, and a stadium full of tens of thousands of RFID-chipped light-up wristbands (given out for free upon entrance) would take away from the music...and you may be a little right.  I found myself admittedly zoning out of the words that were coming out of Martin's mouth and instead taking in the spectacle of the whole thing -- but I kinda zone out of the words in most Coldplay songs anyway, focusing instead on the pulsing drive of the music itself so the concert setting actually fit my Coldplay listening tendencies to a tee.  Surely, the night's most impactful moments were on songs like "Viva La Vida," new single "Adventure of a Lifetime," "Paradise," and "A Sky Full of Stars" where the quicker-paced beats lended themselves to a bit more visual show.  However, the night's quieter moments -- "Yellow," "Clocks," a lovely cover of Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia," and even the night's final number, a surprisingly low key though rather stirring "Up and Up" -- allowed Martin's vocals to shine which provided a nice counterpoint to the obviously incredible showmanship of the other numbers.

As Martin ran across the stage, I tried to will myself to want to leave the concert and become the biggest fan of Coldplay ever.  That isn't going to happen.  However, perhaps weirdly (or maybe not), I'd go see these guys in concert again in a heartbeat.  It's not as if I think their music is bad in the slightest, but I'm still not the biggest fan.  However, they can put on one helluva show undoubtedly worth the $75 I shelled out.  I can't recommend them as showmen highly enough.

Below, you'll find "Adventure of a Lifetime" from Coldplay's latest album.