The Ghost Stories Tour was an intimate concert tour by British band Coldplay, consisting of nine shows at a handful of low-key venues, during eight non-consecutive months in 2014, reaching North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. The concerts were part of Coldplay's campaign in support of their sixth studio album Ghost Stories (2014). All the songs on the standard version of the album were performed by group, as some of their previous songs from their five prior studio albums. The concerts mixed live and pre-recorded content in a show that worked in the more intimate settings but also produced a visually stunning finale. In selected dates, SZA, London Grammar and AlunaGeorge were the opening acts.
The largely pared-down of this tour stands in stark contrast to the band's last digression, the Mylo Xyloto Tour (2011-12). That tour saw the band playing 80 shows in massive stadiums and arenas across five continents, where it grossed over $192 million en route becoming one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. During the Australian leg of that tour, Chris Martin told onlookers at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium that they wouldn't play another "big show for a few years". With the smaller capacity of venues on this intimate run, Martin remains true to his word. Some critics praising to see something different from a band that took their last tours to the world's greatest stadiums and arenas, and others noting that even the new songs are clearly more personal to Martin at the moment, can often fail to leave a mark in a show like the old songs.
Video Ghost Stories Tour
Promotion
In 21 March 2014, Coldplay debuted the album Ghost Stories at an intimate gig in Los Angeles. The band played the new album in its entirety for the first time to 800 fans on a movie soundstage at Sony Studios. The gig was being recorded as part of a DVD extra for the album, which was released on 19 May. Given the surprising sound of the first two songs the band has shared from Ghost Stories, "Midnight" and "Magic", a small tour seems appropriate.
From April to July, Coldplay embarked on a six-date promotional tour in support of the album. The band performed at E-Werk in Cologne, Germany on 25 April and performed at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, New York on 5 May, prior to the release of Ghost Stories. On 16 May, the band announced one-off show in Sydney, Australia scheduled for 19 June. Tickets for the show have sold-out in just under three minutes. Coldplay announced a second date at Royal Albert Hall, after tickets for their 1 July gig also sold out in a matter of minutes, the band play the venue again on 2 in the same month.
The band continued the tour after the release of the album at the Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California on 19 May, the Casino de Paris in Paris, France on 28 May, the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo, Japan on 12 June, the Enmore Theatre in Sydney, Australia on 19 June and closing the tour at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 2 July. On 20 October, Coldplay announced the release of a new concert film and live album, Ghost Stories Live 2014, scheduled to be released on 24 November. The band recorded this work throughout this tour. To celebrate the release of the new live album, the band announced one-off concert at BMW Welt in Munich, Germany on 6 December. This was the last show to promote the album.
Maps Ghost Stories Tour
Opening acts
During all of tour, just three regions have had opening acts. SZA served as the show opener at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, on May 5. In an interview on Radio.com, the singer said that for her was an honor and she still can't quite wrap her mind around, "I can't even believe that was an opportunity or an option. I don't know why you would waste an opening slot on me", she said.
The British trio London Grammar open the concert in Los Angeles, on May 19. Coldplay handpicked them as support at the tiny venue. "Coldplay have given us some really good advice, solid ground rules. The best was that you have to respect the chemistry in your band. If you have that, then you can't really go wrong", stated Hannah Reid, the vocalist of the trio. After the soundcheck, they argue good-naturedly over a "thank you" card they gave to the band. English electronic music duo AlunaGeorge were the opening acts for the shows in Royal Albert Hall, in London, on July 1 and 2, performing songs from their debut album Body Music.
Concert synopsis
Each concert contains a different setlist, and typically, the show is not divided in parts. For the show recorded at the Sony Studios, that was released as a DVD extra on the album, the setlist consisted basically on all songs on the standard version of the album. Just four old songs of the band were performed, that went "Paradise" and "Clocks", opening the show, "Viva la Vida" and "Fix You" closing.
The repertoire of the rest of the shows contained between 18 and 20 songs, and the band focused to perform all the songs on the album. Martin promises a set that will incorporate rarities, favorites and new songs, all of which he squeezes into a maximum efficiency and according to him, "We will never play another show like this in our lives". All the songs on the standard version of the album were performed, except the songs "Another's Arms" and "O", played in selected dates. The performances of the album's songs during the tour are similar to the show recorded at the Sony Studios. During the song "Midnight", Chris Martin and the bassist Guy Berryman make music using the laser harp. Martin played the piano for the mostly solo "O", with drummer Will Champion providing subtle guitar licks.
Kylie Minogue made a special cameo during the show in Sydney, performing with the band her hit single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (2001) and a cover of the Nick Cave song "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (1995).
On the last show of the tour, in Munich, the band performed "Christmas Lights".
Setlist examples
Shows
External links
- Coldplay Official Website
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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