So, after the last few days’ discussion of small rooms and getting out there ‘without the big stuff’ we find ourselves in an arena today for iheartradio’s ALTer EGO, amongst a whole bunch of acts quite adept at ‘the big stuff’ themselves. One of the other bands even sports a confetti machine!
So how will it go? How will these songs fly in a bigger space in front of crowd being treated to the bombast and spectacle of not just one major show, but a parade of major league acts? Before any of that can happen though, there’s another, completely invisible set of hurdles quite literally backstage… The show runs on a rotating turntable. One act’s crew getting ready on the back as another plays out front. When their time’s up, the turntable revolves and the next act is up right away.
This means we have 20 minutes to set up a string section, choir, brass troupe, grand piano and very complex set of band gear. Given that we had almost two full days to set all of this up in Jordan, this could quite easily become a very public disaster.
However, there’s many years of hard won experience in the Coldplay crew – so somewhat miraculously, when the final confirmation that we have everything working comes down, it is followed by a comms shout of “alright everyone, six minutes remaining”. The turntable revolves and the show begins, the strings herald Sunrise and the mood of the room is captured and focussed. The anticipation bursts into a spirited Orphans and we’re off to the races.
Chris notes that the show was completely sold out before Coldplay were even announced, hence they were playing to an arena where not one single person had bought a ticket to see them. He thanks everyone politely for allowing them to ‘gatecrash the party’ and in a glorious rush of glorious tunes, it’s all over.
Afterwards, it’s unanimously agreed to have gone very well indeed. And joy of joys – our first day off to follow! That duvet won’t know what’s hit it….
R42
