Coldplay St. Paul Concert Review, Second Night

We attended the second of two back-to-back nights for Coldplay in St. Paul, and if they were bored in any way with the lack of change in venue, it did not show.  The concert was simply outstanding.

Notes from the evening:

• Chris Martin is a front man in every sense of the word.  Showman, band leader, crowd pleaser, and lunch pail mentality all rolled into one.  While he's no Springsteen, he's Springsteen-like in approach to his work and his audience.  He flew around the stage, working his butt off, and had the crowd eating out of his hands.  Simply a great lead singer.
• The show was a visual spectacle.  Confetti cannons, laser lights, balloons, and these lighted bracelets made the event one for the eyes a much as the ears.  Really impressive.

• As they had done the last time we saw them, the band came off the main stage and set up an impromptu stage in the crowd.  And, just like the last time, we were really close to them.  15 feet close.  Here's a good shot:

• The set list was fairly standard, with the only big miss for me was Talk was not performed.  It is a personal favorite for me and holds a lot of meaning, so I missed it a lot.  That being said, the rest of the set was very sold and quite enjoyable.
• The opening acts were absolutely brutal.  Charlie XCX and Marianna & the Diamonds were both horrible in stage presence, way too pop oriented, limited in vocal ability, and just not very good.  Both were the worst musical acts I've seen in many years.  However, both had strong percussion, which salvaged their respective sets.  Avoid these guys at all costs.

Coldplay is a really great band.  Their musicianship, work ethic, and joy were on display in full force tonight.  It resulted in a great band delivering a great show.