A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour

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A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour
Tour by Coldplay
Dates January 21, 2003 to September 8, 2003 (official tour)
June 19, 2002 to September 8, 2003 (including 2002 tours)
Legs 5 (official)
10 (including 2002)
Shows 70 (official)
126 (including 2002)

Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour was a global concert tour that supported the band's second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. Officially, the tour ran for almost 9 months in 2003, covering 5 continents in the process. In 2002, Coldplay also performed a series of concerts in Europe and North America to support the album. However, these shows were not advertised as being part of the official album tour.

The tour DVD Live 2003 was filmed at the Horden Pavillion in Sydney, Australia on July 21 and 22, 2003.

Headliners for the tour included extended appearances by Idlewild and Ash in 2002 and Feeder, The Music, Eisley, and Ron Sexsmith in 2003.

Contents

[edit] Show structure

Overall, Coldplay's concerts during this period showcased its progression as a bona fide live act. The band began playing more shows in arenas and ampitheatres, moving away from the club venues that dominated earlier tours. Shows also had more elaborate stage and lighting effects. For example, strobe lighting for the song "Daylight" featured the image of a rotating sun superimposed over the stage. Taking a cue from U2's recent Elevation Tour, Coldplay also adopted a series of back screens that displayed video footage of each band member simultaneously.[1]

Other highlights included:

  • Lead singer Chris Martin sang with Ron Sexsmith on the track, "Gold in Them Hills" during the headling set.
  • Guitarist Jon Buckland regularly played a harmonica solo on the track "Don't Panic". He tossed the harmonica into the crowd after the solo's completion. Buckland also performed an original electric guitar introduction for the track.
  • The aformentioned back screens were unfurled mid-concert, usually during the beginning of "One I Love".
  • At some shows, Martin sang lyrics after inhaling from a helium balloon.[2]
  • Martin usually wore a Make Trade Fair t-shirt during 2002 shows to promote the Oxfam campaign. Make Trade Fair booths were present at venues, where concert-goers could sign petitions and learn about the campaign's objectives.

[edit] Setlist

Coldplay's shows during this period was noted for its use of strobe lighting.
Enlarge
Coldplay's shows during this period was noted for its use of strobe lighting.

The 2002 shows contained a rough 50/50 split in material from Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head. The official tour in 2003 focused on songs from the sophomore album, as well as many unreleased tracks. For example, future Live 2003 single "Moses" and b-side "Pour Me" were introduced during the tour.

Coldplay also made a habit of covering other artists on the tour, often as outros to their own songs. Covers ranged from a tongue-in-cheek excerpt of Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi" to the Louis Armstrong classic "What a Wonderful World". Coldplay also regularly covered Echo and the Bunnymen's "Lips Like Sugar" in its entirety, in homage of Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch's role as a mentor during recording of A Rush of Blood to the Head.

The musical introduction to the concert featured selections from Brian Eno's Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks.[3]

The following is a sample setlist, taken from a concert in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on June 11, 2003.[4]

[edit] Main set

  1. "Politik"
  2. "God Put a Smile upon Your Face"
  3. "A Rush of Blood to the Head"
  4. "Daylight"
  5. "Trouble"
  6. "One I Love"
  7. "Don't Panic"
  8. "Moses"
  9. "Everything's Not Lost"
  10. "The World Turned Upside Down"
  11. "Yellow"
  12. "The Scientist"/"What a Wonderful World" (outro)

[edit] Encore 1

  1. "Clocks"
  2. "In My Place"
  3. "Amsterdam"

[edit] Encore 2

  1. "Lips Like Sugar"
  2. "Life is for Living"

[edit] References

  1. ^ Concert Review: Coldplay. Retrieved on June 9, 2006.
  2. ^ LIVE: Coldplay and Ash. Retrieved on June 9, 2006.
  3. ^ The importance of being earnest. Retrieved on June 9, 2006.
  4. ^ Coldplay setlist, June 11, 2003. Retrieved on June 9, 2006.

[edit] External links

Coldplay
Chris Martin | Jonny Buckland | Guy Berryman | Will Champion
Ken Nelson
Discography
Studio Albums: Parachutes | A Rush of Blood to the Head | X&Y
Lives and EPS: Safety EP | Brothers & Sisters EP | The Blue Room EP | Trouble Live EP | Live 2003
Singles: "Ode to Deodorant" | "Brothers & Sisters" | "Shiver" | "Yellow" | "Trouble" | "Don't Panic" | "In My Place" | "The Scientist" | "Clocks" | "God Put a Smile upon Your Face" | "Speed of Sound" | "Fix You" | "Talk" | "The Hardest Part | "What If" | "White Shadows"
Tours
A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour | Twisted Logic Tour
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