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Review: Jack Foley
COLDPLAY'S Chris Martin hailed Sir Bob Geldof as 'a hero of our
time' and wrote off the Live 8 cynics as 'stupid' after taking
part in the Live 8 Festival in London's Hyde Park.
The talented singer-songwriter has been a vocal supporter of
the Make Poverty History Campaign and declared Live 8 as 'the
greatest thing that's ever been organised in the history of the
world' at the end of the band's three-song set.
Coldplay are undoubtedly one of the biggest bands in the world
at the moment, so it was only appropiate that they should follow
U2 onto the Hyde Park mega-stage.
The band kicked off with one of their biggest anthems, In
My Place, featuring the sublime guitar riffs of Jonny Buckland
that have deservedly been embraced by the record-buying public.
The song remains a timeless classic, the type of which will undoubtedly
feature on countless playbacks from the event - particularly as
it included an impromptu sample of Rocking All Over The World
by Martin, in a nod to Status Quo's performance at Live Aid 20
years ago.
Yet it wasn't the highlight of a set that was all too short-lived.
For their second song, former Verve frontman, Richard Ashcroft,
joined the band on stage for a memorable version of Bitter
Sweet Symphony, a song that Martin was proud to declare 'the
best ever written'.
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Ashcroft has long held one of the
most distinctive voices in the music industry and his voice reigned
supreme above the Hyde Park masses.
Martin, for his part, played piano and provided backing vocals,
while Buckland once again delivered some killer hooks on the guitar.
Better still, however, was the poignant Fix You, from
Coldplay's latest album, X&Y.
The song is a slow-building ballad packed with whimsical lyrics
such as 'when you try but you don't succeed, when you get what
you want, but not what you need'.
Each line seemed to take on extra significance when set against
the backdrop of the occasion - that to try and help is much better
than sitting back and doing nothing at all.
By the time the guitars kicked in, I could feel the hairs on
the back of my neck standing on end.
The sweeping nature of the song was quite simply empowering and
delivered another telling lyric in the form of "if
you never try, you'll never know just what you're worth".
An admirable sentiment indeed and a song worthy of gracing such
a significant cultural occasion.
Live 8 London:
U2's set reviewed
Stereophonics
at Live 8: Review
REM at Live 8: Review
Keane at Live 8: Review
Snoop Dogg reviewed
Razorlight show
no sign of nerves at Live 8
Madonna ensures her Music
makes people come together
Pink Floyd reunion reviewed
Live 8: Overview (the day in review)
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