TORONTO - If the amount of hype surrounding next month's release of Coldplay's "X&Y" is to be believed, the band's third studio album will be its biggest triumph and quite possibly the best record of the year.
And for 75-minutes at the Kool Haus last night, the current, past and future darlings of Brit-Pop let Torontonians know the hype is real.
Opening with "Square One," the first track on "X&Y," Coldplay treated fans to the lyrical ambiguities that colour the new album.
"From the top of your first page/ To the end of the last page/ From the start in your own way/ You just want somebody listening to what you say," singer Chris Martin wailed as he attacked the piano, backed by the rocking extravaganza of Jon Buckland's U2-esque riff and Guy Berryman's slow-burning bass line.
Bathed in a deep red glow, the group quickly shifted from the new to the old with "Politik," from 2002's "A Rush of Blood to the Head." And when Martin chanted the tune's famous line, "Open up your eyes," he was flanked by Kubrickian flourishes of red light while the crowd eagerly sang along.
Pausing slightly for some between-song banter, Martin shimmied out from behind the piano, arming himself with an acoustic guitar for "God Put A Smile On Your Face." Dressed all in black, the 28-year-old frontman looked ready to make out madly with the microphone before Buckland took over the song's familiar chords.
Catching the waves of enthusiasm emanating from the sold-out crowd, Martin quickly hopped back behind the piano to launch the cascading strains of "X&Y's" first single, "Speed of Sound." But in its live incarnation, it's Will Champion's sinewy drums that pump up the muscular vocal track.
Trading warm acoustic licks with Buckland, Martin was back on his feet singing the emotive refrain, "I've gotta tell you what a state I'm in/ I've gotta tell you in my loudest tones/ That I started looking for a warning sign," from "Warning Sign." Sounding pristine, the track reminded listeners that the group is one of the few popular music acts that can make the bitter sound so sweet.
On "Yellow" Martin ditched all musical accoutrements and prowled the stage. Borrowing moves from U2's Bono, Martin spun and danced his way through Buckland's melodic solo. But in true Coldplay fashion, the fresh-faced frontman kept his feet firmly on the ground when the song's devotional lyrics took over.
Sounding a bit like Tears For Fears' "Change," Martin twisted his vocals around Berryman's meaty bass line on "Low." And showing that "X&Y" is an emotional rollercoaster, his non-committal opening, "See the world in black and white," gave way to a resounding "I feel love" outro that was pitched against Champion's crashing cymbals and Buckland's harmonious guitar.
"We like to think of ourselves as a Swiss Army Band," Martin joked before launching into "X&Y's" hidden track: "Till Kingdom Come." Accompanied by Berryman on harmonica and Champion on piano, Martin and Buckland strummed longingly through the ballad.
But before you could say "Uno, dos, tres, catorce," Martin was back behind the piano banging out the shimmering strains of "Clocks." Bathed in a spearmint-green light, the band rocked through the popular number, while Martin attacked the keyboard, giving the track a robust sound that yearned to break from the confines of such a small venue.
Fans pining for "In My Place" had to wait until almost the bitter end for absolution. But with Martin cavorting the stage, the audience, drenched in a brilliant white light, happily took over singing the tune's popular lines, "Yeah, how long must you wait for him?/ Yeah, how long must you pay for him?/ Yeah, how long must you wait for him?"
"We hope our new record doesn't make you down," Martin issued before closing with the hypnotic "Fix You."
It was probably one of the last times the group will be able to be modest. Once "X&Y" hits stores, it might just be the best record of 2005.
What they played (* denotes songs from the new album, X&Y):
Square One*
Politik
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
Speed Of Sound*
Warning Sign
Yellow
Low*
The Scientist
'Til Kingdom Come*
Clocks
What If*
ENCORE:
A Message*
In My Place
Fix You*
