Coldplay

I was first introduced to Coldplay over a coffee at Lost Dog Café on Main Street in Binghamton, New York. It was June. If I really thought about it, I could probably tell you the exact date.

“Yellow” played. It had literally been years since I had really listened to music. The person I was sitting across from commented on what a cool band they were, then looked me in the eye and told me to listen. I fell in love that day, with the song and with the company.

Coldplay is one of those bands that helps you “get through”.

Deneb, Julie’s Italian boyfriend, on Friday night, asked, “Rebecca, what does that mean? That song ‘got you through?’”

I smiled, wondering if I was being a little overdramatic again.

But, most of the people I love have lists of writers, of songs, of movies and of people who have helped them “get through”.

For Amy, one of those bands is the Counting Crows. Leah looked to Deathcab for Cutie for awhile. Chip loves anything English and goes for classics like Jane Austen. I can still remember what my house felt like as an early teenager, as my Dad played a Richard Harris album over and over again.

“Perhaps our love affair with Coldplay comes from the fact that they sing about what you are feeling, and they still are dancing on the stage like Chris Martin.” Amy said, last night as I told her I was writing.




That must be true.

When songs like “Fix You” would come on my iPod, two years ago, as I was making my solitary, 7 mile, daily walk up Kinsman road, I would sometimes cry at the poignancy of their words at articulating the feelings in my heart….

“When you try your best and you don’t succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need. When you feel so tired you can’t sleep. Stuck in reverse. And tears keep streaming down your face. When you lose something you can’t replace. When you love someone, but it goes to waste. Could it be worse? Lights will guide you home. And ignite your bones. And I will try to fix you.”

I had secretly dedicated that song to my sister, after months of trying to love someone with all my heart. Only to realize, that somehow, I was standing alone. Those days, I would share a meal with my sister and we would drink gin and tonics and order one brownie sundae at the local pub. We shared meals we couldn't finish because we weren’t really eating much then. We painted her room tiffany blue and hung chocolate brown curtains, as if praying to create the world she longed for. Hopefully, she found it, she will get married at the Aurora Inn in May.

But how about the song “What If”?
“What if there was no light.
Nothing wrong, nothing right.
What if there was no time?
And no reason or rhyme?
What if you should decide
That you don't want me there by your side.
That you don't want me there in your life.

What if I got it wrong?
And no poem or song.
Could put right what I got wrong,
Or make you feel I belong
What if you should decide
That you don't want me there by your side
That you don't want me there in your life.”

So it was on my walks up Kinsman Road with the occasional pick-up truck racing by me, kicking up dirt and blocking my view of my favorite place on the planet, that I somehow found solace. Chris Martin may have been singing to the world, but it also felt a little like he was speaking to me.

As I sit here in Italy, on a Sunday morning, with a cup of coffee in my hand, at my desk, as I listen to Coldplay quietly come out of Amy’s room, there are no tears in my eyes today, and I can’t help but feel grateful.

I moved to Italy and I met Amy. Like a big sister, who is two years younger than me, she played music, as I sat and looked at what jewelry I wanted to borrow. I found out quickly we share essentially the same music taste, which many of our friends say is a little too depressing for their liking. John and Paul once said, “It is the kind of music that makes you want to slit your wrists.” Yet, they would still play it for us, when we came over.

The first half of last year, Amy and I devoured Counting Crows, Damien Rice,Kendall Payne, Kimya Dawson. But, by May, we were playing “Swallowed By the Sea” and it was on repeat for a good month, until we parted ways for the summer on June 27th.

It might be a little scary how much we love musicians that dive deep into the abyss and share their confusion.




Coldplay was touring Europe and their Italy shows were sold out! We wanted to go. Annie, a friend, who, after showing us she liked to watch “Grey’s Anatomy” marathons, made us realize she was a lot like us. Annie, a petite math teacher, laughs with her whole body when she thinks something is funny. Her kindness is sincere and you can’t help but hope she gets all she dreams of, because she certainly deserves it.

“Let’s try to find tickets!” One of us said, as the rest enthusiastically agreed.
So, Annie put, “Annie is looking for tickets to see Coldplay in Milan” as her facebook status and that was basically the extent of our searching. A day later, Ceci, our co-worker, who leads our school’s hopped up version of a Sunshine Committee was quick to answer Annie’s call. She gave a website and free Italian translation help and before we knew it, we were in Annie’s classroom at 7:30 am, mimicking Chris Martin’s arm slamming, body convulsing dance he has for his Viva La Vida video. Of course, we paid three times the ticketed price. Can I admit, we would have paid five?



September 30th. The day of the concert had finally come. Annie, as she drove us to school played their new album, tracks 3, 5, 10 were our favorites. We were dancing in the car, as Bret, Annie’s “roommate” commented on how happy he would be when the Coldplay phase would end, which he somehow believed would be after tonight.

“WHAT!!??” We all looked at each other, as our hands were pumping in the air. Yes, Annie was dancing while she drove. If anyone fits into driving in Italy, it is Annie. Every morning we meet her at her parking spot to get a ride to school. The “parking lot” is really just a median, where fifty other cars have taken it upon themselves to park daily. Some days she has no way out, other than to reverse 50 meters onto a rotary going the opposite direction into on-coming traffic. We call it, the “Counter Clockwise” or “The Annie Etling”. She is pure fearlessness, packaged in a 115 pound blonde girl.

I am happy to say, Coldplay lasted long past when Bret found his own way to work.

We got to school, and Annie received a sealed envelope with all of our names on it and the phrase, “Lights will guide you home and ignite your bones. Have fun!” In the envelope were three lighters, one yellow, one green and one purple, with our names written in permanent marker on each. They were of course from the Sunshine Committee.

“Yessss! Thanks Ceci!”

We were ready. The concert started at 9 at the Datch Forum on the outskirts of Milan. We quickly parked and weaved our way through the crowds. The pannino stands were up, lighted and ready to serve beer and salsicia to anyone who asked for them. I am always a little disappointed in myself when I am not hungry for a pannino, because they are really very nice. But, I was too excited. So we walked and the shirt sellers called, and we didn’t need anything but our tickets and the laughs that only girlfriends can give.

We had three tickets. One ticket was supposed to be separate from the others, it was actually located on the other side of the stadium from the other two. We made the decision that we would try to sit together anyway. The security guard told me my ticket was half a world away and we muttered in our terrible Italian that we would just all stay here for a little bit. He smiled and walked away.

There is no opening show for Coldplay, which I think I actually prefer. The black scrims were covering the stage and a hum fell as everyone anticipated what was to come.

They opened with Violet Hill…We lit our lighters, as the rest of the stadium opened their phones and Chris Martin sang, “I don’t want to be a soldier who the captain of some sinking ship would stow, far below..So if you love me… Why’d you let me go?”




Song after song…divine

Then, it was him, alone on the stage, one spotlight and a piano. He asked us to sing along. “Fix You” played and then the tears came. I had forgotten my phone at home. If I hadn’t, I would have called. I would have called my sister, I would not have said one word, instead I would have just let her listen too.

As the show progressed, security guards with flashlights were walking around behind our seats. Annie kept whispering, “Guys, I think something is going on. Do you think Kayne is coming?” As we elbowed each other down the line, like a game of telephone.




However,soon, an instrument cart clearly for four people emerged. I asked the roadie nearest to us what was happening.

He said, “You will see soon. But make sure your hair looks good!” The song ended on the main stage and it went black and the band disappeared, only to appear minutes later in front of us, heading for the stage that was literally two feet away from us. The seat we had “stolen” was meant to be a buffer seat for security, but suddenly no one really cared that a cute American girl was sitting there.



I felt like a teenager watching the Beetles on the Ed Sullivan Show. Ok, maybe, I wasn’t quite that dramatic, but I did say, “I love you!” rather ridiculously.
They played “The Scientist” and then the drummer sang a solo and before we knew it, they were passing by us again on their way back to the main stage.



The encore song was “Yellow”.

“Look at the stars…look how they shine for you…. And everything you do…”



Yeah, they are a cool band and it would be my pleasure to listen.