Coldplay - Why the hate?

[moogster]

To repeat some of the above. The music. I loved their first album. Second was OK. Then.... urgh...

For the "I was cool then" story, I saw them at the time of the first album in a tiny venue. I remember me and my friend's opinion was "yeah it was nice but they seemed so insecure and need practice" 😉

[Alvoram]

1 minute ago, Stevie P-alike said:

I went to Wembley Tuesday with a friend. I rarely listen to them, but their music is reasonably tuneful, inoffensive and, importantly in the circumstances, familiar . I've seen them a couple of times (including at Glasto) so knew they would put on a brilliant show...and they really threw the kitchen sink at it, so much so that the music almost became secondary to the overall experience, which really was something else. 

At times it was almost overwhelming, there was so much going on, and for the first 90 minutes it really was exciting. The crowd were totally hyped and I felt I was seeing things I hadn't really seen done that well before. The songs were largely anthemic and probably written with huge crowd singalongs in mind, and Wembley can rarely have looked and sounded so good.

As the night wore on, I guess the novelty of all the lights, wristbands, fireworks, confetti cannons, beach balls, and mini-stages wore off a little and I started to feel the music was a bit weak and 'samey' in places. However, I don't think they deserve all the criticism - they've become one of the biggest bands in the world and Chris Martin seems a genuinely nice guy. I don't see what's to hate.....

Well written review. Thank you.

I feel they could have tweaked the set list order a little. It was good playing so many of their popular songs early on, but I feel one or two more of the more 'dancy' songs should have been held and  played straight after the 'Sky Full of Stars' part. Everybody around us enjoyed putting their phones away, and dancing, lots of people commented as such, he should have used that momentum to play a few more instead of completely killing it off and bringing us back down a million levels for the colab. 

[MEGABOWL]

I don’t get the hate. They’ve some really good Acoustic/Indie stuff early on and some great pop stuff in their later years. They seem like decent guys and have played a huge part in the history of Glastonbury.

[DareToDibble]

Personally I love them. But then I also love The 1975, the other band on here that gets a lot of hate 😄 

Their set at Glastonbury 2016 is still my favourite ever. I also saw them in Cardiff the year after.

I decided against seeing them this year as it was a pain in the arse to get over to Wembley with all the costs involved. A rumour they will be announcing 2023 dates with Cardiff as 1 of them. If that was to be the case then I will 100% be there.

[balti-pie]

Why would you care about other people's opinions? i like what i like, and i dont have to justify it to anyone! if thats searingly uncool, then fine, im really not bothered at all. Ive been listening to metal for about thirty years and its been extremely uncool for basically all of that time, and due to Stranger Things its currently slightly fashionable online -  and thats amusing - but in a couple of months itll be something people scowl at again. Fine by me! 

 

I dont really have an opinion about Coldplay, they just sort of exist - they lit up the pyramid quite pleasantly in 2016, from the thirty seconds of footage i saw on tv - but ive never seen them, never wanted to, cos its just not for me. Glad other people had a lovely old time there, though.  The wristbands etc are quite an innovative touch. 

Edit: ive just remembered loads of people in the crowd at Earth, Wind & Fire had the wristbands on in 2016! so for that alone, thanks Coldplay 👍

Edited August 18, 2022 by balti-pie

[RossTC]

50 minutes ago, Alvoram said:

It was really good wasn't it. Not sure I could have coped with that amount of dancing in Saturday's heat though 😮 how was that? It threw it down last night, right up until the support act came out, (H.E.R btw, and they were awesome) then it dried up. So it was kind of perfect, dry and cool by the time Coldplay started. 

They did 'murder' 2 All Saints songs last night though, when they bought out Shaznay Lewis... And all the young fans around us looked completely lost as we sang along to them... 😂

*I don't think anybody here is shallow enough to downvote you just for having different music tastes. 🙂 

It was seriously hot but once the sun had gone lower in the sky it was manageable. H.E.R supported on sat also and were brilliant. They had Craig David do a couple tunes with them on Sat, very amusing. 

[Johndenis]

1 hour ago, Chef said:

This sums Coldplay up for me.

The Scientist is one of the greatest songs ever written and I'll die on that hill. 

Ah but is it really?  It's a lovely melody, yes. But what about that arrangement?  The plodding piano and apologetic drums.  The guitars on The Scientist, particularly towards the end, are staggeringly workmanlike.  Why?  As @CaledonianGonzohas said - "it's the music".  A very easy comparison would be to stick on "Love is Blindness" after it. Another stadium rock band ballad, but so much more emotion in the instrumentation.

[Alvoram]

11 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

Why would you care about other people's opinions? i like what i like, and i dont have to justify it to anyone! if thats searingly uncool, then fine, im really not bothered at all. Ive been listening to metal for about thirty years and its been extremely uncool for basically all of that time, and due to Stranger Things its currently slightly fashionable online -  and thats amusing - but in a couple of months itll be something people scowl at again. Fine by me! 

 

I dont really have an opinion about Coldplay, they just sort of exist - they lit up the pyramid quite pleasantly in 2016, from the thirty seconds of footage i saw on tv - but ive never seen them, never wanted to, cos its just not for me. Glad other people had a lovely old time there, though.  The wristbands etc are quite an innovative touch. 

Edit: ive just remembered loads of people in the crowd at Earth, Wind & Fire had the wristbands on in 2016! so for that alone, thanks Coldplay 👍

I don't 'care' in the way you seem to imply I do, I'm just interested in hearing other people's opinions, and thought it was a good topic to discuss, on a discussion board. Have to admit, I do take slight offence at your implication there. Same could be said about anything, why do we care about others opinions on climate, politics, glastonbury, sports, movies yadda yadda, list could be endless, but it wouldn't leave a lot left to discuss would it? 

Having said that, thanks for sharing your opinion anyway. I've never really cared too much for metal, about as close as I ever got was Metallica and bands like BMTH and Linken Park, who aren't really metal are they? But I've found myself enjoying more of it lately, and hadn't made a connection to 'Stranger Things' because I've literally never even watched a minute of that show. But maybe you're right, maybe it's the exposure from that show that's introducing more of it to more of us. 🤷‍♂️ Having said that, is there much NDH on Stranger Things? 🙈😂

22 minutes ago, RossTC said:

It was seriously hot but once the sun had gone lower in the sky it was manageable. H.E.R supported on sat also and were brilliant. They had Craig David do a couple tunes with them on Sat, very amusing. 

Wish we'd had Craig David to be fair, has to have been better than a Shaznay and CM duet. 

[Neil]

Is it hate ors it just piss take. 

[Skip997]

1 minute ago, Neil said:

Is it hate ors it just piss take. 

Neither in my case. I don't hate them, that's reserved for the likes of Oasis and U2, I just find them dull.

 

[Alvoram]

1 minute ago, Neil said:

Is it hate ors it just piss take. 

Good question, the whole point of my "Is it just because they've played the big G so many times" question, was because I wondered if, for some at least, it has just become a bit of meme now. Secret Glasto's tweet was hilarious as an example. 

[balti-pie]

43 minutes ago, Alvoram said:

I don't 'care' in the way you seem to imply I do, I'm just interested in hearing other people's opinions, and thought it was a good topic to discuss, on a discussion board. Have to admit, I do take slight offence at your implication there. Same could be said about anything, why do we care about others opinions on climate, politics, glastonbury, sports, movies yadda yadda, list could be endless, but it wouldn't leave a lot left to discuss would it? 

 

Its a good point! There's friends and work colleagues who's opinions i really rate, and there's others who i would pointedly ignore 😄 it doesn't entirely boil down to 'i have to respect their opinion or it doesn't matter' but thats about 75% of it. But then you're just some person on a forum, and so am i. 

The internet/forums/twitter etc etc both hugely dilutes opinion, and also paradoxically amplifies it, because there's bloody loads of people out there with different opinions on thousands of different subjects - but its also easy to come across people with huge interests in absolutely niche things. 

The classic example is furries - for forever they've probably sat on their own wondering if they are the only person on the planet getting their sexual kicks from being a dog, or a squirrel, or a fox, when in actuality there's hundreds of people out there who want to wear tails, lick things, sniff stuff and generally consider themselves to be the animal of their choice. Nowadays they're validated by others doing it, and included into a community that just would not have happened twenty years ago. 

I'd best clarify by saying i'm not saying all Coldplay fans are furries 🤣

[Skip997]

1 minute ago, balti-pie said:

The classic example is furries

WTF is a furry?

[gooner1990]

Surprised to see their latest album has sold only 100,000 copies in the UK....they used to sell 2-3 million each one that came out....When I used to work at HMV in 2005-06 ish Coldplay were easily the biggest seller.....usually to Mums! 😄 

[balti-pie]

1 minute ago, Skip997 said:

WTF is a furry?

In short, its someone who has a big interest in anthropomorphic animals. Giant human-sized foxes etc.

Think Japan, manga, wearing tails, all that sort of thing. Its a fascinating subculture, i think it's a kind of escapism from the human form.  

[ClementsMike]

Most people don't have strong feelings I guess but if you need a band reference to hate to prove your Edgelord credentials then they are perfect for that.

I saw them on the release of Parachutes in Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club, it was a real moment and I didn't see them again until the last Glastonbury festival. That was every bit the moment. Different, but still.

[kalifire]

Coldplay may feel pedestrian but by god they put on a show. Coldplay 2016 were leagues above Radiohead 2017, in terms of energy and vibes, which is a massive part of a Glastonbury set. 

Edited August 18, 2022 by kalifire

[Cooter]

I loved their Glastos and my daughter loves them too, great band, great songs. CM seems like a thoroughly nice bloke too. Having said all that I wouldn't make a point of seeing them anywhere else.

Hate or piss take?...dunno really but either way it's a bit childish. They're great at their job and that's what matters.

[DeanoL]

It's because they're so popular. Unless your favourite band is Coldplay or the Beatles, they're probably more popular than your favourite band. And even if people like them, they can struggle to understand why it's them and not the band like more that are at that level.

[Alvoram]

28 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

Its a good point! There's friends and work colleagues who's opinions i really rate, and there's others who i would pointedly ignore 😄 it doesn't entirely boil down to 'i have to respect their opinion or it doesn't matter' but thats about 75% of it. But then you're just some person on a forum, and so am i. 

The internet/forums/twitter etc etc both hugely dilutes opinion, and also paradoxically amplifies it, because there's bloody loads of people out there with different opinions on thousands of different subjects - but its also easy to come across people with huge interests in absolutely niche things. 

The classic example is furries - for forever they've probably sat on their own wondering if they are the only person on the planet getting their sexual kicks from being a dog, or a squirrel, or a fox, when in actuality there's hundreds of people out there who want to wear tails, lick things, sniff stuff and generally consider themselves to be the animal of their choice. Nowadays they're validated by others doing it, and included into a community that just would not have happened twenty years ago. 

I'd best clarify by saying i'm not saying all Coldplay fans are furries 🤣

How did that go from Coldplay to niche fetishes? 🙈😂😂😂 

But since it did, if I had to choose, it'd be a dog... Obviously 😉 

[balti-pie]

1 minute ago, Alvoram said:

How did that go from Coldplay to niche fetishes? 🙈😂😂😂 

But since it did, if I had to choose, it'd be a dog... Obviously 😉 

Dunno! i'm off to scotland on holiday tomorrow, so i'm officially off the clock and mentally checked out, my brain is decompressing 😊 

Dog is a most cromulent choice, but i'm going for one of those monkeys with the big sticky out lurid bums - a Mandrill 

[BlackZeppelin]

Not a huge fan, but that 2016 Sunday night after Brexit vote was brilliant. Barry Gibb was a great guest to lighten the gloom.

[westholtschic]

Their 2016 set is Still the best visual gig I have ever seen and I for one would love them back at the farm.

[justanotheronethen]

3 hours ago, balti-pie said:

Dunno! i'm off to scotland on holiday tomorrow, so i'm officially off the clock and mentally checked out, my brain is decompressing 😊 

Dog is a most cromulent choice, but i'm going for one of those monkeys with the big sticky out lurid bums - a Mandrill 

A rabbit, like the Cadburys Caramel one.

Take it easy Mr Beaver

[Ayrshire Chris]

Mrs C is a big fan and we are going to see the next week.  I never understand the hatred towards a band or a genre of music. Plenty of music I don’t like but in that case the answer is  obvious, don’t listen to it or go to the gigs! At Glastonbury especially the choice of what to see is sometimes bewildering. There’s always something to suit everyone so I don’t see the need to slag off any band .  Coldplay in the mud of 2016 were tremendous, and they certainly get Glastonbury.