Coldplay's culminating release
By Nate Seltenrich
For anyone who ever doubted Coldplay's musical legitimacy, this CD/DVD combo album is a firm "What were you thinking?" slap across the face. For everyone else who was with Coldplay all along, "Live 2003" represents the culmination of their career thus far and must not be overlooked.
Coldplay also released "Live 2003" as a CD-only album, but the bonus DVD, which contains over 90 minutes of footage from a concert at Sydney, Australia's Horden Pavilion as well as a tour documentary and song lyrics, is what makes this release so incredible.
Besides featuring an additional five songs that aren't on the CD â€" "Daylight," "Trouble," "Don't Panic," "The Scientist" and "Life is for Living" â€" the DVD's cinematography is excellent, the camera angles insightful, and the visual quality stunning.
Alternating between shots from the crowd and shots from the stage, the video not only places the viewer in the position of the fan, but also offers a VIP view of the whole concert experience.
The production and recording quality is fantastic, in terms of both video and audio, which helps to launch the at-home viewer/listener into the concert setting. Throughout the concert, the crisp live recording captures each instrument, including the vocals, at the utmost clarity and with calculated balance.
Although lead singer, guitarist and pianist Chris Martin gets the most face time, he deserves the attention. The video establishes him as an enigmatic frontman with an amiable personality and remarkable stage presence. His musicianship, along with the rest of the band, is seemingly perfect within the confines that the band operates. On both the album and the video, the band sounds very tight and rehearsed, yet also satisfyingly full and open.
Both collections of songs feature a mixture of singles and deeper album cuts, as well as two unreleased songs - "Moses" and "One I Love." Musically, the most invigorating moments come when Coldplay expand upon their style to an almost psychedelic, Pink Floyd-esque jam.
Guitarist Jon Buckland fits into this mold perfectly with his occasional wailing, almost ambient single-note leads. Guy Berryman's droning yet dynamic bass lines often carry the melodies and play perfectly off of Martin's vocals and the rhythms laid down by drummer Will Champion.
The cathartic quieter moments, which often feature Martin alone with his piano and his fabulous voice, are unfortunately somewhat less enjoyable and were likely more stirring at the concert.
The album's standout selections include "A Rush of Blood to the Head," "Shiver" and "See You Soon." The video also manages to breathe new life into the previously overplayed singles "Yellow," "Clocks" and "The Scientist," all of which are quite impressive in slightly modified live form.
After only two studio LPs, Coldplay have established themselves as world-class musicians. "Live 2003" showcases all that they've been able to accomplish and would be a worthy purchase for just about any music or concert video appreciator. Coldplay fans, you were right all along.
Grade: A
û Contact Nate Seltenrich at (408) 554-4546 or nseltenrich@scu.edu.