Rockfreaks.net

support Griff + Oh Land
author KRS date 05/07/23 venue Parken, Copenhagen, DEN

As I step on a bus from Sorgenfri a bit outside Copenhagen, it is already packed with people traveling toward the Parken stadium in the Østerbro district of the Danish capital. Why? Because for two nights, Coldplay is set to put on a show. If you're anything like me, you probably decided to scout Instagram beforehand to see what was in store, and during the 30-minute journey, I overhead plenty of things people are excited about, which also manages to get me stoked — and I usually never get hyped up. I will admit, it sounds even better than the the videos and pictures I’ve seen on Instagram, so tonight, the first evening of their two-night stay in Copenhagen, I jump in with both feet and decide to let Coldplay either convince me that I am, in fact, a closet fan of the band, or that I genuinely hate them.

Oh Land

Danish electro pop act Oh Land, the moniker of singer-songwriter Nanna Øland Fabricius, is supposed to go on at 19:00 sharp, but at 19:10, she is still delayed. And when the clock hits 19:15, Oh Land finally takes the stage. Honestly, I’m surprised that I recognise so many of Oh Land’s songs. In fact, I discover that I know more than half of the songs on their setlist and now feel a bit silly for never knowing those were actually written and performed by this outfit. Nonetheless, they put on an amazing show, and I have to concede that when Oh Land thanks the evening’s headliners Coldplay for the chance to support them here in Denmark, my heart does skip a beat. The group does not take the opportunity for granted, giving the audience their all and rendering me into a new fan of theirs. The only downside really is their lack of time management.

Griff

United Kingdom’s pop and R&B sweetheart Griff is here, and I'm seeing her. In the moment, I don't care about anything else, because Griff has such talent, and she translates that talent into something even bigger when you see her live in action. Her charm and charisma make me forget that the first half of her set is troubled by a few technical issues; as the professional she is, she just keeps going unfazed. For those familiar with her songs, one moment that stands out in my book is her mash-up of her own track “One Night” and Whitney Houston’s classic “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”. I have no idea how she pulls it off, but I can hardly keep still in my seat afterward. I am floored, and caught in the moment, I find myself writing to my fellow scribes to suggest we create a sibling website called Popfreaks.net. Sadly, no one is on board with this innovation, so instead, all of our rock- and metal-interested readers can now look forward to checking out their newest guilty pleasure: Griff!

Coldplay

The stage is thus set for the British pop rock stars in Coldplay, who are ready to take the stage and deliver a show definitely custom designed for their biggest fans. As I walked into the stadium earlier, I was given a bracelet that would be a part of the visual spectacle, lighting up during various songs in different colours. Kicking off with “Higher Power” off their latest studio album, 2021’s “Music of the Spheres”, there are some minor issues to do with the sound quality, but luckily these are quickly fixed. As the group proceeds through the first part of their setlist, which contains a number of absolute bangers like their smash hit “Paradise” their 2011 outing “Mylo Xyloto”, I’m pretty sure this is the first moment that I lose myself and go out of control. What a guilty pleasure song this will forever be for me! And after it, “The Scientist” takes us back to 2002’s “A Rush of Blood to the Head”, which remains a powerful song more than two decades after it was originally written. In a somewhat amusing moment, frontman Chris Martin initially gets distracted and begins by singing the wrong song, forcing the band to stop and try again. Not that I mind, because the piano solo in it is perfect for my mood, and after four high-powered songs, I need to relax..

As we enter Act II, the staple “Viva la Vida" off 2008’s “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends” is aired. "You sound perfect; we don't. Let's change that so we all sound good”, Martin says as the track winds to a conclusion. And true enough: the audience are on top of their game — yet I’ve never felt as British as I do during this concert. Then there's a part of the show that has me in tears. A fan from Indonesia is invited onto the stage, and she brings along a sign that reads: “It's my dad's birthday, but my dad isn't here anymore. Can we play ‘Daddy’, please?” My eyes are tearing up. Martin dedicates the song to his grandfather, and I am quick to whip out my telephone to record a video and send it to my own dad with a lovely message that says: “They are playing ‘Daddy’. That’s totally a pa song”, and I stand by that statement. My pa is terrific. But I’ll only attend a Coldplay show again armed with a pack of Kleenex. I’m absolutely shattered.

We kick off with "Human Heart" for Act III — but let’s move onto THE song from “Music of the Spheres”: “People of the Pride”. Honestly, it slaps on the album, but the group’s delivery of the music is much more potent in the live setting. It practically screams 2010-era Muse, the only Muse era that I’ll ever recognise. And let’s not pretend that the restarting of “A Sky Full of Stars” is not planned. Some of us have visited previous setlists before tonight’s show, so when Coldplay cuts it halfway and asks everyone to put their phones away, those of us are not exactly surprised. Still, it’s a nice touch in order to be together and share the moment.

During Act IV, the rain has now come over the stadium, and when the band plays “Sparks” from their 2000 début album “Parachutes”, Martin remarks that it works splendidly in the rain. True, it does. But it also gets weird, because the band then does a cover of Denmark’s national anthem, Adam Oehlenschläger’s “Der er et yndigt land”, and I am lucky enough to skip the citizenship test because I don’t actually know this song off by heart. Still, it is awkward as f**k, because not everyone is into it, and we are made to sing it twice... But B for the effort, I guess. I’m not surprised that Coldplay have a lot of focus on the aesthetics of their show. But there are puppets involved, and I wouldn’t say I like puppets. That is a downside for me, but I stand by the use of confetti, fireworks, and other pyrotechnics. Nonetheless, Coldplay is a band that you need to experience once in your life. But between Chris Martins's attempt at Danish, which is funny, and the whole setup… Coldplay isn't small anymore; they’re a band that focuses on everything to set a mood. I'd probably go see them again...

Setlist:

— Act .i. Planets —

• 1. Higher Power
• 2. Adventure of a Lifetime
• 3. Paradise
• 4. The Scientist

— Act .ii. Moons —

• 5. Viva la Vida
• 6. Hymn for the Weekend
• 7. Daddy
• 8. In My Place
• 9. Yellow

— Act .iii. Stars —

• 10. Human Heart
• 11. People of the Pride
• 12. Clocks
• 13. Infinity Sign
• 14. Something Just Like This
• 15. Midnight
• 16. My Universe
• 17. A Sky Full of Stars

— Act .iv. Home —

• 18. Sunrise
• 19. Sparks
• 20. Don't Panic
• 21. Der er et yndigt land (Denmark’s national anthem)
• 22. Humankind
• 23. Fix You
• 24. Biutyful