The Performance: Candlelight Concerts - A Tribute to Coldplay
Location: Collingwood Town Hall
Ticket Prices: Around $60
The next performance in Melbourne is on 22 September
Stars: 3.5
You mix two things and get something completely different. Two unlikely things. A strings concert orchestra - and Coldplay, with lots of electric candles - and you get a Coldplay tribute like no other.
A friend and I went to the Collingwood Townhall for the Candlelight Concert's Tribute to Coldplay last night. I remember when we booked the tickets that this sounded alright. Orchestral version of Coldplay songs. I love music which takes advantage of the string section. I generally like Coldplay, although I reckon they are a bit overrated. They're definitely overplayed. And a touch derivative at times.
The concert went for just over an hour. The strings orchestra was made up of six violins, three violas, three cellos, a bass and a fellow on the drums. All of the musicians were classically trained, and you could see this - they were on point. Young musicians. Happy musicians. A group playing a selection of Coldplay's greatest hits. Songs like:
- Yellow
- Clocks
- Every Teardrop is a Waterfall
- Speed of Sound
- Princess of China
- Trouble
- Hymn for the Weekend
- Scientist
- A Sky Full of Stars
- Everglow
- My Universe
- Adventure of A Lifetime
- Fix You
- Viva La Vida
The candlelight gives an extra element to the performance. It's great for the ambiance.
And yes, I did enjoy the program, which lasted just over an hour. One thing I really liked was at the start of the concert, they said there was to be no photography or videos until the last set, when the audience was welcome to start recording to their hearts content. This worked well. For 80% of the concert you could sit and enjoy the evening without competing with people on phones. Instead, the musos had to compete with the audience singing along in places.
My takeaways for the night. These concerts are where band geeks end up after music school. It's good that the musos are getting gigs like this. And the standard is very high.
The other thing, after a few songs, I was feeling like I was in stuck in the middle of a Bridgerton soundtrack. I love Bridgerton too, but it is a bit sappy.
Then, after an hour, after quietly humming along to a few of my favourite tunes, after watching the passion of the performers on stage, it was over.
It was a really entertaining night. Would I consider going to another tribute concert? Maybe. Depends on who it is. For me, I'd probably be better off going to a straight classical performance - that's more my thing.
This was a good thing to go to. I'm glad I went - though I wouldn't rush back in a hurry.
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