My 100th Post: Birthdays, Loss, and Coldplay

Song Lyric of the Day:

Stars lookin at our planet watching entropy and pain / And maybe to start wonder how the chaos in our lives / Could pass as sane

Switchfoot / “Stars”

10:33PM.
Happy birthday to my wonderful dad. He turned (insert age here) today. Rich and I treated him and Mom to a birthday dinner at their favorite Mexican restaurant, El Mezcal. We gave Dad a gift card to Best Buy and I also gave him a sweatshirt touting the fact that he is a proud pit bull grandpa.

This weekend was a whirlwind, to say the least. I’m so exhausted I took two naps today. You’ll see why soon enough.

Saturday night, I enjoyed a great birthday dinner with both sets of parents (Mom & Dad and Momma Carol & Papa Doug), Samantha, Shawn, Tamara, and, of course, my guy. We ate at (wait for it) Johnny Carino’s Italian Restaurant; my birthday, my restaurant choice. I got some good loot from everyone, including Jonathan, Curry, Brent, Benjamin, and Shay the night before: gift cards to Kohl’s, Best Buy, McKay’s, several fiction and children’s books I wanted, and DVDs of Clueless, Beetlejuice, and Crash. I missed having Vanessa and Ken there, but I will be visiting them in Clarksville the first weekend in October, so I’ll see my other baby sister soon enough.

Yesterday was kind of a mixed bag for me emotionally. It was the 19th anniversary of the day my maternal grandmother died. Even all these years later, I still miss her so much it can sometimes feel like she only recently died. Coming off of a great birthday the day before, I couldn’t help but think what my life would be like if she were still here. I am pretty sure I’d be fatter (so would Rich); Abuela Tulita loved to feed her family. Then again, what Puerto Rican grandmother doesn’t? Even though she’s not physically here, though, her presence is still felt by all of us who were fortunate enough to know and love her. I also found out late in the day that one of my family’s cats, Jade, passed away in the morning. She is the first of my late cat’s four kittens to pass away, so it’s kind of hard to deal with. I have to be content that Jade had a long life (13+ years) and that she was happy up to the end. My family will miss her dearly.

I had been planning to spend yesterday cleaning the house and getting organized. That is, until Jonathan called at around 1:30PM to tell me that a friend of his had an extra ticket to the Coldplay concert in Nashville. As I was thanking Jonathan for the offer and explaining that I was declining because I didn’t want Rich to miss out, Rich started yelling from upstairs. I ended the call only to have Rich ask me “What’s wrong with you?!” He insisted that I call Jonathan back immediately and tell him that I would indeed be going to see Coldplay. Rich pointed out that he has seen U2, whereas I haven’t, and that I should be jumping at the chance to see Coldplay, one of my favorite bands. He reassured me that he’d be okay with me going without him as he had plenty of freelance work to do, and that he didn’t want me to miss out on seeing another one of my favorite bands. So after calling Jonathan back, Rich rushed me out the door and I was on my way.

I met up with Jonathan at his house, we hopped in his van, and he drove me, Andy, and Andy’s fianceé, Elizabeth to Nashville. We swung by Elizabeth’s house and then went to Andy’s apartment to wait for Brent and his sister, Melissa. Once the siblings arrived, we all hopped back in Jonathan’s van. We grabbed dinner at O’Charley’s and headed to the concert. The parking was a nightmare; I don’t think the Starwood Amphitheatre was prepared for the number of people coming to see Coldplay.

After parking, we headed in to find our seats. Andy and Elizabeth set off to find lawn seating while Jonnie, Brent, Melissa, and I headed for row P in the amphitheatre. I was pleasantly surprised that Rilo Kiley turned out to be the opening act; Rich and I caught a free concert by them here in Knoxville this spring. They played an approximately 45 minute set. Finally, at 9:25PM, Coldplay took the stage.

A large, movie-theater-sized screen served as the back wall of the stage; the centerpiece of the stage was a standup piano with four green squares on the front and “X&Y” on the side in the same green. As soon as the band came onstage, the screen projection displayed a digital clock counting down the seconds. The first notes of “Square One” filled the air. As the clock ran out, the song began to crescendo toward the chorus. The numbers hit zero and the chorus was in full swing. The clock was replaced by red, blue, and green squares that started at the bottom center of the screen, stretching upward and outward, filling up the screen, changing colors as soon as the screen was filled. The effect, combined with the music, was amazing. The screen alternated between the countdown clock and color squares for the remainder of the song. Coldplay then swung right into “Politik.” Strobe lights accompanied the jarring piano introduction. Chris Martin’s voice was stronger, and more impressive, than we could have hoped for. The band easily segued into “Yellow,” off of their debut album, “Parachutes.” As the crowd sang along with every word, giant yellow balloons were dropped from the rafters. As the balloons were bounced along across the crowd, they would pop, releasing yellow confetti. One made it as far as the stage, dropping confetti on some of the band’s equipment.

The band continued to amaze as they went through “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face” and “Speed of Sound,” slowing things down for “Everything’s Not Lost” and “What If.” Chris Martin charmed the audience with his gracious personality, impressing us with his (and the band’s) enthusiasm at being in Music City. After singing “White Shadows” and a haunting “The Scientist,” Chris introduced “Kingdom Come” by explaining how the band had not realized their dream of recording it as a duet with Johnny Cash before he passed away. Coldplay then dedicated the song to Johnny Cash and his late wife, June Carter Cash. The four band members huddled around a keyboard, with Chris on acoustic guitar, creating a wonderfully intimate feel that continued into a terrific cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” The band spread out across the stage again for “Don’t Panic” and the showstopper, “Clocks,” during which Chris Martin came out into the audience. The flashbulbs were popping all over the place at this point; the band had encouraged photography earlier, even flashing the words “Get your cameras ready” on the screen during “White Shadows” only to then project the audience on it. The closing number, “Talk,” came way too early for us. I think I am safe in saying that everyone there last night would have been perfectly happy to let Coldplay play the whole night through. The amazing visuals projected on the screen only served to enhance the incredible music. After thanking us for being a wonderful audience, the band left the stage. As our cheers rose to deafening levels, Coldplay soon returned to the stage for the encore, leading off with “Swallowed in the Sea.” They then played one of my personal favorites, “In My Place.” The phenomenal “Fix You,” which breaks my heart every time I hear it, was the encore’s closing song. The audience sang along, as we had the whole concert, with Chris Martin letting us take over singing the last verse as he played his piano.

Once the band left the stage for good, we stood in awe for a few minutes more. As Jonathan had said before the concert began, “Do you realize we’re about to see the biggest band in the world right now?” Truer words were never spoken.