The 500 - #466 - Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 466

Album Title: A Rush of Blood to the Head
Artist: Coldplay
Released: August 2002
My age at release: 37
How familiar am I with it: A couple of songs
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix:  The Scientist 
Great Lyric:
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start (The Scientist)

In the village of Port Burwell, where we have our cottage, there is an ice cream parlour called Simply Scoops. They pride themselves on offering a dizzying number of flavours..."Too Many 2 Choose" is their slogan.

I'll admit, I have a tough time choosing but, I do know this...I never pick vanilla. 

Now, there is nothing wrong with a good vanilla ice cream - it is delicious and it goes well with fruit, chocolate or caramel sauces. But, when provided with a wide selection of tastes ... it's never going to be my first, fifth or even tenth choice. 

This is exactly how I feel about Coldplay.

Coldplay is the vanilla ice cream of my music world. 

• I don't dislike it - in fact it can be quite good.
• If it's playing, I am content to listen.
• It blends well in most environments.
• But, I wouldn't choose to listen to it most of the time.

Last weekend, I was stuck inside with a case of shingles, so I listened to A Rush of Blood to the Head four or five times. For the first time, since embarking on this journey through the The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, my attitude did not change. It was fine, even good at times. I was content to listen but, the music never got better or worse. It remained, vanilla ice cream.

In 2009, I went to see Coldplay at Roger's Centre (formerly The Skydome) in Toronto. Given what I just said, that probably seems surprising, but it was because I really wanted to see the opening band Elbow. They are a brilliant act from Manchester, England and the only way to see them that summer was to buy a Coldplay ticket. 

In other words, I liked them so much that I was willing to pay a lot of money to drive 200 km to see a short performance. It was definitely my flavour.

On a beautiful, bright and sunny afternoon in late July, we (my pals Steve, Bill, Brent and I) set out. I was behind the wheel for the two and a half hour journey.

About 30 minutes east of London, the tire blew. There was no reason for panic - - at first. A quick phone call to CAA (the Canadian Automobile Association) and a tow truck was quickly dispatched. Nevertheless, what followed was a series of frustratingly unexpected complications that devoured any extra time we had allowed.

Regardless, we journeyed on...battling the rush hour traffic that we had hoped to avoid. I dropped my friends off and searched for parking. I paid top-dollar to park in the nearby underground garage, not realizing that I would have to go several storeys beneath the city to find a vacant spot. I locked the door and the sprint began...

• across the enclosed parking lot...
• up three flights of stairs...
• through the many Torontonians, concert goers and tourists outside the building...
• to my gate...
• up three or four long ramps inside the facility...
• to the hallway that circles the exterior of the seating area...
• and breached the curtained doorway to witness...

...the band Elbow gathered at the front of the stage just as lead singer Guy Garvey announced: "Thank you Toronto, good night" and the house lights were illuminated.

I plonked beside my friends with a dejected sigh. With perfect comedic timing, one said ... "You just missed them, they were really good". That's the thing I love about my good friends ... they'll kick you when you're down - just to remind you that they love you.

We stayed for the Coldplay show and it was actually terrific. They are a tight, talented band with great stage presence. They performed on multiple stages, had a great light show and I was surprised to realize how many songs I actually knew. I would see Elbow a few years later as a headliner in a much more intimate venue. 

At the very least, Coldplay provided me with a great show and what is now a funny memory of a frantic night with great friends. Vanilla ice cream is absolutely fine, after all.