DVD review: Coldplay – Live 2012

Coldplay has toured worldwide with their album Mylo Xyloto since June 2011 and their concerts have been seen by three million people so far. Today, they have released a recording of their tour to buy on DVD and Blu-Ray, highlighting not only their musical expertise but their ability to put on a fantastic visual show, with the aid of crowd-pleasing touches, such as giving each member of the crowd a light-up wrist band to illuminate the room. The DVD includes footage from Paris’s Stade de France, Montreal’s Bell Centre and their headlining gig at Glastonbury 2011.

As well as playing their new work, they include classics like Yellow and the infamous Clocks, played with the passion they exhibited on their first release and with as much impact, if not more, on listening.

Rihanna joins them in the live recording of Princess of China, taken from the gig in Paris, and her vocal style actually complements lead singer Chris Martin’s in a live setting. Paradise is, as expected, absolutely electrifying. You can see the wristbands light up just on hearing the opening piano trills. Will Champion’s smashing drums enter with the simplistic synth, and the enthusiastic crowd echoes all the words of Martin’s cool delivery. It is triumphant.

Johnny Buckland’s guitar solos are impeccable, impassioned and second nature, and he is particularly exuberant in crowd-pleaser Fix You. Chris Martin’s vocals also take it to a different level and the band support each other with such grace and power it moves you acoustically as well as lyrically.

What a finale Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall, under a cascade of beams of light and 60,000 flashing hands: prophetically a simple melody turns into a symphony.

Coldplay have achieved their status by maturing with their audience and keeping up with the development of the music industry whilst maintaining their eclectic, individual sound. With all the challenges and continuous impending competition, the band has held its own by maintaining confidence in their own style with every release. This release of their previous and current work defines their unstoppable prowess by taking tracks to a personal level with their fans. This is a skill not many achieve live, but with this album, Coldplay succeeds. It deserves immense recognition, and we can rest assured that Coldplay will keep raising the bar of stadium rock shows for years to come.

Verdict: •••••

Sarah Milton

You can buy a Blu-Ray, DVD, CD or digital copy of Live 2012 on Amazon, iTunes and every music store.

Watch the amazing performance of Paradise here: