Butterflies

I was changed last night. They played a perfect set. Really. It was perfect. BrightBoy and I were excited, but not prepared for how surreal the entire concert would be. Never before have I had such a strong aesthetic experience married to such an incredible musical one.

He is undoubtedly brilliant (and so is his team of artists and designers who created an overwhelming, nearly hypnotic display in the arena). Not only did every minute suspend me in a melodic euphoria, the visuals and effects kept my eyes fixed in attentive rapture. I didn't want any of it to stop.

The Deseret News put it this way:

It was anyone's guess where Coldplay would pop up at the EnergySolutions Arena on Saturday.

Sure the band — vocalist/keyboardist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, drummer Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion — cranked it out on the main stage, but they also grouped together on one of the stage extensions and even appeared in the middle of the crowd in the back corner of the arena.

Regardless where the band played, the nearly sold-out audience loved every note and nuance.

Not only did the band play the hits "Speed of Sound," a condensed version of "Talk," "Clocks" and the encore-ender "Yellow," but also pumped out "Chinese Sleep Chant," "Lost" and "Strawberry Swing."

Martin danced and jumped around like a frenzied Dionysus as he led the band and the audience through a communal journey of music and energy. His voice, including his smooth falsetto, was in top form as he hit the highs in "Violet Hill," "Fix You" and "The Hardest Part."

"God Put a Smile Upon Your Face," which segued into the aforementioned rendition of "Talk," were performed from the stage extension. And while Champion didn't have a full drum kit set up, he played an electric drum pad.

During the acoustic set played in the back of the arena, the band went through "The Scientist" and "Death Will Never Conquer," the latter sung by Champion. One of the biggest cheers came during "Viva La Vida," which was played on the main stage. Champion traded his drums for massive tympanies and the audience became part of the show during the sing-a-long chant at the end of the song.

Throughout the evening, live videos of the band and other abstract images were projected onto six massive orbs and two video screens that hung about the arena.

During each dynamic song, Buckland's crisp guitar leads soared on top of the booming foundation provided by Berryman and Champion.

The main-stage backdrop also served as a video screen and gave all in the arena some up-close-and-personal-time with Martin and the boys.

Opening the evening was the restless southern-tinged tunes from Sleepercar and the chill mix from DJ Jon Hopkins, which got the audience hot and ready for Coldplay.

Possibly one of my favorite moments of the night was when the entire arena erupted in butterflies. Colorful, sometimes glowing, other times silhouetted butterflies. It marked just one of the many times that night when I found myself wiping tears off my cheeks. Seriously. After the show BrightBoy and I wend down to find some butterflies. It was all I wanted as a keep sake. He made me stop when I had nearly twenty. It's good to have someone around to ground me. We ate cold Cafe Rio in the car after the concert and relived every moment. Actually, I have been reliving it daily ever since. Thank you to these two for giving us such a great deal on tickets. I owe you big time.

Loving Coldplay.