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Wrapping up: the last blog of the tour
 Here I am, sat at my desk back in Oxfam HQ in Oxford. With only a couple of days left of 2005, and my time as Make Trade Fair Tour Co-ordinator finished, it seems appropriate to look back over the last few months and write a wistful review that should only be read with an appropriately melancholy soundtrack (I suggest Trouble!). So put on the CD, skip forward to Track 6, sit back and enjoy...
 It all began...
Only joking. I suppose the first thing to say is what an amazing experience it has been. Meeting so many people, visiting so many places, and witnessing so much support for the Make Trade Fair campaign has been really overwhelming. As volunteer opportunities go, this one's been pretty good! I seem to have developed a really deep relationship with the campaign - based on trust and affection for it, and supported by the inspiration that it provides. So much so, that just the mention of either 'make', 'trade' or 'fair' and my ears prick up. So you can understand why I got so excited when I saw Chris or Jonny talk about it, or hear 15,000 people cheer and applaud after the Oxfam video is shown, or see people rush over to a volunteer campaigner to sign the petition. It's great stuff!
 In every city, at every concert, there was something special that set that night apart from the rest. But the running theme was of friendliness, enthusiasm and excitement. Thanks to all the volunteers, to all the Oxfam staff around Europe, to all the other NGO staff, and most especially to all the Coldplay fans who took the time (only 1 minute!) to sign the petition, or come over to the stall for a quick chat. Before I descend into complete drivel, here's a few tour highlights:
Best gig: in terms of the music, Barcelona was pretty special. And the middle gig in London was also a blinder - the Madonna tribute was cool.
Best city: it was my first time in Scandinavia, and I loved Stockholm and Oslo. The people there were particularly friendly. But I think I'd probably say Madrid, where I was made to feel so at home, and so welcome and where the atmosphere in the city was brilliant.
 Most sign-ups: the truly magnificent Belgian campaigners collected a whopping 3692 at the 2nd concert in Antwerp. Amazing!
Best song: Yellow was always a crowd favourite, and a good one to sing along to. For me though, Clocks will always stick in my mind. At the end of the song, the boys crowd around the piano and get faster and faster - it's brilliant.
Funniest moment: a fair few of these. Coldplay being filmed for a Christmas special in Barcelona, playing along with The Muppets, was funny, if just for the ridiculousness of it all. And the time I rambled on in German to a gig-goer about why they should sign the Make Trade Fair petition, only to then remember we were in Italy. It had been a long night.
 Best memory: meeting the band for the first time has to be one of my favourite memories. I was really nervous, and struggled to keep my composure! And seeing the legendary piano, with the huge green equals sign on the back was awesome. But for pure excitement, it would have to be every time Chris put his left hand up for the camera and his hand would appear on the huge video screen behind the stage, with a beautiful MTF logo drawn on the back. I loved it!
And finally, the all-important number. The total number of concert-goers who showed their support for the Make Trade Fair campaign by signing the petition: 41,478!
So a massive thanks to everyone. And thanks to those of you who've been following this blog, and for the occasional comments. I'd love to hear if you've got any more comments. Maybe you saw the show too, and want to add your own thoughts? Or you've got an opinion on celebrities supporting campaigns? You can add comments by clicking the link below.
Keep your eyes on www.maketradefair.com and on Generation Why and, for one last time, make sure you've added your voice to the millions of people around the world who are calling on rich governments, international institutions and private companies to do the right thing, to help make poverty history, to change the lives of the world's poorest people... to MAKE TRADE FAIR.
posted at 1:51 PM
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Beautiful Belfast
It seems so long ago now (sorry for the delay in getting this up), the Wednesday before Christmas might have been your office Christmas party, but for myself, John from OxfamIreland, 20 wonderful volunteers, and about 10,000 excited fans, Wednesday meant only one thing: Coldplay! It was the last night of the UK leg of the Twisted Logic Tour, and it was always going to be a big one. You could feel the excitement in the air, and the Belfast crowd did not let us down. And of course, neither did Chris, Jonny, Will or Guy.
It was a great way to end an incredible few months. The volunteer campaigners were great, and despite the almost Arctic conditions, got to work as soon as the briefing was over. They were so keen, in fact, that they braved the Belfast night, with just a Make Trade Fair T-shirt (available to buy here by the way) to protect against the cold, to work the long queue outside the Odyssey venue. Now that's commitment!
I'm not sure of the exact final total, but it was around the 1,800 mark (nearly 20% of the total audience...incredible!). And once we got past the over-officious security people (when are security people not over-officious!), the volunteers were able to enjoy Coldplay at their majestic best. Thanks to everyone in Belfast for your efforts.
I've tried to download the photos that I took on the night, but unfortunately there's some kind of error so they've not come out (don't ask...me and technical gadgets don't mix!). So sorry about that.
I hope you've all had a very Merry Christmas.
posted at 10:34 AM
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MEN, women and children
Monday night was Manchester Evening News (MEN) Arena night. It's a huge cavernous bowl of a venue, and standing on the floor at lunchtime it made for a pretty impressive sight. Thousands and thousands of seats, and a huge floor. Seven hours later and the place was full, and suddenly it became the most intimate gig in a long while. Richard Ashcroft kicked off proceedings, with a beautiful set - a mixture of old and new songs, and a few favourites to boot. The crowd couldn't help singing along. And it was worth it. When Coldplay came on an hour later, the singing didn't stop, and Chris claimed that was the reason Manchester had produced the best singers of the last 20 years, and more! Riding on a crest of a wave, both band and crowd played their part in what was a stunning concert. I can't believe there's only one more show to go - I'm really going to miss it all.
Managed by the superb Amy from the Manchester office, the volunteering team weren't bad either! Most of them were students, and went about campaigning with a zest not normally associated with layabout, Pot Noodle-eating undergrads. But credit where credit's due, they really did a great job. And another 1,700 sign-ups to add to the total. Which, by the way, is looking huge. With one show to go, we're well on course for...you'll just have to wait for the grand tour total. Check back tomorrow ;-)
I'm in Belfast now, and managed to pop into the Oxfam Ireland office here to meet up with John, who is coordinating the team tonight. Just 5 hours to go and we can started - I'm really excited about tonight, but also a little sad that thigns are coming to an end and this is the last show. Now, as those of you who know me are aware, I'm not one for showing emotions or letting things out (ha!), but there may be a tear shed as Coldplay walk off stage for the last time this year. I'll blame it on the bright lights though.
posted at 1:33 PM
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Getting those sign-ups
posted at 10:50 AM
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The stand in Newcastle
posted at 10:47 AM
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The Geordies know how to party
At the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle last night, I think the crowd were at least as good, if not better, than all that have gone before them on this tour. I won't deny that a lot of alcohol was partly the key to that! But the atmosphere inside the arena was incredible. It was completely full - every seat taken and every square inch of space on the floor occupied. As soon as Richard Ashcroft walked on stage, you could tell tonight was going to be something special. Richard and his band make for a great support act, playing a mixture of new and old (including some from his Verve days) songs and really getting the crowd going with his chat between songs. Apparently he's a top man as well, but I've not met him - he keeps himself to himself.
With only a few gigs left to go, I could definitely feel a small lump in my throat as I stood outside counting up the action cards and the first chords of Coldplay's opening number reverberated out from stage. Determined to actually get inside to see a few songs, I counted as quickly as I could - a hearty 1,800 sign-ups which grew to just over 2,000 by the end of the night - and cleared up my bits and pieces in double quick time. I got inside to see the last few songs - wow! On stage, Chris has so much energy, and the songs have a way of making you tap your feet and shake your, um, booty. Brilliant!
The only downside of last night was the 'aftershow disco' for punters - it started straight after the gig in the foyer, right next to my stand. DJ Derek was spinning all kinds of tunes, but sadly it didn't seem like the crowd were responding. Until he pulled out his winning move, announcing that Nigel had asked Helen to marry him before the concert...the answer, well of course, YES!
posted at 10:16 AM
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Three's the magic number
And the final number of sign-ups from Friday night...a triumphant 2,321!
posted at 8:21 AM
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Friday night's alright for campaigning
After an absolute blinder of a gig on Thursday, everyone from the band and crew was riding high on Friday. People were smiling, having a laugh (and sometimes not at my expense!) and generally everything seemed pretty relaxed - quite a change from Wednesday morning when the tension was palpable. The question now though was whether tonight would top the previous night! Well, if we're talking about the campaign, the answer is a resounding YES! Team 3 arrived on time at Earls Court reception, and right from the off I knew it was going to be a good one. There must be some big corporations who would do anything to have my volunteers on their staff - the drive, determination and competitiveness is astonishing!
One briefing later, and it was nearly time for doors to open. Carefully positioned at all the best locations (beer queues, food queues, and the ever-popular toilet queues), the campaigners of London Team 3 got to work like the most seasoned professionals. I'd given each volunteer a wad of 50 action cards, and within half an hour they were returning to the stand for a top-up. Classic!
Over the three nights I've had varying reports from the campaigners about the London audiences. Most have said that people are keen to find out about the campaign, and sign the petition. Some, apparently, are running up to the campaigners in order to grab an action card and join the 18 million worldwide supporters of Make Trade Fair.
Here's a picture of the team before the start of the evening. Thanks to them all for working so hard. And in answer to the question...yep, Coldplay were right on form too, definitely matching Thursday night and possibly topping it. The crowd were the best of the three nights, and this drove the band on. At the last song, Chris was clearly moved by the reaction of the crowd, and it made for a stunning finale. After the concert, we packed up again, and made the long drive up north to Newcastle.
posted at 8:16 AM
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And the, um, 'wacky' team photo.
posted at 1:15 AM
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London: take 2.
And so it was that at 5pm I met another superb team of Make Trade Fair volunteer campaigners at the entrance to Earl's Court. We made our way inside (after the obligatory struggle with the wristband) and I delivered another briefing to rival even the most boring Health and Safety lecture. Luckily, Team 2 were sufficiently polite to feign interest, and so by the time 6pm came round, and the doors opened, they were raring to go.
Employing new tactics (after learning a bit about the venue last night) we managed to attract a whole load more people to join the ever-increasing Make Trade Fair petition. Everyone in the team worked really hard, and it is a credit to them that we smashed our 10% target, finishing with a very impressive 2,026 sign-ups! Well done to you all! Special mention to Alice (and the Leicester crew) for getting the fastest 100 sign-ups in history, to Ilana and 'cute' Danny for not missing a single person at Main Entrance, to the Bishops for keeping the good family name intact, to the Words and Pictures ladies for proving me wrong, and to everyone for a cracking evening. And not forgetting Sophie, who displayed the biggest smile in all of London after 'In My Place'!
To match the stirling work of the volunteers, the band put on one of the best shows of the whole tour. Perhaps the few special guests spurred them on to greater heights - not only Madonna, but the Foo Fighters too! As a tribute, Chris played his own version of Hung Up, Madonna's latest single. Feel the love!
Of course, whilst all of this is happening, over in Hong Kong the politicians and ministers are sitting down to the WTO talks. We're making such a Big Noise at these gigs, let's hope they can hear us!
posted at 1:11 AM
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London baby!
I'm back!
And so are Coldplay. Last night was the first of 6 gigs back in the UK, and they stunned the Earls Court audience with a full-on set. They were clearly pretty happy to be back home, and the crowd responded to them a treat.
And as if nothing had ever changed, we had a quality group of volunteer campaigners. They were all very excited to be here, and went about campaigning with enthusiasm and a smile! The grand total at the end of the evening stood at 1,652 which was an excellent effort. The competition is on now though, to find the best team of campaigners in the UK. Still, they'll have some way to go to even get close to the heroes of Antwerp!
Here's a picture of the team - thanks to you all!
posted at 4:25 PM
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Back in the UK
I'm back in England now, after the triumphant finale of the (continental!) European leg of the tour at Antwerp. There are 6 more gigs, starting next Wednesday in London, so keep an eye on the blog for news of them.
I would just like to say a few quick thank-yous! First, to all the in-country coordinators who did a brilliant job, and welcomed me to their cities. Second, to the band and crew for their continuing support for the Make Trade Fair campaign. And finally, and most importantly, to the hundreds of wonderful wonderful volunteer campaigners all over Europe. I have some great memories, and hopefully will see you all soon.
And thanks to all of you for reading the blog and leaving your comments!
posted at 11:24 AM
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And the award-winning city...
...with an incredible 3692 sign-ups, is Antwerp!
posted at 11:22 AM
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Now you see them...
By the end of the evening, all those action cards had been filled in. Amazing!
posted at 11:19 AM
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Their sign's bigger than mine!
posted at 11:18 AM
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The diamond city
...and boy did they take that chance and run with it. And then run some more. At some points during the night it was difficult to know whether this was a Coldplay gig or a Make Trade Fair rally, such was the fervour created by the wonderful team in Antwerp.
Here's a few photos.
posted at 10:39 AM
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Groundhog Day
After the show in Paris, we hot-footed it to Antwerp...yep, the same place it all started 6 weeks ago. We were returning to Belgium for the final concert of this leg of the tour, and it was a bit wierd to be back there. The memories came flooding back - it was the first concert that I was at, and I remember standing around like a bit of a wally with my mouth wide open!
So you may have noticed that there has been a certain amount of competition between the volunteer campaigning teams in the different cities to collect the most sign-ups. And in Antwerp it was no different. Of course, the first Antwerp team were the inaguaral winners of the award (by default!), but slowly they were overtaken as the Coldplay Make Trade Fair bandwagon made its way around Europe. So returning to Antwerp gave the boys and girls at Oxfam in Belgium one final chance for glory...
posted at 10:34 AM
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Paris - city of style and fashion...
...and a suitably stylish campaigner to match.
posted at 10:33 AM
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Now, back to Paris!
And finally, a use for the red boxes!
posted at 10:31 AM
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Here's a photo from the night in San Sebastian
Thanks to Sofia from Intermon in Bilbao for sending me this.
posted at 10:30 AM
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Paris, Texas (well, France actually)
Another night, another awesome gig. And another great team.
Agir Ici were on hand in Paris to campaign for Make Trade Fair. It was the last gig in France, and the band were really on form. And to make things better, there was a great reaction to our volunteer campaigners, who managed to get over 1200 new sign-ups to the Make Trade Fair petition.
posted at 9:07 AM
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The forecast says...expect heavy sign-ups
It's a busy couple of days to end this section of the tour - we've got 3 concerts in 3 days. On Monday night, we were in Lyon at the Tony Garnier Hall - a huge warehouse of a venue. Apparently it's been many things in it's history beside a concert venue, most notably an abattoir! It was very cold on Monday night, inside and outside. But as usual, the campaigning team from Agir Ici rose to the challenge and managed to speak to just about everyone at the gig! By the end of the evening, nearly 1,300 people had joined the Make Trade Fair petition - great work!
Here's a photo of the stand at Lyon - evidence if ever I needed it that it's always a good idea to tell people when you plan to take a photo of them! We were in a prime location right opposite the front doors, so all 12,000 people at the gig saw us as they walked in.
Finally, thanks for the comments - it's great to hear your opinions, and ways to improve the blog. Keep them coming! But don't be shy. Perhaps next week we can set up a live webchat and really discuss properly the art of weather forecasting. Until then, a big smiley 'scorchio' to you all.
posted at 8:54 AM
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Lyon
I'm in Lyon now, ready for tonight's concert here. It's been snowing all weekend, although not quite as badly as in England apparently!
posted at 9:29 AM
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San Sebastian
In San Sebastian, there was one big difference from the day before in Lisbon. It was bitterly cold, and it never stopped raining. Ah well, I suppose it's just getting me prepared for my imminent return to England next week.
In San Sebastian, we were playing at an old velodrome. It still is a velodrome, but it's pretty old and so the crew were having a bit of a nightmare. I was lucky to be well out of their way, with our stall, for the first time, being situated outside at the front doors. Maybe not so lucky - it was freezing! But as I've now come to expect from a team of Intermon volunteers, no-one complained and the team got down to the job in hand.
Spurred on by the competition for 'most sign-ups in Spain' against previous award-holders Barcelona and Madrid, my campaigners worked overtime to break the record. Midway through the evening the total stood at a very impressive 2,000. I'm still waiting for a final count-up, so watch this space.
My evening was spent bringing hot drinks out to the volunteers who were manning the stand. Oh and one other thing - Gwyneth and Apple were at the concert tonight. No introduction as yet, but I'm pretty sure she smiled at me as I walked past (Apple that is, not Gwyneth!).
posted at 9:28 AM
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Late nights, early mornings
For once we were not rushing straight off after the gig, so when I'd cleared everything up I was lucky enough to be taken out to sample Lisbon's nightlife by a few of the Oikos volunteers - Luca, Carla and Isabelle.
I had a great night, despite the constant teasing I suffered at the hands of the two girls. I'm not sure what I did (well, apart from when I mistakenly got their names mixed up...sorry Carla!), but they were laying into me nonetheless! Probably fully deserved I'm sure. Luca kindly gave me a lift back to the hotel as the sun was just thinking about coming up for a new day. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light. I must be getting old, these late nights are really taking their toll!
As arranged the night before, I made my way over to the Oikos office on Thursday morning (well, Thursday lunchtime by the time I got up!) via the beautiful Castelo de Sao Jorge. (Sorry, no photos as your wally of a blogger left his camera at the hotel). I met up once again with Luca, who is completing an internship at Oikos, and Carla and Isabelle (volunteers in the office), as well as Joana and Luis, who both work on the campaigning and advocacy side.
After a quick tour of their beautiful, if a little tumbledown, offices which have a stunning view across Lisbon (I don't think I'd ever get any work done with that outside the window!) we went out for a spot of lunch. It was a chance to compare and contrast the work of Oxfam and Oikos, and we had a very lively discussion on the role of development organisations.
After lunch, I had to hot-foot it back across town just in time to jump on the bus for the mammoth overnight journey to San Sebastian in Spain. Once again though, I felt a tinge of sadness as we left Lisbon - I'd had a great time, thanks to the Oikos staff. I hope that one day I will be able to return all this wonderful hospitality which I have received on tour. Thank you Oikos!
posted at 9:27 AM
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Lisbon
We rolled onto Lisbon and as we got off the bus on Wednesday morning the first thing to notice...blazing sun and a warm breeze. And apparently it's snowing in England?!
In Lisbon I was working with a Portuguese development organisation called Oikos, which is part of GCAP. And sure enough, at 5pm, Joana and her team were waiting outside the venue. Unfortunately I was at the other side setting up the stand, and my radio battery had run out, so it was a little while before I got the message to go outside and meet them - the first of an evening of delays!
Once inside, we got fully prepared and after another of my (tedious) briefings, we were ready. Unfortunately, whoever designed the venue didn't have Oxfam campaigners in mind! It was a beautiful building (the same venue as had hosted the MTV Awards earlier in the tour, and resembling the upturned hull of some huge ship, all built out of beautiful wood) but access from the concourse (where our stand was) to the floor (where most of the punters were) was via a staff lift only. And the security team in Lisbon being like all other security teams I've witnessed on this tour, the only way my volunteers could use this lift was if I accommpanied them.
Cue a frustrating evening of running back and forth from stand to floor delivering anything from more action cards, pens, temporary tattoos and bottles of water to whole sections of the volunteer team. It's never easy is it?! In spite of this, the evening went really well, and once again a 'non-Oxfam' country took me by surprise and produced a whole trolley-load of completed action cards...somewhere around the 1,850 mark! Amazing.
posted at 9:26 AM
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