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Getting those sign-ups
posted at 1:01 PM
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Some photos from Monday night in Oslo
Make Trade Fair - bringing people together!
posted at 12:55 PM
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Back home
I'm back in the office in Oxford for a few days while the band are in Lisbon for the MTV Europe Music Awards.
I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to write anything yesterday - it was a bit of a manic day. I'll try to bring things up to date now, and put up some photos from what was an incredible night on Monday.
So we were in Oslo (capital of Norway) for the concert on Monday. We worked with the Max Havelaar Organisation who provided a team of expert campaigners, and we had a really good time. The Norwegian crowd were very enthusiastic and keen to sign the Make Trade Fair petition - we got nearly 1,000 sign-ups within the first hour - amazing!
A huge thank-you to the whole team, especially Bjorn and Bodil from Max Havelaar who showed me the highlights of Oslo! I had a wonderful time in Norway, and the 1,700 sign-ups for the petition meant I had the biggest smile in all of Scandinavia on Monday night!
posted at 12:27 PM
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Oslo, Copenhagen
We're now in Oslo (capital of Norway). Unfortunately, it's a drizzly, overcast day but at least it's preparing me for my return to England (I'm home for a few days while the tour takes a break for another award show, this time it's the MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon). Again we're working with the Max Havelaar Norway organisation, because there is no Oxfam presence in Scandinavia. This obviously makes the campaigning a little more difficult, because we are having to explain what Oxfam is, what the campaign is all about, and how Make Trade Fair connects to Fair Trade products that can be seen in the shops here.
But 'don't panic', the campaigners are great so it's no problem!
posted at 2:41 PM
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The beautiful band...
posted at 2:18 PM
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And finally...
OK, last 2 photos from Copenhagen. And they're a bit special. A metre from the door of the production office (where I work) was a little place to see straight through to the back of the stage and the whole crowd. I took these two photos, but couldn't use the flash so I apologise if they're not great quality. But enjoy...
posted at 1:56 PM
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Some great Danes
I managed to get up to the balcony at the back of the arena to take this photo of the crowd waiting expectantly for the triumphant arrival of Coldplay. The Danish crowd were awesome, and Chris repeatedly told them that, so the atmosphere just got better and better. The band were feeding off the crowd, and vice versa. The clapping, cheering and general woop-wooping at the end of the encore went on for ages!
posted at 1:49 PM
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It's not all glamour...
Yep, those are portaloos. After a summer of festivals I'd hoped I'd seen my last portaloo, but at the back of the hall last night, behind a wall, was a whole row of them. And of course, wherever there's a queue, there's a campaigner.
posted at 1:40 PM
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Make Poverty History
posted at 12:45 PM
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Brad, Kylie, Justin...
All appearing on a pre-concert film near you! Last night, the 'click' video was played before Coldplay came on. As soon as Brad Pitt appeared on screen, the crowd went wild. By the end, there was a hushed silence as the text on the film made people stop and think. At the end, a spontaneous round of applause broke out, and the number of sign-ups doubled in five minutes! It was a really nice moment. Here's a couple of photos of the video - sorry they're not very good, but I think you can just make them out.
posted at 12:25 PM
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There's no escape...
Even queueing up to get into the venue there's no escaping the wonderful campaigners!
posted at 12:18 PM
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The stall inside The Forum
One of our stalls last night was inside the venue! We were at the back of the hall, and it meant everyone saw the Make Trade Fair campaign. The lady just walking past the camera is Judith, who is the Director of Max Havelaar Denmark. It was great to meet her - she worked for Oxfam in England a few years ago.
posted at 11:33 AM
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Er, who put that there?
posted at 1:30 AM
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The Max Havelaar Denmark Organisation Oxfam Make Trade Fair Team in Copenhagen (snappy title courtesy of www.snappytitles.com)
posted at 12:38 AM
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Wow!
Possibly one of the best nights of my life.
Tonight everything just clicked. Once again the team of volunteer campaigners were spot on. The crowd in Copenhagen were really up for it. I know it's a cliche, but you could feel the electricity in the air. The boys came on, and gave a performance worthy of last night's Best Band in the World Award. It was just amazing - I'm still on cloud nine. And the best bit of the evening - the Oxfam video was shown just after Goldfrapp came off stage, and at the end there was a spontaneous round of applause that sent shivers up my spine. I love the Danes!
I'm on the bus now - there's not even a chance I'm getting to sleep anytime soon. We're on our way overnight to Oslo - as soon as we arrive the crew will start setting up for the concert that night. It's my first back-to-back gig experience!
I'll try to put up some photos now, then I'll write some more tomorrow.
Everything feels so special tonight - I wish you could all be here too! Thank you Coldplay!
posted at 12:25 AM
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Hi, I queue to support MTF
These people were in the queue when we arrived at the venue first thing this morning - now that's dedication. A quick photo shoot for the campaign didn't do any harm!
posted at 8:36 PM
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Back (of the) stage
This is the view from behind the stage here at The Forum in Copenhagen. It's a 10,000 capacity venue, with the majority of those standing. There's a balcony at the back (you can see the multi-coloured seats) and the same along the sides. It's a cool venue - last night it hosted the Nordic Music Awards, so it's been a crazy rush today to get everything out ready for the Coldplay crew to start building the stage. As usual, they're going about it with minimum fuss and maximum calm.
Some of these guys have great jobs. Hoppy, real name Craig, (who you can just see in the photo) is in charge of the guitars, and has apparently been with Coldplay since the beginning. I'll try to catch up with him sometime for a few comments for the blog.
posted at 2:17 PM
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Friday night's gig was a classic.
posted at 9:53 AM
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A little improvisation...
posted at 9:43 AM
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Vielen Dank
Just a quick note about the concert on Friday night in Oberhausen. The team from Oxfam Deutschland worked so hard, and we all had a great evening. I'm not sure how many people signed the petition, but as soon as I know I'll pass it on.
So a big thank you to the whole team, and especially to Paul and Jana, who put up with my terrible attempts at speaking German so graciously. There are two more concerts in Germany, and one in German-speaking Switzerland, so bedtime reading for me for the next week is a German dictionary.
Thanks again everyone, and auf wiedersehen!
posted at 9:27 AM
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Copenhagen's Radhus (town hall) - it's big.
posted at 9:21 AM
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Copenhagen - capital of Denmark
Quick geography lesson there - I know some of you love your capital cities.
So we're in Copenhagen, for tonight's concert at The Forum. I've never been to Denmark before so it's really exciting for me. Copenhagen is a beautiful city - this is a photo from my room looking out over the city, particularly the stunning Tivoli Gardens.
posted at 9:11 AM
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Look at the stars...
Yesterday was a day off for some of us. But for the band there's no such thing as a day off. They were performing at the Nordic Music Awards 2005, which were held in Copenhagen last night at The Forum (the venue for tonight's concert as well), alongside Robbie Williams, The Cardigans (everyone's favourite Scandinavian band) and Pharrell Williams. Coldplay also won an award - Best International Group - and they looked over-the-moon to accept the gong. (Eminem won Best International Male, beating off stiff competition in the form of Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen and Mark Knopfler!)
They played 'Fix You', and if tonight's audience is anything like last night's, we're in for a treat! Chris ended up lying on the floor in the crowd for the last few lines of the song, but managed to scramble back onto the stage to hear the unbelievable roar from the crowd as the song finished.
Robbie Williams performed as well, with his new song 'Trippin'. During the chorus, he ad-libbed and sang the chorus to Coldplay's 'Yellow'. It was a magical moment.
posted at 9:00 AM
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