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News from the bunk
I'm lying in my bunk on the bus after tonight's concert in Toulouse. I'm trying to get an early night so that when we get to Barcelona tomorrow morning I can get out and about and make the most of my first visit to Spain.
We only had 8 volunteers tonight (which is an improvement on the 3 we had last night in Marseille...do the French not want a free ticket to see Coldplay in return for a bit of work?!). But they did a pretty good job - I was overworked at the (temporary) tattoo parlour though...by the way, does anyone know the French for "would you like a temporary tattoo to be just like Chris Martin and support the Make Trade Fair campaign, but don't worry the tattoo comes off in the shower?" because apparently I don't!
Chris was in a great mood today - I didn't see any of the show tonight but by all accounts he was on top form. After the band finish their soundcheck in the afternoon, they quite often play a bit of table tennis backstage. It was battle of the bands today, as Chris took on Davide (who plays strings in Goldfrapp). The standard was high, honestly the ball was flying across the net (which had only this morning been repaired using Oxfam cable ties!). The result is pending, but as soon as it comes through on the videprinter I'll let you know! Pride is at stake.
posted at 1:12 AM
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Bologna
In the home of spaghetti bolognese, we provided some food for thought for the audience.
The Oxfam video played out as usual before Coldplay took to the stage, and in Bologna the reaction was a new record. The crowd reacted so positively to it, and were again clamouring to sign the petition.
After the show, we got back on the bus and made the long journey to Marseille.
posted at 1:12 PM
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Italy
The two concerts in Italy were probably most notable for the crowds. The passion and fervour which you expect from an Italian audience was there in abundance, and when Chris started to speak in Italian... well, it was almost too much!
So first we were in Milan, at the Forum. Working with the wonderful Gianluca (an Oxfam volunteer ploughing his furrow in Italy), I had another great team of volunteers, and although they arrived a bit late having got stuck in traffic, they made up for it by working extra hard. It was an interesting experience working in Italy - there is definitely an 'Italian way' of working, and I've got a lot to learn before I could fit in!
posted at 1:04 PM
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After the curtain comes down...
After a concert, the crew, along with a handful of local crew as well, clear the stage quicker than you can sing the chorus to Yellow. It's an incredible sight - there's 4 different groups of people working, in 4 different colour T-shirts, and by a miracle they all know what they're doing and get it done. Then after a quick shower, everyone's back on the buses and we roll onto the next city.
From Zurich we were on our way across the mountains to Italy, and the shopper's delight known as Milan. Now, anyone who knows me knows that a shopping trip for me is not much more fun than watching paint dry. So the day off in Milan was spent walking round and looking at the beautiful buildings. OK, so it was a Sunday and most of the shops were closed, and anyway, I don't have any money to spend (all those expecting exotic Christmas presents from me should be prepared for the worst). But besides the various top label shops, I saw the incredible Duomo and the Teatro della Scala.
posted at 1:01 PM
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Lovely people
What really made Zurich a special night for me was getting to go into the after show party and have a chat with the band. Chris was very relaxed (the show had been a corker after all!) and we chatted about how things were going for both him and myself on this tour. I said that we'd been getting a great response to the campaign, and people were signing the petition in their thousands. He was really pleased to hear that, and not in a rock star kind of way, but because he is genuinely interested.
He's only a few years older than I am, but he has the presence and aura of someone who's been around for years, but also the energy and vitality of a kid. You notice it as soon as you enter the room. He's clearly a man with a lot going on, and being constantly in demand must really take it out of him. But there is not a hint of pretentiousness or arrogance - a genuine star!
I also had a really good chat with Jonny who is one of the nicest guys I've ever met. We were comparing notes on the various European cities that we'd visited. Unfortunately, he had a bit of a cold so I did most of the talking, and I think he was pleased when I had to go and clear up the stand!
posted at 12:53 PM
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On the face of it, Make Trade Fair is a great campaign
posted at 12:38 PM
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Swiss (rock and) roll
So last Saturday Coldplay entertained another sell-out arena, this time in beautiful Zurich. Oxfam Germany were on hand to arrange everything, and as usual it all ran smoothly. It was an amazing gig - a lot of people have said that it was the best so far. Not only were the band firing on all cylinders, but Switzerland were beating Turkey one-nil in their World Cup play-off game, which was being played simultaneously as the boys were on stage. Chris got the crowd very excited by providing them with a running commentary and score updates. As if by magic, for the finale, the Swiss managed to score one more, and Chris announced it before the final song. The crowd went wild.
The volunteers once again worked very hard - particularly as half the crowd spoke German, half spoke French and the other half spoke Italian. Polyglot-tastic! I spent the entire concert by our stand outside the arena counting the action cards (and also watching the footy!) - the total before the end of the concert was a staggering 1,500 so I was over the moon.
posted at 8:46 AM
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I am still here
Sorry for the complete lack of blogging over the last few days - things have been a bit manic recently. I've finally got some time free tomorrow so expect all the news from the tour you could ever want.
Until then, ciao from Bologna!
posted at 4:17 PM
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