Coldplay - Glasgow SECC - 03 Dec

In the anticipation surrounding tonight’s gig, most of the capacity SECC crowd don’t give a second thought to the slightly bulky wristband they’re handed as they enter the cavernous venue.

Dismissed as particularly ugly tour keepsakes, the varying coloured bands are duly strapped around wrists as the masses debate possible opening tracks, song selections and wonder if the Eno produced, perfectly polished ‘Mylo Xyloto’ will stand the live test. Walking onstage to a combination of Jay-Z’s ’99 Problems’ (Chris Martin and Jay are, er, “bros”) and the Star Wars theme tune, the ever familiar Coldplay begin with the chimes of the title track from ‘MX’ before exploding into ‘Hurts Like Heaven’. Those who dare to take their eyes off Chris Martin’s extraordinary stage presence to have a look around the venue notice that the vast shed has become a whole lot brighter. 10,000 glowing wristbands ebb and flash along to the music, forming a sea of colour. How do Coldplay mirror ‘Mylo Xyloto’’s ultra modern theme in their live show? By turning the audience into a lighting accompaniment.

As the first of very, very many chant along vocals of the night echoes through the arena it’s hard not to hide a grin; there really is no other band on the planet who make stadium shows look as easy as Coldplay. ‘Yellow’ sees Chris Martin venture down a Bono style runway to the middle of the crowd and some call and return fun with his Edge, guitarist Jonny Buckland.  After the high tempo start of ‘Hurts Like Heaven’ and ‘Yellow’, ‘Lost!’ gives the band a bit of a breather. Its tribal drums and ambient guitar lines give Martin a moment behind the keys to take his surroundings in. He seems genuinely appreciative of the crowd: “I can’t think of a better way to spend my Saturday night than kicking off our whole f***ing world tour with 10,000 beautiful Scots”.

Chris Martin’s bouncy demeanor is not the only thing that sets Coldplay apart from the other bands selling out stadiums. There are as many piano led acoustic tracks as there are soaring choruses and recognizable anthems and after a gigantic rendition of ‘God Put A Smile Upon Your Face’ and an arms out wide, singing at the ceiling version of ‘The Scientist’ a grand piano and a drum machine appear as if by magic at the end of the U2-esque runway. A now profusely sweating Martin and brilliantly named drummer Will Champion play a gloriously lo-fi ‘Up In Flames’ before being joined by the rest of the band on ‘Til Kingdom Come’. This pair of tracks, completely stripped to their original core, gains the audience’s adoration. Not since Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil played a particularly moving acoustic version of ‘Folding Stars’ have I seen this venue completely engrossed in such a laid bare track.

Chris Martin’s electricity on stage is what makes him one of our generation’s finest frontmen. He sprints, jumps, clambers and rolls around the stage like he’s taking part in some bizarre keep-fit workout. When he’s not asking “Is everybody alright?” he’s apologizing for his occasional musical failings. After messing his piano note he quips “If you’re reviewing this, please don’t mention that”. Sorry Chris. He seems exhausted by the sheer scale of the crowd’s reaction to ‘Viva La Vida’. It’s as big a soaring chorus as exists in 21st century music.

Ending on an encore of ‘Clocks’ (its euphoric house piano line turns the SECC into a ‘90s warehouse rave reunion), ‘Fix You’ (cue tears from the ladies, hugs from the couples and arms around the shoulders for the lads) and the year’s most uplifting hit ‘Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall’, the band exit the stage after taking their bows safe in the knowledge that they’ve reaffirmed their place as the planet’s greatest live act. Chris Martin’s closing line is, “Thanks for turning the SECC into the Barrowlands tonight”, which sums things up perfectly. It has all the makings of a Barrowlands gig: sing-alongs, sweat, arm in arm anthems and an ultimately delighted crowd. A full half hour after the band leave the stage the soaring “oh woah-oh” of ‘Viva La Vida’ echoes down Clydeside. It seems this band’s success will be equally prolonged.

Finlay Matheson contributes to www.thedailydose.co.uk and blogs at www.part-I.blogspot.com. He tweets @thisisfin