Coldplay Live 2012If ever there was a band destined to tour the stadia of the world, it’s Coldplay.

Coldplay Live 2012 is part documentary, part concert film; a fascinating look at the band taking their latest record, Mylo Xyloto,  to sold-out venues across the globe.

Opening the film as the album does, with Mylo Xyloto bleeding into Hurts Like Heaven, we then switch back to an audience favourite, In My Place, before coming to our first documentary segment, spliced between a handful of the songs in the sixteen-track set list.

There are many things that separate Coldplay from the vast majority of bands making music today (or in any day), and one of those things is very much their exceptional live performances. You get the feeling that they want each and every person in the audience to feel like a part of the night, and the documentary gives an insight into that desire.

Over the years, the band and long-time friend/fifth member/former manager Phil Harvey have been making greater and greater efforts to perfect their concerts – releasing giant balloons into the crowd; shooting out millions of paper butterflies; and most recently giving every single person in the audience an LED wristband upon entering the stadium, all of which light up throughout the night. Far from being a simple gimmick, or a way of making up for something lacking on stage, they are well designed to enhance the whole night, making for an unparalleled experience, and that feeling never drops for a minute through Live 2012.

Lead singer, Chris Martin, talks about the release of the album and this subsequent tour as the throwing off of their shackles, and the resultant energy is brilliantly captured on screen.

Live 2012 goes above and beyond any ordinary concert film, which is just what you’d expect from a band that isn’t any ordinary band. They go the further mile, always looking to take things further, do things better, make the extra effort. As the band plays through the darkening night, we’re treated to the equally impressive artwork and handwritten lyrics that are a part of their live shows, appearing on the screen itself in a fantastic bleeding of creativity.

Coldplay’s live performances are a blurring of the lines between band and audience, stage and crowd. They bring the audience into the experience with an electrifying ambience. Live 2012’s director, Paul Dugdale, has said that he wants the film to make the viewer’s eyes widen and their hearts beat faster, and he has been unquestionably successful. It is a ninety-minute ride that will have your spine tingling, leaving you craving an announcement that Coldplay will be touring in a stadium near you as soon as humanly possible.

[Rating:4.5/5]

 

Coldplay Live 2012 will be screened in selected cinemas around the world on Tuesday, 13th November, for one night only. You can click here to find your nearest participating cinema.

It will then be released on CD/DVD, DVD/CD, and Blu-ray/CD on 19th November, and is available for pre-order now.