Coldplay
Alpine Valley Wisconsin
7-25-09
On Saturday I left very early for my trip to Alpine. My flight to Chicago had a 7am departure time. I tried to sleep the night before but it just wasn't happening. Firstly because I had slept until 8pm Friday and secondly because I was too excited. I get to the airport and there is a security line a mile long. I didn't have time to grab a bite to eat before boarding. Then we sit at the gate for 30 minutes while they diddle with the plane and flight plans. Great, I could have been eating. We finally get airborne and I am off to Chicago.
Lori was meeting me at O'Hare and we were driving to Alpine. I had originally planned on renting a car, but this was much better. She picked me up outside Terminal 3 and we started out for Wisconsin. Mike and his friends had left out a short time before us so we were texting location and travel status to each other during the ride. I asked Lori if we could stop and eat something because I hadn't eaten. So we stopped off and had some Taco Bell, then straight back out on the road.
We were almost to the venue when Mike phoned to say that was there and we couldn't get into the parking lot until 3pm. What a crock! So Lori and I get to the gate and ask can we park along road side? No! Can one of us walk up and get in line? No! What assholes! So now we have two options. Drive around for 2 1/2 hours or find some place to park until the lot opens. First we drove all around, looking to see if we could find a cleaver way into the parking area. Fail! Then we looked at cows and stuff and some barns that we could hide our car in. hehe We drove and found a near by farmer's market about 10 minutes away and parked there. Finally Mike called and said the lot was opening early, to get over there, so we rushed back, parked and got in line.
So we are sitting and waiting. It is nice because it is cool outside. After two shows in Texas that week, mid 70's is a blessing. Sunny, really sunny. I didn't bring sunscreen and I know I'm gonna be burnt by the end of the day. Then off in the distance we see it. Dark clouds and a line of rain. Cool breeze starts to kick up...hmmm we might be getting wet here in a second. Gets closer...yep we are definitely going to get wet. It starts off with a few sprinkles then quickly progresses to a down pour! All we had was a plastic bag that contained Lori's ho shoes so we dump the shoes and we stick both our head inside the bag and huddle close. ahahaaa The wind would gust so hard it almost ripped our bag away and the rain was freezing cold. Poor Lori was shivering, and not in a Coldplay way. We were trying to protect cameras and tickets and still it kept coming down. Then someone shoves a couple of those cheap clear rain ponchos under our bag. I don't know who you are but thanks! The wind is so strong we had a hard time getting them open. The storm blew through pretty fast but man it did it's job. We were soaked.
Gates opened and the rush down the hill was madness. The rain had made everything slippery. I saw some kids that were running, then they would slide a ways, then run some more. Most of the mad dashers were there for the lawn but the PIT was filling up pretty quick as well. Lori, Mike and Kelly were all down front on the Jonny side between Jonny and Chris. There was a crowd around them already. I hear my name and see Gianna on the Guy side between Guy and Chris and she has a place saved for me so I join her. Her friend Steve is with her. This is his first Coldplay show. Just like Indy, we have them surrounded.
Kitty, Daisy and Lewis came out at 7pm to start the show. I am not a huge Rock-a-billy fan but I can tolerate it in short amounts. This however is my third time this week to hear this set and it is growing old.
Elbow came out around 7:50. We saw Jonny come out on the side of the stage to watch them. They were awesome! Guy was so nice. He said some really cool things about Coldplay. Steve taps me and says your friend down there is going insane! We see Kelly singing and dancing like a mad woman. Man their set just flew by. I wish they would just can KD&L and just let Elbow play a longer set for Florida. After their set finished, I told Gianna we need to get a set list for Kelly so she yelled at the roadies and we got one.
The set up for Coldplay went super fast. I've never seen them set the stage that quick. Dancing Roadie did his thing, then Marta came out to lead the Danube clap along. She stopped and talked with Lori and Kelly then we yelled and she came and gave me a hug and led the clap along by us. Soon as the lights went out the crowd went insane and they never let up! You could tell this was going to be a great show. The band could feel it.
Set list stayed the same. When the band left for the B Stage we could see the rain falling. Chris altered the lyrics of The Hardest Part and it looked like the band had somehow managed to produce a rain storm as a special effect. Viva La Vida was crazy loud! Chris almost impaled himself with a flying drum stick during Lost but managed to dodge it. Then they left, in the rain, for the C Stage. The lawn went nuts. We couldn't see them because the sound booth blocked our view but we saw everyone go running to get up close. The wind was blowing the butterflies all over during Lovers. Jonny totally flubbed it on DAAHF but made a quick recovery but they all got the giggle from it and during the bowing there was much laughing and pointing.
After the main set finished we saw Miller out with his camera taking pics of the crowd. When Chris came out for the encore, he had a clipboard (he's such a drama king) and proceeded to tell everyone that the survey results were in and Alpine was the best audience on their whole tour. The crowd went even more insane.
After the show ended, Roadie Rick gave me and Gianna set lists. Then came the dreaded climb out of the venue. It is steep, very steep and wet. My legs are already dead tired from standing jumping all night and now a climb to the top of mount Alpine. I was surprised but they still had lots of LRLRL cds on our way out, so we got one.
This is my second trip to Alpine and for all it's beauty and greatness the parking there down right sucks ass! Last time it took for ever to get out and this time was no better. We didn't even manage to start to move out of our spot for over an hour! Then it was a crawl to make it to the road. Once out on the highway, there were tons of people going toward Chicago like us so traffic and road construction meant slow moving out there as well.
Lori dropped me off at O'Hare and I caught my flight back to Texas at 5:47. I didn't sleep on the plane due to crying children so by the time I made it home I had been awake for 37 hours! Needless to say I was pretty exhausted, but man what a great show. Worth every second of loss sleep.
Next month Tampa......and the tour rolls on.
Videos on my youtube channel
http://www.youtube.com/angie040404
Set List
Life In Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Yellow
Glass of Water
Cemeteries of London
42
Fix You
Strawberry Swing
B Stage:
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
Talk
The Hardest Part (with added rain shower)
Postcards From Far Away
Viva La Vida
Lost!
C Stage:
Green Eyes
Death Will Never Conquer
Billie Jean
Viva La Vida (Remix Interlude)
Politik
Lovers In Japan
Death And All His Friends
The Scientist
Life In Technicolor ii
The Escapist (Outro)
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