Rambling Onwards

Coldplay was an absolute dream.

At the beginning of this year I thought my concert days were over - mainly because a lot of my favourite artists toured last year and there wasn't any news of anyone playing down under in 2016 (except Troye Sivan - but sadly I couldn't get tickets). Coldplay's been on my list since two of my friends saw them during their Mylo Xyloto Tour (2012) and along with the fact that this could be their last tour indefinitely - it was an immediate yes.

Fun fact: Haze and smoke make lights look all the more impressive (and visible).

There were fireworks and confetti and bright, colourful lights galore during the big numbers, but they knew how to keep the crowd interested by mixing it up with stripped back, slower songs with more gentle lights and acoustics.

I don't remember whent his was but it was before 'Paradise'.

A sky full of stars!

You wanted big anthems? They gave it to you with lasers, bright lights, occasional fireworks and lit up the stadium with the free wristbands we got. You needed a moment? Right on cue, they would play something soulful like 'Yellow' or 'Fix You', initiating a singalong (especially during 'Viva La Vida') and swaying crowd. You wanted to party on a Tuesday night? They used a remixed 'Paradise' so the beat dropped and we jumped and danced to our hearts delight, waving our wristbands in the air in a way we never expected.

And just when I thought that was everything, they threw huge, colourful balloons into the crowd during 'Adventure of a Lifetime' - not what you'd expect at a typical concert and honestly it made it so much more fun.

Never did I ever think that I'd be part of a concert where I was so far and yet so close to the action (ie: a LOT of balloons).

I also really liked Coldplay's stage - they had one long catwalk halfway down the stadium so even though we were in the back half of the floor we still got a really good view, especially when the moved to the C stage behind us so they were only a few metres away from us. It also meant that we weren't left out of the confetti showers.

They were so close!

Confetti galore.

It's actually pretty cool being showered in confetti.

The set list was on point - there was never a dull moment and even though they played a number of songs from their headliner album there was no shortage of Coldplay classics. Both the opening acts - Jess Kent and Lianne La Havas - had a great sound and vibe and I don't doubt that they'll become big someday and I'll be there to say that I saw them live and I loved their music and their sound.

I'm not a die-hard Coldplay fan, but I've loved a fair few of their songs over the years and I love their sound. For me, there's two reasons I'd go to a concert - either I'm a massive fan and I know all their music, all of their lyrics and I want to experience it live, or I know enough of their music to enjoy it but I'll let the concert surprise me. This was the latter - and even though I didn't know all of the music I feel so lucky to see them perform live because they put on a bloody brilliant show. I don't feel like it was as life-changing as The Script's concert last year but amazing to be on the floor with thousands of other fans.

Concert fam - thanks for being fab.

As my friend suggested, I've made a tag called concert diary - and much like travel diary hopefully I can document these adventures of a lifetime so one day I can look back and remember how it felt like to be in the moment - just because it makes me so happy.

If you ever find yourself contemplating whether or not to go to your first concert or want something different to do - take the splurge and you won't regret it. Especially something as big as Coldplay - how it feels to be there is just incredible. Go for experiences - and you won't regret it.

What was the last concert you went to?

With love, Sarah x

Despite having seen Ed Sheeran, months ago I bought standing tickets to his Stadium concert because 1) I've never been in the standing area of a concert before and 2) I'm quite a fan of Ed Sheeran. I have absolutely no regrets, even though people question why I went a second time in a year on the 9th December at Allianz Stadium (where T-Swiz had her RED Concert two years ago).

I was surprised that we weren't too far back even though we got there at 5pm - the crowd wasn't that big yet and we could actually see a decently sized, life-size Ed. Foy Vance, Passenger and Rudimental opened - Foy Vance was alright, Passenger was hilarious because he stopped in the middle of his songs to give commentary, and Rudimental made it feel like a festival. I was quite surprised at how many Rudimental tracks I knew, and I really enjoyed their set - it was fun.
Ed Sheeran's set was amazing. Although we had to brave the rain and get completely soaked, there was so much energy coming from the crowd - Ed himself said so and became a little rowdier than usual. And hey, even though I got completely soaked, everyone else did too and it was such an amazing bonding experience. Plus all the lights look really cool in these photos.

I cannot even begin to describe all the emotions that went through me on Saturday 28th November (I know, this post is a month late whoops) when I was lucky enough for the second time to see Taylor Swift herself perform live at ANZ Stadium, Sydney to 76,000 people! (She took my concert virginity with her RED Tour in 2013). When people ask me how it was, I tell them 'It was amazing, but not quite as life changing as The Script NSWS Tour'.

Not sure if Stereo or Taylor Swift.

It was a really great ending to an amazing but really hectic week of being with the Law Revue crew on our road trip in Terrigal and then a friend's houseparty the night we got back - and I feel like most people would be confused about how I have energy for it all let alone how I manage it but I have a tendency to thrive off a jam-packed, crazy filled lifestyle. I need days off, sure, but I quickly can become bored if I'm trying to kill a few hours of time. But back to Tay Tay - this is something for another blog post.

To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of The Script and the only reason why I bought a ticket was because one of my friends really wanted me to go as well - initially I was hesitant because I was already seeing Ed Sheeran (25/3/15) and Taylor Swift this year and I didn't want to spend so much money on just concert tickets. But eventually I caved in and we bought tickets as a group.