Tuesday 11 September 2012

Coldplay put a smile upon his face...



Whilst the London 2012 Paralympic Closing Ceremony could be viewed as a bit old and new age what a gift Coldplay songs were for the creative team to exploit? Without their material so aptly capturing the amazing 'moment' that the games generated it would have all been a bit at the level of a expansive and dramatic variety show. It wasn't just Coldplay's music that lifted the event to a higher plane, it was their committment to the whole evening that was so laudable.

They didn't just come on and 'do' their set, they both played along with the 'superstar' guests and singer Chris Martin actually left the stage to sit amongst The British Paraorchestra for the gorgeous interpretation of Strawberry Swing. What capped it all for me was when up on the screens I spied local boy Mat Fraser, actor, drummer and Thalidomide challenged, drumming on stage with the band as per the clip above. What an incredible demonstration of their lyric 'God give me style, give me Grace'?

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3 comments:

Mike Todd said...

Beautiful. Thanks for posting for those of us who missed the ceremonies.

nevell said...

That clip restored my faith in Coldplay a bit!

Anonymous said...

There isn't much 'new' about 'new-age'. It is said that 'You can't believe your eyes if your imagination is out of focus' and for me, all of the Olympic ceremonies encouraged us to be imaginative. The whole event is predicated on fire (ancient god) and the Olympic flame is lit on the site of the ancient Temple of Hera in Greece. Eleven women, representing the vestal virgins, light the flame from the rays of the sun (ancient god) to represent the theft of fire from Zeus (ancient god) by Prometheus (ancient god). The Paralympics ended with fountains of water (ancient god) to extinguish the flame. All very symbolic of the event. Symbols are meant to draw us into a wider mindset and from what I've seen, heard, and experienced over the past couple of months, the whole country has witnessed extraordinary feats of excellence and courage which have made most of us teary at some point. The legacy of the Games will be for us all to recall those moments; the lack of cynicism and doubt, the joy and laughter whether in victory or defeat. Even that travellers on the London Underground talk with each other .