popplers

Look how they shine for you

Picked up Cheryl and drove the S2000 to Great Woods for a long-overdue grrls' night out. Our free Coldplay tickets had arrived in the mail a few days earlier, and the radio station had called about the limo ride. (Alas, the limo ride was logistically inconvenient, so we gave it a pass— in order to partake, we would have had to drive an hour north to Haverhill to ride an hour and a half south to Mansfield.) But it was a lovely night to be driving around with the top down, and traffic wasn't bad at all.

Since we made excellent time on 495, we were already in our seats when the opening act, Black Mountain hit the stage. I think that Sarah Rodman over at the Herald pretty much nailed it with the somewhat harsh closing sentence of her review: Openers Black Mountain played a resoundingly loud set of psychedelic noodle rock whose merits were aptly summed up in the title of their final song, ''No Satisfaction.'' The seats were decent— they weren't under the pavilion, but they were on-center in the second row of the "open air seating". (And apparently they would have cost $50 each + fees if we'd actually had to buy them from TicketBa$tard— yikes!)

Coldplay was just as loud, but far more enjoyable. The sound during their set was still excessively muddy; I was definitely underwhelmed by the Tweeter Center's sound overall (both in volume levels and in fidelity). I thought that the lighting/ stage show was whizzy and high-tech, but often uninspiring. There were more than a few Blue Man Group Rock Concert Movement Number X moments that made me smile (Rock Concert Movement #78: The Fake Ending). But it was a great night to be outside under the stars, listening to a solid, unpretentious performance. I just wish that I'd remembered to bring earplugs.