Here's my much belated Coldplay post. There's so much to write about, so if I forget something, forgive me.
So if you hadn't heard, our band Picture Atlantic won this contest through Live105 to open for Coldplay on July 18th at the HP Pavillion.
The Contest:
So the way the contest works, is that any unsigned bands from the area were to submit a live video/music video/some sort of video to the Coldplay contest channel on Youtube. From there, the station (Live105 in our case) would pick the top 15. Once the 15 were announced, the public could vote (once per IP address) and the top 3 vote winners would move on to the final round. So once you get in the top 3, Coldplay/their management decides on the band to play.
Our video:
The day they announced the top 15, I was woken up by a call from my mom. We were on tour at the time and were staying at my grandma's house in LA. I was so surprised that we even made it to the top 15. Being a predominately San Jose band, I felt we would be overlooked by Live105 since they have so much love for the SF/Oakland bands. So I told Patrick, who was still mostly asleep next to me, ("Bro, we got on the top 15" *high five* "Sick, bro") and then got in the shower. It didn't hit me until I got out that even getting in the top 15 was going to be a lot of work to do. Once we were all up, we began checking out the site, calling people, making flyers, telling friends to vote, etc. Originally in the contest rules there was a bit that wasn't so favorable to the bands, but we sorted it all out with our attorney.
The voting was supposed to run from July 7th through the 11th. Every day we remained in the top spot, which although didn't ensure a win, was so satisfying to have. It reminded us just how many people were behind us through all of this. I'll give more thanks later on, but for now, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who voted or even supports us in general. We wouldn't be anywhere without you.
So as each night passed, Patrick, Rico and I would usually stay up till 3 or 4am, just talking about the contest. So many "what if's" were asked, decided on, then thrown out because we didn't want to get our hopes up. After everyone would be asleep, I'd still be up, honestly getting sick to my stomach in anticipation.
The voting ended up being extended until the 14th. This just killed me. Even if we were to lose (which I truly thought was the case,) I just wanted to know. The uncertainty drove me insane. We finally found out on the 15th. I had been waiting for a call from the station all day, but it never came. We had been staying at Nick's Aunt Sherry's house (in SLO) and were on the way to the beach when Patrick's girlfriend texted him the news. The contest site had been updated to show our video and a congratulations (it's still up now, if you want to check it out.) At first I didn't want to believe it, but once I saw the page for myself we all started yelling. It was such a surprise and the biggest relief to just know, let alone have won. We started calling everyone as we made our way to the beach. Once there, everyone sort of split up, so I called my mom to talk about it for a bit, before I walked down the beach alone, listening to Strawberry Swing on repeat. Quite fitting to me.
Over the next few days, we were mentioned and played on Live 105. At one point, I was stuck in traffic on my way to the Diesel store in SF (with Kev P Sullivan, no less) and right when the intro to "Clocks" came on the radio, the DJ said, "Congrats to Picture Atlantic for winning the contest! I can't imagine what it must be like for them right now. They are probably partying it up!" I wanted to call in and say, "No, we're not partying. I'm stuck in traffic and really stressed out." There was just so much to think about so we couldn't really celebrate just yet.
The Show:
So the day finally came. I woke up early and my mom and aunt took me shopping for some last minute stuff. Up until that point I hadn't felt nervous about the show, but now I was starting to feel it. As I waited for everyone to arrive at Nick's, I started to feel sick from the anticipation.
We got to the venue a little bit before our scheduled time of 3:00. It was hilarious to park our terrible van next to these huge tour buses in the loading area. We unloaded into the back and sat around for a few minutes feeling awkward and unsure about everything. Once we got our laminates and could be recognized as the opening band (as small as we are) things became very exciting. We met 3/4 of the band as they were dropped off by a team of SUV's (guess who wasn't with the others ^_^ ) and it was such an honor. My true, unbiased opinion is that they truly were incredibly nice and down to earth, especially for being pretty much the biggest band in the world (though I will be biased with my Bono hating.)
We had a few hours before our sound check, so like little curious animals (in this case I will use welsh corgis for my animal example) we wandered around the arena, free to go wherever we liked. I felt like such a nerd walking back and forth throughout the hallways. People could tell we were these starstruck fans, but also treated us like true musicians. Most of the staff were from the UK (I'm going to go ahead and assume, I apologize if there was an Aussie running around back there!) which was so cool to me. Hearing the accent come from everyone you met made us feel like we were in a different world. I'll thank them later as well.
We got to watch Coldplay soundcheck. We were the only people in the room, sitting near the front row. It was an unreal experience that coincidentally made them real people to me. I obviously realized before that they were just four regular people from the UK who had become huge, but this was proof. They made mistakes, they argued a bit about songs, they messed around. It made me feel so much better about myself as a musician, to see the biggest band in the world were also just like us in so many ways.
After we ate (the food was amazing by the way! Can someone please explain to me what Eton Raspberry Mash is? I want it again) we proceeded to sound check. It was the most thorough soundcheck we have ever had, and probably will ever have for a long time. Just looking out to the empty arena from the stage was mind blowing.
After sound check, Patrick and I walked around out front to see tons of people filing inside. I truly hadn't been nervous about playing since we had arrived, but seeing all those people gave me the chills.
We all grouped up behind the stage a few minutes before we were set to go on. Sadly, Brian wasn't allowed to play with us on stag due to some technicalities, so he had to use his mind energy to play his parts from the crowd. Let's all give a big hand to Brian Graves for the strength of his mind powers!
Our set:
We huddled up, said some words, did a group cheer of "Queens for life!" and walked out on stage. We were met with an applause I have never heard before. Only 75%ish percent of the arena was full at this point, but really, 12-14,000 people is nothing to scoff at :)
Oddly enough, I wasn't nervous while we played. It just felt right. I realized we were meant to be there on that stage, in front of all those people. The set went by in a flash, and after every song we were given a big applause. We had a lot of people there in the crowd we knew cheering us on, so I want to thank them for that.
My Guy Berryman rant:
Once we were done, we got off the stage. I was the last one off, and right before I stepped onto the ramp, I noticed someone sitting on the side of the stage - Guy Berryman! For those of you out there who are Chris Martin fanboys, let me educate you. Guy Berryman is one of the best bass players in the non-wank/virtuoso genres of music. He is truly my biggest musical hero and influence. The first time I heard the bassline to Coldplay's "Sparks" (click for a video link!) it honestly changed my life and understanding of bass guitar. Up until then I had no real direction in my playing, no grasp of what could be done and how to do it. So before I rant, just know, Guy Berryman is my hero.
ANYWAY, so he told me he was impressed and surprised by our set. The band didn't know what they'd be getting themselves into with the whole contest, but it seemed to have worked out. I told him he was my biggest bass hero, and he replied, "You're pretty good yourself, mate!" I truly take this to heart. I know he could have said something else just to be nice, but I think for him to say that he at least thinks I'm on the right track.
After the set, Guy came and hung out in our dressing room for a half our or so. We all talked about normal band things, and he treated us as if we were any other legitimate band (not that we aren't, but in comparison to COLDPLAY...) In another starstruck fan moment, I had him sign the back of my headstock. Think what you will of the situation, but I have dreamed of meeting Guy for years, and for him to compliment ME on my playing was unreal. I will take that compliment to heart for the rest of my days.
Coldplay's set:
So we hung out for a while, celebrating now that the pressure was off. Unbiasedly, we played very well and we were all proud to be in our band.
Coldplay took the stage around 9:15ish. My only regret of the night was checking out their setlist prior to them playing. It ruined the surprise of songs for me, but in the grand scheme of it all it really doesn't matter. I got to see Coldplay at Shoreline in 2005 (thanks Steve Wozniak!) for free, in great seats, and that was the best concert of my life. In many ways, that show and the 18th are tied. However, they still put on the best show I have ever seen. They had a great bit where they did some songs on this platform (Will played a sampler pad) all standing together, and they also went out into the crowd for two acoustic songs. Will sang the last one, so if anyone still had a doubt if he too was a great singer, they surely didn't after that. Chris said their goodbyes, but reassured the crowd it was obligatory for them to leave and come back. In a few minutes they returned with some more songs. During "Lovers in Japan", they released millions of these butterfly cut outs into the crowd. The second time around, when the room was filled to the top, they changed the lighting, so all you could see were these glowing, flying butterflies. It was truly the most amazing sight I have seen in all of my short time on this earth, and it brought a tear to my eye. You'd really have to be there to understand how incredible it was. The band did a final encore of "Death and All His Friends", and as they walked off, "The Escapist" played. It was the perfect way to end the set.
We went back to the dressing room and packed up, thanked everyone we could, and headed home in our terrible, yet still reliable green van. Everyone met back up at Nick's house for a bit to talk about the night, and I fell asleep with the biggest smile on my face.
In Conclusion:
It goes without saying that Coldplay is one of our favorite bands. Their newest album was much more incredible than I expected it would be, and has been the soundtrack to my life since it was released. To get to meet, see, AND play with our biggest heroes was a true dream come true. There is so much more I could say about the night, but I'm sure the rest of the band can fill in the blanks.
THANKS TO:
-Everyone who voted for us. I have heard so many stories of people passing the word on and truly going the distance just to help us out. I'm not sure how we can ever repay all of the work you have done for us. As small as we are compared to the biggest bands out there, we really do have amazing fans. So how should we repay you? Give us some ideas.
-My mom. She always kept me on top of info as soon as it was available. Especially while not having the internet for most of the tour, without my mom we would be in a bad spot. Not to mention I owe her everything for always supporting my dream to be a musician. I could go on but I'll keep it short! I love you, mom!
-My stepdad, Joe, for also always supporting my music, even when it sucked (and trust me, it sucked.) A big thank you for taking these pictures so everyone go check them out!
-Our attorney, Dave Kostiner
-James Leste and the rest of Audrye Sessions
-Aaron Axelsen and the rest of Live105
-Guy, Jonny, Will, and Chris and the rest of the people behind Coldplay
-Staff at the HP Pavillion, specifically:
Peter (catering) - I cannot thank you enough. When we first came in to the load in area, he had asked me what kind of beer we wanted in our dressing room, but I thought he was telling me I wasn't allowed in the back (or something like that.) I was surprised we were given anything, but I did go into this expecting nothing. Throughout the night Peter brought us our beer/water, fruit and other assorted snacks to the dressing room, and after we played, we came back to the room to find champagne waiting for us. So to Peter, I say thank you very much!
Terry (head of security), Jaqui, Tiffany, Mike (the sound guy - thanks for treating us like a legit band and giving us such a good mix on stage!) Heather, Lauren, Dave Holmes (coldplay's manager/tour manager - he was honestly someone you'd see in a movie. The slightly older yet truly still cool as hell UK manager, who curses a lot and always had something funny to say)
If I've left you out, let me know! This was a lot to remember.
So in closing, I would just like to say that if you have a dream, don't ever hesitate to chase it. Don't let other people tell you what you can and cannot do, because they aren't even capable of knowing your potential. Stick with those people who do realize, and never let them go.
thank you
-ryan
So the way the contest works, is that any unsigned bands from the area were to submit a live video/music video/some sort of video to the Coldplay contest channel on Youtube. From there, the station (Live105 in our case) would pick the top 15. Once the 15 were announced, the public could vote (once per IP address) and the top 3 vote winners would move on to the final round. So once you get in the top 3, Coldplay/their management decides on the band to play.
Our video:
The day they announced the top 15, I was woken up by a call from my mom. We were on tour at the time and were staying at my grandma's house in LA. I was so surprised that we even made it to the top 15. Being a predominately San Jose band, I felt we would be overlooked by Live105 since they have so much love for the SF/Oakland bands. So I told Patrick, who was still mostly asleep next to me, ("Bro, we got on the top 15" *high five* "Sick, bro") and then got in the shower. It didn't hit me until I got out that even getting in the top 15 was going to be a lot of work to do. Once we were all up, we began checking out the site, calling people, making flyers, telling friends to vote, etc. Originally in the contest rules there was a bit that wasn't so favorable to the bands, but we sorted it all out with our attorney.
The voting was supposed to run from July 7th through the 11th. Every day we remained in the top spot, which although didn't ensure a win, was so satisfying to have. It reminded us just how many people were behind us through all of this. I'll give more thanks later on, but for now, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who voted or even supports us in general. We wouldn't be anywhere without you.
So as each night passed, Patrick, Rico and I would usually stay up till 3 or 4am, just talking about the contest. So many "what if's" were asked, decided on, then thrown out because we didn't want to get our hopes up. After everyone would be asleep, I'd still be up, honestly getting sick to my stomach in anticipation.
The voting ended up being extended until the 14th. This just killed me. Even if we were to lose (which I truly thought was the case,) I just wanted to know. The uncertainty drove me insane. We finally found out on the 15th. I had been waiting for a call from the station all day, but it never came. We had been staying at Nick's Aunt Sherry's house (in SLO) and were on the way to the beach when Patrick's girlfriend texted him the news. The contest site had been updated to show our video and a congratulations (it's still up now, if you want to check it out.) At first I didn't want to believe it, but once I saw the page for myself we all started yelling. It was such a surprise and the biggest relief to just know, let alone have won. We started calling everyone as we made our way to the beach. Once there, everyone sort of split up, so I called my mom to talk about it for a bit, before I walked down the beach alone, listening to Strawberry Swing on repeat. Quite fitting to me.
Over the next few days, we were mentioned and played on Live 105. At one point, I was stuck in traffic on my way to the Diesel store in SF (with Kev P Sullivan, no less) and right when the intro to "Clocks" came on the radio, the DJ said, "Congrats to Picture Atlantic for winning the contest! I can't imagine what it must be like for them right now. They are probably partying it up!" I wanted to call in and say, "No, we're not partying. I'm stuck in traffic and really stressed out." There was just so much to think about so we couldn't really celebrate just yet.
The Show:
So the day finally came. I woke up early and my mom and aunt took me shopping for some last minute stuff. Up until that point I hadn't felt nervous about the show, but now I was starting to feel it. As I waited for everyone to arrive at Nick's, I started to feel sick from the anticipation.
We got to the venue a little bit before our scheduled time of 3:00. It was hilarious to park our terrible van next to these huge tour buses in the loading area. We unloaded into the back and sat around for a few minutes feeling awkward and unsure about everything. Once we got our laminates and could be recognized as the opening band (as small as we are) things became very exciting. We met 3/4 of the band as they were dropped off by a team of SUV's (guess who wasn't with the others ^_^ ) and it was such an honor. My true, unbiased opinion is that they truly were incredibly nice and down to earth, especially for being pretty much the biggest band in the world (though I will be biased with my Bono hating.)
We had a few hours before our sound check, so like little curious animals (in this case I will use welsh corgis for my animal example) we wandered around the arena, free to go wherever we liked. I felt like such a nerd walking back and forth throughout the hallways. People could tell we were these starstruck fans, but also treated us like true musicians. Most of the staff were from the UK (I'm going to go ahead and assume, I apologize if there was an Aussie running around back there!) which was so cool to me. Hearing the accent come from everyone you met made us feel like we were in a different world. I'll thank them later as well.
We got to watch Coldplay soundcheck. We were the only people in the room, sitting near the front row. It was an unreal experience that coincidentally made them real people to me. I obviously realized before that they were just four regular people from the UK who had become huge, but this was proof. They made mistakes, they argued a bit about songs, they messed around. It made me feel so much better about myself as a musician, to see the biggest band in the world were also just like us in so many ways.
After we ate (the food was amazing by the way! Can someone please explain to me what Eton Raspberry Mash is? I want it again) we proceeded to sound check. It was the most thorough soundcheck we have ever had, and probably will ever have for a long time. Just looking out to the empty arena from the stage was mind blowing.
After sound check, Patrick and I walked around out front to see tons of people filing inside. I truly hadn't been nervous about playing since we had arrived, but seeing all those people gave me the chills.
We all grouped up behind the stage a few minutes before we were set to go on. Sadly, Brian wasn't allowed to play with us on stag due to some technicalities, so he had to use his mind energy to play his parts from the crowd. Let's all give a big hand to Brian Graves for the strength of his mind powers!
Our set:
We huddled up, said some words, did a group cheer of "Queens for life!" and walked out on stage. We were met with an applause I have never heard before. Only 75%ish percent of the arena was full at this point, but really, 12-14,000 people is nothing to scoff at :)
Oddly enough, I wasn't nervous while we played. It just felt right. I realized we were meant to be there on that stage, in front of all those people. The set went by in a flash, and after every song we were given a big applause. We had a lot of people there in the crowd we knew cheering us on, so I want to thank them for that.
My Guy Berryman rant:
Once we were done, we got off the stage. I was the last one off, and right before I stepped onto the ramp, I noticed someone sitting on the side of the stage - Guy Berryman! For those of you out there who are Chris Martin fanboys, let me educate you. Guy Berryman is one of the best bass players in the non-wank/virtuoso genres of music. He is truly my biggest musical hero and influence. The first time I heard the bassline to Coldplay's "Sparks" (click for a video link!) it honestly changed my life and understanding of bass guitar. Up until then I had no real direction in my playing, no grasp of what could be done and how to do it. So before I rant, just know, Guy Berryman is my hero.
ANYWAY, so he told me he was impressed and surprised by our set. The band didn't know what they'd be getting themselves into with the whole contest, but it seemed to have worked out. I told him he was my biggest bass hero, and he replied, "You're pretty good yourself, mate!" I truly take this to heart. I know he could have said something else just to be nice, but I think for him to say that he at least thinks I'm on the right track.
After the set, Guy came and hung out in our dressing room for a half our or so. We all talked about normal band things, and he treated us as if we were any other legitimate band (not that we aren't, but in comparison to COLDPLAY...) In another starstruck fan moment, I had him sign the back of my headstock. Think what you will of the situation, but I have dreamed of meeting Guy for years, and for him to compliment ME on my playing was unreal. I will take that compliment to heart for the rest of my days.
Coldplay's set:
So we hung out for a while, celebrating now that the pressure was off. Unbiasedly, we played very well and we were all proud to be in our band.
Coldplay took the stage around 9:15ish. My only regret of the night was checking out their setlist prior to them playing. It ruined the surprise of songs for me, but in the grand scheme of it all it really doesn't matter. I got to see Coldplay at Shoreline in 2005 (thanks Steve Wozniak!) for free, in great seats, and that was the best concert of my life. In many ways, that show and the 18th are tied. However, they still put on the best show I have ever seen. They had a great bit where they did some songs on this platform (Will played a sampler pad) all standing together, and they also went out into the crowd for two acoustic songs. Will sang the last one, so if anyone still had a doubt if he too was a great singer, they surely didn't after that. Chris said their goodbyes, but reassured the crowd it was obligatory for them to leave and come back. In a few minutes they returned with some more songs. During "Lovers in Japan", they released millions of these butterfly cut outs into the crowd. The second time around, when the room was filled to the top, they changed the lighting, so all you could see were these glowing, flying butterflies. It was truly the most amazing sight I have seen in all of my short time on this earth, and it brought a tear to my eye. You'd really have to be there to understand how incredible it was. The band did a final encore of "Death and All His Friends", and as they walked off, "The Escapist" played. It was the perfect way to end the set.
We went back to the dressing room and packed up, thanked everyone we could, and headed home in our terrible, yet still reliable green van. Everyone met back up at Nick's house for a bit to talk about the night, and I fell asleep with the biggest smile on my face.
In Conclusion:
It goes without saying that Coldplay is one of our favorite bands. Their newest album was much more incredible than I expected it would be, and has been the soundtrack to my life since it was released. To get to meet, see, AND play with our biggest heroes was a true dream come true. There is so much more I could say about the night, but I'm sure the rest of the band can fill in the blanks.
THANKS TO:
-Everyone who voted for us. I have heard so many stories of people passing the word on and truly going the distance just to help us out. I'm not sure how we can ever repay all of the work you have done for us. As small as we are compared to the biggest bands out there, we really do have amazing fans. So how should we repay you? Give us some ideas.
-My mom. She always kept me on top of info as soon as it was available. Especially while not having the internet for most of the tour, without my mom we would be in a bad spot. Not to mention I owe her everything for always supporting my dream to be a musician. I could go on but I'll keep it short! I love you, mom!
-My stepdad, Joe, for also always supporting my music, even when it sucked (and trust me, it sucked.) A big thank you for taking these pictures so everyone go check them out!
-Our attorney, Dave Kostiner
-James Leste and the rest of Audrye Sessions
-Aaron Axelsen and the rest of Live105
-Guy, Jonny, Will, and Chris and the rest of the people behind Coldplay
-Staff at the HP Pavillion, specifically:
Peter (catering) - I cannot thank you enough. When we first came in to the load in area, he had asked me what kind of beer we wanted in our dressing room, but I thought he was telling me I wasn't allowed in the back (or something like that.) I was surprised we were given anything, but I did go into this expecting nothing. Throughout the night Peter brought us our beer/water, fruit and other assorted snacks to the dressing room, and after we played, we came back to the room to find champagne waiting for us. So to Peter, I say thank you very much!
Terry (head of security), Jaqui, Tiffany, Mike (the sound guy - thanks for treating us like a legit band and giving us such a good mix on stage!) Heather, Lauren, Dave Holmes (coldplay's manager/tour manager - he was honestly someone you'd see in a movie. The slightly older yet truly still cool as hell UK manager, who curses a lot and always had something funny to say)
If I've left you out, let me know! This was a lot to remember.
So in closing, I would just like to say that if you have a dream, don't ever hesitate to chase it. Don't let other people tell you what you can and cannot do, because they aren't even capable of knowing your potential. Stick with those people who do realize, and never let them go.
thank you
-ryan
9 comments:
Yay you did it boys!! :)
this was truly epic. you guys are going on to do great things, and I don't doubt I will see you playing stadiums yourself inthe future
please keep playing for all your fans out here
-kyle
great blog, i really enjoyed every paragraph.
well written!
you boys are very promising.
-granpa
Your mom found the recipe for "Eaton Raspberry Mess" - I think it's in your dining future...
Wow - this is a truly awesome story!!
I know your mom from the CL forum - 1550 - she'll know what that means.
I am so happy that you got to do something that means so much to you; it is very evident how grateful you are.
All the best,
Jen/ejproslife
i loved this ryan. i had strong feelings like you about the whole thing (im sure we all did) but it can be hard to put it all into words, i think you did a good job here. the butterflys brought a tear to my eye as well. it was one of the most beautiful things i have ever seen and a perfect way to end the show. a perfect piece of the perfect night.
i especially liked the last part about sticking with the ones that believe in you. we truly have much to be thankful for. love you bro guy
-rico
Hi! I found you while looking for things about Guy Berryman (how fitting!) and I just kept reading the whole thing. I did knew they had new bads opening but as I havent seen them in this tour yet to be honest I hadnt had the time or energy to check it. Anyway, first of all, thanks so much for sharing the whole experience! For a music nerd like me, this inside the shows things are always a pleasure and Im glad to confirm how nice those guys are, unlike other bands. Second of all, congratulations! I hope you keep going in the music and dont lose the joyful spirit, regardeless of the size of your audience, as for me that´s the most important part.
And wish you all the best for your future career! I just really wanted to say something cause I loved your review... so thank you, and congratulations :-)
wow this blog post gave me the chills - - congrats guys you deserve it - - i'm so excited you got to play with COLDPLAY! wow
they are pretty much the reason i work for capitol! coldplay coldplay coldplay! and next up - - picture atlantic.
:)
xx
heatherpeggs
Raspberry Mash:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/vanilla-custard-with-raspberry-mash-recipe/index.html
Well done, chaps!
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