Mylo Xyloto
If you had told me a year ago “ that I’d be tour managing one of the
biggest bands on the planet, I’d have thought you were crazy, but actually once you settle in to a routine it’s like clockwork and it helps that Coldplay are the nicest people to work for
– Marguerite Nguyen, tour manager
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leftrightleftrightleft At IQ’s press time, the Mylo Xyloto tour had just passed its half way point, having made the transatlantic hop for its second North American stint where the band have 25 arena shows scheduled across seven weeks. In late August, Coldplay return to mainland Europe for ten stadium shows across seven countries, before travelling Down Under for four outdoor shows in New Zealand and Australia. The fact that Coldplay are more than capable of filling US stadiums is not lost on Holmes, but neither he nor the band are in any hurry. That patience is praised by Live Nation’s Bowdery. “They’re playing multiple dates in arenas in America and that just makes more sense for them. It’s a quicker way of moving around the States than taking the massive stadium show on tour.” Of course, switching from 50,000-capacity stadium shows to the more intimate indoor venues is not without its challenges and new personnel have been brought in for the Mylo Xyloto tour, with the chief changes seeing industry veteran Bill
34 | IQ Magazine July 2012
Photo © Miller
didn’t want to take that risk.” The strategy Holmes devised involved playing multiple festivals. “We deliberately didn’t talk about the new record – we didn’t even name it,” he recalls. As well as introducing new material to Coldplay fans, the festival dates also helped build the fan base. “I thought we’d be able to get to 16-24 year olds who probably hadn’t seen a Coldplay show before and that pretty much turned out to be the case.” That success has changed his long-term strategy. “It’s wise for a band to go out and play festivals every three or four years as a way to introduce themselves to new fans,” he says. And taking a broadside at the band’s critics, he adds, “A lot of people seem to have a negative view on the band without ever having seen them. It’s great to watch those opinions change.” Coldplay’s 2011 festival slots included Rock Am Ring and Rock in Park (Germany), Glastonbury and T in the Park (UK), Pinkpop (Netherlands), Rock Werchter (Belgium), Optimus Alive (Portugal), BBK (Spain), Main Square (France) and Heineken Jammin (Italy). “The set up for this tour and album campaign has been brilliant. It feels perfect,” says Strange. “The festivals were the best thing they could have done: the band enjoyed the no-pressure element, but they were still able to play two or three teaser songs each night to subtly introduce the album to those markets. That brilliantly paved the way for the live campaign. Dave Holmes has made a lot of fantastic decisions over the years, but that was a master stroke.” Leabody taking on the role of production manager and Nguyen moving up the ladder to become tour manager, replacing longtime Coldplay collaborator Andy Franks. “We have a universal crew who do everything, but we won’t be taking everyone from the European stadiums leg to the USA because those are multiple nights in arenas so the show is really scaled down,” Nguyen tells IQ. In terms of the stadium shows, she explains there are three infrastructure crews – Red Steel, Blue Steel and Green Steel – which leapfrog each other from venue to venue to install stadium flooring and build the stage, towers and other infrastructure. “We also have two advance teams who come in and flip-flop into venues for the likes of catering and rigging,” says Nguyen. “Then the production crew come in when all the backbone is built and bring in all the show’s video screens, sound and lighting. “The set up for the arena shows is entirely different, with a scaled down stage and only one production team, loading in and out in a matter of hours. However, as the majority of the North American dates are multiple nights in arenas, the relentless build and deconstruct routine does not occur every day.”