Coldplay play live at the O2 this December. If you have tickets for either of the two concerts, you’re definitely one of the charmed few. Tickets for both shows went on sale on July 21st last, and were sold out within minutes!
Hugely popular and very succesful Oxford band Coldplay are currently touring their seminal 4th album “Viva La Vida” on a sell out world tour, and will be headlining at the O2 (formerly known as the Point) on Sunday 21st and Monday 22nd December 2008. Unprecedented demand led to fans selling out both concert dates within minutes of tickets being on sale.
Coldplay have a huge band of loyal fans and there’s great excitement in anticipation of this energetic, passionate and innovative show. Even two dates cannot accommodate the massive demand to see the British foursome, whose latest album topped the Irish album download charts for months in 2008, and has now reached the summit in nearly 40 countries worldwide including the USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, France Holland, Italy, Belgium, Australia and Scandinavia.
Coldplay, who formed in Oxford, England 10 years ago, burst onto the music scene in 2000 with the much heralded debut album “Parachutes” which was released in July 2000, and spawned the hit singles “Yellow”, “Trouble” and their first hit single “Shiver”.
Comprised of band members Chris Martin on guitar and piano, lead guitarist Jonny Buckland, bass player Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion, the band quickly won many plaudits for their evocative music, drawn from the influences of The Beatles, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and U2. Their second album, released in 2002, ”
A Rush of Blood to the Head” broke new barriers for the band, and sold well in the US and other territories. Hit singles on MTV and in music chart territories around the world included “The Scientist”, ” Clocks”, “In my Place” and “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face”.
The band succesfully toured both albums worldwide and built up a large and committed following, who were drawn to the intimately personal songs, many with a social message. Coupled with the fact that the band in concert play a highly energetic and brilliant musical set led to them being considered one of the most excting musical acts of the past 30 years.
The release of 2005′s “X and Y” led to worldwide acclaim and even more chart dominance with more hit singles, such a “Speed of Sound” and “Fix You”. The band again toured this album, which was the biggest selling album of that year, and has now sold over ten million copies worldwide.
In late 2006, the band reconvened for the recording of a new album and collaborated with legendary music producer Brian Eno. These fruitful sessions resulted in the highly innovative album “Viva la Vida or Death and all his Friends” which was released in June 2008 to highly enthusiastic reviews.
Hit singles such as “Violet Hill” and “Viva la Vida” have further catapulted the band to commerical success, and the album is well on the way to becoming one of the best sellers of 2008.
The band has garnered much respect for their support of many social and political causes. Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair and Amnesty International are two of the many campaigns with which Coldplay are associated. In addition, the group have played at many charity concerts, such as Band Aid 20, The Cancer Trust, and Live 8 in 2005.
The New O2 Arena…
Formerly known as The Point, the venue has been extensively refurbished and renamed as the O2. One of the aspects of the event centre refurbishment has been the improvement of sound quality and the improvement of sound acoustics, leading to improved artist sound performance. The event venue will have a capacity of 13,000 in comparison to the previous capacity of 8,500.
The Point has previously paid host to huge artists such as U2, David Bowie and REM. It was also magically transformed in the past to hold major boxing matches, ice-skating, opera, theatre and circus events.
The concert venue is located at Northwall Quay, Dublin 1. Give at least 30 minutes or so if you’re walking from O’Connell Bridge to the venue. From O’Connell Street pass on through the Northside Quays and you will be passing the IFSC Centre, close to where the event venue is. You can also take the Number 53 bus to the venue.
For more information read our article The O2 - formerly the Point Theatre.
So if you are one of the lucky few to have tickets to this sell out performance by one of the world’s top acts, you’ll probably need somewhere to stay. Why not book one of our Dublin hotels? You’ll receive instant confirmation. You can organise a hotel close to the brand new O2 events centre and make the most of your trip to Dublin, and maybe get some last minute Christmas shopping done as well.
Drop us a line if you have any comments or anything you’d like to ask us.
