In the pages of Variety in addition to this blog, we have written a fair amount about Nissan Live Sets on Yahoo! Music, one of the better-produced concert programs on the web.
On Dec. 1, the site will unveil a Coldplay concert shot at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. It will be one of the last installments for Nissan Live Sets on Yahoo! Music for the time being.
The show’s launch follows Tuesday's  release of the Coldplay EP, “Prospekt March,” which features leftover material from “Viva la Vida.” 
The concert will be viewable in 13 countries, a first for Yahoo! Music.

Tour Dates:

21/11/08: Denver, CO
22/11/08: Salt Lake City, UT
25/11/08: Anaheim, CA
26/11/08: Phoenix, AZ
29/11/08: Sheffield
01/12/08: Birmingham
02/12/08: Birmingham
03/12/08: Birmingham
06/12/08: Glasgow
07/12/08: Liverpool
09/12/08: Glasgow
11/12/08: Manchester
12/12/08: Manchester
14/12/08: London
15/12/08: London
16/12/08: London
19/12/08: Belfast
21/12/08: Dublin
22/12/08: Dublin
23/12/08: Belfast
12/02/09: Tokyo
14/02/09: Osaka

Coldplay played the first official gig of their 2008 tour on July 14 at the Forum in Inglewood. The minimal stage show had a few cool effects: A large ball hanging at about mid-court contained live video images of the band; a giant backdrop switched late in the show from the "Viva la Vida" album cover to b&w live footage of the band; and a gazillion pieces of confetti shaped like butterflies filled the air for what seemed like  five minutes. (Photo is from the free London show; Chris Martin wore the same outfit at the Forum).
A couple of songs were done at the end of a ramp in the middle of the crowd jutting out from stage left. But the best moment was when the band ran from the stage into the farthest aisle in the Forum and performed "Yellow." Material is lacking cohesion and early on it feels like a hit parade; they need to experiment with the set list a bit. The review is here. On Monday they played ("Chinese Sleep Chant" is a guess):

Life in Technicolor / Violet Hill / Clocks / In My Place / Viva la Vida /  42 / Yes / The Scientist / Chinese Sleep Chant / God Put a Smile Upon Your Face / Square One / Speed of Sound / Trouble / Lost / Strawberry Swing / Yellow / Death Will Never Conquer / I'll Fix You / Lovers in Japan > Reign of Love / Death and All His Friends 

To celebrate opening night of their tour, Coldplay is offering a free download on their website. "Death Will Never Conquer" is the one minute, 16 seconds track, which the band writes "you'll hear it at the concerts with a twist..."
Will Champion sang the tune at their free show at Madison Square Garden last month. Meanwhile, one of the band's roadies blogs about setting up in L.A.

Story by Matt Kivel

If we havn't spoken enough about Coldplay in the last two days here's a new bit of info regarding their impending US tour: They want you to open for them!

Pitchfork reports that radio stations in Chicago, San Jose, Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia and Hartford are holding Youtube contests to select an appropriate local act to open for the arena rockers. Aspiring bands are encouraged to upload Youtube videos to their nearest radio station's section on Coldplay's tour website.

Maybe it's time to dust off that Les Paul and regroup the old gang from high school for one last gasp of garage band fury - it might just pay off.

Story by Matt Kivel

Since Coldplay's fifth album "Viva La Vida," racked up the largest amount of album pre-sales in Itunes history, it's fair to say that expectations for the sale of physical copies was -- to put it mildly -- quite high. Well, the numbers are in and "Viva La Vida" is now the number one album in the US, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada, Germany and France, selling a robust 720,000 copies in its first week.

The music industry can now enjoy a collective sigh of relief, safe in the knowledge that not all massively successful rock bands give their albums away for free. This also may be a good time for that Brooklyn-based songwriter who recently accused Chris Martin of ripping him off to hire a lawyer and try his luck -- who knows, Martin might be feeling a bit more generous these days.

Creaky Boards' Accusatory Video

Coldplay's "Unofficial" Video for "Violet Hill" (Dancing Politicians)

Story by Matt Kivel

Coldplay is the biggest pop-rock band in the world today -- and XM Radio knows it. Beginning July 15, the satellite radio company will devote a month-long channel to the band's music. Fans can tune in and hear songs from all of Coldplay's studio albums as well as rarities, import-only tracks, interviews, and exclusive concert broadcasts from their forthcoming Viva La Vida North American tour. If you're a fan of big, swooning, mid-tempo rock music this station should provide you with a more-than-adequate fix.

Viva La Vida North American Tour Dates

7/14 The Forum (Los Angeles, Ca), 7/15 The Forum (Los Angeles, Ca), 7/18 HP Pavilion (San Jose, Ca), 7/19 MGM Grand Garden Arena (Las Vegas, NV), 7/22 United Center (Chicago, Il), 7/23 United Center (Chicago, Il), 7/25 Wachovia Center (Philadelphia, Pa), 7/27 Pemberton Festival (Pemberton, BC), 7/29 Bell Centre (Montreal, QC), 7/30 Air Canada Centre (Toronto, On), 8/02 XL Center (Hartford, Ct), 8/03 Verizon Center (Washington, DC), 8/04 TD Banknorth Garden (Boston, Ma)

Coldplay has no use for Los Angeles, at least in the announcement of 29 cities they will play in North America int he summer and fall.  "Viva La Vida"  will be released June 17; the tour,  produced by Live Nation, will kick off June 29 in Philadelphia.
Coldplay will play free concerts in London (June 16th at the Brixton Academy) and New York (June 23 at Madison Square Garden). Information on how to win tickets to these shows will be available here.  Contest will run through June 1; winners will receive notification on June 5.
The album's lead single "Violet Hill" was downloaded by 2 million people in its first week of release.
Tour dates after the jump.

Looking at the possibility of starting fiscal year 2009 with a bang, EMI will release Coldplay's  fourth album, "Viva La Vida," in the third week of June, toward the end of the first quarter of the now private Brit conglom. Company is not likely to release year-end financials, which would reveal the costs of its massive restructuring.
Hits have been few and far between for EMI in Guy Hands' rookie season and the company's current representatives in the top 50 are a Trace Adkins hits compilation  and the B-52's first album in 16 years. The pressure will be enormous for  "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" - that's the full title - to perform at a level equal or better than its predecessor, "X&Y," which has sold 10 million copies worldwide since its release in 2005. (The RIAA, which certifies shipments, has "X&Y" at 3 million copies in the U.S.)
"X&Y" sold 737,294 copies in its first week of release back in 2005 and Coldplay-mania was so strong then that their first two albums, "A Rush of Blood to the Head"  and "Parachutes" rose to Nos. 1 and 2 on the catalog albums chart. "XX&Y" debuted at No. 1 in more than 20 countries.
During the Eric Nicoli years, EMI often blamed stock slumps on the lack of or delays in new Coldplay and/or Radiohead material, which meant the company had  to tout  Beach Boys, Dean Martin and Beatles packages along with front line  releases for signs of good news.
With EMI streamlined, the jury is still out as to whether they will be able to break new artists on the scale of Coldplay or even Norah Jones. But its reduction in size, however, may mean that a single record from a single band may be able to jumpstart a company.   
The album's 10 tracks are:

"Life in Technicolor"
"Cemeteries of London"
"Lost!"
"42"
"Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love"
"Yes"
"Viva La Vida"
"Violet Hill"
"Strawberry Swing"
"Death and All His Friends"

There are plenty of U.S. music festivals to choose from this summer, and now Canada has entered the fray with the inaugural Pemberton Festival, which is set for July 25-27 in Pemberton, B.C. (roughly two hours from Vancouver). The scheduled headliners are Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Jay-Z, Nine Inch Nails and Coldplay.

The rest of the line-up is well-rounded: My Morning Jacket, the Tragically Hip, Interpol, Metric, Buck 65, Black Mountain, Flaming Lips, Death Cab For Cutie, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Sia, Fiery Furnaces, Mates of State, MSTRKRFT, Chromeo, The Airborne Toxic Event, Grand Ole Party, The Crystal Method, DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist and more.

Coldplay is informing its fans via its website that its next album will have the flavors of South America and Spain.
Band is recording in Barcelona going from church to church and setting up wherever they can - at the altar, between some pews. The quartet had visited Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico earlier this year.
"The sights, sounds and flavors of Latin America and Spain have definitely been infused into this album," the band writes. "The effect is subtle but important."
The BBC reported the story first.
Chris Martin had noted his fascination with Buenos Aires ina  February post on the site.