Coldplay Free CD a Fans "Thank you”

Maybe they could just break up - that would really be something to be thankful for...

By Fred Mills

"No subtlety"; "mere platitudes"; "don't avoid the obvious"; these are among the conclusions BLURT reached when we reviewed Coldplay's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends last year. So you can readily imagine the collective yawn heard ‘round the BLURT penthouse this morning at the announcement of Chris Martin & Co. planning to give away, free of charge, a live CD to fans attending their upcoming North American tour, which starts May 15 in West Palm Beach.

The bipolar-ly titled LeftRightLeftRightLeft is "a thank you to our fans - the people who give us a reason to do it and the people who make it happen," said the band, in a statement. "Playing live is what we love."

Fair enough. The CD will also be offered at all remaining 2009 shows (details tba) as well as a free download at www.coldplay.com (which means that if you find the group even more insufferable in concert than on record, you can just stay at home, listen to the new tunes, and weep softly into your Chardonnay).

Supporting Coldplay  the North American tour dates will be Pete Yorn (May 15-June 4), Snow Patrol (June 5-21), Amadou & Mariam (July 10-24), Elbow (July 25-August 9), Howling Bells (May 15-21) and Kitty Daisy & Lewis (July 10-August 9). See below for a full itinerary.

Tracklisting:

1..    Glass of Water
2.    42
3.    Clocks
4.    Strawberry Swing
5.    The Hardest Part/Postcards From Far Away
6.    Viva La Vida
7.    Death Will Never Conquer
8.    Fix You
9.    Death And All His Friends

Tour Dates:

Date    City/State        Venue                       
5/15    West Palm Beach, FL    Cruzan Amphitheatre               
5/17    Atlanta, GA        Lakewood Amphitheatre           
5/18    Birmingham, AL    Verizon Wireless Center Birmingham       
5/20    Virginia Beach, VA    Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre           
5/21    Washington, DC    Nissan Pavilion                   
5/23    Hartford, CT        Meadows                           
5/24    Hershey, PA        Hershey Stadium               
5/26    Philadelphia, PA    Susquehanna Center               
5/27    Saratoga Springs, NY    SPAC                       
5/30    Pittsburgh, PA        Post Gazette Pavilion               
6/1    Buffalo, NY        Darien Lakes                   
6/2    Detroit, MI        DTE Energy Music Theatre           
6/4    Cincinnati, OH        Riverbend Music Center           
6/5    Indianapolis, IN        Verizon Wireless Music Center           
6/6    Nashville, TN        Sommet Center                   
6/9    New Orleans, LA    New Orleans Arena               
6/10    San Antonio, TX    AT&T Center                   
6/12    Des Moines, IA        Wells Fargo Arena               
6/13    Omaha, NE        Qwest Center                   
6/15    Winnipeg, MB        MTS Centre                   
6/17    Calgary, AB        Pengrowth Saddledome               
6/18    Edmonton, AB        Northlands                   
6/20    Vancouver, BC        GM Place                   
6/21    Vancouver, BC        GM Place                   
7/10    Portland, OR        The Amphitheater at Clark County       
7/11    George, WA        The Gorge Amphitheatre           
7/13    San Francisco, CA    Shoreline Amphitheatre               
7/14    Sacramento, CA    Sleep Train Amphitheatre       
7/16    San Diego, CA        Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre           
7/18    Carson, CA         Home Depot Center                
7/19    Irvine, CA        Verizon Wireless Amphitheater               
7/21    Dallas, TX        Superpages.com Center               
7/22    Houston, TX        Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion       
7/24    Maryland Heights, MO    Verizon Wireless Amphitheater           
7/25    East Troy, WI        Alpine Valley Music Theatre           
7/30    Toronto, ON        Rogers Centre                   
8/2    Liberty State Park, NJ    All Points West Music & Arts Festival       
8/3    Mansfield, MA        Comcast Center                   
8/6    Raleigh, NC        Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion       
8/7    Charlotte, NC        Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre       
8/9    Tampa, FL        Ford Amphitheatre