I don't go to many concerts. The ones I have seen, though, have generally turned out very well. Which makes me think I should go to more, except that I'm bound to get suckered into a crapfest sooner or later. I'd rather it be later; this unfortunate vision of me taking an as-yet unborn daughter and her friends to some teeny-bopper show is coming to mind.

Anyway, my streak of good shows continued last night when Sarah and I wandered down to the FleetBoston Pavilion (originally and much more euphoniously known as HarborLights) to see Ash and Coldplay.

Didn't know much about Ash other than Jon Couture listens to them and likes them. And they were fine, kind of a poppy-punk sort of deal. My hearing, sadly, isn't what it used to be (assuming it ever was what it used to be), so I had a hard time picking out lyrics. Still, they were fun and pretty energetic, especially in front of a crowd who, judging from reaction, were about as familiar with their music as I am.

Coldplay opened up with the song "Politik" from their new album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. The album apparently marks a new, more complex Coldplay (according to the Boston Globe review of the concert), and was a little different from the few songs I really know of theirs. The review, sadly, seems to focus on the fact that Coldplay isn't U2 and never will be, although the person liked the show just the same.

I will say that the group, or at least the lead singer, seems a little too apologetic. He made apologies 2 or 3 times about various things, including the fact that they aren't as heavy as some other groups. Part of this is linked to their being on tour with Aerosmith at some point in the past, on a bill where they were clearly the "which one of these things is not like the others?" group. He even worked that into the performance of "Trouble," ad-libbing "What's this I see?/An Aerosmith fan chucking stuff at me" to start, and working in a little "Walk this Way" at the end.

He also threw in some of the chorus to "Hot in Herre" in a song later in the show. It was kind of like how BNL incorporates pop hits into their shows, but without the arch irony that can get old.

Funny moment at the end, as a number of people left when they announced they were playing their last song. They apparently didn't think it odd that the group wasn't going to play "In My Place," the first single from the new album. Those that stayed (the vast majority) were treated to the cut in the middle of a three song encore.

I'd go on at more length or detail, but I don't want the Champion of the West to break down sobbing during class.

Your assignment, gentle reader, is to go buy the new Coldplay album and their previous album Parachutes. Now. Go. Shoo! I'll wait.