God I hate Coldplay.

Thanks a lot for putting them up!

What was so bad about the Brussels gig mentioned earlier on here? I've never seen them be particularly bad. Duff audience?

We stood up the minute they came on as did several others which set the tone for the gig - there was some grumbling I could hear but we ignored it. If someone confronted me about standing then I'd deal with it - and I mean verbally! The thing that annoyed me and does annoy me at a lot of gigs are the number of people watching the band through their phone screen. Now I do like to see things on YouTube but are they at a gig or watching TV? I am talking about extremes here not recording a favourite song. For example the guy at the end of my row at the MEN video'd every song on his phone. He even hurried the people near us to the toilet and back because 'I want to record this'? Is this just me being an old traditionalist or are people forgetting they are at a live show, event, spectacle?

I was at the MEN on 8th April and have agree that - as usual - the sound in this venue was average to poor. A number of the newer purpose built arenas (Leeds for example) really show up the older sports ones. Because I expected it it didn't bother me as much as it could have and inevitably the band were fantastic but with nowhere else of comparable size in Manchester we are stuck with it. I have been surprised by the sound in sports arenas in the past - when I saw Muse at Newcastle Telewest in 2006 the sound was very good. Even Lancashire CC was OK sound-wise. But I have seen a number of bands at the MEN and it doesn't change. I thought the stage setting was terrific, the set list great and the band were on fire - so not much to worry about but as someone mentioned it there you go!