<p>I’m showing my age here - I haven’t been to a big concert for a long, long time but I’m taking my son and his girlfriend (16th birthday present) to see Coldplay tonight at a stadium about 2 hours from here. How early should we get there? That is, will there be vendors and people selling stuff or do we just walk in and go to our seats? Any other concert tips?</p>
<p>Hi. Have fun at the concert. Son and his girlfriend are going to see Coldplay this week at Saratoga. </p>
<p>I do know that there will be vendors there and the kids will definitely want to buy a tshirt. Yes, they’re expensive but the tshirt is “proof” to the kids that they actually went to the concert. Whenever they wear the tshirt, they’ll remember back to the fun they had at the show. Coldplay usually has “warm up groups” playing before the main show. If you have assigned seats, it doesn’t really matter when you get there. My husband and son went to see Coldplay earlier in the year (academic year, that is-LOL) at Madison Square Garden and they said that a lot of people showed up about 1/2 hour before Coldplay was scheduled to go on.</p>
<p>Just went to the Springsteen concert this Thu with the kids. It started one hour late. T shirts are at 30-40 range. Don’t carry a large bag they may not allow you to bring it in. Tell kidS to wear an old sweat shirt over their shirt, in case of beer spill.</p>
<p>Beer spill? I’m going with two 16 year olds… whoa, $30 to $40 for a t-shirt?</p>
<p>This is a sign of how old I am. Bring earplugs in case it’s too loud. I am scared of hearing loss, and sometimes need to wear them at a concert.</p>
<p>Yep, 30-40 for a t-shirt is correct.</p>
<p>You never know who will be sitting behind you, or what condition they’ll be in. THEY are the ones who will be spilling… the 16 year olds will just be the unsuspecting targets!</p>
<p>I go to lots of concerts- I always bring earplugs especially in clubs.
I don’t usually buy tshirts- unless they are having a fundraiser- but I do sometimes buy posters- bring a tube.
Never seen Coldplay, the length of time to get into the venue, will depend on the stadiums security and on what Coldplay specifies.
For instance- I usually see bands that don’t care if you take pics or record- but a band that does, may require more searching at the entrance = more time.</p>
<p>Ha, I remember having beer spilled on me (the regurgitated kind) at concerts, way back in the day. I guess some things never change.</p>
<p>Reporting back - I had given my son the Viva la Vida shirt on-line as part of the birthday present so when we got to the concert, they had the same t-shirt with the addition of the tour dates on the back. I told him he could get it if he really wanted it but he just couldn’t see spending $40 (yes, it really was $40 for a t-shirt!!) just to prove he had been to the concert. Instead he got a poster, great suggestion emeraldkity, and a button pack. </p>
<p>Towards the end of the concert the band came out to play in the stands and guess where they came? Our row - on the other side of the aisle!! They were 20 feet away! I was so excited I called my husband and just let the music play for 30 seconds while we all screamed. This turned out to be a wonderful birthday present for my son. Glad kids can’t drive at 16 here and Mom’s HAVE to take them everywhere. 
No beer spilled - not too many rowdy people around us. Funny to attend such a big concert and not smell a whiff of pot. That’s different then the concerts I attended back in the day!</p>
<p>Thanks for the report back! YOU gave me the idea to check out Coldplay tickets for my son who turned 17 yesterday! I think I’m buying tickets for my 20yr old D to take him…can you tell me more about the concert? Crowd rowdy? Stand on your feet type crowd? How long was the concert?</p>
<p>They will be seeing it at an outdoor venue and will have lawn tickets (since I thought of the idea so late!) but my son is SO excited to go!</p>
<p>abasket - The crowd was quite mixed and not a mosh pit kind of crowd at all. The band was WONDERFUL. I think this might have been my best birthday present I ever gave.</p>
<p>You know how sometimes you try to remember what the heck you gave or got? This is something I know my son will never forget. The weather was perfect (once a thunderstorm passed right before the show) and it was great being outside. I would have readily asked by older kids (24 and 22) to take my youngest if they had been in-state. It was probably about 2 hours long. They give away a live CD to every attendee when you exit. That was pretty cool to play on the way home.</p>
<p>Was there a warm up band?</p>
<p>Thanks for the info - sounds like it was a night to remember!</p>
<p>There were supposed to be two warm up bands, Howling Bells and Pete Yorn. Unfortunately, because of the thunderstorm and rain, the first band was canceled altogether and Pete Yorn did a shortened set. We were lucky that once the storm passed, it didn’t rain again.</p>
<p>Kathie, sounds like you had a great time! Coldplay is wonderful in concert.</p>
<p>Took my oldest to see Springsteen back in August (we actually go to a few shows together) and the girl in back of us got excited during a song, raised her beer carrying hand and sloshed it all over DD’s head. Let’s just say that she wasn’t a favorite in my house (and I had to pretend to not be amused.) </p>
<p>The time on the ticket is usually when the opening acts start; I’ve seen Pete Yorn before and he’s pretty good; we went and bought his CD after we saw him open. </p>
<p>Tshirt prices usually vary depending on the demographic of the bands followers. Fall Out Boy had surprisingly inexpensive t’s (20-25) but their fans are primarily HS kids; Green Day’s are in that range too. I’ve seen t’s up to $50 for bands cater to the, um, more middle aged crowd. Can’t wait to see how much the Fleetwood Mac t’s are ;)</p>
<p>Just had to reply and thank the OP for this idea again! My 17 yr old son and his 20 yr old sister went to the Coldplay concert and L-O-V-E-D it!!! Since it was a good 2 hours away in “foreign territory”, I ended up driving - didn’t go to the concert but took my youngest for mall and a nice dinner out after we dropped them off…but the concert was running so long/late that we actually returned to the venue parking lot, parked right near the gate and enjoyed the concert clearly and wonderfully from the comfort of our car with the windows rolled down! What an awesome band. My kids were really impressed with Chris Martin the lead singer. </p>
<p>Thanks again OP and CC for always giving me new ideas!</p>
<p>Oh good! Did they love the LeftRightLeftRightLeft CD? Yes, that Chris Martin is something else!</p>
<p>I had the pleasure of seeing Coldplay a few yrs ago with my kids and their friends and the young international student we then sponsored. We used to get some pretty awesome free concert tickets and limos back when we did a lot of radio advertising.
Coldplay put on a great show !</p>
<p>Yep, and everyone downloaded the CD to their Ipods today!!! </p>
<p>They got a fantastic review in the local (local to the venue) paper today…</p>