Chris Rock Was The Only Black Guy At The Coldplay Show
I'm not saying that because Coldplay is now officially Stuff White People Like, I'm saying that because Chris Rock is saying that in a Celebrity MySpace blog post entitled "Only Black Guy Concert Review." He lists some of the shows at which he held the distinction of being "the only black guy" -- Van Halen, the White Stripes, the Cure, soon Radiohead, oddly not his "good friends" Metallica -- but his phenotypic focus thereon is being the only black guy at that free Coldplay show at MSG. Like me, Chris didn't enjoy being assaulted by Martin's reminders that it was a free show. But Rock's got slightly different reasons for that (hint: it's because he's black):
This week my assignment was to see Coldplay at Madison Square Garden. Now being the only black guy can sometimes be dangerous like the time I was the only black guy at an ACDC concert in Prague. There not use to seeing black people at all in Prague, but a black guy singing "hells bells" was just a little to much for them to take. Now I didn't know what to expect from a Coldplay concert, but I figured I wasn't gonna get stabbed in the middle of "yellow." Anyway the concert was pretty good. I thought it was a perfect mix of old and new songs and I gotta say that when they did something from the new album Chris Martin was smart enough not to say the words you hate to here the most at a concert; " This is something from our new album." That's like saying this is a good time to take a shit.Anyway when they did a new song they just did it and it seemed to fit right in with the old stuff. I didn't know the names of any of the new songs, but the white people next to me seemed to know every word. If I have any complaints I thought Chris Martin might of mentioned the fact that the concert was free a few too many times. I thought it was a little obnoxious. If you pay for dinner just pay for it, don't say to me you like that free food. Free food is good ain't it. Again the white people seemed happy with it, but as the only black guy there I thought he might be talking to me. My other complaint was the use of pre record music and drum machines at one point I thought they were gonna sing rhythm nation, but other than those two things I thought it was a great concert. When they went into the crowd and did a striped down version of "yellow" I thought that was the highlight of a great night. Music critics like to compare Coldplay to Radiohead and that's not fare. Coldplay is no Radiohead and Radiohead is no Coldplay. You can understand every word to a Coldplay song the first time you hear it. Nothing wrong with that. If anything, Coldplay kind of reminds me of a British Hall and Oates. In the eighties what did a pop record song like? It sounded like Darryl Hall. And now what does a pop record sound like? It sounds like Chris Martin. Any way I don't know when the next concert is and I don't know where it is but don't worry you'll see me because I'll be the only black guy there.
He is so much better at reviewing shows than me. I win at spelling though.
Posted at 3:12 PM by amrit
Tags: Chris Rock | Coldplay
He used the wrong spelling of "fare." aka fair. I guess he was the only black guy in his English class too.
Score = -48
that doesn't even make sense.
Score = 18
FAIL
Score = 3
so much brilliance. where to even start?
Score = 6
The line " This is something from our new album." That's like saying this is a good time to take a shit." is a complete rip off of a David Spade joke during Hollywood Minute on SNL.
Score = 5
what was that show chris rock used to be on before he was doing hbo specials?
Score = 2
if i was black, i'd be scared to go to a Van Halen concert.
Score = 4
oh this is just so funny..
Score = 3
I hate white people too!
Score = 5
Funny about this article's title... saw some dude open for TV on the Radio once play a song called "The Only Black Guy at the Indie Rock Show". It was funny as shit, but damn I had sympathy for that dude. Someone at the show told me his name was Sean but the name he plays under escapes me. Too bad b/c he's a great musician.
Score = 0
With all the stoner rock bands reaching out - Black Mountain, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Black Angels, Black Keys etc - it's a shame the one black guy willing to make an effort goes to a free Coldplay concert. Fair play though. The only hip hop album I own is from the white guy who used to be in Blur.
Score = -3
You also forgot Black Lips, Black Dice... but every one of these bands sucks anyway (except Black Eyes).
chris rock = hilarious, proper spelling be damned
Score = -6
Black Flag blows them all away.
Miss TK & The Revenge too, and they are beloved by hip hop culture and dancehall toasters.
Score = -1
stoner rock is one of the silliest sub-genres and sub-genres are silly enough to start with.
Score = 1
you're thinking of Sean Padilla from the Cocker Spaniels. this post immediately reminded me of that song!
http://www.myspace.com/cspaniels
lyric highlight: "the only sign of melanin in one big sea of ivory"
ah, thank goodness for this song.
Score = 1
i loved that. the misspellings only caused me to pause and love it more.
Score = 0
Chris Rock is funny as usual. In terms of spelling (grammar?), not only did he do the fare/fair thing, but he also did the striped/stripped thing. And missed a bunch of necessary quotation marks. I expect more out of the son of college professors. Then again, I've seen my share of MBAs and PhDs not know the difference between lead and led. Aw, hell, it was still funny.
Score = -2
Its funny because Jay Z and other rappers strangely love Coldplay, a lot.
I wouldnt say Coldplay are "stuff white people like(.com)", more like "white stuff black people like".
Score = 0
That was bang out of order mate. You're a racist!
Score = -3
My friend and I were the ONLY white people at a P-Funk show at MSG. It was 1979. We were thirteen. Nobody passed me a joint.
Score = 9
PL: i agree. there are a scarily-high number of rappers that like coldplay, and even though i think they're pretty okay, i kinda wanna pass them a copy of "ok computer" (even though hov says he loved "in rainbows").
i'm a seasoned veteran at being the only black guy at indie-rock shows (and loved the cocker spaniels song when i first heard it). i went to a bloc party show in 2005 where kele and i were the only black people in the building (a white guy shared his box of pop tarts with me in line-- insert joke here). a little more awkward was when i was the only black guy at a joanna newsom show. i didn't think about it too much until i lost count of the awkward stares.
however, it's really nice when i tell my friends what show i'm going to, because when they look for me, they won't have too hard of a time.
Score = 9
You're cute. Is that an Arcade Fire tour hoodie you're wearing in your profile picture?
Score = 0
Hey good looking out for my MEN of Radiohead In rainbows was...my pot of gold. P.S. I am always the only black girl at every show. You just get used to the stares. Just pretend your are famous and wear sunglasses; even @night.
Score = 0
Ah, yes that is him! Thanks lady.
Score = 0
Wait wait wait...They went into the crowd and did a "stripped down version of 'Yellow'"??! I seem to remember someone already doing that sort of thing quite often within the past year...Who could Chris Martin have possibly got that idea from....?
Oh yea! Arcade Fire. Good lord, he needs to stop.
Score = -2
Are you seriously saying that Coldplay ripped off the idea of doing a stripped-down version of their own biggest hit, which they've probably played in concert about a billion times, from a band whose breakthrough album wasn't even out in 2001?
You've already forced me to think too much about this.
Score = 0
ALL rock is good to get stoned to...
Score = 7
if only he was the only person, black or white, then maybe coldplay would get the message
Score = 0
I think he used spell check and got rid of all the red squigglies and thought he was ok. There, fare and striped are all real words. Just not what he was going for.
And I'm pretty sure Arcade Fire did not invent the concept of doing a stripped (or striped) down version of anything on somewhere other than the stage during a concert. But know-it-all indie teenagers like to think they did
Score = 3
Chris Rock is brilliant.
Score = 0
Your "fair" criticism notwithstanding, gumby, I believe the "son of college professors" you're referring to is Dave Chappelle. And it's not just PhDs and MBAs with terrible grammar. I've met more Ivy League lawyers with mechanic/usage problems than I care to admit.
Score = 0
Rappers DO like and listen to Radiohead. Kanye West produced Us Placers, which uses Thom Yorke's instrumentals from the song The Eraser--- Brilliant & nice to know he is not ignorant when it comes to music.
Score = 0
hey i hate coldplay
Score = -2
Didn't Chris Rock make that comment about Coldplay being "music you want to slit your wrists to" when they performed at the Grammys he was hosting a few years back?
Score = 0
I must have missed you... I was the other black chick @ the concert :)
Score = 0
if i was black, i'd be scared to go to a Ted Nugent concert.
Score = 0
maybe it's time for an "Afro Indie" documentary?
(being the only black person at an indie rock show in JAPAN makes for quite an experience! the Joanna/Smog show was fine (besides for when i sneezed into the dead silence as Bill was starting a song...), but i did get a lot of stares in the lobby at Bloc Party 2006...)
Score = 0
You seen the press these guys are getting lately, even after the world realizes that a huge number of people hate them? Believe me - it's still Stuff White People Like (.com)
Score = 0
um, to everyone that read that funny stuff but could only comment on his spelling....
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/12/99-grammar/
you are some serious white people.
Score = 0
I can only imagine the level of bitching and moaning we'd have to endure on the news if there were a lot of "good" media attention on a list of things black people like. It's kind of obvious Coldplay is already soft rock radio material by now.
Score = 0