It seemed like everybody in town headed out to Ford Amphitheatre last night for the rescheduled Coldplay show, where singer Chris Martin's manic feet lost their happy thoughts (he fell off the stage) and not even the boomy, mediocre sound could cloud the fact that this band is much more formidable live than its releases might suggest.
But it seems the superfan cellphone grapevine suffered a breakdown last Friday, when the band quietly slipped into St. Petersburg to film video footage for forthcoming single "The Hardest Part." Nobody tried to get past the police security detail, or even hung around to watch from a distance, while the band mimicked its live performance on a stage erected amid bleachers installed for the upcoming Grand Prix in the Bayfront Center's parking lot. Members of the group were plainly visible from the waterside promenade maybe 150 yards away — particularly Martin, who was wearing a blindingly white jacket — as they moved in time to the song's recorded strains. Over. And over. And over.