Coldplay Concert Journal
Oxfam America staffer Najat El Sayed traveled with Coldplay's production crew on their US concert tour. Below you can read a journal entry from one of her favorite stops along the way.
Pittsburgh, PA: The Shirt Off Our Backs
We are in the City of Industry: Tall smoky stalks of metal reach high up into the sky. A beautiful old train station that must be from the early 1900's still stands in all its grandeur across the street from our hotel. Janice and I went out during our day off yesterday to do some laundry. We waited in a coffee/internet café with amazing ice cream and international DVD’s to rent. Like always, I forgot something, so I had to return.
My cab driver was upset that I wasn’t going too far. I told him I needed him for the round trip, but he continued to complain about prices and fares. He was from Ghana, and I asked if he knew about Oxfam and the work we were doing with the rice farmers there. He said yes, Oxfam was doing an amazing job. When our trip came to an end, he wouldn't take my money; instead, he asked me to leave it on the seat. I assume it was a cultural thing.
Today we arrived via tour bus at the Post-Gazette Pavilion. The Oxfam office is a nice room that is shared with Ticketing and Production. I pop out my computer, check my emails, make any last-minute changes regarding volunteers, get a map of the venue, take a tour, and note high traffic areas. I then have a meeting with security and venue mangers to make sure we have a smooth transition once Oxfam volunteers arrive.
I also secure prime space for our booths to set up. I place Oxfam materials at our booth and then check in with all our volunteers who then take their posts after our brief training. The day is progressing, and our volunteers are doing an amazing job. Pens are the issue of the day as they are used so much, that they are running out of ink. I go back and forth bring pens to our volunteers then start carrying them in my pocket just in case.
The question of the day by the Coldplay fans in Pittsburgh is "Where can I get that shirt?" They are referring to the stylish white t-shirt with the international Make Trade Fair symbol that our volunteers wear. Unfortunately, we can’t sell them, but some fans bargain with our volunteers, promising to sign up a certain number of people in order to receive the t-shirt. At the end of the night, one of our volunteers takes off his shirt and gives it to one of the fans who helped him sign up some people to the Big Noise.
One older woman gave me free seated tickets for all the Oxfam volunteers. I took them and graciously thanked her for her gift and gave them out to all our volunteers. It was a great surprise as they were good seats fairly close to the stage. It was nice treat that I hope happens a lot in the future.
