Approximately 6 months ago-

Linsey (my wife): “Hey Dave, do you want to go and see Coldplay in August at the Rose Bowl?”

Me: “No.”

It’s not always Shakespearean dialogue around the Farrell household, but it’s close.  Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I dislike Coldplay, as a matter of fact, the opposite is true.  I’m a fan of Coldplay, love their music, have seen them in concert a handful of times and think they are great.  I dislike the Rose Bowl.  Having attended UCLA, and having gone to a ton of college football games there, I’ve learned to avoid the Rose Bowl at all costs (crowds, heat, traffic, parking on golf courses, etc., none of which are my strong suit).   Long story short, Linsey wanted to go, so we went.  And I’m glad we did.

What was the show like? 60,000ish fans in a festive mood, a sound system that was impressively clear for a stadium, world-class production that included multiple stages, large video walls, integrated fireworks, pyro, and LED bracelets synced with the show handed out to every person in attendance.  With all of those elements, the aspect of the show that caught me the most was the passion that came from the band. After over 15 years as a band, and after the 40ish shows they’ve already played on this tour, they still seemed both present and engaged with what they were doing, they were warm and sincere… they were loving it.

Now obviously, Coldplay has a “job” that many people would love to have… many would argue that it wouldn’t be difficult to remain passionate if they were in the same position.  I respectfully disagree.  I think passion is not something that remains lit once someone finds it… instead, I think it’s something that consistently needs to be kindled and relit.  I think what I’m learning about myself is that the real “work” that comes with any job (or life!) is investing the time and energy to have a sincere passion in what I’m doing.