Coldplay To Launch First U.S. Tour In Nearly Three Years In 2012

In December of 2011, Coldplay had two diametrically opposed gigs on their schedule, and we're not even counting their New Year's Eve show in Abu Dhabi.

A special 90-minute episode of Austin City Limits showcased Coldplay's new album, Mylo Xyloto, as well as many of their greatest hits. The pre-recorded concert was dubbed, "Coldplay New Year's Eve: An Austin City Limits Special."

ACL is cool. You don't get an invitation to perform on its stage, much less a rare 90-minute episode, if you rely on auto-tune or your stage show involves choreography and costume changes.

On Dec. 11, Coldplay performed on the second night of the two-part finale of The X Factor UK. Many were surprised by the band's decision to appear on Simon Cowell's singing competition.

The X Factor has an awful reputation in the Commonwealth. It's what hipsters think of American Idol but worse. In other words, it has the exact opposite reputation that ACL has.

In the U.K., The X Factor is viewed by many as the devil; it's everything that's wrong with the music business. That's why Coldplay's management was very worried about the backlash the band would receive for performing on such an anti-cool show. They already have a small army of haters and performing on The X Factor would only help with recruitment.

Of course, a few thousand negative tweets and a few hundred disparaging Facebook updates are no match for the amount of albums they'll sell from their X Factor appearance. Like American Idol in the States, people who watch The X Factor buy albums. And if they like what they hear they might also buy Coldplay tickets.

So in less than one month, Coldplay performed on a show with serious "street cred" and on a show watched by millions of consumers. Say what you will about their music, but Coldplay certainly knows what they're doing.

In 2012, the British alternative band is set to launch their first tour of the United Sates in almost three years. The excursion is in support of their latest album, Mylo Xyloto.

The band's string of concert dates is split into two legs, one in the spring and the other in early summer.

The first leg kicks off April 17 in Edmonton, Alberta at Rexall Place. Highlights of their spring jaunt include Coldplay in Vancouver, B.C. on April 20; Coldplay in Seattle, Washington on April 25, and Coldplay in San Jose, California on April 27.

The outing culminates with a pair of Coldplay concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on May 1 and May 2.

Their summer dates begin June 22 with a Coldplay concert in Dallas, Texas and ends Aug. 11 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Coldplay shows are also planned for Houston, Tampa, and Miami. On July 23, Coldplay will be in Boston for a show at TD Garden. Then on Aug. 3, look for Coldplay in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the IZOD Center.