I really hope that Coldplay are not going Milli Vanilli on us!!!!!!!:o:o

 

I have just downloaded from Coldplay Bootlegs the Bologna Concert and I was reading the notes included in with the download and the taper said that there was too many backing tapes used!!!! I am totally shocked that our lads use backing tapes!!!!!!

 

Why dont they employ session musicians for their tours like other bands do?? It works for bands like Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks(their percussionist Taku Hirano rocks and kicks some mean ass!!), Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, Prince, etc.!!??

 

Now I am disillusioned!!:cry::cry::cry:

well obviously the strings in viva la vida, and the dulcimer in LIT are backtracked in case you haven't noticed, did you really think those parts would be live?. even during AROBTTH certain ambiences were backtracked. In most cases it's perfectly understandablex even with lovers in japan, but what I do dislike is the organs in Lost!. Please Chris, your dancing isn't important enough to excuse yourself from playing four chords.

 

But they're not going milli vanilli (lol), in almost every case they only backtrack miscellaneous stuff that is deemed essential to the song, but that they can't possibly perform live by themselves. Almost all bands use to them to some extent...unfortunately, while VLV was supposedly designed more for the live show, some songs were instead made more complex, thus calling for more than four people to play them.

unfortunately, while VLV was supposedly designed more for the live show, some songs were instead made more complex, thus calling for more than four people to play them.

 

Interesting that you mentioned that and surprised others haven't more commonly either. They went on record several times saying it was designed to be played live yet it's their most complex work yet.

Have you heard Viva La Vida in Munich? You can't even hear Chris's live voice

Well, Viva La Vida strings are live. The end part is looped or backtrack.

 

See and listen here: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5I3RPbS8aI]YouTube - Coldplay - Viva La Vida (Live)[/ame]

 

Jonny is playing the most of the strings part.

You can hear when Chris isnt playing also the strings, that the sound is softer.

 

The high string notes are on the bass.

those keyboards, during Viva La Vida have a sound of some sort of piano with strings sound mixed up, so Chris really plays something, it's just that he plays it over the backing track and sometimes you can listen to it and notice that chris stopped playing but it's a big thing. I guess it wouldn't be so hard to get supporting muscians but I suposse they want their live shows to be show where you go to see the four of them, they want to remain the band and maybe don't want someone else screw that or just change it.

I agree about the Lost! thing and I loved the "going milli vanilli" thing too hahahaha

:rolleyes:

if you wanna see a band that doesn't really use backing tracks... radiohead. i just saw them over at the flooded nissan pavillion in virginia(usa). i love the fact that they find ways to play their tracks live w/o having to resort to back tracks, although they do use a few samples... i believe thats as far as they go. like during Reckoner they drop the violins and focus on creating a more full band sound.

 

i'm not saying coldplay is any way inferior... i'm just saying it isn't impossible to play a great show without backing tracks. i feel that chris n' co. aren't really stepping out of the box with their performances when it comes to playing certain songs live, unfortunately they're still in contract with EMI and I highly doubt they'll be able to ever make choices like that until they're free of their contracts.

^^ Radiohead has 5 members.. and they use a sinthesizer :dozey:

unfortunately they're still in contract with EMI and I highly doubt they'll be able to ever make choices like that until they're free of their contracts.

 

I don't think their obligations with emi include some restrictions to their live shows,like for example having some strings players and a keyboard player....

I'm also not a big fan of backing tapes :/

But at least during VLV, there can be seen a mini orchestra that plays the strings on their TV on the stage (Terry Vision they call it as far as I remember) :D

 

The album VLVODAAHF was made with the help of violinist Davide Rossi with his electronic violin, with wich he can recreate whole orchestras. He was also part of Goldfrapp's additional cast for live concerts, exactly to avoid having backing tapes and to help recreate the sound of their album tracks (according to Wikipedia).

 

It would be absolutely great if he was on tour with them! But I guess he is currently on the road with Goldfrapp or something.

 

Btw: I think this thread doesn't really belong into the Multimedia section ;)

Well, Viva La Vida strings are live. The end part is looped or backtrack.

 

See and listen here:

 

Jonny is playing the most of the strings part.

You can hear when Chris isnt playing also the strings, that the sound is softer.

 

The high string notes are on the bass.

 

Well johnny plays the rythmic string bit at the intro, but when switches to his guitar after the first chorus, the rythm-keyboard strings are playing, and Chris usually isn't at his keyboard. and while the bit after the first verse is played on the bass, Guy plays root notes throughout so he's not supplying the higher-rolling strings after that part.

The Lovers In Japan piano riff is a backing track isn't it? Why does Chris pretend to play it?

When I went to see them and they did the encore for DAAHF....they didnt even stay on stage for the equinist... even though it played through while you could still hear chris's voice...but I totally dont think that Coldplay would ever purposely lip sync....:rolleyes:

Well johnny plays the rythmic string bit at the intro, but when switches to his guitar after the first chorus, the rythm-keyboard strings are playing, and Chris usually isn't at his keyboard. and while the bit after the first verse is played on the bass, Guy plays root notes throughout so he's not supplying the higher-rolling strings after that part.

Guy plays the root notes only in the chorus and at the end, in between the high notes.

 

And I think that the keyboards are repeat what Jonny played, probably a looper or something.

The Lovers In Japan piano riff is a backing track isn't it? Why does Chris pretend to play it?

As I said about Viva La Vida, I think they use a loop function.

If anyone listens to the Munich gig+ Viva, you can't hear Chris's live voice at all. Not just the high notes [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUbDFJOVWu4]YouTube - Coldplay Viva la Vida Live in Munich 2008 (HQ Audio)[/ame]

It sounds very good, too good to be true.. :o

But!

I've checked both, the original and this version.

 

First thing, at 4:00 he said something in the microphone, he sounds very tired from singing, so he is realy singing.

 

There are mistakes in the original record in the vocal(!) that are not on the live version.

 

It sounds very professional recording, the reverb is different(I think it is direct record from the microphone input.

 

The are diffrent breathings between..

 

So I'm sure it is realy live!

I am no expert but was in a relationship with a musician for 6 years... so without further thinking about it I just assumed that they used the loop function...

 

And stephanbass - nice detective work!

 

(May I just add that Chris' voice blew me away in Strasbourg? I thought that it's just amazing how good they are live and Chris' voice in particular. I once saw -accitentally- the Black Eyed Peas and live they are just CRAP!!)

It sounds very good, too good to be true.. :o

But!

I've checked both, the original and this version.

So you notice that the first verse with "I used to rule the world" Is just back tracked like most of the song. Chris may be singing but its definitively not covering up the back track well.

 

It sounds very good, too good to be true.. :o

First thing, at 4:00 he said something in the microphone, he sounds very tired from singing, so he is realy singing.

Listen at 4:40-4:48 and tell me thats live. Again just because you hear Chris's live voice several times, does not mean there is no back track. Imagine Chris running around the stage as always, it may not because he is singing

 

There are mistakes in the original record in the vocal(!) that are not on the live version.

 

It sounds very professional recording, the reverb is different(I think it is direct record from the microphone input.

 

Where? How?

 

So I'm sure it is realy live!

 

Your kidding :thinking:

Ok, this is just concerning "Viva la vida" during the Munich concert:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvg7kLbJMkg]Viva la vida, Munich[/ame]

 

Watch this video from 0.50mins onwards and if you wish, mute the audio of the youtube video and listen to the Viva la vida version that was broadcasted on the radio simultanously.

 

At 1.57mins in the video, Chris lets the audience sing "long live the king", in the version that's been on the radio, he sings it.

 

I'm not going to say anything about that - just wanted to let you know that Viva la vida is definitely NOT "really live"

Maybe he resing it after it for the radio or something, but there realy are parts that are different.

In the video and audio there are also different things.

Sounds like the audio and the video are from diffrent concerts? :S

The band has made a clear decision to use backing tapes this tour. Whole sections of music that the band isn't playing. From the Life in Technicolor intro, the techno medley, almost all Viva La Vida, playing the Viva la Vida techno mix while in transit, full backing tracks on Lost and Lovers in Japan and ending with the played Escapist, its all piped in.

 

The beauty of bands like Muse, U2, and Radiohead is they are able to reproduce their songs in a live environment and with great results but Coldplay's approach is at this point to take large shortcuts and unfortunately not lengthen their performing time or shuffle around their setlists. Also keep in mind that Chris hasn't been performing at the same level as he had on previous tours. His voice cutting in and out (likely due to moving around to much) We saw this coming early on with the press tour and its unfortunate the band have not done anything to rectify this.

 

I'm really nervous that the $300 I'm paying (for a pair of substandard seats mind you) is going to produce another half-assed show. I was not wild about the Twisted Logic show in Denver last time and I'm really nervous to see the same experience repeated. I love the new album and of course I want to hear the new songs live, but I want the band the perform their parts. This level of backing music is incredibly worrying and its sad that the band seems to make thing easier for their performances and yet the recordings I've heard don't show the quality of output we saw say during the AROBTTH tour.

 

If you don't take care of your fanbase they leave and we've seen all kinds of turnover of fans from tour to tour. If I'm going to pay 2-3 times what I payed back when I saw the band in 2003 and get a far weaker and less authentic show than I really can't commit to future expenses for this band. I just don't think my money should go to confetti, backing tapes, and video screens when it should go to 4 band members all playing their instruments and maybe a keyboardist and a violinst or cellist if they need to.

 

Give me real don't give me fake

I think they feel like they need to put on this HUGE, seamless show and so take these short cuts so that Chris can run around, or to cover up mistakes. But I agree there's just too much of it being backed.

 

My favourite part of the European shows was Chris's solo section, because it was just him sitting at a piano, playing it and singing beautifully.

 

They seem to think we're going into these gigs looking for perfection, whereas really I'd just like to see them play their instruments. The fact that they're playing a (frankly) stupid number of gigs in such a short space of time is a factor too.

The band has made a clear decision to use backing tapes this tour. Whole sections of music that the band isn't playing. From the Life in Technicolor intro, the techno medley, almost all Viva La Vida, playing the Viva la Vida techno mix while in transit, full backing tracks on Lost and Lovers in Japan and ending with the played Escapist, its all piped in.

 

The beauty of bands like Muse, U2, and Radiohead is they are able to reproduce their songs in a live environment and with great results but Coldplay's approach is at this point to take large shortcuts and unfortunately not lengthen their performing time or shuffle around their setlists. Also keep in mind that Chris hasn't been performing at the same level as he had on previous tours. His voice cutting in and out (likely due to moving around to much) We saw this coming early on with the press tour and its unfortunate the band have not done anything to rectify this.

 

I'm really nervous that the $300 I'm paying (for a pair of substandard seats mind you) is going to produce another half-assed show. I was not wild about the Twisted Logic show in Denver last time and I'm really nervous to see the same experience repeated. I love the new album and of course I want to hear the new songs live, but I want the band the perform their parts. This level of backing music is incredibly worrying and its sad that the band seems to make thing easier for their performances and yet the recordings I've heard don't show the quality of output we saw say during the AROBTTH tour.

 

If you don't take care of your fanbase they leave and we've seen all kinds of turnover of fans from tour to tour. If I'm going to pay 2-3 times what I payed back when I saw the band in 2003 and get a far weaker and less authentic show than I really can't commit to future expenses for this band. I just don't think my money should go to confetti, backing tapes, and video screens when it should go to 4 band members all playing their instruments and maybe a keyboardist and a violinst or cellist if they need to.

 

Give me real don't give me fake

Great post!!

I feel the same as you, and Mich.:\