Yes it's true, Coldplay do use extra pre recorded violins and synth parts to enhance the live experience.

Coldplay roadie Matt Mcginn even wrote about it in his book, 'My Life On The Road With Coldplay' when he says that sometimes he even plays the odd guitar part off stage to help fill in.

 

A lot of groups do it.

 

U2 had someone playing a keyboard during Unknown Caller on their 360 tour, with live footage of him playing his solo underneath the stage beamed live on the screens in the stadiums!

 

This only accounts for a tiny part of the live shows as 99% of the music is 'live' and played by the band!

 

There are a lot of people who perform live that don't even sing and just lip sync!

 

ahemahem Taylor Swift ahem

ahemahem Taylor Swift ahem

 

 

[emoji3][emoji3][emoji3][emoji3]

 

 

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You, sir, are VERY funny.

They use backing tracks. It's not "cheating" or "faking" it. It basically boils down to the fact that there are only four people in coldplay. If you look at the studio version of any pop song, Coldplay included, there are between 40 and 100 tracks of recorded sound. Some of it is the fact that each drum and cymbal has it's own mic, and also some of it has to do with different effects on the vocals for the verse and the chorus, but those monumental walls of sound can't be produced by four people playing drums, a bass, a piano and a telecaster. They have their in ear monitors with a metronome so they can stay in time with the backing tracks, hear their own instruments and hear whatever else they need to play their parts. Very sure that Chris does not use autotune whatsoever and they all absolutely play their instruments and then some.

Everything. Coldplay doesn't even exist, they're holograms and their music is composed by a highly developed A.I. provided by the Indian government.

They have their in ear monitors with a metronome so they can stay in time with the backing tracks, hear their own instruments and hear whatever else they need to play their parts

 

Nice, it makes sense now how Jonny and Chris are able to start Paradise at the same time without looking at each other without a count-in by Will or someone.

Nice, it makes sense now how Jonny and Chris are able to start Paradise at the same time without looking at each other without a count-in by Will or someone.

 

Actually if you watch any live video of Paradise there's a count-in by Will, since I think Will is the one most intimately tied to the click track. Though I'm not sure what the sequence of actions is like there beyond there (I don't know if Will triggers backing tracks himself, or his count-in is a cue for an offstage tech to start the backing tracks, etc).

According to the Oracle, Will does start the backing tracks, although not always:

 

"He [R42] does sometimes set off click tracks - as does Will - but (…)"

You can find the question by searching "click track" on the Oracle page; I'd link it directly but I don't know how to find out the question IDs.

 

You can find other questions where she mentions it, for instance by searching for "backing track".

A couple of days ago (on May 7), the Oracle answered a question regarding backing tracks again. At the end of the answer she states:

 

Everything you see being played, is being played live.

 

Would she actually believe what she wrote there?

I believe 20% of the total of instruments are faked.

Because there are four members each member plays 1/4 or 25% of a song but then you have backing tracks, backing guitars, backing synths, auto switchs (auto tone switch, auto sound switch) so it would be 20% for each member, that makes 80% of the total of instruments which is not bad, right?

I think Chris and Jonny's guitar techs also help out with some backing riffs etc.

Matt McGinn talked about it in his book 'Roadie'

 

 

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I think Chris and Jonny's guitar techs also help out with some backing riffs etc.

Matt McGinn talked about it in his book 'Roadie'

 

Indeed, if you listen to Yellow on Live 2003 there's an acoustic guitar in the background that we don't see played live, and it doesn't sound pre-recorded to me. So that's probably Matt playing off-stage. Same thing for The Scientist (after Jonny finishes his acoustic part of the song). Maybe there are more examples from back then. These days though, the acoustic guitar we hear in live performances is often straight from the recorded version of the song. Even when Chris is playing the guitar; sometimes you can hear both at once. Kinda sad, I'm not sure why they do that.

Indeed, if you listen to Yellow on Live 2003 there's an acoustic guitar in the background that we don't see played live, and it doesn't sound pre-recorded to me. So that's probably Matt playing off-stage.

 

Yes, Matt is actually credited for it in the booklet of Live 2003, for Yellow and another song I can't remember (don't have the booklet with me right now).

I just looked it up in mine, and it's The Scientist:

 

"Additional guitar on The Scientist and Yellow – Matt McGinn."

 

Edit: Can't find any such credit in the Live 2012 (which contains The Scientist again) and Ghost Stories Live 2014 booklets. So I guess Matt has been replaced by a backing track on The Scientist (perhaps unsurprisingly).