Why doesn't this ever get played live?

[lkcool]

It's such a great song to end the album on... Why don't they play it live? They didn't play it in the build up to MX and it looks like its missed off the the tour setlist.

[Prospector]

Because it's not a really stong song to be played on a gig, it's gorgeous, like Reign Of Love, but not good to play live.

[James.]

It's such a great song to end the album on... Why don't they play it live? They didn't play it in the build up to MX and it looks like its missed off the the tour setlist.

 

I think the main reason is that it would be difficult to do. It's got all those weird 'ooh' sounds and stuff, which would be difficult to recreate live without extensive use of backing tracks. I believe there was an interview last year where Chris said something like: "There's a new song called Up With The Birds and I have no idea how we're going to pull that off live" so I expect we probably won't hear a live version of it any time soon :(

[Ivyslash]

I would like to hear this live just one time ! :/

[Coeurli]

I think the main reason is that it would be difficult to do. It's got all those weird 'ooh' sounds and stuff, which would be difficult to recreate live without extensive use of backing tracks. I believe there was an interview last year where Chris said something like: "There's a new song called Up With The Birds and I have no idea how we're going to pull that off live" so I expect we probably won't hear a live version of it any time soon :(

In every album there's one song that isn't played live. From the current & previous setlist, I'd say it'll either be this one or UFO. UFO wouldn't be difficult to play live (I guess), so to me it is very unlikely that we'll get to hear UWTB live :(

[Revolverwin]

UWTB is a brilliant song for an album but I don't think it is a good song for live concerts.

[Rainystrawberry]

I hope it doesn't become the Twisted Logic of MX, they never played Twisted logic live:(

[chuck kottke]

Because it's twisted, and thus comes out with a decidedly distorted sound. :P

UWBT is indeed brilliant, many bright hues.

[lifeincoldplaycolor]

i dont understand why people say its not a fit song for live i think it is and it will be a pitty if they don't play it .....its good they did DLBYH

btw it would make a good concert closer...and if they use the laseres and all their special effects it will be a mindblowing performance!

[ColdplayingfromKansas]

Because, as others have said, it would be difficult to play live. The weird synth things in the middle would most likely

 

a) Sound not quite right in a stadium / arena atmosphere

b) Not be heard at all

 

. . . which of course, messes with the entire second half of the song. I suppose they could tweak it a bit and substitute the synths for a piano solo, or something ( :wacky: ), but the guys might have already considered that and decided that it would be better to just leave it off the setlists. :shrug:

 

Which is a shame, really. It's by far the best song on MX.

[shred]

I always thought this would be a great closer to the show like Death and All His Friends if they played it.

[Alien Radio]

Chris has actually said that there are some songs that they just can't play live and that UWTB is one of them.

But, they could still play an acoustic version of that, don't you think? :)

[TheBlueCodex]

i'm with you. i know it's difficult and all of that... but i'd still like to see it played SOMEHOW, SOMEWHERE, you know?

[symustafa1996]

There's always a song from each album that's never played live, like Parachutes, A Whisper, Twisted Logic, Reign of Love and probably Up With The Birds.

[myxylivethelife]

I did hate when they didn't play parachutes live, as well as Up With The Birds.

[TheChairman]

Parachutes actually has been played a few times live. Haven't seen it pop up at all on the MX Tour, but they did bring it out during the Latin American portion of the Viva Tour.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UetaHNKJnXc]Coldplay- Parachutes- Yellow 1/2 Guadalajara - YouTube[/ame]

[thetelephoneline]

is it me or were the concerts during the viva tour more 'organic'?

they have to play UWTB!

[Mrk]

is it me or were the concerts during the viva tour more 'organic'?

they have to play UWTB!

 

To me it seems the opposite because they use much less backing tracks than they used to do.

And the reason they don't play UWTB, like it's been said before, is that it's a tricky song to play live and it wouldn't sound good without an extensive use of backing tracks (a thing they're starting to avoid)

[suzanafg]

To me it seems the opposite because they use much less backing tracks than they used to do.

And the reason they don't play UWTB, like it's been said before, is that it's a tricky song to play live and it wouldn't sound good without an extensive use of backing tracks (a thing they're starting to avoid)

 

Could you explain to what extent they are relying less on backing tracks?

 

Songs like Princess of China and Paradise, to name just two, are heavily dependent on backing tracks, not to mention bits in various songs where they use pre-recorded keyboards.

[Open-Politik]

This song is so amazing, such a great closer.

 

Hope they play it soon!!!

[Mrk]

Could you explain to what extent they are relying less on backing tracks?

 

Songs like Princess of China and Paradise, to name just two, are heavily dependent on backing tracks, not to mention bits in various songs where they use pre-recorded keyboards.

 

The only backing track used in Paradise is the background string arrangement and MX songs (except for POC) generally use less pre recorded stuff than the Viva ones (see Lit 1 and 2, Lost, 42, LiJ and Viva itself)

[Open-Politik]

UWTB is the best song.

Great musically where the "Eno fairy dust" actually dosent seem OTT, Great lyrically and perfect length.

[suzanafg]

The only backing track used in Paradise is the background string arrangement and MX songs (except for POC) generally use less pre recorded stuff than the Viva ones (see Lit 1 and 2, Lost, 42, LiJ and Viva itself)

 

I think Viva and Paradise have comparable ammounts of pre-recorded sounds.

 

As a non-specialist, I think the Viva songs you mentioned use, individually, a small proportion of backing tracks, considering how much this kind of device is used in a song like PoC, which includes pre-recorded vocals.

 

Anyway, I think I'm saying this just because I appreciate the hability of delivering a organic live performance, a as live as possible one. It's always possible to create a new version of a song to play it live. What also annoys me is that they use pre-recorded keyboards in a song like ETIAW even though, it seems to me, it could be done live.

[CJWG]

I'll get them to play it at my wedding (any offers?) i think it adds to the mystique tha they don't play it. I love it, just wissh is was slgihtly longer in length

[MosesTheMarshmallow]

I don't think UWTB ought to be that hard. I think it, and UFO, are just having a delayed entry because the boys don't see them fitting in the setlist as of now. Or perhaps, they're devising a really cool way to play them that is taking them time to perfect. That was certainly the case with DLIBYH, because they were playing it in soundcheck pretty early, but we see now that they had to lower the key of the song by a half step (probably to make it easier to sing), and they made it so that Chris plays electric guitar.

 

But what does UWTB need? Strings? Ah's? Those are completely feasible, considering VLV, considering the noises in Charlie Brown. One thing I think that might be stopping them is that UWTB's second half is a bit hard to sing, but I'm sure Chris will figure that out.

 

I think Viva and Paradise have comparable ammounts of pre-recorded sounds.

 

As a non-specialist, I think the Viva songs you mentioned use, individually, a small proportion of backing tracks, considering how much this kind of device is used in a song like PoC, which includes pre-recorded vocals.

 

Anyway, I think I'm saying this just because I appreciate the hability of delivering a organic live performance, a as live as possible one. It's always possible to create a new version of a song to play it live. What also annoys me is that they use pre-recorded keyboards in a song like ETIAW even though, it seems to me, it could be done live.

 

Backing tracks are always an interesting topic to me so, so here's my take:

 

Be careful, also, when you say "pre-recorded" because certain backing tracks aren't actually pre-recorded and are played live in some capacity. The best example of this is the bit of keyboard that Chris plays at the beginning of LIJ, which then gets repeated for the whole song. But for a lot of songs, a member of the band may be playing a synth or backing item for part of the song and then switch to their own instrument. The rest seems to be prerecorded but it's tricky to tell.

 

I'd say VLV's songs edge out MX for reliance by just a little only because of VLV itself...but both albums use a lot of synthesizers that are being thrown on top of everything else, either as pre-recorded backing tracks or as live things that become backing tracks. My opinion is that there is no song on MX that "falls apart" without synth compared to VLV (fall apart isn't a bad thing, since stripped versions of songs tend to be really good esp with Coldplay, I mean to say - lose what they sound like originally).

 

For funsies, I'm going to do a song by song breakdown of what is on the backing tracks and then bold the songs that in my opinion, lose integrity when you remove the backing tracks.

LIT - would fall apart without the dulcimer part that is on the backing tracak

COL - minimal backing track, just noises/extra drumbeat I think

Lost - live organ (Jonny) becomes backing track, possibly extra drums and vocals

42 - only has strings

LIJ - keyboard starts out live (Chris), atmospheric guitar bits

Reign of Love - none (!)

Yes - strings

VLV - strings start out live (Jonny)

Violet Hill - piano on backing track

Strawberry Swing - organs and strings, 2nd guitar

DAAHF - near the end of the bridge, there are some guitar-feedback noises that are on the backing track

 

MX - little melodies and noises near the end are on the backing track

HLH - a lot of synth on backing track

Paradise - strings/synth (Jonny) becomes backing track. I've also found, based on the footage at the Summertime Ball that some of the piano is on the backing track because there's a moment when Chris holds the mic and doesn't play piano, yet you still hear piano. But a lot of what Chris plays falls on *top* of that backing track so it's mostly live, if that makes sense.

Charlie Brown - the noises, some piano

UATW - none (!)

MMIX/ETIAW - synth (Guy) and acoustic guitar (Will) become backing tracks

Major Minus - some noises throughout

U.F.O. - they haven't played it live, but if they stay true to the album version, it'd obviously need a lot of strings but my suspicion is that it will be adapted to guitar/piano for Jonny and Will

POC - synth, strings, and Rihanna's vocals

UIF - strings

AHT/DLIBYH - AHT is entirely backing track, as is the end of DLIBYH. But DLIBYH itself just has some noises.

UWTB - would require the ahh's, and the strings in the middle

 

In my opinion, VLV has more songs that stop sounding like what they are when you remove the backing tracks. Take MX's biggest hits - if you listen to acoustic versions of Charlie Brown, Paradise, and ETIAW...they don't sound all too different from the studio version compared to acoustic versions of VLV and Lost.