This is interesting.

[Nie]

If I remember well, Chris was ill at the start of the tour. So his voice probably was not at it's best.

I really don't mind if he had some kind of backing aid to make the concerts possible.

 

I've seen artists doing it a whole concert long and then I felt ripped off.

[SwedishColdplayer]

Hm,this is worrying. I hope after this tour the band goes on a small hiatus so Chris' voice can rest(and so the whole band can get to spend more time with their families). Even though this will make me a little sad because I hope to see them live soon someday I think this is needed.It's logical for this to happen after him singing for so many years and having so many concerts without really having any time to properly heal his voice.I just hope he manages to make it through this tour(because it seems like an exhausting one) and then finally take some time to take care of himself!

 

I agree with you, it would do them all great, and maybe make them wanna do another album and another tour! Btw, I hope you get the chance to see them this tour, since they are trying to visit so many places as possible! Where do you live? :)

[MosesTheMarshmallow]

Bear in mind that half the songs they play live have backing tracks (strings, pianos, guitars, percussion, etc), and there's proof that Jonny and Guy are lipsyncing a lot of the time / it's possible Will may be doing so as well. By comparison, if Chris is actually lip syncing 10 seconds of Clocks, that's really a tiny thing.

[The Adversary]

Bear in mind that half the songs they play live have backing tracks (strings, pianos, guitars, percussion, etc), and there's proof that Jonny and Guy are lipsyncing a lot of the time / it's possible Will may be doing so as well. By comparison, if Chris is actually lip syncing 10 seconds of Clocks, that's really a tiny thing

While I frown on the use of backing tracks, I understand why it's sometimes a necessity for Coldplay as they're not physically able to play all the elements of some of their songs in real time. No one is complaining about that.

 

I would like to see this "proof" that Jonny and Guy are lipsyncing please.

 

It's not "10 seconds of Clocks" it's the whole song.

[jossec]

I would like to see this "proof" that Jonny and Guy are lipsyncing please.

I don't know of any examples where you can clearly see that that they (Jonny & Guy) are, but usually when they're singing into the mics you can only hear this sort of 'choir' which, most of the time, sounds exactly like what's on the album. I've never been able to distinguish Guy's actual voice during a performance, Jonny very rarely (Don't Panic, Politik, maybe a few others). Here's an example for Will though: you can still hear the backing vocal but he's turned away from the mic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=fUvFUDRng4U;m=2;s=30

 

Also here's proof that Guy was faking the laser harp. (at 46:19)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=peU-Jku65II;m=46;s=9

Mobile Link: https://youtu.be/peU-Jku65II?t=46m9s

[gai]

jonny and guy lip syncing has been happening at least since viva. i remember a chinese sleep chant video where guy clearly forgets to mimic that deep voiced section. will, not sure since when he started that. it really is disappointing if chris is doing this. but like i said before, all of the song clips i have seen, you can clearly see it is live. i didn't watch any clocks videos since it is the same as before. did anyone compare the final shows' clocks performances in mexico?

[jossec]

did anyone compare the final shows' clocks performances in mexico?

Same story.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=WTiVQw8gXjE;m=2;s=37

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=wPdfP3wSDd0;m=2;s=15

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=BXf4m_SGG6o;m=2;s=12

[MosesTheMarshmallow]

If you go to about 1:40 in this video you can see that Jonny and Guy stop singing yet there's still audio of singing. Again, it's not something I want to be true and agree that backing tracks should be minimized. I'm just pointing out that this isn't necessarily something new.

 

[guy42]

If you go to about 1:40 in this video you can see that Jonny and Guy stop singing yet there's still audio of singing. Again, it's not something I want to be true and agree that backing tracks should be minimized. I'm just pointing out that this isn't necessarily something new.

 

Isn't that Will singing, though?

[MosesTheMarshmallow]

That's not out of the question, Will singing there, but it sounds like more than one voice that's continuing to sing.

[MickCas]

Well, choir in Charlie Brown is not the same thing as first lines of Clocks. About the lip syincing in Clocks, if they want to hide why they would choose to put Chris' video on screens behind him? It would be more logic and safer put other visuals so that the fake singing would be noticed less. So one of the two: they don't care and they wouldn't deny it or there is not lip syincing at all. (I did not watch all the video in the first post as far as I have seen I can't say)

 

Sent from my SM-G903F using Coldplaying mobile app

[Captain Crieff]

Finally took the time to listen to those videos.

 

:(

 

I can't help being disappointed. It's worrying too, at the start of a huge and long tour... I hope Chris' voice improves :\

[Captain Crieff]

Actually, why don't they just skip Clocks if it's too hard? and play something else instead, Politik or so (:whistle:) Yes Clocks is a big single and all that, but they've been playing it for more than 10 years

[Rickulus]

Actually, why don't they just skip Clocks if it's too hard? and play something else instead, Politik or so (:whistle:) Yes Clocks is a big single and all that, but they've been playing it for more than 10 years

I think many fans will be very VERY dissapointed to not hear Clocks at a Coldplay concert though...

[Captain Crieff]

I think many fans will be very VERY dissapointed to not hear Clocks at a Coldplay concert though...

Probably, but I would find it a better solution than well, faking it

[42JTR]

Damn, I never thought it would come this far... I always knew Guy, Jonny and Will do a lot of (fake) backing vocals, same goes for a lot of fake instruments. It has been really bothering me for a while, but now Chris' voice too.... :o They did a great job in masking his lip syncing by using his live vocals though. But I just hope it is temporary...

[jossec]

Probably, but I would find it a better solution than well, faking it

Coldplay disagrees, apparently.

As someone suggested earlier though, it might not be that Clocks itself is too hard, but it could be an easy choice because there is less audience interaction compared to when Chris is at the front of the stage. That way the song could serve as a break between songs with live vocals. And to be honest, they pulled it off quite well; most people wouldn't notice unless they start comparing different performances like I did.

[Captain Crieff]

Coldplay disagrees, apparently.

As someone suggested earlier though, it might not be that Clocks itself is too hard, but it could be an easy choice because there is less audience interaction compared to when Chris is at the front of the stage. That way the song could serve as a break between songs with live vocals. And to be honest, they pulled it off quite well; most people wouldn't notice unless they start comparing different performances like I did.

That makes sense.

 

Ugh, I always thought Coldplay fans would never have to discuss this

[42JTR]

That makes sense.

 

Ugh, I always thought Coldplay fans would never have to discuss this

 

Indeed... It feels like a real low in Coldplay history to me.... I've always been sure that Coldplay would never, ever, playback Chris' vocals. But unfortunately I was wrong.

 

So, I'm done with this and am going to listen to this band now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb_7C1vMpRQ

Mobile Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb_7C1vMpRQ

[jc90]

Actually, why don't they just skip Clocks if it's too hard? and play something else instead, Politik or so (:whistle:)

 

"Give me real, don't give me fake"

[Captain Crieff]

"Give me real, don't give me fake"

Exactly :angry:

[The Adversary]

They did a great job in masking his lip syncing by using his live vocals though

If they used the vocal track from the record it would be way to obvious. It already is obvious. I can't imagine they will do this for very long because it will become very apparent, very quick in the digital age of smartphones and social media. They might have gotten away with this 10 years ago but not now.

 

It's a brazen move on their part considering the hugely inflated cost of tickets. I know it's only on one song (so far) but it definitely sets a bad precedent.

[Gideon_Mx]

Wow, this is actually quite sad. And yes, @jossec I'm convinced ! (But I didn't want to believe this, have to say that !)

I think they never did this before. It's probably the first time Chris doesn't sing in a full song.

I also think it's just a break for him to rest his voice. But if they do this (for ever), I'm really concerned about his voice. I already was...

[Lukestar1991]

If they used the vocal track from the record it would be way to obvious. It already is obvious. I can't imagine they will do this for very long because it will become very apparent, very quick in the digital age of smartphones and social media. They might have gotten away with this 10 years ago but not now.

 

It's a brazen move on their part considering the hugely inflated cost of tickets. I know it's only on one song (so far) but it definitely sets a bad precedent.

 

I think most people commenting on here are under the blissful impression that this has never happened before, when the band have been using vocal playback live for over a decade. I mean, come on now... I remember my past disappointment at learning that songs like Glass of Water had whole sections where Chris was barely singing (because understandably so, he couldn't always reach the high notes). I'm not sure which video it is, but if you watch closely it appears as though Chris is certainly not singing the early verses (he lurches back on his stool to re-position himself, only his voice can still be heard despite the distance between himself and the mic. The constant mic fiddling is a bit suspect, too). I think it's likely that he either re-recorded certain parts in a studio or soundcheck before the tour (not that this even remotely makes sense, but still it seems it was planned that way).

[jc90]

It was my understanding that they play some background vocals (the end of Viva la Vida, the end of Fix You, etc), but Chris's vocals were always live. And this is the only instance I know where Chris's voice was not live.