Coldplay have admitted a fear of backlash from performing at the X Factor final.
Despite admitting reservations among themselves, the quartet finally agreed to play two tracks at the Wembley Arena finale over the weekend.
Writing on the band's official blog afterwards, a roadie said: "There has been a lot of discussion over whether this was a good idea - not least within the Coldplay camp itself.
"I remember first hearing that it was a possibility. 'Man, you're handing haters some pretty huge bullets there', was my first thought."
They continued: "The downsides are obvious. It now becomes effortless for the cool kids to lay out their case against the band... For some, The X Factor is the devil. It is regularly painted as the source of all evil in the current music industry. Indeed, as an angry young man back in my own student days, I'd have ranted at length against it.
"[It] struck me that in many ways, f**king up tonight could be more of a big deal than if Glastonbury had gone wrong."
Performing on the show has led to a huge sales boost for the band, whose latest single 'Paradise' and album Mylo Xyloto are both expected to climb into the Top 3 in their respective charts this week.
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