Background
"Empty Spaces" serves as an eighteen second introduction to the hip-hop leaning track "When They Come For Me". It transitions directly from the very end of "Burning In The Skies".
Brad Delson speaking in Spanish through a megaphone can be heard in the background of the track as well. Brad says, ""Todos escucharme, preste atención ahora mismo, preste presten atención" which roughly translates to, "Everybody listen to me, pay attention right now, pay attention." In the promotional videos for A Thousand Suns, Brad is seen trying a lot of different instruments and this was one of the results. At this time, he began experimenting with other sounds and playing very little guitar.
"Empty Spaces" samples crickets chirping as well as a battle in a war, with Brad talking over it. Bombs are heard exploding and people are chanting. One of the chants samples Jac Holzman's (former president of Elektra Records) composition "College Cheer" which is also sampled in the final segment of "Revolution 9" by The Beatles. Specifically, the chant sampled is "hold that line."
Parts of "Empty Spaces" appear again near the end of "When They Come For Me" and Brad also speaks in Spanish again on the track.
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
Studio
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empty Spaces | A Thousand Suns | 0:18 | 2008-2010 | September 8, 2010 |
|
Live
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| When They Come For Me (Live) | Burning In The Skies (Digital Single) | 5:21 | February 04, 2011 | March 21, 2011 |
|
| Empty Spaces/When They Come For Me | Live In Madrid | 5:31 | November 07, 2010 | April 1, 2011 |
|
| When They Come For Me (Live From Tel Aviv, 11-15-10) | 2011 North American Tour EP | 5:12 | November 15, 2010 | December 20, 2010 |
|
| When They Come For Me | Live In Red Square | 5:20 | June 23, 2011 | July 21, 2011 |
|
| When They Come For Me (Live From Paris, 2010) | A Thousand Suns - Live Around The World | 5:06 | October 25, 2010 | June 19, 2012 |
|
Live
"Empty Spaces" was first performed at the second full show of the A Thousand Suns cycle at Buenos Aires. The song is always played before "When They Come For Me", as it appeared on the album. Throughout 2010, "Empty Spaces" didn't move around too much. In Sets A-1, A-3, and the one-off Madrid show, it was played after "Faint", and in Sets B, B-1, and B-9, it opened the encore. During the 2011 North American tour, "Empty Spaces", along with "When They Come For Me" was played in all five setlists. Set A-1 had the song after "Faint", just like in 2010. Sets B-11, C-5, and C-6 all had the song after "What I've Done", usually being performed with a long intro with Mike playing a keyboard transition from "What I've Done", and Set B-13 had "Empty Spaces" opening the encore. It was also performed at the short, 3 song setlist for Saturday Night Live, being played after "Waiting For The End". "Empty Spaces" didn't move around much from the North American tour to the 2011 European and Asian tours. Sets A and B had the song after "What I've Done", Set C had the song opening the encore, Set D had the song after "New Divide", and Set E and the one-off Moscow setlist had the song after "Faint". This tour also brought about the only two shows where "Empty Spaces" was dropped on the entire A Thousand Suns cycle. At the Music For Relief benefit show, "Empty Spaces" and "When They Come For Me" were dropped in favor of "The Messenger", and the one-off setlist from Singapore didn't have the songs, either, presumably due to Chester's broken arm.
"Empty Spaces" returned for the Living Things touring cycle during the Honda Civic Tour, and for the rest of 2012. Set B had the song after "Somewhere I Belong", but was dropped at the Woodlands show for "In My Remains". Set C had "Empty Spaces" after "In My Remains". Once the band stopped playing Set C after Rio de Janeiro, "Empty Spaces" was dropped, and didn't return for the rest of the cycle.
"Empty Spaces" was performed once in January of 2014, at the headlining show in Las Vegas. It was played after "Lies Greed Misery". This was the last time the song was performed live. The band did rehearse "When They Come For Me", and presumably "Empty Spaces" as well, for the Carnivores Tour in summer of 2014, though. These songs did not make the setlist.
Variations
Last Updated: December 25, 2015
| Type | Description | First Played | Last Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intro | Long Intro | January 28, 2011 | February 23, 2011 |
Personnel
Lyrics
Soldier: "Ten-hut!"
Hold that line!
Hold that line!
Hold that line!
Hold that line!
[Todos los pelotones, presten atención ahora mismo! Presten atención ahora mismo!]
Hold that line!
Hold that line!
Hold...
Gallery
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Authentic Sound Effects, Volume 3
