It was announced on 17 April 2014 in support of their sixth studio album, Ghost Stories, and marked a return to live performing at more intimate venues following the stadium, arena and festival shows from Mylo Xyloto Tour (2011–12).

Concerts began on 25 April 2014 at Germany's E-Werk and ended at the BMW Welt (in the same country) on 6 December 2014, being noted for combining live and pre-recorded content for small settings.

[b] During the Australian leg of the Mylo Xyloto Tour, lead singer Chris Martin told attendees at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium they "wouldn't play another big show for a few years".

[9] Months later, the band made tickets available for a performance in Australia,[10] while a final show in Germany was announced to celebrate the upcoming release of Ghost Stories Live 2014.

[14] Lead singer Hannah Reid later commented talking with Martin was the "first time [she was] given any really excellent advice" about protecting her voice before shows and how to handle tensions in a group.

For the performance at Sony Studios (which was later released on Ghost Stories Live 2014), they played singles "Paradise" and "Clocks"; followed them with all standard edition tracks from the tour's namesake album in order; and finished the concert with "Viva la Vida" and "Fix You".

[22] For their show in Sydney, the band invited Kylie Minogue to perform "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and a cover of "Where the Wild Roses Grow" by Nick Cave.

[b] The tour also received positive reviews from music critics: Robert Altman from Consequence said Coldplay "are cohesive enough to rival the most skilled musicians in the industry", adding "what separates them from any studio performer is Martin's light stage banter and ability to connect with a multi-generational audience".

[30] Bonus content included the director's cut for "Magic" and three new music videos: "All Your Friends", a tribute to those who fought in the First World War; "Always in My Head", an animated version of the album cover; and "Ghost Story", which featured fading black and white shots of the band performing.