A good number of bands do that nowadays, for practical and musical reasons.
In my band, we use sequenced tracks on some of our songs. Instead of using a dedicated drum machine or a sequencer to run it, my bandmates run the tracks through their laptops. They prepare the tracks on a music software, then save it as a ready-to-play file (mp3).
On stage, they hook their laptop to the sound system. The sequenced tracks are already pre-set into a playlist, on a music player like Windows Media Player. So whenever it's time to use those tracks, our keyboard player just clicks "play".
When a laptop isn't available, we can also use an iPod. Just load the tracks to the iPod, hook it up with the sound system, and it's ready to go.
That's how we do it in my band. We use sequenced tracks to enhance some of our songs. For texture also, and pampakapal ng tunog, ika nga. In other cases, I think groups like Drip have the ability to manipulate loops, tracks, and effects on the spot. So that's another practical application where in a laptop can make things easier and more versatile.
