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Completely bogus live performances

#121
-Asdfgh- said:
Sometimes it's not fun if it's watching tired old versions of bands do it live. I've seen oldies do it well (King Crimson, Rolling Stones) but many do it badly. It's also raining very hard so I'm glad I'm not at a festival.
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If a much loved band can't perform well enough not to fake it than I'd rather save my time and money for sure. Either way I wouldn't find it entertaining to watch.

I haven't watched a Superbowl halftime show in ages because I know it's going to be fake, but then again I don't really watch sports anymore either, so no problem for me.
 
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#123
friskinator said:
They indeed don't. We're all looking at this from a musician's standpoint, which is not the same as the general public's. Our opinion doesn't really matter.
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I had a friend who went to see the KISS farewell tour a couple years back - twice. Came back raving about how great it was, these old guys still rocking out, all the costumes and pyrotechnics and everything. A little later I saw youtube clips showing how the whole show is lipsynched and mimed, they're not playing or singing a note. But I don't think she cared.

I just now pulled up a clip where a guy is pulling folks' recordings of concerts from that tour and panning the sound from one concert hard left and from another concert hard right. No difference at all.
 
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#124
hrodbert696 said:
I had a friend who went to see the KISS farewell tour a couple years back - twice. Came back raving about how great it was, these old guys still rocking out, all the costumes and pyrotechnics and everything. A little later I saw youtube clips showing how the whole show is lipsynched and mimed, they're not playing or singing a note. But I don't think she cared.

I just now pulled up a clip where a guy is pulling folks' recordings of concerts from that tour and panning the sound from one concert hard left and from another concert hard right. No difference at all.
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Some Spinal Tap shows were more authentic.
 
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#125
hrodbert696 said:
I had a friend who went to see the KISS farewell tour a couple years back - twice. Came back raving about how great it was, these old guys still rocking out, all the costumes and pyrotechnics and everything. A little later I saw youtube clips showing how the whole show is lipsynched and mimed, they're not playing or singing a note. But I don't think she cared.

I just now pulled up a clip where a guy is pulling folks' recordings of concerts from that tour and panning the sound from one concert hard left and from another concert hard right. No difference at all.
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You'd have to know to not care, and I don't think the average concertgoer is even thinking about it. They're just thinking about having a good time and being entertained.

At the end of the day, does it matter? For the art, yes. For the entertainment value, no.
 
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#126
watt said:
bassslinger l,

tv taping in england for 'top of the pops' w/the faces in 1971 but maybe still a little relevant?



right, john peel on the mandolin... then out comes the soccer ball!

on bass, watt

mike watt's hoot page
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While I don't like it, there's a difference between TV and a concert venue. Most people understand a TV appearance is a short, and likely scripted, event. If I'm going to see a concert, I'd rather hear an interpretation with available instruments and voices than what I can hear on the radio.
 
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#128
We saw Earth, Wind and Fire June 30th 2023 at the BMO Harris Pavilion at Milwaukee's Summerfest. The great Verdine White took a killer 3 or 4 minute bass solo in the show. When finished, he threw his arms up in the air with bright lights shining down on him. Problem was the bass kept playing along for a measure or so before it stopped. Ooops..
 
#130
DOOOOOM said:
Top Of The Pops , a long running tv series showcasing musicians playing unplugged instruments to a crowd of people dancing. Why was that necessary?
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The show had to be put together with only a week in between transmissions. The logistics demanded miming to backing tracks. Simply not enough time to do live performances with all that entails in the studio.
A good friend of mine worked on the show.
All of the audience reaction was produced with re takes as necessary. Pro dancers were planted in the audience
The dancers pans people. Legs and co etc.
Were there to cover the tracks where band not available.
Also increased viewing figures as dad wouldn’t switch channels when he came in if the dancers were on
 
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#132
All the big pop acts are recording “live” vocal tracks to a click so that the FOH engineers can fade out the live mic and fade in the prerecorded. They generally capture a performance that’s sort of live, but without all the dancing, running around, etc. It’s pretty bogus, but if you heard how bad most bands (regardless if they’re modern or classic), you’d want your money back for that, too.
 
#135
J Posega said:
All the big pop acts are recording “live” vocal tracks to a click so that the FOH engineers can fade out the live mic and fade in the prerecorded. They generally capture a performance that’s sort of live, but without all the dancing, running around, etc. It’s pretty bogus, but if you heard how bad most bands (regardless if they’re modern or classic), you’d want your money back for that, too.
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I used to front a pretty energetic band and it’s quite possible to run around on a stage while singing and not get winded or pitchy but you have to work at it diligently to be in shape for that.
 
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#136
LBS-bass said:
I used to front a pretty energetic band and it’s quite possible to run around on a stage while singing and not get winded or pitchy but you have to work at it diligently to be in shape for that.
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Yup, but in a world that’s just fine with copy/pasting every verse and chorus ad nauseam, why would most singers bother?
 
#137
You should get what you pay for. If it’s supposed to be a concert featuring live music, then it should be just that. It shouldn’t be lip and/or instrument synched band members keeping up with pre-recorded music and hoping the audience doesn’t notice it.


On a related tangent that concerns alternate timbres: I was once at a live concert in which a trumpet was being played in certain songs that required it. But there was no trumpet player on the band stage. I figured the band was being cheapo and using a recording of a trumpet track. After watching the band carefully, I then realized there was a trumpet player after all. He was playing the trumpet on a synthesizer keyboard.
 
#138
J Posega said:
Yup, but in a world that’s just fine with copy/pasting every verse and chorus ad nauseam, why would most singers bother?
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Right. It’s not like these acts are cutting everything live in the studio. Everything is copied, pasted, laden with effects, and put on a grid to ensure perfect timing. That includes all the bands everyone here adores. Virtually no one does anything “live” and hasn’t for a very long time.
 

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