This is karaoke, isn't it?

[mike buzzetti]

you need them when your hungover as Fxxxxx

 

[Cave Puppy]

When we opened for Timbuk 3 back in 1987, it was the two of them with basically a home stereo behind them playing backing tracks. Off topic? Possibly.

 

[Hummergeist]

I worked with a guy who had a computer monitor built into a small box he sat on the floor in front of his mic stand. It was tilted up so he could see it and connected to a laptop set up with the PA board, he rigged a foot switch that allowed him to scroll through lyric sheets. It was painted black and sat between a couple of floor wedges so only the band knew it’s actual purpose. He did’t stare at it while singing, so it was a situation where there was really nothing to be concerned about.
I also played with a guitarist who had a tablet mounted to a stand sitting to his left. He would look up chord charts and stare at them while we played. It worked, but it looked more than a little amateurish.

Nice, I've known somebody who was going on a big tour with an artist where a little Apple glowing on stage was a total no-no, the answer was to put the laptop in an accordion case.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Ha ha I just posted this yesterday I think. One of the all-time greats rocking an arena with a lyrics prompter at his feet View attachment 4712610

But he doesn't LOOK like he is reading it. That's the point. Nothing wrong with cheap sheets - everything wrong for the frontiers to look like they are.

 

[andruca]

Ha ha I just posted this yesterday I think. One of the all-time greats rocking an arena with a lyrics prompter at his feet View attachment 4712610

I'd certainly be much more forgiving with anyone sporting such history of unique pieces of original music. Aging legends get a pass in my book. I've been standing in front of poor old Phil C for 2 hours of turning pages last September in Chicago and I couldn't care less (he sang impeccable, as always, frequent eye contact, nods, definitely helped). Just wouldn't want it anywhere near any band I play with, much less in a cover band, it just sucks.

 

[Discount Bassy]

Meh.

 

[monsterthompson]

Ozzy
I've got a teleprompter and I still sing the wrong words sometimes."
OZZY OSBOURNE - "I've Got A Teleprompter And I Still Sing The Wrong Words Sometimes"

Halford
HALFORD Says Controversy Over DICKINSON's Teleprompter Comments Is Much Ado About Nothing

Paul
“Sometimes I’ll be doing a song, like ‘Eleanor Rigby’ or something, and I’m on autopilot. And I’m starting to think, ‘Oh, what am I gonna have for dinner? Maybe you won’t have the soup but maybe you’ll just go for the main course.’ Then I go, ‘Stop!’ – because I’m singing ‘Eleanor Rigby!’”
Why Paul McCartney Uses Teleprompter for Beatles Songs

 

[coy garcia]

One of my singers does this but he's a great performer and the audience doesn't know he's occasionally looking at lyrics on a tablet. It really depends on the professionalism of the singer....but I would say not an issue.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Try covering up your fret markers. You think you don't look at them, but you do.

that's SOOOO not the same as constantly reading lyrics. And for the record, there are plenty of us who can play with our eyes closed.

 

[jbhaugh]

Maybe the singer has stage fright and staring at an iPad is their way of coping with it

 

[Tony In Philly]

Once in a while done discreetly is OK. If the audience senses it is a crutch then it can be a real problem. They can notice those kinds of things. I've had non-musician friends really complain about backing tracks from some bands. That's what they really seem to dislike, especially when they notice sync issues.

 

[Alexis Duntov]

Singer reads lyrics on a computer tablet for ALL their songs. They've been performing those songs for over a year. Am I the only one who thinks this looks tacky on stage?

I’m not sure it’s the same thing as remembering lyrics to a ton of songs during a set, but for me, if I’m looking at a chord chart, I’m diverting attention away from what my colleagues are doing and what I am doing. Sure, if it’s new material that I have not memorized yet, then it makes sense to have a visual reference. But I should not need to look at the chart for “Body and Soul”. But I do. Because I haven’t spent the time to really learn the song. I think that’s clearly true of your singer. I remember learning a bowing etude in the double bass bible, and you have to play the same etude with like 30 different bowings. My teacher said don’t start the various bowings until you have memorized the piece. Then you can concentrate on the different bowings and not have to look at the page. I would imagine that’s also true of learning lyrics. Once you have them memorized, then you can focus on being as musical as possible in your interpretation, as well as listening as hard as possible to any nuances your colleagues are doing. Getting off book asap seems the best way.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

Most of the big acts have video screens disguised as monitors on stage.

 

[DWBass]

Singer reads lyrics on a computer tablet for ALL their songs. They've been performing those songs for over a year. Am I the only one who thinks this looks tacky on stage?

Agreed. Very amateurish!

 

[Zooberwerx]

Most of the big acts have video screens disguised as monitors on stage.

True and done surreptitiously. I tape my cheat-sheets to the back of Tim's shirt..."stand still, dammit!".

Riis

 

[Michedelic]

It should be a safety net not a crutch. Although I think Ozzy reads lyrics directly from his teleprompter.

Plus he has this to deal with….
Ozzy Osbourne, dyslexia and ADHD
The Black Sabbath star struggles with both reading and writing. But the heavy-metal pioneer has found strategies that allow him to pursue his music despite those challenges.

“I am terribly dyslexic and have attention-deficit disorder, so I have to carry a tape recorder everywhere I go. Also, if I get a melody in my head, I have to record it straightaway,” Osbourne has said.

 

[Slevage]

Ha ha I just posted this yesterday I think. One of the all-time greats rocking an arena with a lyrics prompter at his feet View attachment 4712610

I don’t know who that is, but it must be an old pic. Wedge monitor looks kinda small for an arena. I thought most pros are using in ears these days.

 

[MisterFabulous]

It is beyond tacky and I have two singers in my band who do it!

 

[tbz]

I don’t know who that is, but it must be an old pic. Wedge monitor looks kinda small for an arena. I thought most pros are using in ears these days.

Tom Petty. He’s been dead for a bit and since he’s been around since the 70s he may or may not have switched to in ears before he passed.

 

[Pings Bass]

I don’t know who that is, but it must be an old pic. Wedge monitor looks kinda small for an arena. I thought most pros are using in ears these days.

That's Tom Petty playing the Moda Center (~20k capacity) in Portland, Ore., August 12, 2014. I think he had three floor wedges, one in front and one on each side. Lots of old pros still playing arenas without IEMs, because that's how they've always done it.