I’m watching the Super Bowl while I type this. As if the performance of the Raiders isn’t making me sick enough, that hack Shania Twain comes on during half-time and lip-syncs a rather old song of hers.
I thought lip-syncing went out the door with Millie Vanilli.
Why, exactly, do allegedly talented artists still lip-sync their own music? I mean, the artist is there. The P.A. system is set up. They have their instruments on stage with them. Why the heck don’t they just really play and sing? Whatgives?
Better safe than sorry I guess. I like Blink-182 but every time I’ve heard a live performance of theirs they completely sucked – off key, much simpler guitars than on the albums, very off key. If they lip synched they’d sound a lot better.
Live doesn’t sound the same as studio, moreover, the less vocally talented the perfomer, the more likely that the recorded version that was released has been ‘tweaked’ (and was the result of multiple takes) - Live vocals have to sound good the first time around.
It’s not supposed to. If I went to a concert and the band sounded exactly like their album (even if they weren’t lip-syncing) I’d be bored stiff. Live is supposed to sound…well…live.
When I go to see, or tune in to see a live band I expect to hear them playing/singing, not a damn recording!
I guess my point is, is that I’m disgusted that a highly paid artist would resort to lip-syncing in front of half the world. A performer with any talent wouldn’t do this. It’s shameless!:mad:
pkbites, you are evidently in the minority. As far as the acts are concerned, what they want to do in a live performance is to reproduce the sound of the recording exactly. The belief is that the fans would be disappointed otherwise.
Now the really talented acts do avoid lip-syching, and one of the real joys of a live concert is hearing a group make changes in a song. But a lot of the big name act these days are about showmanship, not muscianship and their fans don’t care.
I don’t agree. I’m willing to bet that if you went to any concert and announced that the entire show was lip synced fans would be pissed. I don’t notice lip-syncing on late night shows like Saturday Night Live, Leno, Letterman, etc… I don’t think many bands are doing recorded songs during live performances. Which is why I think it’s such an abomination when it happens.
It didn’t sound like Sting and (whatever her name is) resorted to lip syncing during their stint of the half time show.
But, oh, wait, I forgot. Sting has some talent. I’m not even a big fan of his but I do know he’s a class act.
I disagree with this too. I would NEVER go see an artist who has a reputation for lipsynching. I don’t go to shows to see someone dance around, I go there to see MUSIC. As a musician myself, I use the concert experience as an opportunity to watch the professionals in action. And I love seeing how some bands take complicated album songs and arrange them for a 5 piece live band (as opposed to having 20 guitar tracks).
This is at least the 3rd post I’ve seen about Shania lip syncing since the half time show. I must admit that I was not paying attention at all but do you guys know she lip synced or do you think she lip synced?
SuperBowl performances, like those at the Oscars, are generally sync’ed because the organizers insist. Maybe Sting sang live (dunno, didn’t watch), but either he has the pull to insist on it or the chops to be asked. Also, he doesn’t prance around like a damn idiot pretending that he’s a better dancer than the underpaid no-names behind him, and completely eliminating any chance of singing decently.
Ahem. So with most acts, these once-a-year events are better off with a nice reliable tape.
I spent several years on the road with a high profile band running the sound board. I can look at an artist performing and discern from the microphone body language and the mouth whether it’s really live or not…
Shania was singing to a tape. People breathe, and it’s not hard to spot it when their breathing isn’t in sync with the vocalizations you are hearing.
It was a great relief when Gwen came out and was obviously Really singng. Yes, she dropped a few notes (yes I have perfect pitch too, really sucks), but it was a real performance, as opposed to the steril pandering offering from Shania, which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who is aware of the state that modern country music is in(sell to the lowest common denominator)
… Shania’s lip syching while Willie Nelson is selling his ass in a comedy commercial.
So do you guys think that No Doubt, Sting or Bon Jovi lip synced? It did not seem that we to us. I will chime in saying I would be really pissed if I went to a show and found out they lip synced it.
Shania lip-synched because the song she performed was one of those wanna-be euro-dance songs where the vocals are piped through vocoder filters and what-have-you.
What Nametag said is another big factor.
Also, you might watch the feed and think someone is lip synching, because the sound and their lips don’t match up. There is often a delay because of the stadium’s sound system, so if the delay is constant, they might still be singing live.
The only time lip-syncing is ever an acceptable method (IMO), is when the act, in addition to singing, includes a lot of high-energy dance acts. ‘tis difficult to sing when you’re bumpin’ up and down at a frenetic pace for an hour and a half.
That being said, lip-syncing is silly when you’re only doing ONE SONG, and NOT DANCING.
Half of going to a live show is them throwing in random shite… breaking into a different tune in the middle of a song, changing the way something sounds, or just hearing the god damned voice live. There is a huge difference. I’ve seen several bands live where the aritist was more into the songs, and several where they were just going through the motions (like the Raiders)… it isn’t hard to tell up close and personal.
With punk/grunge/etc bands in small venues, you can usually hear the difference quite easily. The nature of the music is to be more slopppy, if you will, but that’s OK, because they also change things up live and sound different. Sometimes it works out better, sometimes worse, but it is different, and that is why you go see them.
If I wanted a perfect performance, I’d watch music videos.
Maybe they can’t really sing. Not better than you and I anyway. Maybe even worse. These so called “artistes” are being sold as image packages, you should have realised this when watching their MTV.
I grew up in the 1960’s and 70’s, the era of “studio musicians”.
Joey Levine was one of my favorites. Most of these would lip sync their songs during appearances.
It just doesn’t happen as much any more. It shouldn’t either.
People like Shania Twain are products of promotions. She has talent but cannot carry that talent ALL the time.
I was in a small country band myself and every night we played I sounded different to my own ear… We NEVER played the same song the same way! Just didn’t work that night,or maybe some were better than others?
Just remember that Shanias promoters wanted the audience to hear what they would buy if they bought her next “best of” disc.
There are people who are ACTUALLY show people, they put on a great show LIVE and it is ALWAYS great!! In the country genre I would HAVE to include Willy Nelson and Garth Brooks!
On American Idol two of the judges picked someone to go to Hollywood. There was a short discussion about why the third judge did not vote for the performer. He said something like “What the two other judges are saying by voting for you is that you do not have to be able to sing to be a pop artist.” He also said this was a well known fact in the industry.
) unanimously agreed that she was lip-syncing.