I’ve noticed a trend in a lot of modern music for radio singles by various artists having guest vocalists for portions of the song. The featured contribution might be a verse or a rap interlude or some such.
I know that sometimes the original album version may lack the “featured” elements. Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood doesn’t have Kendrick Lamar in the album cut, but he is featured in the video on radio cuts. Obviously if Kendrick isn’t available when Taylor’s doing a concert show, she’d go with the album version.
On the other hand Ariana Grande’s Love Me Harder with The Weeknd kinda needs the second voice. Does Ariana just not sing that in concert?
Maroon 5’s Moves like Jagger was fairly popular on the radio. Did they ever perform it without Christina Aguilera?
So, in your concert going experiences, how are these songs handled? Prerecorded vocals mixed into the live performance? other guest vocalists?, one of the back-up singers?, skip it?
you just do what kylie Minogue did when she sang “in denial” and the pet shop boys weren’t there…you sing to a track with the music and the others part already recorded …
When I saw Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds last year, Danish soprano Else Torp, who features singing the chorus of Distant Sky, joined in via a big screen video. Like at The Greek Theater.
I’ve heard live versions of Peter Gabriel’s “Don’t Give Up” where he sings all the parts himself. There are also versions where his backup singer takes care of Kate Bush’s parts.
I’ve seen Ben Folds in concert several times since his 2008 single with Regina Spektor “You Don’t Know Me” came out, and he either has another band member sing her part (which is weird because it’s always a dude) or he sings it himself. Also, it’s pretty well known, so he sometimes gets the audience to sing her part during the chorus. A couple times he’s had a female opening singer, but he never brought her on stage to sing Regina’s part.
Might be nice if I gave an example: Most recently for me, Jenny Lewis did a cover of “Handle Me With Care” on Rabbit Fur Coat with Ben Gibbard and Conor Oberst. When she performed the album live this summer, she had the male vocalist from the opening act (don’t remember who) perform their parts.
On AxCx’s Forty More Reasons to Hate Us album, Pantera’s Phil Anselmo sings on about 16 of the 42 songs, including such winsome charmers like Bill Scott’s Dumb, Three’s Company Theme, and a blazing, triumphant, windswept cover of Manowar’s Gloves of Metal
On the road, I’m sure vocalist/founder/something savant Seth Puttnam managed fine without Phil.
*Also I’m pretty sure this is the only AxCx release that Scott “Guitar God” Hull takes on the axe chores.
Jimmy Buffett usually has Mac Mcanally or Mike Utley do the “What would Jimmy Buffett do?” part when he does “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere” in concert. Although I have also seen him have the audience sing that line.
During one of his Human Rights tours, he used to have Tracy Chapman sing Kate’s parts.
At the No Nukes concerts, Jackson Browne did “Stay” with Bruce Springsteen doing backup vocals.
