# Lip-synching in concerts **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 15, 2009, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lip-synching-in-concerts/481505 "2009-01-15T22:39:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lip-synching-in-concerts/481505/21 "2009-01-16T22:01:05Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > Props to Pink Pants though! If there’s any kind of a vote or anything, I nominate this to be the next SDMB catchphrase. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lip-synching-in-concerts/481505/22 "2009-01-16T22:18:03Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I can’t think of any concert back in the 70s that was lip synched simply because it was supposed to sound different from the record. How about Jethro Tull doing “Songs from the Wood”? Not the whole song, of course, but the acappella vocal harmonies were always on tape (as well as the flute fill during the intro–Ian Anderson didn’t even mime it himself; Barrie Barlow popped up from behind his kit with a flute for that one lick). Ian had some stage patter about how they were about to perform “perfect medieval harmony, almost indistinguishable from the master tape playing behind the stage!” > [@](#): > > The only group that used tape at all was Pink Floyd, and that was for effects, not for the vocals. The Who have used taped instrumental parts onstage since at least as far back as 1971. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lip-synching-in-concerts/481505/23 "2009-01-16T22:24:49Z")
Sounds like the basic difference is between “song” and “spectacle.” Maybe “unplugged” version of shows are the way to go. No one has the expectation that it will sound like the studio mix and musicians don’t have to worry about replicating some high tech vocoded vocal that was created in studio by some engineer and Protools. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lip-synching-in-concerts/481505/24 "2009-01-17T02:17:04Z")
Back in the 1970s, James Taylor sang his own backup vocals on tape when he performed the song “Shower the People” in concert. The reel-to-reel tape recorder sat on stage with its own spotlight, and was started and stopped by remote control by the sound man during the choruses. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lip-synching-in-concerts/481505/25 "2009-01-17T02:24:57Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Sorry, not the most shining example of drafting a question. What I mean, is how often do performers at a concert lip-synch. And when do they decide to lip synch? Wiki seems to suggest that it is done when there is a difficult and strenous dance number. I can think of situations as well, during a world tour a a singer might like to lip synch at times, to protect their voices for instance. I haven’t had the patience to read all of the previous posts, but please shoot me if I ever attend a concert where “a difficult or strenuous dance number” takes the place of the actual music. Kids today. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lip-synching-in-concerts/481505/26 "2009-01-17T02:29:36Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > The best REAL live shows to see are with bands who do a different setlist every night (Pearl Jam, **They Might Be Giants** , The Decemberists etc)…since they don’t rely on technical assistance to perform, they can personalize and improvise each show to cater to that specific audience. Heh. I saw They Might Be Giants back when it was just John & John, and they did rely on pre-recorded backing tracks. So that, in response to requests to the audience, they had to say something like, “We’re not the kind of band that plays the music you want to hear.” ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lip-synching-in-concerts/481505/27 "2009-01-17T03:52:36Z")
Oh, and although I’ve never seen this, I understand Queen would actually leave the stage during the middle section of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” since there was no use in pretending that it wasn’t Memorex, so to speak. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lip-synching-in-concerts/481505/28 "2009-01-17T05:06:00Z")
So how does T-Pain do concerts? Does he bring the Autotune up on stage with him? ---
**Author:** ![BigDinKC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BigDinKC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigDinKC)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lip-synching-in-concerts/481505/29 "2025-09-13T16:23:59Z")
I’ve seen it multiple times in person at his concerts. It’s hilarious when a roadie rolls it out and JT turns to the audience and proclaims “ portions of the following song have been pre-recorded” ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2025, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lip-synching-in-concerts/481505/30 "2025-09-19T03:10:50Z")
> [@SeanArenas](#): > > The guy says that something similar to this happens in many high-end acts. Kyle Minogue at the Sydney Olympics opening ceremony! She lost the mike, and what you could hear was the voice enhancement – which is most of her voice. Kyle Minogue is a legit pop star, but she got her start as a young actress in a soapy, then got lucky with the guys she met – she was never an opera singer. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lip-synching-in-concerts/481505/31 "2025-09-20T15:54:43Z")
One of pop music’s biggest scandals was pop duo Milli Vanilli, who were a big thing in the late 1980s. They were lip-syncing everything - neither of the two members sang any vocals on either the studio albums or the tours. The whole thing exploded when, notoriusly, the recorded vocals got stuck during a live gig ([here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvPXmkYMHFg) is a YouTube clip of that embarrassing moment, although to my knowledge the thing happened in 1989, not 1990 as YouTube says). I have, however, heard the theory that this incident was set up intentionally by their producer, who wanted to get rid of them after a dispute about money. I suppose audiences have less romanticised ideas nowadays about honesty in show business, and an occurrence like that today would not lead to the same disillusionment as it did back then. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lip-synching-in-concerts/481505.md?page=1)