Did KISS Just Completely F**k Up?!
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- čas přidán 19. 05. 2024
- There has been minor scandal around a recent performance by KISS where it looks like Paul Stanley has been caught lip sync-ing instead of singing! Is this true? Surely, not?! If it is...is that OK?
Let's talk about this.
News Video credit to @Heavi and raw footage from The Fonz
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Coming from across the pond here, but can you do segment on how well Bauhaus is performing in 2022? They're one of the last post-punk/gothic bands still standing. I'm biased, but Peter's voice sound pretty good...maybe it's because he sings more in baritone. Big Thanks! czcams.com/video/nEXltx9R-rE/video.html
Will you react and analyze a live Smashing Pumpkins track? (Always felt the Infinite Sadness tour wasn't talked about enough) I would love to hear your opinions on Corgan's playing and singing. Much respect.
Cheers, dippity do and all that. Please review Post Malone sings Pearl Jam "Better Man" on Howard Stern. Maholo, cheerio and pip pip
G'day from Sydney. Sartorial elegance on point. Againnnnnn. Cheers ;-)
Bending over backwards to be kind to obvious lipsyncing on the part of Paul S. This is why I enjoy this channel but not necessarily agree with the pontifications. Nobody wants to believe they do it but they are in fact doing it. Ride on J.H. music.czcams.com/video/sFUGvdxuQGQ/video.html
You would probably have garnered more attention by joining the chorus of people saying that KISS is washed up, but instead you chose to point out what's still great about them. That's quite refreshing in an era of clapbacks and zingers. Nice one.
Gene simmons is washed up. Most KISS fans prefer watching his wife shannon tweed getting porked in her softcore porn films.
There is nothing great about them. They suck.
I think Justin was being "diplomatic"... He knows the score..... Its the end of the road for Kiss anyway, so why upset the apple-cart at this stage in the game? ..... Realistically, they have probably been doing it for years to a certain degree..
Definitely, you can certainly enjoy a kiss show even if Paul is howling rather than singing or using backing tracks. I don’t expect everything to be as if they were Younger and if people want to pay for a show they’re free to do so. The only thing is Paul used to be an amazing singer with a fantastic voice
@@riheg paul is in the closet.
The most entertaining thing about KISS is seeing gene simmons wife, a soft porn actor getting nailed in her z lust direct to usb movies
I think after KISS played Barcelona in 2018, they must have had a serious meeting about what could be done to continue.
See "KISS Love Gun Rockfest Barcelona 2018" for an idea of how bad it was getting for Paul.
I have no problem with them using backing tracks, the problem is that Gene went out of his way on multiple occasions to slam other artists for doing it. I think people are more pissed about that.
AND Paul. He’s done the same thing. There’s footage out there. That’s certainly why it’s got my back up. I can’t even stand to look at Stanley’s smarmy stink face anymore.
Yup.
Yeah I personally couldnt care less as long as they put on a good show. But Gene likes to have a pop at people when maybe he should look closer to home if he doesnt agree with it. Double standards.
In fairness, Gene‘s voice is still great and he sings totally live.
@@DirkLerxst2112 They've probably been using backing tracks for decades . But I think everyone does it now. Gene Simmons cares about one thing only....money.
Dude I’ve been watching you for about a month. Didn’t know who you were just enjoyed your content. I started getting familiar vibes the other day and was like who do you remind me of? My head almost got blown off my shoulders…I was a huge The Darkness fan when you guys first came out!!!Permission To Land is one of the best rock albums of all time! I can’t believe it’s you!!!!!!!!
Whoa… wait… I,too, did not make that connection Jona Thon. Also a Darkness fan and played them when I programmed alt Rock.
@@kennyallen8828 You're cool .
Something similar happened to me 🤯
Imperfections and "mistakes" during a live show make it more memorable. I saw David Lee Roth with Steve Vai years ago. DLR forgot the lyrics to "Hot for Teacher" mid song and yelled out "I forgot the F#$King Words!" The audience just started singing for him. Great show 🤘
Sure if you forget to sing or forget lyrics that you are singing live. In this case he is just singing to backing tracks.
Shoogagoogagunga!
Funny you should mention that as it's a part of the show. He does it each and every show in the exact same spot every time. It's what he does.
Yup
8:30 that is not how it works. Even if it did, the chance that it would happen is somewhere between not a chance and now way in h**l.
Love your channel Justin! You give a great input about music, and of course you are a great musician. Remember I saw you 2009 at Sweden Rock Festival,when you had your own project Hot Leg. Keep on rocking 🤘
Wonderful commentary Justin 😀 I was at a James Taylor gig and he advised us that parts of the song he had just played were pre-recorded. We kinda had a hunch given the harmonizing voice coming out of the speakers was Carley Simon and she wasn’t on stage, let alone even in Australia. Also a spotlight, slowly lit a large Grundig reel to reel set up on stage next to him. Everyone loved it 😊
Paul was so awesome to entertain us from his home studio during the pandemic, lock down times. His IG’s really helped pick me up, bring me and others some enjoyment in a very challenging time. I’m very thankful to him for sharing his talents to entertain us.
Same was done by Justin. 👍
Plandemic, scamdemic.
He's a great guy...so talented, such a powerful singer, so handsome and I really respect what he's done with his life after the rough childhood he had.🧡
IG's? lol
@@lindahandley5267💜👍
Justin Hawkins is pure class. Congratulations on your sobriety and your stellar career
Hi Justin. Just want to say that i thoroughly enjoy your channel. Love hearing your perspective on the many topics you discuss. You show respect to the artists in voicing your opinions and i must say, i very much appreciate it. You sir, are a LEGEND. Cant wait to see you guys again on the road. Keep up the great work. Tally Ho!👌🤘🎸
One of the very few left. The last of his kind, legend for sure.
Previous sound guy here... thanks for this! its so hard to explain to people how waves work and cancel out sometimes. ill send them to this video!
Congratulations on hitting 150K subscribers Justin!! 👏👏👏👍
Recently discovered your channel. I’m really enjoying your shows. I appreciate your point of view, honest without being cruel, which is a rarity these days. Keep on rocking ❤️
I read a recent interview you did in Classic Rock Magazine and you said your favorite Darkness album was Permission to Land, and your least favorite was 'any of the others.' Do you really feel that way? Easter is Cancelled and Motorheart in particular are bangers! Thank you for the music and the channel.
You are pretty damn good at doing this. Never really heard much of your stuff prior to coming across your videos and decided to check your music out. Great work on that and your stuff on here
Congrats on getting to 150,000 subscribers!
I saw Madonna in the early 2000's on the tour where she opened by performing Vogue whilst standing on her head/doing yoga, realised very quickly she was not singing live, but decided to relax and enjoy the spectacle. I (perhaps naively) assume the rock acts I see are performing live, with perhaps extra help from backing singers at times, saw Kiss in 2017 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Really enjoying your videos!
I agree with almost everything Justin says here. Paul Stanley is struggling because he’s been singing his ass off for 50 years…he does deserve a break, like Coverdale, Roth, etc….but what I can’t get behind is the denial and hypocrisy….they have been brutal to other bands doing the same thing, and claimed they would quit before they would use backing tracks. Then again, we’re talking about the band that has had 4 or 5 farewell tours 😀
This! This is my stance as well... it would be a non issue if Gene would have just kept his mouth shut *laughs*
Gross exaggeration though. This is their second farewell tour
No excuses when you still get paid to SING. People pay to see Kiss LIVE, not a puppet show. This is not pop music, it is rock n roll. If you cannot sing, then end your career, or take lessons to get your voice back.
Same bill you had Iron Maiden, that gave some of the best live show ever, with dudes in the band ranking from 62 to 70 yo, and yet, not a single struggle... singer, musicians, pyrotechnic... all spot on.
KISS did call it quit a while back, they should have never comeback and let people pay big bucks to witness a farce.
I remember an interview they did during the FIRST farewell tour Paul said something along the lines of "we're not gonna do half a dozen farewell tours like other bands, this is it, we mean it! After this KISS is done." Luckily I got a chance to see them with the original line up right before Ace and Peter dropped off.
Yawn
Great channel, I really like to listen to your experiences and your background knowledge. Thanks for it and please keep on :)
I'm soo glad I stumbled on to your channel recently. I subscribed right away. Would you ever do a tour of your tattoos? Explain what they are, when you got em and stuff like that?
A mini physics lesson and rock and roll commentary? Bravo!
I remember seeing something about when Queen would be in the studio and recording Freddie's voice, his vocals were so perfect each take, that when they tried layering tracks of his voice for songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody, they had to make him do "slightly off takes" in order for the phase cancelation not to happen.
This is true, I've heard all the original stems. It a good way to make it sound like more of a choir in any recording, even if you're not as perfect as Freddie
@@JaCkcape000 Is the term "stems" to describe "tracks" exclusively a UK or English thing? I ask because on and off, I hear UK English speakers refer to each "track" as a "stem". I suppose I could see how that could get confusing when we also call the finished song as a "track"
And if it is, do you also call your DAW software or workstation a multistem recorder or do you call it a multitrack recorder?
@@timothymallon not a UK thing, just wrong.
Yes , the bit in the video where all four of their faces are on screen is the part they don't do live , ever , they just play the video to that bit and it's backing vocals from a tape , I cant remember if Freddie goes off or if they darken the stage , but the focal point is that part of the video as the backing track plays
@@timothymallon ….a stem is generally a group of tracks.
Think of it like this, there might be a dozen or more mics recording drums. You could listen to every one of those tracks, or after it’s mixed, you listen to the drum stem; all the drums together.
In particular, when listening to Freddie Mercury’s vocals on Bohemian Rhapsody, they’re stems. They’ve been mixed and bounced. That’s why sometimes one “track” seemingly has 3 harmonies on it, another, just a lead vocal etc etc.
When you watch a vid of someone breaking down songs for analysis (think Rick Beato or the Classic Albums series), they definitely haven’t wandered in to the EMI vault, etc, and grabbed the master tracks 😂👍🏼
I am so glad I found this channel. It makes med happy. Justin, your humor is absolutely perfect and you insights are quite interesting. I just had to write a comment to feed the algorithm for you.
I appreciate your perspective on this Justin. One thing I can say is that when I see a live show I don’t expect things to be perfect.
I saw kiss a few weeks ago. Paul was screaming and singing to us inbetween songs so much, Im like rest your voice! He spoke to us between every song. The show was way more insane than I expected. Constant interaction, constant energy, non stop for 2 hours. I was hugely impressed and I go to alot of gigs.
Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons have a. Been bragging about how they are at the top of their game and b. Admonished people for using tracks and lip syncing repeatedly. Therefore Mr. Stanley is deserving of any criticism he gets. I don't care how old he is or his legendary statue. He is one of my favorite rock vocalists but he's bringing the shit on himself.
He be arrogance…
It’s not real, it’s marketing. This is Stanley and Simmons you are talking about, yes? Marketing and smoke geniuses.
I asked you about this subject after watching the Axl Rose video you did but you more than cover ny question in this one. Top drawer work as always Justin 👏
Great video mate, I just keep coming back for more. Well done.
Saw them last weekend at Download, I really don't care if they were using backing tracks, it was such a fun show to watch. The visuals, the music, the explosions, singing along with tens of thousands of other people, the whole experience was phenomenal.
The Darkness were also spot on, you guys were absolutely a highlight of the weekend.
Nice one. I saw clips of the Darkness at download and the TT gig. They look like a great band to see live. Can’t believe how much they look like each other. I know they are family but still most families aren’t that similar looking. The darkness are brilliant and this channel is fantastic.
@@Oooo-bi7bi the TT gig was phenomenal, can’t believe it was almost a week ago already 😭
i payed for a live show , they are lying thru their back teeth because they are using a backing track .
I had a KISS shirt for every day of the week in 1978. Good times.
Goodness me, just found you randomly and had to subscribe!! Love your music always have. Oh and I think it’s more a Gary Oldman in Leon look you’re rocking these days, very gentlemanly sir.
Was hoping this would be covered…fantastic as always Justin
God bless the guy. Stanley had a premier voice for many years. My favorite memories of Kiss was in the mid-seventies before he found his voice.
*Now the lip-syncing:
Without a doubt tracks are being used.
The drummer botched the trigger. Also
You have to look at footage of when he moves his mouth away from the microphone and it is his voice, his note is still sustaining . Yes , it can happen with delay but there are also times he will yell "sing" into the mic and it was not in the track so it didn't come out.
As an audio engineer, the "phase cancellation" argument just doesn't hold water. The amount of precision necessary to actually phase cancel is impossibly difficult to attain without digital editing. And any competent audio engineer would've setup the backing track on a sidechain to the live one, so that they are never playing at full volume simultaneously.
You are correct… it will sound like a doubled vocal… just like it does when you double your vocals in a recording studio.
Thank you, that is what I was thinking. From my understanding Phase cancellation happens predominantly from two mics simultaneously recording a source from different distances.
@@latentsea Although that would result in summation and cancellation alternating across the frequency range.
I am also a 'competent sound engineer' and I would do exactly as you suggest, dropping the live vocal way down so playback isn't doubled. Two vocals don't cancel - they sound like two twin singers!
I'm not an audio engineer & even I knew that argument was BS. It just sounds like trying to justify a hero's worth during their decline.
I had no idea that phasing sound from 2 of the same notes was called beating. Thanks Justin. I always learn something from your videos
The terms for the beat note (phase) production are 'constructive interference' and 'destructive interference'. LOVE your channel!
Was lucky to see them at their prime twice when they were the original KISS with Peter and Ace... last time was Love Gun tour in '77. Was at the stage and that's lasted me a lifetime. Same with Alice Cooper (Welcome To My Nightmare tour). People who go to a current Kiss concert (or Bon Jovi, Axl Rose, REO Speedwagon, Crue etc. know what they are getting and paying for.
Or they're too stupid to know what they're paying for so they just demand their money back.
I saw Blue Öyster Cult live a few months back, Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma are both in their 70s and they still sing without a backing track. The only backing tracks were for specific rhythm guitar and synth bits.
They still put on a helluva show! Would of loved to see them live in their prime but they are still fantastic live to this day. My favorite band of all time!
Thanks Justin, been a fan for years and only today bumped into this. Great viewpoint and thanks for all your music.
Very well-balanced take on the situation; thanks for making the video.
I was also at the said kiss gig 3 years ago (farewell tour) at the O2. I completely agree with Justin, you're paying to see a show, a spectacle. Are you really expecting to be paying to see and hear guys in the late 60's and 70's play and 'sound' at the top of their game? No, you have to expect it to be supported sonically in some way, if you want to hear them at the audible best, then just stay at home and play the discs.
My issue with the cost is the meet and greet. Gene absolutely ignored me and would not even look at me. That's where a line is drawn. Those pictures were over a grand.
That old Definition comes to mind ( Lead someone down the garden path)
@@philbis2774 I don't understand?
@@hollandrocksls Well you wanted the best......but you got depressed.....because you saw the hottest scam in the land
@@philbis2774 lol
Well why did you pay for thousand for pictures , or did I misunderstand you
Loved watching you sing at download mate! You were great with Steel Panther. Catch you at a gig sometime soon I hope!
Brilliant video, all the bands I’ve seen in recent years especially the 4 piece have vocal backing etc to fatten the sound and everyone is playing to a click track to keep in time with the media production. Great video!!!!
KIss have been doing this for years. I saw them in 1980 at Wembley Arena and during Love Gun, Paul almost took a tumble and never made it back to the microphone in time but strangely this didn't stop his vocal coming out of the P.A. I will never forget leaving that concert with mixed emotions..... it was an incredible show and theatrics...... but they were miming!
Ditto. I saw them in 1980 at Sydney Showgrounds and they were clearly backtracking Ace Frehley's guitar solos " Look Mum no hands "
Phase cancellation with a live human vocal and a recorded one, while technically possible would be basically impossible. There are a million variables when the live singer sings that would move the phase. Justin if you want to experiment, take 2 DJ decks, flip the phase on one (flip R and L cables) and try to beat match duplicates of the song and see how frail that phase lock really is.
I think he realised from how he couldn't hind his grin whilst talking about it.
Haha while i'm sure your comment is appreciated, I don't think Jussie needs to be educated on phase cancellation. \m/
Yeah, absolutely not possible live.
Justin Hawkins trolls again… damn he got me.
I was going to tell the story of how perfect Randy Travis was in the studio shooting ADR lines. Perfect match all day, no destructive cancellation.
So what he really needs is a library of samples from his early days he triggers and modulates with his own current voice on stage….hmmm….
Your pod is great, classy, eloquent and funny. You won me over brother, watched you perform a couple times and you are awesome! You will be a legend one day mate. You have a great voice mate
Went to see LP in leeds after seeing you video about her, absolutely blew me away what an fantastic powerful voice and such a lovely person ❤️
We must have been at the same gig on Sunday night, she was incredible!
@@steph-dj3rw very much so and right near the front as well, I got some great video and pics, it was my daughter's first big concert as well and what an impression lp has made on her.
Kiss was my first concert when I was 13 years old, it was my son's first show when he was 6...I've seen them dozens of times over the years.
(However, tickets to a Kiss gig haven't been 100 bucks in the last 20 years, lol)
Totally agree that it's the spectacle that people pay for. The mere fact that Paul can still run around that stage in those boots is a feat of it's own.
They headlined download in 2008...I walked off after 20 mins, they were so boring
@@seanbucke good on you, man. Style over substance doesn't work for me when it comes to music.
I feel fortunate to have seen KISS many times decades ago before lip synching and using backing tracks would even be thought of. Bands would have been booed off the stage back in the day if the fans knew they were faking it. They should have stopped in 2001 after the "Farewell Tour" with Ace & Peter. Always leave them wanting more. Money makes you do things you shouldn't do.
Agreed. The 2001 tour was the best time to exit with dignity. It was a good tour.
@@allendean9807 That is a great way to put it, exit with dignity. They could have kept the mystique alive and like I said, leave them wanting more. When I watch the current KISS and compare it to say the 1996 Brooklyn Bridge concert, there is no comparison. Paul is still killing it on vocals, has his real hair and there is the magic of the four original members.
Greeting and salutations Justin, it is I, Jim Newstead from Suffolk. I too was at Download and watched both Kiss on Friday night, and The Darkness on Sunday afternoon.There was no lip syncing that I could tell! All the bands I saw delivered in spades, the Kiss show was spectacular, The Darkness show was brilliant, and it was great and humble of you to open for Steel Panther!
Totally loving your hair!
Let's see this then!
Much love to you Mr. Hawkins!
I'm curious, Justin, if you read this: You talk about going to concerts. Since you are an established artist, what's the etiquette for going backstage after gigs? Can you rock up backstage? Or you do just attend gigs then leave, as with the audience? This might be a silly question though!
I saw KISS earlier this week in Melbourne. If there were any backing vocals I didn't notice them. There were some adjustments in notes for vocal range changes but it sounded like everything was live. Even so, it was worth every cent. I don't know many people in their 70's who could deliver like they did. Also you got every element of stage and performance craft you would expect from a rock show over the last 40 years.
I also saw Kiss in Aus and it was just an awesome show....still delivered everything you want to see in a Kiss show
you are lying to yourself if you say that Paul sings live.
Absolutely loving these videos, Justin!
I've gotta ask, did the episode 'Mr Bean RIdes Again' have any impact on deciding your YT channel name! 😂
It's always the first thing I think of.
I am glad you have this channel. I'll be totally honest. I was never a fan of Darkness--it just wasn't my thing so I never really followed you musically, but through this channel and getting to know you in the vids, I have become of fan of you in general as a person and very much respect your singing ability
I’ve seen them on this touring cycle, they’re 100% using backing vocal tracks for a couple of Paul’s songs (not full songs but sections are definitely happening). His vocal mic is hot the whole show, but they ride the tracks. It was most evident on parts of Detroit Rock City and Heaven’s on Fire. The rest of the vocals were 100% live, while also possibly double tracking the backing vocals on bigger chorus sections, in addition to keyboard tracks. They’ve been using vocal samples for the choruses since the late 80’s for the Crazy Nights tour cycles. A close friend of mine tracked their backing vocals in Columbus when their sequencer took a shit in Cincinnati a day or so before. The keyboardist they used and hid below stage would play keys live and trigger the backing vocals for the choruses. I’m still a huge KISS fan, but hypocrisy is hypocrisy, and Gene is the master of marketing 🤣🤣
Love the podcast Justin!!! Cheers!!!
Great comment ha
Gene is a master of marketing but marketing is not music. They jumped the shark. Go home.
@@teedee2689 I was not big Kiss fan. But I went to see them probably first and the last time on 03/06/22. And I got what I wanted good rock show and the best effects I've ever seen on live gig. Week by week I saw also Scorpions and Whitesnake/Europe. And you need to have respect to guys around 70 years that have such attitude to be in shape in this age. Scorpions vocal one of the best I've ever heard live, Whitesnake drummer Tommy Aldridge (1950) he is drumming like 30 years old in life shape. All 4 gigs were amazing and I don't care if 70 years old men or older need some support during the show even it's technology or other musicians. Overall it needs to sound professional and brings good memories in the future, yes I saw them life and there were crazy times😉 Unfortunately vocalist has the worst position in the band, looking on the best performers ever, age is taking away your powerful voices. Nowadays singers know that they need to take lessons how to use their voices, practice and what to do to safe them for long career like for example Mick Jagger...
@@olekpokorski9955 In general I agree, but there comes a time when it gets silly. Now you mention the other bands (Love them all) and they are killing it and playing and singing very very well. Kiss has trouble, and are struggling. Even Gene said "It is time". Good deal that the show you went to was fun. That is the idea! Some shows are not as smooth, but again, if you are having fun, go for it. I last saw them on the Dynasty tour, and they were super duper. I see your point Well taken - Slava Bogy!
paul is not singing anymore in live shows.
its all tracks.
his voice is shot.
I think bands that don't have enough touring personnel should be conscious of the limitations of a live show when creating an album in the studio if they're planning to tour supporting that work. Some bands seem to have the attitude of "you can't expect me to actually play that part when you see us live, that's hard, I'd have to practice it over and over again." Yes, we do expect you to play that, that's what we paid to see. Rick Wakeman wouldn't be up on stage miming synth parts, or worse, not even try to make it look like he's attempting to play them as synth parts blast from the speakers and people in the audience wonder where they're coming from.
Been watching you for a bit now & it just hit me you sing for The Darkness. D'oh! Really enjoying your channel.
Justin you are so smart! Most guitarists are electrical engineers at heart and understand signals and waveforms! Loved you nerding out on beating phenomenon. Well done.
I saw Kiss in 2012 and Paul's voice had aged but it was still spectacular and hit all the right notes. A few years later it had notably deteriorated until a couple years back where it was basically a whisper. The problem is they failed to judge when to go out on top, which is an issue when Gene Simmons lectures other bands about exactly the same problem
Yes it's a real shame to leave it this way. Should have retired when the voice was on top.
@Lee: I completely agree!
Agree with the comments - on his day Paul was a class showman and a great voice. I know his voice has been shot for a few years (last good concerts - his solo tour in 2004/5????). But still - they are the showmen of showmen.
Paul Stanley was adamant in interviews that bands who “stayed too long at the party” needed to retire.
But here we are.
Their first “live” album (1975) was all phony, with the exception of the drums. Even the crowd noise was on a loop.
They have nearly always been fake to one degree or another.
Lying about who played on albums. Lying about “the best thing we’ve ever done”. Lying about lip-sync. What’s the difference?
They had a “live” show 12 miles from my house a few years ago. I stayed home.
Maybe I should lie about how great the event was?
🙄🤦🏼♂️
Nicely done.
Go watch KISS Unplugged, especially, I Still love you and Everything to me.........Also, who wants to hear a crap version of their live show??? Guess what, ALIVE and ALIVE II have STILL sold close to half a million copies after Gene and Paul admitted to overdubs and cleaning up the mixes
@@swampfoxgolf65alanreynolds33 I’m trying to see your point?
I’ve seen the unplugged. That was what, 25 years ago??
Them touching up their "live" album in the studio doesn't equal them not playing/singing live at shows. They did genuinely play a lot of good shows back in their heyday (ie. The 70's).
I'm really trying to see your point and I'm sorry, I just don't see it. EVERY BAND IS FAKE FROM ONE DEGREE OR ANOTHER. I don't understand why you're dogging KISS and not Aerosmith, good ol'Van Halen, Queen, the Rolling Stones or any of the other famous for playing live bands. This bands could all drop dead on the stage and still give a decent performance from the padding. None of this is news to anyone. Classic example, Train Kept'a Rolling on Get You Wigs by Aerosmith. None of that recording has either Joe Perry or Brad Whitford on it. It was Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter from Alice Cooper who were called in to cover for an inadequate Joe. Payback did come twenty years later. Take the time to see how much Gun's & Rose's Appetite for Destruction was actually Joe Perry and Bad Brad Whitford. Get your finger out of your ass and give your balls a tug.
My first visit here, and love it!
Oh, and yes, Justin, its Physics.
On point as usual. Thanks for your video again :)
Paul lipsynching on this tour has been known for awhile, you can find their whole in-ear monitor track with “helper” vocals here on CZcams. Interesting take that Gene’s comment was from a long time ago and they shouldn’t be held to that standard.
Hi Justin, is not possible to phase cancel a pre recorded vocal singing live, you might have at most a chorus effect with a couple of db of volume increment, 2-3dbs. For complete cancelation you have to have exactly the same waveform. If you want to lower the volume of a backing LV track with the live vocal you can, with a side chain in the input of a compressor, so every time the live vocal appear the pre recorded lower its volume. Love your youtube BTW, always interesting insights. Cheers
They're using a new Noise cancelling technology stolen from Bose and Apple.
so good as always!
Great gig in the Isle of Man Justin! I enjoyed the showmanship. Shame your mic was slightly quieter than the others but I'll take the imperfections any day!
I find the best part of a live show is hearing the mistakes. It makes them human. I actually cheer Lowder when they make a mistake.
I hate it. I wish more bands would do what Freddie Mercury would do, there's tons of examples of him just changing the melody slightly on the fly when he knew he wasn't going to be able to do some parts on every given day. Just sing a lower part! Freddie is widely regarded as maybe the best live singer ever, and I think a lot of that was because he picked his battles wisely. Does anyone think We Are The Champions from Live Aid is bad because he sings a lower part on "No time for losers" than the album? Not a living soul thinks that. I don't understand why more bands don't do that.
Justin, legend. Enjoyed your cameo with Steel Panther at download and The Darkness set. Keep it up, all of it
Great podcast as always. Thanks.
Paul Stanley has been the best rock singer for decades and never got much love for it. Can't kick him while he is 70.
That's right man.
Paul Stanley's 1978 solo album is one of my favourite guilty pleasures. - especially "Tonight You Belong To Me" and "Wouldn't You Like To Know Me". I used to throw it on when I was young having chicks over and trying to get them into the sack. Worked pretty well.
Nothing to be guilty about at all, that album is fantastic! Ace's is the best of the four, but Paul's is right behind it.
When I met Paul Stanley, he couldn't have been any nicer. I brought along this album and told him I loved it and he said "me too!" Then he signed it perfectly. It is framed and hanging on my wall.
Gross.
@@timjespersen3605 not a hit with the ladies obviously
Looking good Justin.. You look better each show! 👏👏👏✨
Your channel is good
Your sense of humor is aporecisted; funny but not cutting. Thank you for this
Your tact is appreciated.
A live shoe should be live. No backing tracks, no side singers, no computer aided files, no click tracks. Stripped down, raw, live. Dont rip the fans off with a 'performance'. Have the courtesy to give us a live show: microphones, amps, live on all parts.
Continued success to you and your channel
I think it's inexcusable, hilariously enough for the exact reason Gene called out himself in the past. They might as well be holograms up there. It's one thing if they are using backing tracks to supplement their live sound or cover up moments Paul simply cannot hit anymore, but to just pantomime your performance this way, at least imo, is an insult to the audience. If you can't play live, then don't do it.
I was an audio technician for years. Still mix from time to time for fun. It’s rare that any major band isn’t playing along to some kind of tracking. Recordings are so processed, layered and mixed and recreating everything that happens in a studio is hard to do on stage. We’ve also trained people to expect live bands to essentially be cover bands of themselves - recreating studio perfect songs. Something the music industry could be doing a LOT better is educating music lovers on the value of musicianship and the beautiful tension and chaos of live shows if muscles can go nuts and freeform and create new magic in a live setting. This is the essential difference in a live show for me. Not all artists will be into this of course and lots of artists would still use backing tracks even if they were to improvise more.
I will also mention I sung and played guitar in a Kiss band fir a lark. The songs are not incredibly changing but doing what Paul dies is legitimately hard.
Thank you for saying this, especially about live bands being cover bands. Not speaking about Kiss necessarily but it seems more and more esp recently, I see people commenting that "hey that (legendary) guitarist messed up that solo" or that singer forgot how the song goes. I'm not sure how this has happened that bands can't jam or take a ride without getting sh*t on. So thanks for pointing this out.
Naw. Thanks for the response. I recall being a kid and seeing some bands and saying “they were so good - sounded just like the recording!” But I was very naïve and had no other measure to work with. That is until I got lucky enough to learn and experience some other critical ideas. I think everyone would enjoy life a lot more with some decent critical chops. I feel like we take the common assumptions of today as a given and natural and impossible to change. But I feel that the assumptions of today are in fact energetically backed, resourced and reinforced. It’s as reasonable to think that we can put that energy, resource and backing into other ideas. Imagine if the comments were more like “amazing tonal shifts on tonight’s improvised parts - didn’t love the major shift but I got what was being attempted - they were so good though - loved the new songs - completely different from the album!”. From non-musos. This is a possible kind of world if we back ourselves. At least I think so. It’d be a serious challenge to the churn of bubble-gum music too. Not dissing anyone…
@@beautifulmachinesaus Again, brilliant! This should be pinned.
(Shy face)
About time Justin Thanks!
Another great video... Honestly, this is becoming my regular morning show, so I'm glad you're so productive. I, on the other hand, am lazy and haven't yet scrolled through all your posted vids. But, have you done any reactions to the post punk band, Dry Cleaning? I would love to hear your thoughts, as the guitar and bass riffs in particular are a bit fascinating. Thanks for all you do!
Meant to post one link to get you started: czcams.com/video/_R4LoTn9mYE/video.html
And one official video too, sorry: czcams.com/video/6PuqlOTyJt0/video.html
Looking like Tommy Lee isn't so bad, I guess. Probably better than anything I look like
I'm a mega KISS fan & have been since 1977. I've seen the band live many times over the years.
I do believe Paul has been using some kind of vocal support for several tours now. His voice started to noticeably deteriorate around 2010 & there were some tours where it was painful to watch him struggle through.
At this point I'm just glad I can still go see them live & enjoy a night with my favorite band even if they have lost a step.
Noticed it when I saw them on back to back tours (Sonic Boom/Alive Anniversary/ Monster)
I seriously believe the punishment of the Phantom of the Opera trashed Paul's voice beyond repair, especially when you consider he was doing up to 8 performances per week with no prior classical training.
the problem is he has slagged off other bands for years for using tracks ! now it's OK for him to do it ! hypocrisy at the highest level.
Justin ,love the show. From Kalamazoo ,MI.
Justin, THE DARKNESS SONG "Love Is only A Feeling" has that one part before the chorus "That the light of my life would tear a hole right through each cloud that scudded by just to beam on you and I. The background vocals sound so high pitched and Queen like. How did you do this in the studio as I did not hear this when I saw you live in Boston? It's very powerful vocal producing and sounds awesome! Anyway, glad to know it's not dubbed into your live performances. I'd rather the part not there than canned.
This is why there are Tribute bands that play the same music without the use of backing tracks or assistance from any other means. Having performed in a Tribute band for 20 years as a lead vocalist, if there was a note that I didn't feel my voice was up to, I would alter the way I'd sing that part so as to not hurt myself or ruin the performance. Personally I feel that having backing tracks for a live performance is an indication that maybe your time has come to gracefully take a bow, leave the stage and not cheat your audience. Kiss, Bon Jovi, David Lee Roth and perhaps others just haven't got the memo yet.
I love Kiss, the original version anyways, but since the beginning of this tour before covid Paul has been lip syncing... initially the whole show and once people caught wind of it he would sing the easiest 23 % of his vocals... when lip syncing in between virtually every line he yells on the mic to the audience " Sing" or " Let me Hear you:...he doesn't need all the oxygen for singing... why is this a big deal for kiss in particular? Apart from the big Kiss cash register that goes along with the tour, it the bragging and trash talk. Mainly the way that Stanley and Simmons have bagged on artist for miming to pre recorded vocals over the last few decades, calling it an insult and a rip off to the fans. They also talk amack about how some former members would never be back in the band because they just can't cut it anymore. Kiss should have hung it up 15 years ago... i saw them in 96 and they were amazing... this current version is a a vegas show trying to be something it no longer is..... you want to know what kiss sounds like without the tracks...watch " Argentina, Barcelona or Madrid 2018, the last tour they did without tracks.... Paul's voice was done them.
No, I'm not going to watch that. It makes me cry.
I love that you handled this with such class and grace. They are progenitors in the world of rock...and he's freaking 70 years old. We *should* respect the elder...Paul Stanley...not the album. 😉🤣
There's no way he could cancel out his own voice in a live PLUS studio backing track. There are thousands of double-tracked studio vocals, and not all of them are hard-panned L&R. There are always so many minute differences in each vocal take that they invariably add together nicely. The only time it gets weird is when you double the exact same vocal take. Then you *should* delay one to the other by 10 to 30 ms (inside the Hass effect... Look it up), and it still fattens things up (live or studio).
When there are backing tracks, I always leave both channels up in a live show and have the artist who is "singing" on the live mic just mouth the words. Then they can "sing" along with the backing tracks, and still (actually) yell out between verse or chorus at the audience. (and that way, there is no tricky cross-fading during or after songs. Mission accomplished.
Loving this channel but it is pretty clear Justin is incapable of calling anyone out on anything. Paul has been using a vocal track for years now. Usually on the choruses. You can stack back to back shows in your DAW and watch how they perfectly align on the peaks. They also phase cancel each other.. The human voice does not do that. I can't believe people still pay to see this nonsense.. you aren't even seeing Peter or Ace. Might as well just do a broadway KISS show where everyone can actually sing. ( coming soon to a broadway near you no doubt)
Thank you. Finally, someone who says it like it is.
If you don't like the way kiss sounds live now, they'd be 20× worse if Ace and especially Peter were in the band
Exactly! It’s maddening to me how Justin gives just about everyone a free pass. If you’re afraid to give much deserved criticism when it’s warranted, then you’ve completely lost the plot!
I don’t give a fuck how “legendary” KISS may or may not be. Simmons and Stanley have both called out other bands for not bringing it on stage. They’re both major hypocrites. Stanley hasn’t brought it in a decade. They’ve even seriously discussed eventually putting together a band without any original members in it and touring as KISS. Talk out respecting your fans? Pathetic.
@@michaelracicot233 maybe...but they'd be raw and they would be KISS! Also, Peter's drumming is sharp these days. He's a huge part of their early sound. Great feel and energy to his playing. Ace is sloppy as hell but it's that timing of his. All the pieces are important. Thayer does a good Ace though, give him that.
@@voicemail1639 💯 bang on. They at least made Carr the " fox" and Vincent that Egyptian looking " Eye" thing. Here we have Tommy Thayer being made to play and act like Ace and he isn't even allowed to break character for a live solo and rip like himself. Want to bet he gets 1/8 of what Gene and Paul make? These guys are arrogant and money hungry. Have some self respect, nobody needs to listen to these tunes in drop D.
Nice to see Paul getting some support here. Been a Kiss fan since '78, and I agree with everything you said here. Cheers Justin. Btw, you're a legend yourself: I remember crewing for you guys a couple of times in Liverpool, back when the first album had exploded. You had laryngitis , I think, but were still ready to go out and do the show till doctors orders stopped you. Good thing was, you re-scheduled, and I got paid twice. :)
Thanks for explaining the various methods of sound manipulaton Mr Hawkins - there is a question of the KISS vocalist being pre-recorded
His vocals were coming out of the pa when he wasn't near the microphone, its clear they are running a vocal track. This is not the first time this has happened on this tour. Lipsynking has no place in rock, imo. If you can't do it anymore, stop.
With the utmost respect for Paul Stanley, his voice is shot from giving us the fans all of himself for nearly 50 years. I saw KISS in 2019 (1st leg of tour) and was completely blown away by the staging and songs. Best show and I’ve seen every tour since 83. So he lip syncs about 1/2 the show. It’s no secret at this point and the tour continues to sell. Leave it to the fans to decide if it’s an issue or not. I venture to guess 90% of the fans (including me) could care less. It’s their last lap around the track….enjoy the moment.
If they were upfront before you paid for the concert and said "lead vocals are pre-recorded" I think the ticket sales would dip. As is there are a lot of people going to these shows under the assumption everything is played live, and they haven't heard or read any of the things in the media about lip synching. So yes, let the fans decide, but you also should inform them of what they are buying.
Personally I have no interest in going to a show where the lead instruments are not performed live. I am ok with bands piping in strings, keys and SOME backing vocals. if there are not enough live musicians to cover these things, but overall the music should at least be 80% live, even if that means slight imperfections.
KISS have Eric Singer (great singer) and Tommy Thayer (good singer) in the band, they can split the vocal and let Paul sing low and just do the big "Woooos" etc. No need for this tripe.
@@tommurrayGTR I don’t think it would affect ticket sales at all. In that video Paul got caught red handed and everybody saw it but yet they cheered. Not to mention the other fails like in KISS Kruise, I think everybody knows at this point he’s lip syncing now but yet still going to the shows. Well mostly because they’re pulling that farewell card again. Ashlee Simpson should make a comeback. People nowadays love the fake lol
@@tommurrayGTR it's got to be at least 81.5% live for me to feel completely satisfied!
100% with you on this Justin! I am one fan who pays more to *see* my favourite recording artists then worry if they need a little help. I appreciate getting to hear and sing along to the songs as they sound when I "spin" them. When you did your episode on Bon Jovi, it was just so sad as he struggled. I'd rather rock out then cringe at a show, anybody's show.
It's not a little help it is an entire click track of vocals. Go to the Fonz's channel and you will hear it. I am a Kiss fan but it's all business and hence the deception. Nothing to do wit the fans.
Justin Hawkins...awesome stuff. I Look forward to your insite on various musical subjects.
love Stanley, but he's been "enhancing" his vocals for years. even the Sydney, 1980 concert that you watch on DVD / YT etc has a second vocal track overdubbed in post-production. he's a legend though so whatever… we go to the concerts now to celebrate the bands career, not to hear a kick-arse live performance.
I noticed it personally back in 1997 at the Finsbury Park show.
There are some videos floating around YT claiming to be the in-ear monitor feeds from KISS shows where you can hear click track, audio cues and "fake vocals". Their shows are so choreographed with pyro etc. it only makes sense to get those types of cues. You wouldn't want to in the wrong spot at the wrong time when the pyro goes off.
Your comedic bit about Paul singing perfectly and cancelling the backing track out was awesome.
I saw them live three times in the seventies. Tons of mistakes live. Ace was the real talent.