chris jerichofozzy
16:50 Monday, 4 April 2022
Fozzy vocalist Chris Jericho doesn't really see the big deal with bands using backing tracks live. In an interview with Meltdown, Jericho pointed out that tons of bands use backing tracks live to fill out their sound and make the live experience closer to the recording. Which makes sense, given that studio albums generally use way more layers of recording than there are members of the band.
"We use backing tracks for some songs, and everybody does. Unless you're Guns N' Roses… Let me rephrase that… If you're in Slash's band… Guns N' Roses has backing tracks. They have a keyboard player. It's just the way of the world right now. It doesn't mean we're not singing and not playing. If you're listening to a record, you go to a Def Leppard gig and you hear 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' that was recorded with 25 tracks of guitars, you can't just go with two guitars on stage and in your right mind think there wasn't something building up the background there.
"It's just kind of the way that bands are. It doesn't make you any less of a band. 'Cause you know what? Queen used tracks in the '70s. If you don't believe me, watch it when they play 'Bohemian Rhapsody' live."
The topic of backing tracks recently came up when Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie was accused of lip syncing live. Though really, footage from the alleged "lip syncing" seemed like backing tracks being used for harmonies than it was LaBrie trying to pass off a not-live performance.
