In a video of KISS’ soundcheck in Berlin, filmed by a fan and uploaded on YouTube, the band’s frontman Paul Stanley dismissed lip-syncing accusations with a mocking tone.
The singer said in between the songs:
“We are not really playing, and we are not really singing. It’s all fake. Bullsh*t.”
When KISS launched its End of the Road World Tour in 2019, some fans and critics started to accuse Stanley of lip-syncing and using backing tracks. This speculation arose due to Stanley’s difficulties in hitting the high notes in the band’s classic songs over the past few years.
Despite the controversy, the band’s longtime manager, Doc McGhee, came to the defense of the vocalist in an interview with Syncin’ Stanley early this year. McGhee affirmed that Paul sang every single word of every song during their performances, explaining:
“He sings every track. So he sings to it. So he’s not lip-syncing. He fully sings. It’s enhanced. It’s just part of the process to make sure that everybody hears the songs the way they should be sung, to begin with.
The manager continued:
“Nobody wants to hear people do stuff that’s not real; that’s not what they came to hear. He’ll sing to tracks. It’s all part of a process. Because everybody wants to hear, everybody sings. But he fully sings to every song.”
Several musicians, including Joey Belladonna, Justin Hawkins, and Michael Starr, addressed Stanley’s alleged lip-syncing performances in past months. While Belladonna and Starr chose to stay objective by saying they couldn’t confirm the validity of the claims, Hawkins supported the KISS singer as he said the band’s performances were not only about their vocals.
You can watch the soundcheck below.
