Recently speaking to Canada’s The Metal Voice, W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless denied allegations of lip-syncing during live performances.
When asked about the ongoing concerns among fans regarding the band’s use of pre-recorded backing tracks in their live shows, the vocalist explained:
“The conclusion that I came to was this. Up until about five years ago, we did everything — it was literally a four-piece band; what you heard is what you got. And I came to the conclusion that we did the anniversary tour for ‘The Crimson Idol’. We then brought in all that orchestration.”
Lawless’ Aim for Authenticity In Live Music
He compared the experience to hearing the album live for the first time and continued, revealing what he wanted for future performances:
“And I stood in the middle of the room and I listened to that in rehearsal for the first time. It was like an out-of-body experience. I mean, it was unbelievable. And I remember thinking, ‘I’ve never heard this sound like this other than the record.’ And I thought, ‘this is what I wanna do from now on. I want it to sound exactly like the record.'”
The Who’s Influence On Live Performance Standards
Lawless then referenced the Who’s ‘Live At Leeds’ album to illustrate the difference between a raw, live rock sound and a performance that sounds like the studio record. The singer noted:
“When you listen to a record like ‘Live At Leeds’ [from] the Who, that’s a rock band doing a three-piece musical version of ‘Tommy’ or some of the other earlier songs. It’s great for what it is, but it doesn’t sound like ‘Tommy.’ What they do now with all the pieces that they take out, those performances sound like the record. And so you have to make a decision as an artist: what do you want that performance to sound like?”
The Singer’s Justification For Using Pre-recorded Tracks
During a May 2023 interview with Eddie Trunk’s Trunk Nation, the frontman shared his thoughts on his band using pre-recorded tracks once more. Apparently, Blackie sees no problem with that, as he explained:
“For me personally, when I’m up there, I’m singing my *ss off. But what’s wrong with having an enhancement to make something sound exactly like the record? Because you won’t get a band like Queen or any other band that does big productions like that… Four guys cannot go out there and reproduce that record. It’s impossible. It won’t happen. So do you want it to sound like the record, or do you want it to be just a general live performance? And that’s a question of taste.”
Previously, Lawless had admitted to using backing tracks during the band’s 2022 tour during a VIP Experience Q&A session. He explained that in the studio, vocals are often layered multiple times to create a fuller sound for the choruses. Comparing this to live performances that sounded weaker without these layers, he felt that using backing tracks enhanced the live sound quality, making the performances sound better.
