The future of live music? Madonna world tour kicks off at London O2 Arena with no band...

CaseOfAce

I would assume that this is going to become increasingly the norm for big name POP acts but even the likes of Ian Brown are going out now with a laptop.

Still.. catch her now whilst she still appears on stage - and not just a hologram.

Moe_Zambeek

I’d rather not look at her now. It makes me feel sad for female humanity. Sort of. 

jdgm

Yes; a band for her now would just be a waste of money.  It's all about the visuals and the dancing.

One digruntled punter reckoned she was lip-synching most or all of it (see BBC online news report).

munckee

If you have no band and then lyp sync you should not be able to sell tickets as a live event. 

mrkb

jdgm said:

Yes; a band for her now would just be a waste of money.  It's all about the visuals and the dancing.

One digruntled punter reckoned she was lip-synching most or all of it (see BBC online news report).

Shes 65 years old! and had alot of work done - Im surprised if her lips moved with her speech.

LionAquaLooper

Not really a new thing. Rappers and girl/boy bands have been doing that for decades. 

ICBM

Apparently the computer crashed and took ten minutes to re-boot... during which she told stories about her life, so the mic was definitely live at that point at least. Unless you're cynical enough to think that was pre-recorded too!

I don't really mind going to see a show knowing that a lot or even all of it isn't being performed live. It's not the same as seeing a real band actually playing, but I think there's room for both as long as you know what you're getting.

richardhomer

Someone I know is friendly with someone who did the sound on the last Spice Girls tour. Mics were only live between songs apparently…

Philly_Q

I've read a couple of "mainstream media" reviews of the Madonna show and they didn't seem particularly bothered by the lack of live music or (possibly) live singing.  In fact it was barely mentioned.  Maybe it's getting to the point where audiences just want the performance to look good - with dancers, costume changes etc - and sound like the records?

Kilgore

Philly_Q said:

I've read a couple of "mainstream media" reviews of the Madonna show and they didn't seem particularly bothered by the lack of live music or (possibly) live singing.  In fact it was barely mentioned.  Maybe it's getting to the point where audiences just want the performance to look good - with dancers, costume changes etc - and sound like the records?

I saw an interview with Stuart Price who is some sort of producer for the tour who said exactly that. It's a greatest hits tour with everything sounding like the records. 

That's what the punters want.

euan

Dylan could charge twice as much for that. 

Philly_Q

euan said:

Dylan could charge twice as much for that. 

What's he going to do, stand there miming and maybe doing a little dance?  Change his hat occasionally?

LionAquaLooper

richardhomer said:

Someone I know is friendly with someone who did the sound on the last Spice Girls tour. Mics were only live between songs apparently…

Coincidentally I just watched the Michael Jackson "This Is It" documentary on ITV and I firmly believe he lip synced on certain songs as well. Not because he can't sing (like some of the Slice Girls) but because he dances so much and his voice doesn't wobble. Plus when that was filmed he was already "old" and to have him sing live for 2+ hrs, while dancing, remembering choreography, lyrics, cues etc every night would've been extremely risky from a production POV. So in that respect I don't blame pop acts for lip syncing. 

I know Jackson was ridiculed a lot but that documentary reminded me how much of a hard worker and a musical genius he was. 

TheBigDipper

I find it a bit depressing that people buying tickets don't care if the musicians and singers they've paid to see are actually generating the sounds at the time. I look for live performances that are actually happening. But it's not my money and if they're happy, then so be it. 

I don't think the artists should be able to lie about it or gloss over what it is they're actually doing, though. But what I think isn't going to change anything. That's entertainment! :-) 

BahHumbug

To be fair, the emphasis on a visual show, with the live music element being unimportant, very much goes with the ‘pop’ territory these days.  And Maddie is one of the people that developed the approach.  It’s not the end of live music, it’s just a different genre of entertainment.

prowla

CaseOfAce said:

I would assume that this is going to become increasingly the norm for big name POP acts but even the likes of Ian Brown are going out now with a laptop.

Still.. catch her now whilst she still appears on stage - and not just a hologram.

At the O2 you might as well be watching a hologram.

prowla

Philly_Q said:

euan said:

Dylan could charge twice as much for that. 

What's he going to do, stand there miming and maybe doing a little dance?  Change his hat occasionally?

It's a stretch to call what he does "singing" anyway!

scrumhalf

I cannot fathom paying so much to basically see someone dancing to a backing track. 

CaseOfAce

In a weird sort of way she's come full circle back to where she first started when she rocked up at the Hacienda with 2 dancers and sang mimed Holiday.

DefaultM

LionAquaLooper said:

richardhomer said:

Someone I know is friendly with someone who did the sound on the last Spice Girls tour. Mics were only live between songs apparently…

Coincidentally I just watched the Michael Jackson "This Is It" documentary on ITV and I firmly believe he lip synced on certain songs as well. Not because he can't sing (like some of the Slice Girls) but because he dances so much and his voice doesn't wobble. Plus when that was filmed he was already "old" and to have him sing live for 2+ hrs, while dancing, remembering choreography, lyrics, cues etc every night would've been extremely risky from a production POV. So in that respect I don't blame pop acts for lip syncing. 

I know Jackson was ridiculed a lot but that documentary reminded me how much of a hard worker and a musical genius he was. 

He did this thing where he held the microphone to his mouth with 2 hands, with one covering your view. I assumed he was lip syncing when he did that.

thecolourbox

I would imagine more Big Macs are sold than prime steak cuts. There's room for both