@@brownsoverlane6384 Yeah, except I wasn't pretending I WAS singing out loud, like several thousand others but then, I wasn't the artist miming my own songs. Have a nice day.
I would rather hear some of these older artists talk about their experiences and then perform a few songs adjusted for their older voices. That is something I would pay good money for
I absolutely agree. They wouldn't have to make every story about recording the songs or what the song is about. It could be a memory about their children working out that they were famous. Or how someone who didn't know who they were made their day by just being a decent human being to them. Fans love that kind of stuff when actors tell those stories on talk shows (chat shows in the UK) and rock stars could do that too instead of pretending that they can still do it all. Let someone else play the instrument for a few songs and just sing what you still can do well enough to meet your own standards. I am holding my breath, expecting to find out that the vintage rockers I go see are miming and it makes me really sad.
Joni Mitchell sets the gold standard for taking the RIGHT approach to continuing a live performance career into your eighties. Rearrange the songs entirely, so they stylistically fit your new voice. Transpose into a manageable key. Surround yourself with younger singers who can support you and take over if need be. Sit down. Her recent Newport Folk Festival performance of “Both sides now”, a song written by a woman in her twenties, but which becomes MUCH more meaningful coming out of the mouth of a woman in her eighties, is amongst the most moving performances I’ve seen on UA-cam.
Very nicely put! Yes, she certainly does set the gold standard for older performers. I'll have to take a look at that Newport Folk Festival video but it sounds just like her moving performance at the last Grammys.
Great point. Brian Wilson does/does something similar. While it's sad not to hear Brian hit the same high notes, he has other singers take over certain parts and support him. It's still wonderful to see him and hear him play.
I'm obviously not famous, but I've been playing live for over 40 years. Every time, actually me singing and playing. If you can't do it anymore, fine; age happens to everyone, but don't fake it. EVER.
But people who seek fame are shallow. Once you get fame, you don't ever want to lose it. And will fake it. Oh and btw he's a devout christian, apparently.
If people are continuing to pay $ to see a singer on stage, regardless if he's singing live, lip synching or miming, then I don't really see anything wrong it with it. I personally would not like it and would not waste my money, but no one is forcing the people who pay for tickets to buy them.
It's obvious to me that not only does Fil do his job correctly, he does it correctly every time. His integrity in intact, because integrity as a thing should remain intact, and that's honorable roll modelling for all artists, which is the aim of his analysis in the first place - to have and behave with integrity. He painfully, honestly analyzes even artists he's a fan of. He's like one of the most honorable people on the planet, I think.
@@Heightsomethinghuman Kindhearted Fil ruining the old music industry one artist at a time for views yeah such a saint. I prefer the illusions than the reality, and honestly thats part of why i like music in the first place. It doesnt bother me that some live performers lipsync especially if they're really hard songs to sing and they already gave it their all before, but it bothers me that this throws up one more barrier to set the stage to stop newer artists from even getting success.
@@revuutube he is not ruining the music industry, the industry is doing that themselves by deception. Insider secret for decades! But if you still blame Fil, then just unsubscribe and you can gradually go back to forgetfulness of all he has shown.
I accept Sir Paul McCarney's broken singing voice, as brittle as it has become. I'm glad he can still put so many fans in a good mood. And when many fans sing along to the best known songs, Paul's weakness is not noticeable. As long as people want to see you and are prepared to pay (a lot of) money for it, go for it. But don't cheat us.
@jimgeary They sure do, and the show sounds excellent live and in-person. No complaints from me about Paul’s voice as long as he’s performing for real and the music is being done justice!
@@jimgeary Paul McCartney isn't playing....it's sound tracks, or someone off stage A good example is get back on the rooftop concert he's not really playing it's a driving baseline you would have to be playing and picking in this case really *REALLY* fast and yet when you watch, he's just kind of going swish swish with his hand
@@abc456fHis staff and backup musicians are probably some of the best paid in the business. I like to think that Paul probably doesn't bank much of the money himself.
I guess we're among the great unwashed who should know better than to think spending $30 on a meal isn't expensive enough to receive more than reheated Banquet meals (that's a popular and cheap brand of frozen food in the US). People remarking that you have no business expecting more than gas station sushi for $30 are far above us and we should kiss their shoes for having the privilege of walking on the same dirt as they.
@@corilia9529 The earlier live time is hard for me. Then issues, injuries. No vacationing, for sure! How have you been? I hope you are doing great. It's really good to see you, Cori. 😊
@@louiscyfer6944 In cases like this it's the same thing. Are they singing live? No. Are they trying to make it look like they are? Yes. Lip syncing is a form of miming.
Fil - it's such a disappointment to learn that even Cliff allows this. I've seen him live at least six times and would respect him more if he stopped performing when he no longer could, sans technology. Thanks, as always!
As far as I'm aware, miming and auto-tune weren't happening prior to 1997. I stopped going to concerts soon after, upon learning of the pretense at live performances. I've worked too hard for my income to spend it on lies.
Fil, this is a very eye opening video. I have always admired Sir Richard. I am disillusioned that even great performers are participating in this farse of a music industry practice. 😢
@@kenrunyon4825he sold 250 million records…hes not unknown, maybe to the taylor swift generation who dont know anything other than whats right in front of them
Thank you for looking at this one, Fil, although not easy for you considering Cliff is a part of your love for music. I've been thinking along the same lines...it's these older stars that had huge careers that actually have the most to lose by taking the low road. Would a graceful exit be such a bad thing?
I was at one of the 2021 RAH shows. There was a point where they turned the pre-recorded track level down for some "audience participation". Sir Cliff's voice could then be heard so I reckon he was actually singing and the foh engineers really earnt their fee. All the musicians had tablets on stands and iems with the click etc all managed by the foh/monitor engineers. In the end though, he's been an icon of British pop, outlasted almost everyone else and his loyal fans will still fill the venues. So no damage to his legacy.
Oh dear this is the end I don’t mind if they mess it up singing live at long as their working and doing their best but to do it miming that’s just taking the wee wee out of the paying customers
The isolated vocal sounded so robotic as well. A cheap and nasty trick to play on the fans who, after all, are the reason he is rich and famous in the first place.
Tbf when he sang at The Queen’s jubilee years ago his voice was very ropey even then (that’s the same show where Kylie’s vocals started before she’d even lifted the mic). Made dear old Sir Paul sound like Pavarotti.
Another great video, Fil. Honestly, it’s starting to feel concerning that even the biggest names in the music industry are only performing with playback these days. I grew up with TV shows here in Germany where it was blatantly obvious that no one was singing live-things like unplugged microphones and other giveaways. Then came the era of unplugged sessions, and it really felt like musicians were finally playing live again. When you look at what concert tickets cost today, you’d think live performances would be part of the deal. But apparently, musicians are more afraid of getting bad reviews for hitting a wrong note than they are of deceiving their fans. Maybe the whole concept of “live” needs a new definition-not singing live, but seeing the artist live in person. With so many shows involving elaborate acrobatics and choreography, maybe it’s just not feasible anymore.
I believe I've said this before here Fil , if they just come out and say something along the lines of " Hey everyone , on my tour or performance , I will be using a little technology to give me some help as I can't sing as good as I used to , so bear with me as Father Time waits for NO man , let's have some Fun and enjoy the memories and new ones that these songs can bring us all !" I would be fine with that .
All musicians should disclose if they are really live or mime, real or autotune, etc, then people can make an informed decision as to whether they want to buy the tickets. Otherwise just use your own voice however need be for your age.
Shocking. I have always liked Cliff. Sadly my wife saw Cliff live a few years ago. Around the year 2000. She said there was a song where he was doing a lot of dancing and was wearing a head microphone. My wife said at the time he was definitely miming. As a seasoned musician and singer myself if i ever had to mime I would be hanging my microphones up. 😔 I remember now the song my wife was talking about. I just don’t have the heart. My wife never attended another Cliff concert after that.
They just never want to leave the stage and the the sound of constant applause. If the average human life span was 250 years they would still be there in year 2 waiting in the wings
Matter of individual call - for me old, original records of music I like are still good regardless. If the artists from those records are still performing and faking it - they're not getting my attention let alone my money. I'm talking mostly late 60s, 70s and the downhill 80s - so, if most recent artists start out faking it to begin with, then they don't have a legacy as far as I'm concerned.
Another excellent video. I am hoping that you shining a light on this practice will lead to changes soon. I am thinking back to the last concert I attended and wonder now if it was sung live. I didn't know what to look for then.
So nowadays we don’t know if a show is authentic or not. 🤔 Sir Cliff has always had a great voice. It’s unique. You recognize his voice right away. I’ve been a fan forever. I still am. Love Sir Cliff..
I know Cliff Richard from "Devil Woman" and "We Don't Talk Anymore" which were all over American radio in the 1970s. The guy was so huge he out shadowed Hank Marvin (pun intended).
Great that you've heard of him. Because he predated The Beatles, many in the US don't know who he is. A few years back, when French singer Johnny Hallyday died, CNN put out the line to an American viewership "the biggest rock star you have never heard of". But that title belongs to Cliff Richard, sold more than twice as many records as Johnny Hallyday, credited with making the first British genuine rock n roll song, had hits in every decade from the 1950s to the 2000s, and with his backing band The Shadows paved the way for the bands that followed. His influence on UK music can't be understated, so it's great to see your comment! Just a bit sad he had to do this non-live performing after all the decades.
Fil has done an excellent job. The only problem is that from now on, artists who mime and do not sing live, instead of taking the same audio to every show on every tour, will provide dozens or hundreds of different but equally pre-recorded audios, so as not to be accused to mime. They will continue miming (dozens of different pre-recorded audios)😢
I remember the time on top of the pops, when artists were supposed to be singing live. Cliff was on at the time singing Mistletoe and wine, he fell during his performance and the music kept playing and Cliff was still singing but he was on the floor, so obviously he was miming/lip syncing. I think that was late 1980's. I can't say I've ever heard him do a live vocal.
@@moonloversheila8238 Someone else may remember specific events in which the musical act promised not to say any of the "bad words" in the song only to have them sing them on a live feed. This is why they made everyone after that mime. I think I recall the Rolling Stones being told to sing "Let's spend some time together" and they went on and sang the song as it was recorded "Let's spend the night together." Even if that is an apocryphal story, there is no doubt that some musical act living the full and proper life of a musician in the 60s would have been more than tuned up to overcome their inhibitions and say a "bad word" on TV just for laughs. It was always a disappointment to see the artists pretending on TV, especially the ones whose faces (and lack of playing) betrayed that they didn't like having to do it.
Some people would sing (but not play) live on TOTP, but it's always been a small minority. Occasionally people would be given a live mic so they could talk at the start or end of the song. I wish I could remember who but I'm sure there was at least one singer that took advantage of that to talk over the song instead.
There was another instance on an ITV show, I think it was The Roxy, where there's an outtake because they overdid the dry ice and Cliff was completely enveloped and couldn't be barely be seen and stopped singing whilst the song continued. It was the norm in those days on most shows. As a kid I was part of a focus group for a new Saturday morning show ITV were going to launch and when we were asked the number one want from everyone was for bands to perform live. It had no effect. When it was broadcast all the bands that featured mimed.
@bindiboo you must surely have heard Cliff sing live at Wimbledon at least, when he was in the crowd to watch the tennis and was handed a microphone during a rain delay and asked to entertain everyone? When they heard what was going on the women players all came out and clapped along behind him. To stand up there unprompted and sing a cappella like that certainly showcased his talent.
Thanks for a great and thought-provoking analysis--you really had me thinking here, Fil! Like you, Cliff Richard was a voice from my childhood. I believe you gave a great example of trying to make sense of the senseless: Why rely a pre-recorded vocal to NOT GO WRONG FOR ANY REASON, especially during a live stream? Fil, of course you know there's that possibility. You pointed out that Cliff's track record shows his natural pitch accuracy which has me asking, again, why take that risk? I remember in a previous analysis video, you proved how miming could go horribly wrong. To answer your question about whether miming live could potentially harm a legacy: in Sir Cliff's case, I definitely hope not. I don't think he deserved to be attacked by the media as you described. Unfortunately, if Sir Cliff had/has any reason to mime in live performance, I think it's in his best interest to come clean about why he did: Is the music industry putting pressure on him and/or does he no longer have the vocal capabilities? Sorry for this long message Fil, but this is what happens when your analyses have me REALLY THINKING HARD. 🤔Many thanks for being objective and for all you do. Cheers!
Phil, commenting here on the most recent video (as an aside, Cliff was a big pop artist here in the US. A real showman. I got my first set of roller skates and skated to that song. He was popular especially after Xanadu with the lovely Olivia NJ. They performed that duet at concerts all of the time and it was obviously mimed back then. Anyway, that was such a sad relationship. BUT, my real comment is about your Billy Joel video which was made 4 years ago. It was the Stranger tour. I was 5 years old and my dad basically stole me from the school bus to drive us to Providence Rhode Island (hours away) to see Billy Joel. Of course I knew nothing about him, but I'd already shown serious music loving genes that I shared with my dad. He loved music of every single genre. He was born in 1937. Oh and the concert was the night before Easter. My mother forbid me to go...but I can still remember sleeping in the car. Priceless! The concert venue was fully of ganga smoke. I asked what the smell was and he said "Incense!" Billy wore his corduroy jacket and tie, his '70s hair and white sneakers. And yes, his whistling was perfect. I remember Scenes from an Italian restaurant they had a table with the red and white plastic tablecloths and drank bottles of wine. You can imagine I was completely amazed by the spectacle before me. I heard him say the coolest thing in an interview. He purposely uses bum notes. It's a bit jarring, but he feels that makes his music even more accessible. I found that incredibly self-aware and generous. I always stayed a fan, from record to 8 track to cassette to CD and now...here. Some of his records that were most panned, like Glass Houses, I saw it as a progression of an artist. I've seen him live probably 50 times, over half on Stormfront, because I dated the bass player. At 19, I was at the Baltimore national aquarium with Billy Joel. That night we dropped into some random dance club and Billy did a shock performance. I remember being in the back of a limo and Billy was sitting up front and the limo driver said how he loved the song Just the way you are. Billy said he hated that song and he wish he never had to sing it again. I got Liberty to sign drumsticks for my dad. Still, my dad told me to get my ass back to college or he was going to stop paying my tuition. So there's my Billy stories and yes I met Christie and used to take care of little Alexa. Now I'm going to watch your video. I absolutely have loved being a subscriber.
It's because of this that these days, I love going to concerts by tribute groups who usually brilliantly and perfectly reproduce the great songs and music but LIVE !!!!
I desperately want to agree with you, but how do we know they aren't doing it too? This is why Fil's work is so important. There is going to have to be a recognition and cessation of what has been done by major music producers and performers who think they can forever get away with making fools of us. So far they have gotten away with charging astronomical prices pretending to believe we are perfectly happy to see a stage show mimed to the playback of a pre-recorded, highly manipulated audio file. If they had been completely transparent in their marketing and disclosing exactly what a performance entails, then they would be right and I would be proven wrong; but I think most concertgoers expect the music to be created live that night on that stage in front of them. It's worse than Karaoke.
All of these analyses make me glad I don't go to concerts anymore. If they're going to sing along to a pre-recorded file I could just watch them on UA-cam, it would be cheaper.
Unless it’s for real financial reasons, I think if an artist does not feel confident enough to keep it real, maybe it’s time to just retire. If you are up in years, but are still confident enough to keep it real, go for it! Voices change with age, but their legacy will be intact and in good standing.
I'm 70 and just retired last year after decades as a magic entertainer. I just don't have what I consider the proper energy to put into a complete performance. Some entertainers do, though. Paul and Ringo, for example. I do hope they know when it's time to quit, though.
I absolutely feel for Cliff here - he's probably never had to lipsync live before 2017 and is used to expressing himself in the moment. There needs to be a way for aging musicians and singers to connect with their fans without having to pretend to sing and jump around like a 20 year old. Perhaps more of "an evening with Cliff Richard (or whoever)" type of thing sharing anecdotes about his career and so on. A different format with different content and alternative expectations from the audience... Big respect to Sir Cliff - one of the sweetest, most versatile, honey-toned male singers ever. Every time I sing a song each line is improvised/extermporised to a lesser or greater extent. As a result, lipsyncing is something that I really don't think I could do because there is no "set way" of singing anything for me. So I totally understand how it is for Cliff to have to try to mime along when that's never been what live singing has been about for him in the past.
@@thefonzkiss I don't think it's that easy for some of these artists. Music is all they've ever known and they don't want to just stop doing it. It's their life and they love performing. They don't want to stop early. I'd be keen to learn if someone like Cliff mimes every track live these days or whether he's only miming one or two in the full show but sings nearly all of the others live (something I have seen other bands and artists do).
@@CitroenC407 Hi Citroen. You've absolutely hit the nail on the head. It's all he knows, it's his identity. At 80 his voice will be completely different to when he was younger. Generally speaking singers lose at least a fifth (half an octave) by the time they're in their 50's. Often more. So I'd be really surprised if an 80 year old's voice was anything like his voice when he was young. So it may not be possible for him to sing some of his songs and mime to others - the difference might be really obvious. Often older singers (in their 40s onwards) take the key down a few notches so that they can reach the high notes as their voice deepens and thickens, becomes less flexible. But by 80, for 99% of singers, their voices will be unrecognizable from their 20s.
I saw Riger Daltry last summer and he definitely still sings live. However, he told the audience ot was now our turn to do the the big scream in Baba O'Reilly, and we screamed!
@@christinecantrell7950 Excellent way to handle it! Paul Young (wherever I lay my hat in the 80s) lost his voice quite early on - I saw a video of him playing a small gig a while back and he started off each line then pointed the mic at the audience and they sang the rest!!! And it looked like they were having a whale of a time! There's a lot to be said for audience participation. 😃
Thanks Fil. It was also obvious for me in the last tours since around 2017 that he was miming at least two some songs . I was about to ask you to have a look at his last tour where he mimed very obviusly Mistletoe and Wine because the tape has his 1988 vocals from the orginal single. Also seen him missing the start of Move It on those shows . Plua have been to four concerts in the same venue where it was obvious it was the same performance/click track
Cliff Richard's mimed on TV performances for years. Every singer used to have to on shows like Top of the Pops. He knows how to do it. That is of course very different to miming in a concert.
There is misunderstanding as to what happened on Top of the Pops. What actually happened was that the artists were required to record their performance in the Top of the Pops studio earlier in the day. And then mime to that performance during the live broadcast.
I love your work Fil! A friend of mine is a huge Barry Manilow fan. She lives in UK and has seen him tons of times all over England. (Even was invited up to sing on stage with him!) she’s getting tickets for his upcoming coming shows in the states. I’d love to have your opinion if Mr. Manilow is live-singing these days. Thanks for your great channel. 🎸🎤
Trevor Rabin, formerly of RABBIT & YES, guitar teacher of Steven Segal and current Hollywood film scorer ("The Glimmer Man," "Remember the Titans," "The Guardian" & "Independence Day,") was a HUGE fan of CLIFF RICHARD AND THE SHADOWS when he was a child growing up in South Africa. I personally always respected his guitarist's (Hank Marvin's) Stratocaster playing.
Ive been a fan since 1985 and seen him a dozen times live and can usually tell when he's singing a track live and not miming to the original record. I watched his last tour at the cinema and my wife a converted fan thoroughly enjoyed it. I didnt tell her that some songs were mimed and i have a friend going to his next tour, first time seeing, so excited and i wint be spoiling it for her. Most fans dont realise i dont think so i wont spoil it for them. If i were Cliff at his age, obviously lives to perform, id record the song in a studio before each tour and not play the original recording sounding much younger. I think he should choose set list carefully. I no longer pay the ticket price but for those who do and dont know the odd tracks are mimed...im not going to spoil it for them. Many just love being in his company. Hes been a fantastic singer over the years. Hes 83, we need to respect this and let his ageing fans enjoy the memories. I am a cliff tribute artist, a new one called 'Sincerely Cliff' and i hope to keep his songs alive for many years. Im 47. Have a great 2025. Thanks for reading 😊
Thank you for such a respectful comment. I’ve seen him live in Australia maybe three or four times and I would never doubt that he wasn’t seeing life but of course I haven’t seen him in concert for probably 20 years.
100% diminishes someone’s legacy. If an artist is broke, and miming keeps them off the dole, I can forgive them. If they are just addicted to the stage, that is something I will call them out on.
I enjoyed the video and your objectivity once again. The promotional wording for Cliff's 2025 tour is interesting -"These shows offer fans a chance to witness one of Britain's most celebrated performers in a live setting and celebrate his 85th Birthday" which I think suggests more of a 'Sing-a-long-a-Cliff' than maybe some of the other artists that you have analysed. I'd forgotten how much fun Cliff was and that he is way, way more than just the singing. Lots to think about.
I checked out Cliff Richard’s songs on Apple Music after watching this. A wonderful singer - great songs - sorry that the performances now are not live. But this is now true for many singers -
I think people will still love the artists for what they have done in the past, but I'm sure it does leave a bad taste for some fans, especially if they have paid to see them 'live' in the last several years. They will wonder what they paid to see. I've seen people comment about that with some of these other legacy acts as well. You hope that what you are seeing is authentic and it's disappointing to find out that it may not have been.
@@SuziQ. Yeah, I would lose respect too and I think one of things that is really bad with artists like the Eagles, is not knowing when it started. So if you saw them 5 years ago, 7 years ago, wondering if it was a live performance or not, and that is where the legacy is damaged. How long have you deceiving us?
Well done again Fil. I'm not shocked or surprised, but hugely disappointed, at 72 now Cliff and the Shadows are a massive part of my musical heritage. I'm lucky to have seen them in the 60's when all was well. The sad thing is, even with nearly half a million subscribers, every one of which you deserve, the majority of people who will pay good money for Cliff's 2025 tour tickets will be blissfully unaware of your excellent channel, so will be duped like the millions of Eagles fans have been.
At one time, almost everything 'live' on TV was mimed. American Bandstand, for example, all mimed. It was really really really annoying and I hated it. Why show up and pretend to perform, just do it! Eventually, because of the ever-growing number of people speaking out against miming, and perhaps Milli Vanilli helped too, most miming was stopped in North America. But it continued in Europe, and it was crazy when European bands would come and 'perform' on shows here such as Much Music and MTV and would mime and we would cringe as they didn't know we didn't mime here. Now, miming is making a comeback, or if not miming, partial miming, or vocal enhancement, etc. and it's a terrible thing. If you can no longer perform live, well, retire, stop, that's it, you're done, like an athlete who cannot perform any longer, one must retire. There's no shame in it, nobody can be at their peak forever.
There’s a thread on this subject on Steve Hoffman’s forum. The unions in the UK had some involvement in why tv performances were mimed. A lot of it (globally) boiled down to time (no time for sound checks), and the lack of experienced sound engineers on those shows.
@@SuziQ. Ever since Dylan, American audiences have had an "authenticity" fetish that does not exist on the continent. We (and to a smaller degree other English-speaking nations) are the ones out of step regarding mime.
A lot of singers and bands didn't like it. Liam Gallagher of Oasis memorably deliberately "sang" one line out of sync on an episode of Top of the Pops. There are other UK shows where bands could perform live, notably The Old Grey Whistle Test and Later... With Jools Holland, which is still running.
@@Spo-Dee-O-Dee , I don’t really understand what that means. I can’t stand Bob Dylan’s voice. Maybe it’s authentic, but weren’t most bands from that era? Despite what I’ve noticed from your previous comments, massive trickery/fraud in *rock* music wasn’t rampant in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. I have zero fvcks about any other genres, or 4 gakked out Liverpudlians making noise.
@@SuziQ. Before Dylan, the standard was smooth delivery of a pleasant tone. After him, the paradigm was sincere delivery of emotional truth. At least in the English-speaking world. On the continent, Europop was more about putting on a show and not really caring much about how it was made. FWIW Lennon's voice was altered from the second album onwards to conceal the effects of the injury he suffered during the recording of the first, and that is just the tip.
It does for me. I probably would have seen the Eagles 5 times at the Sphere if it wasn't for these analysis videos. And it makes me dislike Don for the pressure he and Glenn put on Randy to sing what he wasn't comfortable with. I'm not familiar with Sir Cliff Richard, but I think I'd feel the same way. Thanks for another great video!
To be honest, I wasn't sure who that was at first. But I figured it out. And it certainly can harm a legacy in my book. I'd rather just listen to an old record. Personally, I want some /most of these older artists to just retire already.
Does miming harm a legacy? I think context matters. I could understand miming one or two songs on a tv show (aka The Ed Sullivan Show in the 60's) when the technical difficulties of getting the equipment set up for such a limited engagement overshadows the benefit. But, if I am going to a concert, I expect more. I wouldn't expect, say, a Robert Plant to hit those stratospheric notes that he did in his twenties, but I would love to see him live today, gritty seventy-something year old voice notwithstanding.
I think this issue (miming vs live) is different when comparing tv performances and concerts. It’s expected on tv, but fraud if it happens at a concert. Why go to a concert if it’s just a recording? I would stay home and play the album.
I sort of look at it this way, having elderly parents over 80. I think for the audience it’s about the memories. Hearing and sight loss of the artist and audience - they probably don’t notice the miming. However, a younger artist is different and should be singing live. Either way, it should be disclosed if one is miming.
There are a few stevie nicks videos of her performing live where she doesn't even attempt to hit some high notes that were in the original recordings . she has two back up singers that sing the high notes for her and it sounds fine . i'm not sure if she still does it that way but i found it interesting in those older performances
Personally i'd pay for a 'concert' comprised of an artist's reminiscences about their decades in music, interspersed with a few bars of a song here and there. You're paying for spending time with the artist, hearing them, being physically in the room with their legacy. I wouldn't wish to pay to be decieved.
For me, having musicians miming throughout a concert certainly does harm the legacy of the performer. I can understand that some extremely difficult parts of songs (eg. "Bohemian Rhapsody") are pre-recorded. Still, a bit disappointing. But, having miming throughout a concert to me is unacceptable. If a performer cannot deliver the vocals then, I suggest, that they step down and allow other performers to perform instead of them. Step aside and allow deserving musicians a chance.
The thing with Bo Rhap was Queen left the stage and played the video, the crowd were in no doubt they were playing the record, then came back to play the rock part live. In the earlier concerts they filled it with a different song
Hi fil I have been going to cliff concerts for the last 20 years or so what I have noticed if I'm being honest is since his home was raided I think it really affected him since then he does mime songs but not all he does still sing some songs live the performances you analyzed if you looked at another 2 or 3 songs from the same concert you would see he does actually sing live great video as always
People will still take videos. There was a guy in the seventies who was famous for making bootlegs of concerts. It might not be with a cellphone (which we need to get into a concert venue), but tiny cameras can be easily concealed.
He seemed to start miming during concerts pre-covid, about 2016 actually, but not the entire concert. He is over 80 years old now so....I've attended many of his concerts and watched it happen. And yes, I think he did suffer some voice trauma due to that circumstance (he won the court case btw) and that coupled with his age...I really think he should do what he did for a New York concert (when Morrissey cancelled) which was a few songs interspersed with an interview.
Miming indeed does have the potential to harm a legacy. What other profession is there where one can fake it and not be faulted? Or where one's supposed talent on which their fame and fortune were achieved can be flaunted as a fraud with no fear of repercussions. At what point does the artist begin to portray just a caricature of himself? Perhaps teetering on the edge of appearing pathetic.
Fil would you be interested in doing an experiment? You would get the most pitch accurate singer, then record the singer singing (recording B) while hearing in their one ear a previous performance (recording A) of themselves (not picked up on recording B). Then compare A and B. Again, they would be singing live, but with the support and coordination of the previous track in their ear. (?)
Not into miming, pitch correction, autotune. Fil, as a 64-year-old I have seen great bands in my time and have great memories of live performances without all this tech crap being added, mostly good some not so great but all real. Will be really happy when the fans wake-up and demand a change from this ripoff bunk, as to me it is corrosive to the music in general, and the industry as a whole!
You've hit the nail on the head there - I don't expect anything to change until we authentic music lovers and artists/other industry professionals with integrity come together to demand that change.
I appreciate that as artists age, they don't want to quit "performing", but I would much rather hear their naturally aged imperfection than this tweaked crap that has become so prevalent. It's actually quite a special thing to hear them sing and play as the elders that they are, and they should do so proudly, and adjust their vocals or playing as needed (for instance, sit down and go acoustic if flat out rocking out is too much for them any more, or add stronger backing vocalists to hit the notes they no longer can). Real music fans wouldn't mind. The true fans who have seen them evolve for decades would love them even more for it.
Uufff. Yes, Fil, when we start to see the matching lines, we do clearly see, unfortunately, where it's going. This is just so demoralizing to the artist, which is why I think it feels so demoralizing to us. Music and the arts is our last bastion of humanity. And the fact that it has been so "heavily edited" it's like filthy paws 🐾 that goes into robbing someones home. Hearing all those people cheering whilst they are being deliberately deceived by "Sir" Cliff .... their sincere adulation and cheering, is heartbreaking. And that the Royal Albert Hall is knowingly complicit and aiding the commercial proliferation of these "performances" is desecrating a UK treasure. Yes, we do care. I remember during the height of the lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic, he made a home video of him being frustrated that he was letting his fans down by not being able to perform live. 2017 was 3 years before March of 2020.🥴
Thank you Fil for exposing these grifters. They charge hundreds of $$$ filling up venues and then slack off and pretend to sing. Why? These singers are super rich! Yet they continue to take our money.
I'm 59 seen some great artists and looking back mybe some were miming ps these bands were my wife's choice won't name them but my favourite are this couple artists, If you find Rory Gallagher, Lynyrd Skynyrd,Status Quo,Gary Moore,or even Saxon artists I have see live I will cry 😢.Why are Cds, vinyl and tapes are so popular is that no one has messed with them, take care Phil...
You bet it harms a person's legacy because it is clearly dishonest and only done to gain money they can no longer earn honestly. So they mime and cheat people who think they are hearing a real singer.
I’ve been a fan of him and The Shadows since the 60s. Mainly The Shadows because I was a guitarist! Seen Cliff live many times, but started to suspect something when I had a DVD a of his concert at Wembley “The Event” 1989. Watched it multiple times over several years and became convinced that the first half of the concert (Rock & Roll) with guest artists was totally mimed by the whole cast. Not so sure about the second half, but now I’m thinking this was mimed also.
It is sad that some older musicians feel the need perform while miming. If they're going to do it, they should make that known before any tickets are sold.
Fil, would you consider reviewing a Def Leppard concert? They are one of the few bands I can think of who have consistently stuck to singing live and have stayed excellent at it. Rare and pretty amazing given their age and complexity of harmonies in most of their songs.
I’ve watched Sir Richard sing and dance in recent years and he is so obviously miming whilst trying to dance like he is in a ‘boy band’ and sing at the same time. He concentrates so much on his choreography, and being in his 80’s, he clearly forgets to put his microphone anywhere near his mouth at times. I’ve always loved Cliff and it’s not a slam, it’s just a reality, time marches on and I give Cliff kudos for always moving forward.
A while back Cliff was being interviewed on a UK TV show. He had a cold so his voice was very hoarse. He then got up , went over to the band and sang perfectly. Pretty obvious he was miming then.
I saw a snippet of his last major tour and he was singing Where Do We Go From Here?. It’s 100% playback. I was quite disappointed because it’s so darn obvious. I was thinking of going to his concert in Australia. I’m not sure whether I will do that now considering the cost of concerts these days
I have to (want to) believe that at least some of the veteran rockers are trying to continue to perform with integrity and age gracefully. We’ve all heard anecdotes from those who refrain from performing their naughty, randy songs that were written when they were too young to realize that those lyrics would be impossible to sing without sounding like a dirty old man after they turned 40, or maybe they never imagined their music would still be in demand for that long. Others retired because their voices and hands don't perform as they think their fans deserve. I respect both groups of performers who are aging gracefully. I loathe the miming and there is something sleazy about not disclosing it. I hope the artists who still do perform authentically live will find a way to allay our fears at the start of their shows so we can enjoy the show and stop wondering whether we're being made fools of by believing that we're hearing a live performance and not pre-recorded and manipulated "backing tracks" that constitute 99% of the sound that fans are receiving from the sound system (as has been thoroughly demonstrated through the analyses here on Fil’s channel).
Well said! Especially this: " I hope the artists who still do perform authentically live will find a way to allay our fears at the start of their shows so we can enjoy the show and stop wondering..."
Speaking as a retired performer, 'If you cannot do it live, you should not be performing'. We are all offended by scams for financial gain. Miming is nothing more than that - a scam.
Most definitely it degrades the legacy even of legendary stars. They should hang up performing publicly if they can’t bring the talent to the stage any longer. For this reason the legacy of Steven Tyler rises while Don Henley has taken his to the sewer. I won’t tolerate a surgeon operating after his vision fails, retiring does not diminish great artists legacy, but conning the public with miming is fraud to rake in cash … legendary artists that choose to defraud their fans have mortgaged their artistic legacy and cannot get it back. It’s okay to have bad vocal performances …but trying to fool your fans while robbing them for a performance mimed to a track is nothing but shameful and if the tickets lack disclaimer it is likely criminal as well but that is for others to determine. Eagles worked hard to earn their legendary success. Henley Vanilli has flushed that Legend’s legacy down the toilet to rake in coin. Good grief. These fakers need to retire from public performance, but alas they choose greed. So sad.
@ Of course, but the analogy serves to illustrate that legendary surgeons do not lose face by stepping back from the operating theater. In the same way musicians and other artists lose no face when stepping back from paid public performances when they are no longer capable. There’s no damage to their legacy same as the surgeon. When they stoop to tricking the audience, miming to technical trickery that is not disclosed, their legacy as performer is greatly diminished, and if charging their highest ever per ticket fees at the box office, even a legend’s legacy can be all but forfeited.
Have there been any well known artists saying that they don't mime, autotune, or pitch correct? Having a list of them might help many decide who they want to see on stage in 2025.
Unfortunately, these days due to technology advances, we never know for sure we're hearing an artist's true singing voice. It's very disappointing, especially when you spend money for a live concert and just hear recorded tracks.
Yeah, I think it’s somewhat sad. One thing I can say about Aussie artists of the 80s, 70s and prior of course… I would bet my life that they would never mime or use ‘enhancements’. They might occasionally get criticised for some vocal deterioration…. or the sound in the venue…but that’s life. There are some like Ian Moss, Iva Davis, Jon Stevens who never seem to age (vocally).
"Does miming live potentially HARM a LEGACY?" It sure does with me.
God: Did you ever pretend you were singing live at a concert? Err...
@@brownsoverlane6384 Wtf?
@@brownsoverlane6384
I suspect God, should he exist, will have a little more than that to ask Cliff about.
@@brownsoverlane6384 Yeah, except I wasn't pretending I WAS singing out loud, like several thousand others but then, I wasn't the artist miming my own songs. Have a nice day.
I would rather hear some of these older artists talk about their experiences and then perform a few songs adjusted for their older voices. That is something I would pay good money for
Totaly agree. Besides, the stories would be far better than the songs.
Absolutely. Drop it to the next lower key and go for it. It's still them doing it live.
I get the felling you should go see Art Garfunkel
Like Robert Plant.
I absolutely agree. They wouldn't have to make every story about recording the songs or what the song is about. It could be a memory about their children working out that they were famous. Or how someone who didn't know who they were made their day by just being a decent human being to them. Fans love that kind of stuff when actors tell those stories on talk shows (chat shows in the UK) and rock stars could do that too instead of pretending that they can still do it all. Let someone else play the instrument for a few songs and just sing what you still can do well enough to meet your own standards. I am holding my breath, expecting to find out that the vintage rockers I go see are miming and it makes me really sad.
Joni Mitchell sets the gold standard for taking the RIGHT approach to continuing a live performance career into your eighties. Rearrange the songs entirely, so they stylistically fit your new voice. Transpose into a manageable key. Surround yourself with younger singers who can support you and take over if need be. Sit down.
Her recent Newport Folk Festival performance of “Both sides now”, a song written by a woman in her twenties, but which becomes MUCH more meaningful coming out of the mouth of a woman in her eighties, is amongst the most moving performances I’ve seen on UA-cam.
Very nicely put! Yes, she certainly does set the gold standard for older performers. I'll have to take a look at that Newport Folk Festival video but it sounds just like her moving performance at the last Grammys.
Great point. Brian Wilson does/does something similar. While it's sad not to hear Brian hit the same high notes, he has other singers take over certain parts and support him. It's still wonderful to see him and hear him play.
I'm obviously not famous, but I've been playing live for over 40 years. Every time, actually me singing and playing. If you can't do it anymore, fine; age happens to everyone, but don't fake it. EVER.
But people who seek fame are shallow. Once you get fame, you don't ever want to lose it. And will fake it. Oh and btw he's a devout christian, apparently.
If people are continuing to pay $ to see a singer on stage, regardless if he's singing live, lip synching or miming, then I don't really see anything wrong it with it. I personally would not like it and would not waste my money, but no one is forcing the people who pay for tickets to buy them.
@@3l3llala13If they are miming, it should be disclosed.
Right on brother. 65 and still playing live! When I start sounding bad I'm hanging up my microphone and stratocaster. Well spoken!
G'day. 74 and still working in rock band, 50 years paying my dues, live!! ❤ 🇦🇺
It's obvious to me that not only does Fil do his job correctly, he does it correctly every time. His integrity in intact, because integrity as a thing should remain intact, and that's honorable roll modelling for all artists, which is the aim of his analysis in the first place - to have and behave with integrity. He painfully, honestly analyzes even artists he's a fan of. He's like one of the most honorable people on the planet, I think.
Yes, I could tell it was painful for him. Kind hearted Fil…that’s why we love him.
@@Heightsomethinghuman Kindhearted Fil ruining the old music industry one artist at a time for views yeah such a saint. I prefer the illusions than the reality, and honestly thats part of why i like music in the first place. It doesnt bother me that some live performers lipsync especially if they're really hard songs to sing and they already gave it their all before, but it bothers me that this throws up one more barrier to set the stage to stop newer artists from even getting success.
@@revuutube he is not ruining the music industry, the industry is doing that themselves by deception. Insider secret for decades! But if you still blame Fil, then just unsubscribe and you can gradually go back to forgetfulness of all he has shown.
I seen Willie Nelson in concert last summer. He's 91 years old and still playing his guitar and singing.
Has he tuned ol' trigger yet?
He's probably also lip-syncing these days.
@@zaph1raxcould never really call Willy Nelson a singer really tho could you. As you couldn’t call Bob Dylan a singer
@@garethparr9482 I'd call them two of the best singers of their generations.
Even when Willy was young his voice was so nasal and cutting, now it’s an older version of the same. My Dad loved him so I heard him a LOT.
I accept Sir Paul McCarney's broken singing voice, as brittle as it has become. I'm glad he can still put so many fans in a good mood. And when many fans sing along to the best known songs, Paul's weakness is not noticeable. As long as people want to see you and are prepared to pay (a lot of) money for it, go for it. But don't cheat us.
Paul’s band really helps bolster the vocals.
@jimgeary They sure do, and the show sounds excellent live and in-person. No complaints from me about Paul’s voice as long as he’s performing for real and the music is being done justice!
@colinbick1383 I admire him for it but his ticket prices are outrageous. He's a billionaire.
@@jimgeary
Paul McCartney isn't playing....it's sound tracks, or someone off stage
A good example is get back on the rooftop concert he's not really playing it's a driving baseline you would have to be playing and picking in this case really *REALLY* fast and yet when you watch, he's just kind of going swish swish with his hand
@@abc456fHis staff and backup musicians are probably some of the best paid in the business. I like to think that Paul probably doesn't bank much of the money himself.
How would you feel spending $30 on a meal in a nice restaurant only to find out they bought it at Kroger and heated it up
A meal this cheap is nearly always more or less convenience food.
Most of them do exactly that. They buy from a food service and microwave it in the kitchen.
I guess we're among the great unwashed who should know better than to think spending $30 on a meal isn't expensive enough to receive more than reheated Banquet meals (that's a popular and cheap brand of frozen food in the US). People remarking that you have no business expecting more than gas station sushi for $30 are far above us and we should kiss their shoes for having the privilege of walking on the same dirt as they.
In other words, TGI Fridays...
I’m making an analogy here people
I love Cliff and oh boy I never thought he would agree to this. 😢
Yes . We wanna HEAR THEM SING LIVE
I'd would be happier to hear them live even if it was not as great as they sounded in their prime.
@@corilia9529
Exactly.
Hey Cori!
@konstantia1607 where have you been!??
@konstantia1607 where have you been ??!
@@corilia9529
The earlier live time is hard for me. Then issues, injuries. No vacationing, for sure!
How have you been? I hope you are doing great. It's really good to see you, Cori. 😊
"It's so phony, how he don't sing anymore!"
👋👋👋..bravo
How he don’t (do not) vice how he doesn’t (does not) sing anymore.
So cruel…😂
Well played!
😂
"Playback time, mistletoe and mime, Cliff's not singing live this time"
😂😁
With logs on the fire and gifts on the tree, will God forgive him for this fakery?
Mariah Carey either in her 2024 Xmas concerts 😂
i wish fil and the rest of you would learn the difference between miming and lipsynching.
@@louiscyfer6944 In cases like this it's the same thing. Are they singing live? No. Are they trying to make it look like they are? Yes. Lip syncing is a form of miming.
Fil - it's such a disappointment to learn that even Cliff allows this. I've seen him live at least six times and would respect him more if he stopped performing when he no longer could, sans technology.
Thanks, as always!
I agree. It is very disappointing. I admire Peter Cetera for retiring. I “hope” he didn’t lip sync during his career.
As far as I'm aware, miming and auto-tune weren't happening prior to 1997. I stopped going to concerts soon after, upon learning of the pretense at live performances. I've worked too hard for my income to spend it on lies.
Fil, this is a very eye opening video. I have always admired Sir Richard. I am disillusioned that even great performers are participating in this farse of a music industry practice. 😢
It's Richard. Maybe your thinking of Keith.
@@ZER0-- I don't think Keef is a sir!!
How long is a legacy? Not long, who cares...
Case in point. Nobody knows who Cliff Richards is.
@@kenrunyon4825he sold 250 million records…hes not unknown, maybe to the taylor swift generation who dont know anything other than whats right in front of them
Thank you for looking at this one, Fil, although not easy for you considering Cliff is a part of your love for music.
I've been thinking along the same lines...it's these older stars that had huge careers that actually have the most to lose by taking the low road.
Would a graceful exit be such a bad thing?
They need the adulation
@jj9749
I can understand. But do they need the flak they might get instead....
Well done Fil. Done with integrity and respect...Thank you for another objective analysis...
A brilliant, gracious, and insightful analysis as ever. Thank you, Fil - you have absolute integrity
I was at one of the 2021 RAH shows. There was a point where they turned the pre-recorded track level down for some "audience participation". Sir Cliff's voice could then be heard so I reckon he was actually singing and the foh engineers really earnt their fee. All the musicians had tablets on stands and iems with the click etc all managed by the foh/monitor engineers. In the end though, he's been an icon of British pop, outlasted almost everyone else and his loyal fans will still fill the venues. So no damage to his legacy.
Oh dear this is the end I don’t mind if they mess it up singing live at long as their working and doing their best but to do it miming that’s just taking the wee wee out of the paying customers
Oh no! Sir Cliff? Is nothing sacred ( well thanks to you we know it’s not 😡 ). Great work Fil, as always 🤘🏻
Oh my! Line over Line, and then we have a mime! Heavily corrected! Sir Cliff can sing beautifully and naturally! What a shame! Well done, Fil! 💜
The isolated vocal sounded so robotic as well. A cheap and nasty trick to play on the fans who, after all, are the reason he is rich and famous in the first place.
Difference between can and could.
Tbf when he sang at The Queen’s jubilee years ago his voice was very ropey even then (that’s the same show where Kylie’s vocals started before she’d even lifted the mic). Made dear old Sir Paul sound like Pavarotti.
@@williamwilson6499 He probably can. Either way, surely fans would want the real thing.
Good job Fil 🎸
The cheapest Cliff tour 2025 ticket I can see is £115...
It's not particularly moral is it.
Another great video, Fil. Honestly, it’s starting to feel concerning that even the biggest names in the music industry are only performing with playback these days. I grew up with TV shows here in Germany where it was blatantly obvious that no one was singing live-things like unplugged microphones and other giveaways. Then came the era of unplugged sessions, and it really felt like musicians were finally playing live again.
When you look at what concert tickets cost today, you’d think live performances would be part of the deal. But apparently, musicians are more afraid of getting bad reviews for hitting a wrong note than they are of deceiving their fans.
Maybe the whole concept of “live” needs a new definition-not singing live, but seeing the artist live in person. With so many shows involving elaborate acrobatics and choreography, maybe it’s just not feasible anymore.
I will not see another concert unless it is live. Pink seems to manage to sing and perform. Tina turner did it at 70.
I believe I've said this before here Fil , if they just come out and say something along the lines of " Hey everyone , on my tour or performance , I will be using a little technology to give me some help as I can't sing as good as I used to , so bear with me as Father Time waits for NO man , let's have some Fun and enjoy the memories and new ones that these songs can bring us all !" I would be fine with that .
All musicians should disclose if they are really live or mime, real or autotune, etc, then people can make an informed decision as to whether they want to buy the tickets. Otherwise just use your own voice however need be for your age.
Shocking. I have always liked Cliff. Sadly my wife saw Cliff live a few years ago. Around the year 2000. She said there was a song where he was doing a lot of dancing and was wearing a head microphone. My wife said at the time he was definitely miming. As a seasoned musician and singer myself if i ever had to mime I would be hanging my microphones up. 😔 I remember now the song my wife was talking about. I just don’t have the heart. My wife never attended another Cliff concert after that.
They just never want to leave the stage and the the sound of constant applause. If the average human life span was 250 years they would still be there in year 2 waiting in the wings
Matter of individual call - for me old, original records of music I like are still good regardless. If the artists from those records are still performing and faking it - they're not getting my attention let alone my money. I'm talking mostly late 60s, 70s and the downhill 80s - so, if most recent artists start out faking it to begin with, then they don't have a legacy as far as I'm concerned.
Another excellent video. I am hoping that you shining a light on this practice will lead to changes soon. I am thinking back to the last concert I attended and wonder now if it was sung live. I didn't know what to look for then.
So nowadays we don’t know if a show is authentic or not. 🤔 Sir Cliff has always had a great voice. It’s unique. You recognize his voice right away. I’ve been a fan forever. I still am. Love Sir Cliff..
It’s the mellow tone. It’s unique.
I know Cliff Richard from "Devil Woman" and "We Don't Talk Anymore" which were all over American radio in the 1970s. The guy was so huge he out shadowed Hank Marvin (pun intended).
No surprise. The band of Marvin (Drifters, later The Shadows) was Cliff's accompanying band. So he always stood in Cliff's shadow. 😉
Hank Marvin was the reason I learned to play guitar years ago. Never liked Cliff!
Great that you've heard of him. Because he predated The Beatles, many in the US don't know who he is. A few years back, when French singer Johnny Hallyday died, CNN put out the line to an American viewership "the biggest rock star you have never heard of". But that title belongs to Cliff Richard, sold more than twice as many records as Johnny Hallyday, credited with making the first British genuine rock n roll song, had hits in every decade from the 1950s to the 2000s, and with his backing band The Shadows paved the way for the bands that followed. His influence on UK music can't be understated, so it's great to see your comment!
Just a bit sad he had to do this non-live performing after all the decades.
@@Fastvoice More to the point, Cliff actually owned the band. Although he bought the famous red Stratocaster for Marvin, Cliff actually owns it.
Fil has done an excellent job. The only problem is that from now on, artists who mime and do not sing live, instead of taking the same audio to every show on every tour, will provide dozens or hundreds of different but equally pre-recorded audios, so as not to be accused to mime. They will continue miming (dozens of different pre-recorded audios)😢
Great update as always Fil
I remember the time on top of the pops, when artists were supposed to be singing live. Cliff was on at the time singing Mistletoe and wine, he fell during his performance and the music kept playing and Cliff was still singing but he was on the floor, so obviously he was miming/lip syncing. I think that was late 1980's. I can't say I've ever heard him do a live vocal.
He’s actually said more than once that everybody was expected to mime on TOTP and that he hated it.
@@moonloversheila8238 Someone else may remember specific events in which the musical act promised not to say any of the "bad words" in the song only to have them sing them on a live feed. This is why they made everyone after that mime.
I think I recall the Rolling Stones being told to sing "Let's spend some time together" and they went on and sang the song as it was recorded "Let's spend the night together." Even if that is an apocryphal story, there is no doubt that some musical act living the full and proper life of a musician in the 60s would have been more than tuned up to overcome their inhibitions and say a "bad word" on TV just for laughs.
It was always a disappointment to see the artists pretending on TV, especially the ones whose faces (and lack of playing) betrayed that they didn't like having to do it.
Some people would sing (but not play) live on TOTP, but it's always been a small minority. Occasionally people would be given a live mic so they could talk at the start or end of the song. I wish I could remember who but I'm sure there was at least one singer that took advantage of that to talk over the song instead.
There was another instance on an ITV show, I think it was The Roxy, where there's an outtake because they overdid the dry ice and Cliff was completely enveloped and couldn't be barely be seen and stopped singing whilst the song continued. It was the norm in those days on most shows. As a kid I was part of a focus group for a new Saturday morning show ITV were going to launch and when we were asked the number one want from everyone was for bands to perform live. It had no effect. When it was broadcast all the bands that featured mimed.
@bindiboo you must surely have heard Cliff sing live at Wimbledon at least, when he was in the crowd to watch the tennis and was handed a microphone during a rain delay and asked to entertain everyone? When they heard what was going on the women players all came out and clapped along behind him. To stand up there unprompted and sing a cappella like that certainly showcased his talent.
Thanks for a great and thought-provoking analysis--you really had me thinking here, Fil! Like you, Cliff Richard was a voice from my childhood. I believe you gave a great example of trying to make sense of the senseless: Why rely a pre-recorded vocal to NOT GO WRONG FOR ANY REASON, especially during a live stream? Fil, of course you know there's that possibility. You pointed out that Cliff's track record shows his natural pitch accuracy which has me asking, again, why take that risk? I remember in a previous analysis video, you proved how miming could go horribly wrong. To answer your question about whether miming live could potentially harm a legacy: in Sir Cliff's case, I definitely hope not. I don't think he deserved to be attacked by the media as you described. Unfortunately, if Sir Cliff had/has any reason to mime in live performance, I think it's in his best interest to come clean about why he did: Is the music industry putting pressure on him and/or does he no longer have the vocal capabilities? Sorry for this long message Fil, but this is what happens when your analyses have me REALLY THINKING HARD. 🤔Many thanks for being objective and for all you do. Cheers!
Phil, commenting here on the most recent video (as an aside, Cliff was a big pop artist here in the US. A real showman. I got my first set of roller skates and skated to that song. He was popular especially after Xanadu with the lovely Olivia NJ. They performed that duet at concerts all of the time and it was obviously mimed back then. Anyway, that was such a sad relationship.
BUT, my real comment is about your Billy Joel video which was made 4 years ago. It was the Stranger tour. I was 5 years old and my dad basically stole me from the school bus to drive us to Providence Rhode Island (hours away) to see Billy Joel. Of course I knew nothing about him, but I'd already shown serious music loving genes that I shared with my dad. He loved music of every single genre. He was born in 1937. Oh and the concert was the night before Easter. My mother forbid me to go...but I can still remember sleeping in the car. Priceless! The concert venue was fully of ganga smoke. I asked what the smell was and he said "Incense!" Billy wore his corduroy jacket and tie, his '70s hair and white sneakers. And yes, his whistling was perfect. I remember Scenes from an Italian restaurant they had a table with the red and white plastic tablecloths and drank bottles of wine. You can imagine I was completely amazed by the spectacle before me.
I heard him say the coolest thing in an interview. He purposely uses bum notes. It's a bit jarring, but he feels that makes his music even more accessible. I found that incredibly self-aware and generous.
I always stayed a fan, from record to 8 track to cassette to CD and now...here. Some of his records that were most panned, like Glass Houses, I saw it as a progression of an artist.
I've seen him live probably 50 times, over half on Stormfront, because I dated the bass player. At 19, I was at the Baltimore national aquarium with Billy Joel. That night we dropped into some random dance club and Billy did a shock performance. I remember being in the back of a limo and Billy was sitting up front and the limo driver said how he loved the song Just the way you are. Billy said he hated that song and he wish he never had to sing it again.
I got Liberty to sign drumsticks for my dad. Still, my dad told me to get my ass back to college or he was going to stop paying my tuition. So there's my Billy stories and yes I met Christie and used to take care of little Alexa. Now I'm going to watch your video. I absolutely have loved being a subscriber.
It's because of this that these days, I love going to concerts by tribute groups who usually brilliantly and perfectly reproduce the great songs and music but LIVE !!!!
They (and here I instance Aussie Pink Floyd) do something that never happened in real life: they reproduce the album tracks flawlessly, live!
I desperately want to agree with you, but how do we know they aren't doing it too? This is why Fil's work is so important.
There is going to have to be a recognition and cessation of what has been done by major music producers and performers who think they can forever get away with making fools of us. So far they have gotten away with charging astronomical prices pretending to believe we are perfectly happy to see a stage show mimed to the playback of a pre-recorded, highly manipulated audio file. If they had been completely transparent in their marketing and disclosing exactly what a performance entails, then they would be right and I would be proven wrong; but I think most concertgoers expect the music to be created live that night on that stage in front of them. It's worse than Karaoke.
All of these analyses make me glad I don't go to concerts anymore. If they're going to sing along to a pre-recorded file I could just watch them on UA-cam, it would be cheaper.
Unless it’s for real financial reasons, I think if an artist does not feel confident enough to keep it real, maybe it’s time to just retire. If you are up in years, but are still confident enough to keep it real, go for it! Voices change with age, but their legacy will be intact and in good standing.
Personally if I was his age (I'm only 75) I'd be grateful if I could stand up on stage, let alone move and sing.
I'm 70 and just retired last year after decades as a magic entertainer. I just don't have what I consider the proper energy to put into a complete performance. Some entertainers do, though. Paul and Ringo, for example. I do hope they know when it's time to quit, though.
I noticed that in his (excellent) performance of songs from "Hackney Diamonds", Mick Jagger (80) didn't actually move his feet!
Thank you for such a great video.😊
Would be nice to hear a response from the entertainers after Fil has clearly shown electronic assistance was used.
You wonder if they have signed away those rights, with an NDA.
I would love to see don Henley try and explain.
I absolutely feel for Cliff here - he's probably never had to lipsync live before 2017 and is used to expressing himself in the moment.
There needs to be a way for aging musicians and singers to connect with their fans without having to pretend to sing and jump around like a 20 year old. Perhaps more of "an evening with Cliff Richard (or whoever)" type of thing sharing anecdotes about his career and so on. A different format with different content and alternative expectations from the audience...
Big respect to Sir Cliff - one of the sweetest, most versatile, honey-toned male singers ever.
Every time I sing a song each line is improvised/extermporised to a lesser or greater extent. As a result, lipsyncing is something that I really don't think I could do because there is no "set way" of singing anything for me. So I totally understand how it is for Cliff to have to try to mime along when that's never been what live singing has been about for him in the past.
So change the setlist. Or don’t tour. He doesn’t need the money.
@@thefonzkiss I don't think it's that easy for some of these artists. Music is all they've ever known and they don't want to just stop doing it. It's their life and they love performing. They don't want to stop early.
I'd be keen to learn if someone like Cliff mimes every track live these days or whether he's only miming one or two in the full show but sings nearly all of the others live (something I have seen other bands and artists do).
@@CitroenC407 Hi Citroen. You've absolutely hit the nail on the head. It's all he knows, it's his identity. At 80 his voice will be completely different to when he was younger. Generally speaking singers lose at least a fifth (half an octave) by the time they're in their 50's. Often more. So I'd be really surprised if an 80 year old's voice was anything like his voice when he was young. So it may not be possible for him to sing some of his songs and mime to others - the difference might be really obvious. Often older singers (in their 40s onwards) take the key down a few notches so that they can reach the high notes as their voice deepens and thickens, becomes less flexible. But by 80, for 99% of singers, their voices will be unrecognizable from their 20s.
I saw Riger Daltry last summer and he definitely still sings live. However, he told the audience ot was now our turn to do the the big scream in Baba O'Reilly, and we screamed!
@@christinecantrell7950 Excellent way to handle it! Paul Young (wherever I lay my hat in the 80s) lost his voice quite early on - I saw a video of him playing a small gig a while back and he started off each line then pointed the mic at the audience and they sang the rest!!! And it looked like they were having a whale of a time! There's a lot to be said for audience participation. 😃
Thanks Fil. It was also obvious for me in the last tours since around 2017 that he was miming at least two some songs . I was about to ask you to have a look at his last tour where he mimed very obviusly Mistletoe and Wine because the tape has his 1988 vocals from the orginal single. Also seen him missing the start of Move It on those shows . Plua have been to four concerts in the same venue where it was obvious it was the same performance/click track
Cliff Richard's mimed on TV performances for years. Every singer used to have to on shows like Top of the Pops. He knows how to do it. That is of course very different to miming in a concert.
There is misunderstanding as to what happened on Top of the Pops. What actually happened was that the artists were required to record their performance in the Top of the Pops studio earlier in the day. And then mime to that performance during the live broadcast.
I love your work Fil!
A friend of mine is a huge Barry Manilow fan. She lives in UK and has seen him tons of times all over England. (Even was invited up to sing on stage with him!) she’s getting tickets for his upcoming coming shows in the states. I’d love to have your opinion if Mr. Manilow is live-singing these days. Thanks for your great channel. 🎸🎤
Trevor Rabin, formerly of RABBIT & YES, guitar teacher of Steven Segal and current Hollywood film scorer ("The Glimmer Man," "Remember the Titans," "The Guardian" & "Independence Day,") was a HUGE fan of CLIFF RICHARD AND THE SHADOWS when he was a child growing up in South Africa. I personally always respected his guitarist's (Hank Marvin's) Stratocaster playing.
Ive been a fan since 1985 and seen him a dozen times live and can usually tell when he's singing a track live and not miming to the original record. I watched his last tour at the cinema and my wife a converted fan thoroughly enjoyed it. I didnt tell her that some songs were mimed and i have a friend going to his next tour, first time seeing, so excited and i wint be spoiling it for her. Most fans dont realise i dont think so i wont spoil it for them. If i were Cliff at his age, obviously lives to perform, id record the song in a studio before each tour and not play the original recording sounding much younger. I think he should choose set list carefully. I no longer pay the ticket price but for those who do and dont know the odd tracks are mimed...im not going to spoil it for them. Many just love being in his company. Hes been a fantastic singer over the years. Hes 83, we need to respect this and let his ageing fans enjoy the memories. I am a cliff tribute artist, a new one called 'Sincerely Cliff' and i hope to keep his songs alive for many years. Im 47. Have a great 2025. Thanks for reading 😊
Thank you for such a respectful comment. I’ve seen him live in Australia maybe three or four times and I would never doubt that he wasn’t seeing life but of course I haven’t seen him in concert for probably 20 years.
47 is pushing it 😉
100% diminishes someone’s legacy. If an artist is broke, and miming keeps them off the dole, I can forgive them. If they are just addicted to the stage, that is something I will call them out on.
some fans are on the dole and scrimp and save in advance to go to concerts , do you think they would forgive him for miming , if they cant do it stop.
@ I do not disagree.
I enjoyed the video and your objectivity once again. The promotional wording for Cliff's 2025 tour is interesting -"These shows offer fans a chance to witness one of Britain's most celebrated performers in a live setting and celebrate his 85th Birthday" which I think suggests more of a 'Sing-a-long-a-Cliff' than maybe some of the other artists that you have analysed. I'd forgotten how much fun Cliff was and that he is way, way more than just the singing. Lots to think about.
Gah! No, Cliff, nooo!!! 😭 🙄
That was the first song of his I'd heard at only 9, too! Still love it today! 🎵"Shee-ee-ee-eep!"🎵 😁
I checked out Cliff Richard’s songs on Apple Music after watching this. A wonderful singer - great songs - sorry that the performances now are not live. But this is now true for many singers -
When he pulls the mic away and behind his back while the voice keeps going, it literally looks as if he's singing out of his ass
I think people will still love the artists for what they have done in the past, but I'm sure it does leave a bad taste for some fans, especially if they have paid to see them 'live' in the last several years. They will wonder what they paid to see. I've seen people comment about that with some of these other legacy acts as well. You hope that what you are seeing is authentic and it's disappointing to find out that it may not have been.
I would be angry, and lose respect for the artist, to the point where they would never get another penny from me.
@@SuziQ. Yeah, I would lose respect too and I think one of things that is really bad with artists like the Eagles, is not knowing when it started. So if you saw them 5 years ago, 7 years ago, wondering if it was a live performance or not, and that is where the legacy is damaged. How long have you deceiving us?
When I reach a certain age, sometime before I'm unable to perform the required tasks, I will retire.
Yep. It's not like these guys are short of a quid 🙂
Well done again Fil. I'm not shocked or surprised, but hugely disappointed, at 72 now Cliff and the Shadows are a massive part of my musical heritage. I'm lucky to have seen them in the 60's when all was well. The sad thing is, even with nearly half a million subscribers, every one of which you deserve, the majority of people who will pay good money for Cliff's 2025 tour tickets will be blissfully unaware of your excellent channel, so will be duped like the millions of Eagles fans have been.
At one time, almost everything 'live' on TV was mimed. American Bandstand, for example, all mimed. It was really really really annoying and I hated it. Why show up and pretend to perform, just do it! Eventually, because of the ever-growing number of people speaking out against miming, and perhaps Milli Vanilli helped too, most miming was stopped in North America. But it continued in Europe, and it was crazy when European bands would come and 'perform' on shows here such as Much Music and MTV and would mime and we would cringe as they didn't know we didn't mime here. Now, miming is making a comeback, or if not miming, partial miming, or vocal enhancement, etc. and it's a terrible thing. If you can no longer perform live, well, retire, stop, that's it, you're done, like an athlete who cannot perform any longer, one must retire. There's no shame in it, nobody can be at their peak forever.
There’s a thread on this subject on Steve Hoffman’s forum. The unions in the UK had some involvement in why tv performances were mimed.
A lot of it (globally) boiled down to time (no time for sound checks), and the lack of experienced sound engineers on those shows.
@@SuziQ. Ever since Dylan, American audiences have had an "authenticity" fetish that does not exist on the continent. We (and to a smaller degree other English-speaking nations) are the ones out of step regarding mime.
A lot of singers and bands didn't like it. Liam Gallagher of Oasis memorably deliberately "sang" one line out of sync on an episode of Top of the Pops.
There are other UK shows where bands could perform live, notably The Old Grey Whistle Test and Later... With Jools Holland, which is still running.
@@Spo-Dee-O-Dee ,
I don’t really understand what that means. I can’t stand Bob Dylan’s voice. Maybe it’s authentic, but weren’t most bands from that era?
Despite what I’ve noticed from your previous comments, massive trickery/fraud in *rock* music wasn’t rampant in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. I have zero fvcks about any other genres, or 4 gakked out Liverpudlians making noise.
@@SuziQ. Before Dylan, the standard was smooth delivery of a pleasant tone. After him, the paradigm was sincere delivery of emotional truth. At least in the English-speaking world. On the continent, Europop was more about putting on a show and not really caring much about how it was made. FWIW Lennon's voice was altered from the second album onwards to conceal the effects of the injury he suffered during the recording of the first, and that is just the tip.
It does for me. I probably would have seen the Eagles 5 times at the Sphere if it wasn't for these analysis videos. And it makes me dislike Don for the pressure he and Glenn put on Randy to sing what he wasn't comfortable with. I'm not familiar with Sir Cliff Richard, but I think I'd feel the same way. Thanks for another great video!
To be honest, I wasn't sure who that was at first. But I figured it out. And it certainly can harm a legacy in my book. I'd rather just listen to an old record. Personally, I want some /most of these older artists to just retire already.
Does miming harm a legacy? I think context matters. I could understand miming one or two songs on a tv show (aka The Ed Sullivan Show in the 60's) when the technical difficulties of getting the equipment set up for such a limited engagement overshadows the benefit. But, if I am going to a concert, I expect more. I wouldn't expect, say, a Robert Plant to hit those stratospheric notes that he did in his twenties, but I would love to see him live today, gritty seventy-something year old voice notwithstanding.
I think this issue (miming vs live) is different when comparing tv performances and concerts. It’s expected on tv, but fraud if it happens at a concert. Why go to a concert if it’s just a recording? I would stay home and play the album.
Of course it does. Any sort of fraud hurts the person doing it.
Thank you!! Keep up the great work.
I sort of look at it this way, having elderly parents over 80. I think for the audience it’s about the memories. Hearing and sight loss of the artist and audience - they probably don’t notice the miming. However, a younger artist is different and should be singing live. Either way, it should be disclosed if one is miming.
There are a few stevie nicks videos of her performing live where she doesn't even attempt to hit some high notes that were in the original recordings . she has two back up singers that sing the high notes for her and it sounds fine . i'm not sure if she still does it that way but i found it interesting in those older performances
Personally i'd pay for a 'concert' comprised of an artist's reminiscences about their decades in music, interspersed with a few bars of a song here and there. You're paying for spending time with the artist, hearing them, being physically in the room with their legacy.
I wouldn't wish to pay to be decieved.
ELO was BLASTED for have a tape backup during their tours. Today, it's OK?
For me, having musicians miming throughout a concert certainly does harm the legacy of the performer. I can understand that some extremely difficult parts of songs (eg. "Bohemian Rhapsody") are pre-recorded. Still, a bit disappointing. But, having miming throughout a concert to me is unacceptable. If a performer cannot deliver the vocals then, I suggest, that they step down and allow other performers to perform instead of them. Step aside and allow deserving musicians a chance.
The thing with Bo Rhap was Queen left the stage and played the video, the crowd were in no doubt they were playing the record, then came back to play the rock part live. In the earlier concerts they filled it with a different song
Hi fil I have been going to cliff concerts for the last 20 years or so what I have noticed if I'm being honest is since his home was raided I think it really affected him since then he does mime songs but not all he does still sing some songs live the performances you analyzed if you looked at another 2 or 3 songs from the same concert you would see he does actually sing live great video as always
I just watched a UA-cam video with Ed Sherran in concert & wondered if he was lip syncing.
Yes I think they'd leave in the pitch inaccuracies so the audience hears it as natural.
I think after Fil's videos the music industry is not necessarily going to change but they will not allow taking videos during concerts for sure;]
People will still take videos. There was a guy in the seventies who was famous for making bootlegs of concerts. It might not be with a cellphone (which we need to get into a concert venue), but tiny cameras can be easily concealed.
A group called Nmixx was just posted to the NPR Music channel. Seems like they’re live live with incredible vocals, but would love your analysis.
He seemed to start miming during concerts pre-covid, about 2016 actually, but not the entire concert. He is over 80 years old now so....I've attended many of his concerts and watched it happen. And yes, I think he did suffer some voice trauma due to that circumstance (he won the court case btw) and that coupled with his age...I really think he should do what he did for a New York concert (when Morrissey cancelled) which was a few songs interspersed with an interview.
Miming indeed does have the potential to harm a legacy. What other profession is there where one can fake it and not be faulted? Or where one's supposed talent on which their fame and fortune were achieved can be flaunted as a fraud with no fear of repercussions. At what point does the artist begin to portray just a caricature of himself? Perhaps teetering on the edge of appearing pathetic.
Don't look now, but here come half the US politicians...
@@MrLourie I was thinking the same thing, not a lot of other professions where you will be paid, and paid well at that, to pretend to do your job.
It’s so funny - how he don’t sing anymore ,,,,,
ahahah....Very witty!... but it might be too subtle for the younger viewers.
Singing doesn't live here anymore
Sad , because his flat notes sound better than the pitch corrected ones .
Fil would you be interested in doing an experiment? You would get the most pitch accurate singer, then record the singer singing (recording B) while hearing in their one ear a previous performance (recording A) of themselves (not picked up on recording B). Then compare A and B. Again, they would be singing live, but with the support and coordination of the previous track in their ear. (?)
Not into miming, pitch correction, autotune. Fil, as a 64-year-old I have seen great bands in my time and have great memories of live performances without all this tech crap being added, mostly good some not so great but all real. Will be really happy when the fans wake-up and demand a change from this ripoff bunk, as to me it is corrosive to the music in general, and the industry as a whole!
You've hit the nail on the head there - I don't expect anything to change until we authentic music lovers and artists/other industry professionals with integrity come together to demand that change.
I appreciate that as artists age, they don't want to quit "performing", but I would much rather hear their naturally aged imperfection than this tweaked crap that has become so prevalent. It's actually quite a special thing to hear them sing and play as the elders that they are, and they should do so proudly, and adjust their vocals or playing as needed (for instance, sit down and go acoustic if flat out rocking out is too much for them any more, or add stronger backing vocalists to hit the notes they no longer can). Real music fans wouldn't mind. The true fans who have seen them evolve for decades would love them even more for it.
Well said and I couldn't agree more!
Cliff has been singing all through my life too, and I'm a 56 yo. LOL.
Uufff. Yes, Fil, when we start to see the matching lines, we do clearly see, unfortunately, where it's going. This is just so demoralizing to the artist, which is why I think it feels so demoralizing to us. Music and the arts is our last bastion of humanity.
And the fact that it has been so "heavily edited" it's like filthy paws 🐾 that goes into robbing someones home. Hearing all those people cheering whilst they are being deliberately deceived by "Sir" Cliff .... their sincere adulation and cheering, is heartbreaking. And that the Royal Albert Hall is knowingly complicit and aiding the commercial proliferation of these "performances" is desecrating a UK treasure.
Yes, we do care.
I remember during the height of the lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic, he made a home video of him being frustrated that he was letting his fans down by not being able to perform live. 2017 was 3 years before March of 2020.🥴
Thank you Fil for exposing these grifters. They charge hundreds of $$$ filling up venues and then slack off and pretend to sing. Why? These singers are super rich! Yet they continue to take our money.
I'm 59 seen some great artists and looking back mybe some were miming ps these bands were my wife's choice won't name them but my favourite are this couple artists, If you find Rory Gallagher, Lynyrd Skynyrd,Status Quo,Gary Moore,or even Saxon artists I have see live I will cry 😢.Why are Cds, vinyl and tapes are so popular is that no one has messed with them, take care Phil...
I have some bootlegs from Genesis (pre 1977) , Led Zep, Yes and others but they sound better than official releases.
You bet it harms a person's legacy because it is clearly dishonest and only done to gain money they can no longer earn honestly. So they mime and cheat people who think they are hearing a real singer.
Another sad case of an artist who lies to those who pay money to see them play "live" 😢
I’ve been a fan of him and The Shadows since the 60s. Mainly The Shadows because I was a guitarist!
Seen Cliff live many times, but started to suspect something when I had a DVD a of his concert at Wembley “The Event” 1989. Watched it multiple times over several years and became convinced that the first half of the concert (Rock & Roll) with guest artists was totally mimed by the whole cast. Not so sure about the second half, but now I’m thinking this was mimed also.
It is sad that some older musicians feel the need perform while miming. If they're going to do it, they should make that known before any tickets are sold.
Fil, would you consider reviewing a Def Leppard concert? They are one of the few bands I can think of who have consistently stuck to singing live and have stayed excellent at it. Rare and pretty amazing given their age and complexity of harmonies in most of their songs.
I’ve watched Sir Richard sing and dance in recent years and he is so obviously miming whilst trying to dance like he is in a ‘boy band’ and sing at the same time. He concentrates so much on his choreography, and being in his 80’s, he clearly forgets to put his microphone anywhere near his mouth at times. I’ve always loved Cliff and it’s not a slam, it’s just a reality, time marches on and I give Cliff kudos for always moving forward.
A while back Cliff was being interviewed on a UK TV show. He had a cold so his voice was very hoarse. He then got up , went over to the band and sang perfectly. Pretty obvious he was miming then.
If I pay big money to see an artist live and they are lip-synching; it’s fraud and I’d want my $ back.
I saw a snippet of his last major tour and he was singing Where Do We Go From Here?. It’s 100% playback. I was quite disappointed because it’s so darn obvious. I was thinking of going to his concert in Australia. I’m not sure whether I will do that now considering the cost of concerts these days
I have to (want to) believe that at least some of the veteran rockers are trying to continue to perform with integrity and age gracefully. We’ve all heard anecdotes from those who refrain from performing their naughty, randy songs that were written when they were too young to realize that those lyrics would be impossible to sing without sounding like a dirty old man after they turned 40, or maybe they never imagined their music would still be in demand for that long. Others retired because their voices and hands don't perform as they think their fans deserve. I respect both groups of performers who are aging gracefully.
I loathe the miming and there is something sleazy about not disclosing it. I hope the artists who still do perform authentically live will find a way to allay our fears at the start of their shows so we can enjoy the show and stop wondering whether we're being made fools of by believing that we're hearing a live performance and not pre-recorded and manipulated "backing tracks" that constitute 99% of the sound that fans are receiving from the sound system (as has been thoroughly demonstrated through the analyses here on Fil’s channel).
Well said! Especially this: " I hope the artists who still do perform authentically live will find a way to allay our fears at the start of their shows so we can enjoy the show and stop wondering..."
Speaking as a retired performer, 'If you cannot do it live, you should not be performing'. We are all offended by scams for financial gain. Miming is nothing more than that - a scam.
Went and saw Frankie Valli last year and though I loved the show, it was obvious he was miming, bless his heart.
Most definitely it degrades the legacy even of legendary stars. They should hang up performing publicly if they can’t bring the talent to the stage any longer. For this reason the legacy of Steven Tyler rises while Don Henley has taken his to the sewer.
I won’t tolerate a surgeon operating after his vision fails, retiring does not diminish great artists legacy, but conning the public with miming is fraud to rake in cash … legendary artists that choose to defraud their fans have mortgaged their artistic legacy and cannot get it back. It’s okay to have bad vocal performances …but trying to fool your fans while robbing them for a performance mimed to a track is nothing but shameful and if the tickets lack disclaimer it is likely criminal as well but that is for others to determine. Eagles worked hard to earn their legendary success. Henley Vanilli has flushed that Legend’s legacy down the toilet to rake in coin. Good grief. These fakers need to retire from public performance, but alas they choose greed. So sad.
I would definitely consider a surgeon who "fakes it" by wearing eyeglasses, or sneakier still, contacts.
@ Of course, but the analogy serves to illustrate that legendary surgeons do not lose face by stepping back from the operating theater. In the same way musicians and other artists lose no face when stepping back from paid public performances when they are no longer capable. There’s no damage to their legacy same as the surgeon. When they stoop to tricking the audience, miming to technical trickery that is not disclosed, their legacy as performer is greatly diminished, and if charging their highest ever per ticket fees at the box office, even a legend’s legacy can be all but forfeited.
Have there been any well known artists saying that they don't mime, autotune, or pitch correct? Having a list of them might help many decide who they want to see on stage in 2025.
Unfortunately, these days due to technology advances, we never know for sure we're hearing an artist's true singing voice. It's very disappointing, especially when you spend money for a live concert and just hear recorded tracks.
Yeah, I think it’s somewhat sad. One thing I can say about Aussie artists of the 80s, 70s and prior of course… I would bet my life that they would never mime or use ‘enhancements’. They might occasionally get criticised for some vocal deterioration…. or the sound in the venue…but that’s life.
There are some like Ian Moss, Iva Davis, Jon Stevens who never seem to age (vocally).
Sadly I believe that ship has sailed. A majority of the public now seem to accept miming/lip syncing during concert appearances by pop acts.