Monday, October 31, 2011
Did Cheap Trick lip-sync at Voodoo?
Posted by Kevin Allman on Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 9:26 AM
I wasn't there for Cheap Trick's Sunday night set at the Voodoo Experience, but the consensus among several people who did go was that CT performed a real cheap trick and lip-synched through most (if not all) of their set.
Gambit A&E editor Will Coviello:
On the disappointing side, Cheap Trick was scheduled to play the Bingo! Parlor stage, the notion being that the show would be a more intimate affair. The band sounded exactly like it does on its albums — because it appeared to lip-sync the entire set.
The Times-Picayune's Alison Fensterstock:
[Robin] Zander’s voice, which couldn’t really be expected to stay in its pristine register after 40 years, got help. There were a couple of awkward moments when he didn’t quite sync up with the vocal track that was laying a comfortable foundation for his live efforts. One local musician was upset. “It’s undignified,” he said, before skipping out to catch the Meters.
Based on the YouTube captures from the show — well, the vocals sound awfully good, pitched in an arena register that doesn't quite match the small Bingo! stage at Voodoo:
"I Want You to Want Me":
Were you there? What did you think?
Comments (16)
Showing 1-16 of 16
They have a keyboard player on the side of the stage singing BG vocals. This is live.
like
dislikeHaving seen CT hundreds of times and being the owner of even more live tapes (video and audio only), I can say without any uncertainty that this is live. Robin's voice IS as pristine as it was 30 years ago -- an incredible feat, especially given that he was a smoker for much of that time. The only time CT has ever relied upon pre-recordings for live shows is when they don't have a keyboard player with them, and then only for very limited parts of songs where keyboards are a necessity (e.g. She's Tight, the Flame).
Totally agreed. This is LIVE, folks. And yes, he IS that goddamned good. I just saw them at the end of September, and was once against struck by just how great Robin's voice is. But this is NOT the album version of the song, and Cheap Trick doesn't need to lip synch.
He is actually a little flat on the first "want", which kills the lip-sync theory. Besides, anyone who has listened to this song 500 times knows this is live. Robin is still a fantastic singer and Cheap Trick would never cheat and have never needed to, because (God forbid these days) they actually have talent. Whoever started this dirty rumor should be ashamed.
Having worked with them and seen their rider and input lists, I know this is absolutely live. There are no tracks here. Sad how common they are that people just assume if it sounds good it MUST be tracks. Sad comment on the "quality" of "artists" these days.
this is what we have come to expect... it can't possibly that after 40 years of singing, someone is just that good. Watch videos on youtube, he is human and is flat here and there. idiots.
Cheap Trick doesn't have to resort to such tactics. They have been at it for over 30 years & they ARE that good live. Period.
This is irresponsible journalism, pure and simple. Starting a piece with, "I wasn't there...." throws your credibility out the window. Any shred of integrity you may have was lost with the second part of that sentence, "but a consensus of SEVERAL people who DID go". A consensus is a majority, it does not consist of 'several' people. And who are these people? Sound engineers? Musicians? People who've witnessed ACTUAL lip-synching?
YOU are a fraud, Kevin Allman, for putting the suggestion out there without witnessing the event yourself. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Cheap Trick is the real deal... always has been, always will be. Saw their Dream Police show twice this past weekend, and have seen them in concert three other times this year. Robin Zander's voice IS still that good... simply incredible.
kevin allman should step down from his job after that ridiculous statement. uuuuuhhhh i wasn't there but...... come on man! robin is the best vocalist in the world. and hey alison f. those are called backing vocals. and who was the disappointed wanna be local musician? and yo will c...... take your dunce cap off.
I WAS at this show, front row center jut a few feet from Robin Zander and I am a singer/musician. This was most definitely NOT Lip-Synched.... Printing anything to the contrary, especially without having even been at the show, is slanderous and irresponsible. Way to try and ruin a band's reputation! CT was one of the best shows of the entire festival and as singers/performers/musicians deserve all the credit in the world for still giving the fans a high quality / high energy show after this many years. Thanks CT.... BOOOOO GAMBIT!!!
Having seen Cheap Trick live 37 times in the last 28 years I can say yes, this is live. I don't even think Robin sounds up to par here...why would he lip-sych an "ok" recording? Weird story.
"The band sounded exactly like it does on it's albums"...
well, probably becuase they're actually talented and can play their own music.
DUH.
I'm the one who took the first video show in this article. Cheap Trick is what you call a good old fashion kick ass rock band. Nowadays music is filled with no talent hacks so its understandable to question talent considering there isn't much out there now. Those guys played the best set of any show at voodoo fest. 100% live.
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