Vocal Viagra Or Virtual Vox: BBG! Pop Quiz

Today's post is from our friend HIM. Happy Sunday! 

It is well-established that I have a love-hate relationship with Motley Crue. I am a fan from day one but, as Judge Mills Lane once said, I wasn’t born yesterday. I try to assess them, and other bands I love, fairly and honestly. Some stand up to the test of time; some don’t.  Some still have moments of glory. Others, to be fair, should have been put out to pasture long ago. Still others I am willing to give a lot of wiggle room to simply because I love them too much to give up on them. I think we all do some variations of the same when it comes to bands we both love and hate.

 

When the Crue are on, I note it. When they aren’t, I do the same. I think I am, and some will disagree, consistent in that regard. Which makes this post not a statement of fact or a call to argue (though I bet some will wager on both those counts). It is simply a question.

 

On Thursday night I was wandering through other, less enjoyable, sites. I stumbled upon a different version of the performance below:

The initial video I watched was a bit clearer. But it was taken down by the person who posted it. That video was incorrectly labeled as 2015; it is clear this is from a 2014 performance. But those details are largely irrelevant. What struck me—and still strikes me— while watching the video(s), especially after watching several other videos of other songs from the same concert, was this: is that Vince singing? I only raise the question because it interests me and might interest others who read BBG.

 

I know, I know. I must have some skin in the game asking a question like this. Really, I don’t. I know bands use backing vocal tracks live. I know some do it more than others. But, comparing this video to other songs from the same concert, I did a full stop. It sounds different to me. If it is live and untouched, kudos to Vince. If it is not, well, that is another story entirely. Again, what caused me to ask the question when watching the video is beside the point. Why tamper with your thoughts beyond simply putting it out there for you to ponder?

 

I defer to all of you for once (people put up with too much of my loquaciousness on this site). To that end, I won’t post a single response to anything any of you have to say. Still, I welcome some responses. But I don’t feel it is my place to provide rejoinders.

 

Let me know what you think.

Comments

[Ace Steele]

IF Vince was actually singing it, (and it LOOKS like he was...) Kudos to him.
On key, In Tune, and pretty much every word... not every 3rd word.The exact opposite of what he's been delivering.
Looking at the setlists for the last month or so, I see that "On With The Show" doesn't show up in any of them. So when that video was shot, is the big question.

[Gary]

He didn't skip a word.That in and of itself makes me wonder. That being said,he was spot on.Great job. Which in turn makes me kind of pissed,in that it solidifies that he's mailing it in most of the time when he's skipping half the words and holding the Mike stand out to the front of the house for the other half,under the auspices of "audience participation". I love the Crüe. Always will. But I stick to my assertation that,other than Mick, it's been nothing but a huge cash grab since about 2008. Tommy is the worlds oldest teenager (who doesn't do the meet and greets) and insists on ramming his techno dub step nonsense up a rock crowds ass,hiding it behind the crucify. Nikki is a businessman above anything else anymore,and deserves credit for keeping the ship afloat despite most of them hating each other. . We've discussed Vince,and his proclivities of mumbling every third or fourth word,many times in the wrong key. Which leaves the one guy (who should probably be in a wheelchair by now due to the disease he suffers from) to carry the load. Mick,you'll always be a true professional in this guys eyes. They were just in Hershey on Tuesday here and Philly on Friday, but sadly I passed. I just cannot get behind this "final go round". If their hearts aren't in it, neither is mine.

[B Lucas]

It does seem like he was singing , but at times I can see your point. I see nothing wrong with giving his voice a break for one song and having that song sound really really good. 99% of the concert goers are there for their youthful memories and to party again like a teen. Now if ithe whole show was all backing vocals, then I'd be very disappointed. I saw them on the first leg of this tour and thought it was amazing.

[Metalboy!]

It's him and he sounds good, but isn't that a backing track joining him in the chorus?

This is the extraordinarily high level he performed at when I saw Cruë at Outlaw Jam in Frederick, Maryland a few years back, the review of which is contained here in the annals of the BBG! Archive.

[Rita]

Well I'm seeing them on Saturday so I'm hoping I'm not disappointed. Tickets cost way too much but if the show is decent, I won't be complaining.

[Dj]

If he's singing every word apparently it's back tracked, if he skips a few words, he's fat, old, and dissent have the voice, no matter what Vince will be getting shit. Yes it is a fact they use some backing tracks, and yes it is a fact he skips a few words...but so does bands like Def Leopard and Aerosmith. I saw them a few weeks ago (currently writing a review) and Vince sounded better than he did last year, although not as good as he sounded when I saw them in 2011. I've seen the crue five times total and the very last show I went to was in the top two. Does he skip words? Yes. Is he the world's greatest singer? Hell no. Is he and was he a good frontman? Absolutely. You've gotta remember they've been at this for thirty years and he is in his fifties, not all voices hold up well, in fact, he skipped words and made up words to add to the live song at the US Festival in 83, nobody really cared then..
And Ace I do agree with you to the point of Mick Mars being the best out of everybody, it's truley an honor to watch him play, especially since he's done it every night without complaining. Totally agree with you on Tommy Lee, I'm not huge on dubstep/house/techno or whatever the hell you wanna call it. Still a good rock drummer, but it's obvious he's lost interest in rock music. Sorry for the rant.

[Dj]

*doesn't.
Not dissent.

[bkallday]

Solid post, dj, & you're also exactly right with everything you said. For some reason, Vince always gets hell no matter what he does. He honestly cant win for losing. There are countless other frontmen out there, that are much worse(steven tyler, axl rose, joe elliot, etc.). Vince is usually out of breath from all the stage running that he does, he actually makes an effort to entertain, instead of just standing there like some prize d!ck dog! If anyone is to blame for what Motley has become, its Nikki.