How long has Frankie Valli been lip synching his concerts?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by James Slattery, Jun 14, 2018.

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  1. James Slattery

    James Slattery Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Long Island
    I've seen him a couple times of the last 3 years and he seems like he only turns his mike on to talk between songs. Just curious how long its been since he actually sang?
     
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  2. spacer

    spacer Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    I don't know. But at 84...he gets a pass. I am, however, puzzled by the use of autotune when using prerecorded vocals.
     
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  3. melstapler

    melstapler Reissue Activist

    I saw Frankie perform back in the 1990s and he sounded great for a guy who must've been in his 60s at the time. There was no sign of backing tracks or auto tune on his voice, which was natural. I thought his age was more apparent when he spoke as opposed to when he sang.
     
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  4. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    I agree that certain singers might avail themselves of performance "waivers" as appropriate. Perhaps a kerfuffle over a 20 year old Ashley Simpson just straight out lip syncing on a show known for live performance is worthy of complaint but I figure there are at least 50 years of Frankie Valli going above(!) and beyond the call and the keys required to deliver spine tingling performances of great vocal hits and if the old man still wants to get out there and do it then lip synced performances are like a chair for him to sit on. He's one of the great performers of the art and people want to be there to share the songs with him while he is still here to perform them and reminisce about them. Same with McCartney... "what happened to his voice" ...put on one of his records THAT'S what happened to his voice so he's not going to be doing a capella yodelling during the show but a lot of croaking still each performance is historic and you can fill in the blanks for these oldsters but goldsters. 84 year old men don't CRY-Y-Y... at least not in the original keys and anyone who complains should duck oranges! ☺️
     
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  5. autumn daze

    autumn daze I really don't belong here

    Location:
    Milton Keynes, UK
    My family are huge Frankie fans, having spent the majority of our youth being driven by our parents listening to him. Every time he plays London these days I take my dad, sister and wife to see him and each time they come out saying how he can still hit the notes - I haven't got the heart to tell them. But he puts on a heck of a show and just seeing those songs performed again after all these years is wonderful. I saw him a number of times in the late 80s/early 90s and I still get just as excited now.
     
  6. bob60

    bob60 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    Or they could just retire with some dignity now they no longer have the tools for the job.
     
  7. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    You do have a good point. So back to that 50 year old recording. There... that's where he's singing much better than he is today. And yes dignity and respect for time and place are important values too. Still if you have a performer who still has a desire to connect with the audience and an audience who would value going to such a show.. then what's wrong with old Frankie Valli doing what young Britney Spears is doing in Vegas.. lip syncing a performance of beloved songs and memories. It's a kind of performance and memoir and if it's a good experience I can't hate it nor should anyone be surprised if Robert Plant can't sing the song remains the same or McCartney do Helter Skelter or Daltrey the scream from won't get fooled.
     
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  8. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    I'm pretty hard line on this topic I'm afraid. There is no excuse for lip-syncing at a live show, none at all. If you can no longer perform - and as a singer, actually singing is intrinsic to whatever you might deem a "performance" - then call an end to touring, imo.

    Can't hit the notes - sing in a lower key. Can 't sing at all? Give up. Can't sing because the show is too energetic and you're dancing around too much - dance less.

    When I go to a live show, it's to see the artist perform live, not to lip-sync. At the very least they should be clear and up front in their marketing materials and tell people not all songs are performed live. And yes, if they did that it would be a deal breaker every time for me. I mean, you might as well meet the guy in a coffee shop as go and see him mime for 90 minutes.

    He's old, and can't be expected to perform really, I get that. For me though, it's time to retire.
     
  9. spherical

    spherical Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    so..you had no answer to the main question.......
     
  10. Jimmy Agates

    Jimmy Agates CRAZY DOCTOR

    Couldn't agree more and what amazes me is there's people here sticking up for this guy...

    Probably the very same people who bemoan a little autotune here and there...
     
  11. onlyconnect

    onlyconnect The prose and the passion

    Location:
    Winchester, UK
    It's a show, if people enjoy it and get good value then live and let live.

    There's an issue if it is advertised as something it is not of course.

    And where do you draw the line? Is it OK to sing 90% but use recordings for the occasional scream or high note? What about 75%? 50%?

    Personal choice in the end.

    Tim
     
  12. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    Of course, personal choice - IF you go in as an informed consumer/fan. Hence my suggestion to at least be open and upfront on marketing materials/ticket vendors. If you're going to mime, say so. As it is, they're being dishonest, imo.

    For me, going to see a SINGER who does not sing, is not a "show". It's karaoke. It's someone cashing in on what they once was, not who they are. I can live with bum notes, songs in different keys, no screams or people running around the stage, in exchange for an honest performance without pretense.

    As for where to draw the line - it's a pretty clear line for me - 100% live. No miming. This is the essence of a live experience. It's what delineates a live performance from staying at home playing air guitar in front of the mirror. Rarely for me, this is pretty much a black and white issue. But at least tell people before they fork out - what is it? - $50?, $80?, to see an old man literally open and close his mouth with nothing coming out.
     
  13. It's OK to do anything on stage that you want to and long as you don't pretend it's something it's not. Otherwise it's fraud.
     
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  14. Why are you picking on BeatlesObsessive? No one has answered the main question so far, although melstapler has addressed it.
     
  15. adm62

    adm62 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    "Karaoke" is actually singing live.
     
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  16. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    I don't mean to divert the thread. I am not aware of how long it has been since Frankie Valli has been miming performances.

    It's up to everyone to make their own judgement. No one should be deceived by the show they are paying to see.
     
  17. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    ...and there are frequent stories of American attendees at karaoke parties in Asia getting into fights with Asians who are upset that Americans often charge into songs in overdramatic off tune drunken renditions of well known songs when many asian fans of karaoke try to make a reverent attempt to sing the song as close to the original as they can.
     
  18. Synthfreek

    Synthfreek I’m a ray of sunshine & bastion of positivity

    I wonder what happened. I saw him a few years ago and he was performing King Diamond covers in their original key and breakdancing.
     
  19. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    Frankie is the real deal... but if he's needing a technical assist to do the job as well and reliably as he needs to in his 9th decade... not saying it's ideal... then a lot of people are going to give HIM a pass.. he has nothing to prove on that score and fans are glad to see him.
     
  20. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    Thanks...you'd think with all the Beatles threads I've been in I'd know to stay on topic and focus the discussion. I'm all for keeping it real and good live music, but I also want to show appreciation for these old timers when so many were lost from this generation too young.
     
  21. ZippyPippy

    ZippyPippy Forum Resident

    In fact, it was a little bit frightening...

     
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  22. Chemically altered

    Chemically altered Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ukraine in Spirit
    At 84 I'm surprised that Valli can even stand for the entire length of a concert. I have a soft spot from Frankie but it's not fair to probably half his fans. The other half are probably quite happy just to see him in the fresh, so it's a tough call on how acceptable his lip synching is.
     
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  23. micksmuse

    micksmuse Forum Resident

    Location:
    san diego
    apparently somewhere along the path to where we are the bar was lowered so low that we now give passes to complete lip-synced performances. if someone who through age or whatever still wants to perform (cause that is what it is called "a live performance") the show should be disclosed as such. and then the unknowing patron can decide whether it is worth the money to experience an evening with their idol reminiscing and miming to his/her catalog. might be enjoyable depending on your cup of tea but to simply accept this and lower the bar even further
    just brings what most people on this board used to revere as the golden age of music when shows were live and vital to a distant memory.
    bad enough our kids rarely ever got to see a vibrant live show where their hero's were in the moment feeding off each other's playing or the audience. that is their norm and they were fed that from early shows they saw.

    as most things in life: you get what you SETTLE for.
     
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  24. PMC7027

    PMC7027 Forum Hall Of Fame

    It has been at least 10 years since I last saw Frankie Valli perform live. At the last show I attended he was having a lot of trouble hitting the high notes. There was no miming/lip syncing. I was sad watching this great singer have so much trouble. I decided I would not attend any of his future concerts.
     
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  25. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    Back to the original question: He has been lip synching, at least in part, for a good decade now, probably more. I used to see him fairly regularly and during the 90s he was clearly having problems with falsetto numbers for a few years, then suddenly he wasn't anymore. Up till about 1995 he used to do a bit during "Let's Hang On" where he's hold a long note in the intro; that stopped when the taped vox came in.

    Last time I saw him (maybe 5 years) the show wasn't entirely synched-- He was supporting a new album (the 60s songs one), where the songs were in comfortable keys and he sang them live. Not so with the vintage Seasons numbers.
     
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