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. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    You're correct, and it was an absurd comparison. I'd suggest shooting the messenger, but I don't own a gun. :D
     
  2. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    Then give up the pretense of doing a live show, and do a book signing. :D
     
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  3. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    Perhaps you should, apparently he's hitting all the notes now.
     
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  4. Rigsby

    Rigsby Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Yeah I've seen him live once, a decade ago and he was definitely lip syncing for the majority of it at least. I almost got the impression he was chopping in here and there and his backing singers picked up plenty of slack.

    I get the moral issue and personally I find it a bit distasteful but the audience were lapping it up and loving every minute. In an era where we send out holograms on stage I figure that at least he had the good grace to turn up in person. It was a good night out, I expected no more than that and it delivered.
     
  5. Some of these holograms are pretty entertaining.

     
  6. supermd

    supermd Senior Member

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Damn. I have tickets to see him for the first time this summer, but if he's lip syncing, I'm far less interested in seeing him.
     
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  7. side3

    side3 Younger Than Yesterday

    Location:
    Tulsa, OK
    Frankie ought to take a hint from Brian Wilson. Hire a guy to sing the falsettos, and sing other leads as he is able to.

    As for McCartney, his voice may not be what it once was, but he does still have range. Singing Helter Skelter in the original key is no mean feat for someone of any age.
     
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  8. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    Audiences can't tell, for the most part.
     
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  9. spacer

    spacer Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    The average concert goer today does not care about live anything. Some musical entertainers have been making the rounds with prereorded music or just a DJ since the '80s. The bulk of the audience just want to be entertained. Be it singing, rapping, dancing, shaking your ass, simulating sex, or simply showing up looking cute and not giving 2 fux what goes on at the show (HEY MARIAH!!!✋). Most are too busy fidgeting with their phones to notice anyway.
     
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  10. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA

    In those cases, however, the featured performer is theoretically performing. Most performers who lip-sync do something to disguise that they are (usually by including an obviously live number or two-- Madonna, Beyonce, etc). If the performer is also famous for something else (like dancing), audiences may be OK with the singing not being live, long as the performer doesn't make it too obvious. A difference for someone like Frankie Valli, who is famous only for singing. If audiences only cared about him being present, he could roll the tapes and play cards with the band.
     
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  11. Rigsby

    Rigsby Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    I do get the point, but if you ask the average Frankie Valli concertgoer where "artistic integrity" sits on the list of things they wanted from the gig, I guarantee it's basically at the bottom.
     
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  12. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    I don't think it's about integrity-- I think that if you know that the guy onstage is faking it because he's too old to actually sing anymore, then it's depressing and the whole illusion of glory days being revisited is shattered. In Frankie Valli's case, he made a Christmas album in 2016 so he is still capable of singing. Apparently the real problem is that his hearing isn't so good.
     
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  13. joeym3

    joeym3 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Sad that some are willing to give a pass for lip synching at a concert. Or that artist's are willing to deceive an audience, just because the technology is there, like Roger Waters.
     
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  14. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    This. There is no granting a pass when it comes to this. If I pay to see you perform, and you can't, you shouldn't.
     
  15. Peace N. Love

    Peace N. Love Forum Resident

    I don't think I've ever been to a show where the singer was lip-synching, but it's an interesting point - would you rather see a performer you love sing really badly, or see them lip-synch, or none of the above? The more I ponder this, the more I'm thinking I might go for the second option, depending on the artist and assuming the price was right.
     
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  16. Rigsby

    Rigsby Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    I'm not sure why he does it and I do see both sides of this one. I felt he was almost fronting a tribute band and acting as MC for the night when I saw him. He's an entertainer, not an artist and I think there's a fundamental difference. Did he entertain? yes he did. Would I go and see him again having spotted him blatantly lip-syncing? No, but neither was I asking for my money back. I'm not making excuses for him it is what it is, but I'm just saying that perhaps because of the way the show was presented, neither did I feel cheated.
     
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  17. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    I paid to see Ian Anderson this summer (granted, a discounted ticket), and did not pay to see Dolly Parton, so I guess it's option #1 for me. I wouldn't have left Dolly's show feeling that I'd actually seen her perform, even if she was onstage.
     
  18. Mo0g

    Mo0g Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    I've not seen him so wasn't aware he mimed on stage these days, and has for some time. I understand that someone his age may need to, whatever the rights or wrongs for an audience, but what I find strange is that earlier this year or last year he was on UK TV extolling the virtues of singing in the shower every day to maintain his voice. This was in response to a "how do you keep doing it at your age?" type question. It turns out he could have been having 20 B&H and a spicy kebab every morning for how much it mattered to his live shows.
     
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  19. Mo0g

    Mo0g Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
  20. MarkTheShark

    MarkTheShark Senior Member

    Just curious as I have never seen him live. What does he lip sync to? If it's the original records, I would think that would be blatantly obvious and seem really tacky. But do his recorded vocals at least sound like they could be live, and performed by someone of his age or approaching? Same takes used every night?

    I wish him continued good health and longevity, but the thought did cross my mind, what if he should suddenly be stricken in the middle of a perfomance, or have some kind of technical mishap. If fans in the audience weren't aware of how he does the show, that might not be good for his career.

    I guess I better try and see him next time I get a chance.
     
  21. Ryan Lux

    Ryan Lux Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, ON, CA
    I don't think his backing singers are live either. Waaaay too slick.

    I'd love to see Frankie do a stripped down, heavily acoustic show with his songs done for his voice now. The "all round entertainer" gene is too strong in his DNA I'm afraid.
     
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  22. Folknik

    Folknik Forum Resident

    IMO, he doesn't get a pass. I saw Frankie and the 4 Seasons in 1977 when Frankie was in his early 40s. He really sang and he sang well in his normal range, but he was already having a bit of trouble with his falsetto which is normal. Most male singers lose some or all of their falsetto range with advancing age (I lost mine at about 35). He covered it, though, by giving the high harmonies to some of the younger guys in the band at the time( most notably keyboardist and musical director Lee Shapiro) , singing "Let's Hang On" in a lower octave, and letting the audience sing the "Cry-yi-yi" in "Big Girls Don't Cry." I saw Elton John when he was 67. He could also no longer hit the high notes, so he took the lower harmonies and left the falsetto to some of his younger band members. When I saw Brian Wilson, the falsetto vocals that Brian used to sing were handled by Al Jardine's son Matt. That's what Frankie should do now. If I paid for a concert ticket and found out that the singers were lip-syncing, I would feel ripped off. It would be much more honest for them to simply work with their limitations. If they forget the words or hit a bad note, at least I know they're really singing. Otherwise, it's Milli Vanilli all over again.
     
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  23. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    Yes, they're latter-day recordings, including some of the high notes that he can apparently do on a good day.
     
  24. VeeFan64

    VeeFan64 A 60s Music Kind of Guy

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    I saw him twice in the past two years knowing full well he would lip-sync every note. He doesn't get a pass but I just wanted to see him. The shows were a lot of fun, but the crazy thing is I'd say 95% of the audience can't tell. It's quite obvious he doesn't sing anything - he's not a very good at miming. What's worse is the pre-recorded tracks are autotuned. The shame is the tickets are very expensive and people are being fooled. But, there's only one Frankie Valli - and for most people, they are happy to be oblivious.
     
  25. Ryan Lux

    Ryan Lux Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, ON, CA
    Not quite sure how he can sleep at night, knowing the deception but the human mind is damn good at compartmentalizing. I'm a huge fan.
     
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