How long has Frankie Valli been lip synching his concerts?

I have to say I agree. If I go to a concert by a singer, my primary expectation is that the singer will actually sing - live, in front of me. Unless performers state clearly that you're paying solely for the experience of seeing them on stage and not to hear them actually sing, I can't understand how this is acceptable. Many people will still gladly pay to see a beloved performer lip-syncing in an exciting stage production, and there's nothing wrong with that as long as the performer makes it clear and known.

One of my favorite Frank Sinatra stories is about a performance he gave toward the end of his days - he'd forgotten the words, stumbled for a few verses and then stopped altogether. He apologized to the audience and was apparently deeply embarrassed. The audience called out that they loved him, and encouraged him to try to finish, which he did after a short delay. A real performance by an aged singer who can't remember the lyrics anymore seems far more valuable to me than a wonderful recorded performance that a singer lip-syncs to.

 

i work with a guy who thinks frankie valli is the greatest thing since sliced bread, he loves him, and it is so damn obvious that it sis only because he was on the sopranos.

 

Steve Hackett lip-syncs any songs he "sings" at his concerts. Others disagree with me, but I'm firmly convinced...without question.

 

Yeah. And Valli couldn't sing like that on cue even back in the mid '70s when the 4 Seasons had their revival.

 

He actually looks very much like Perry Como on his "Perry Como is STILL ALIVE" tour:

 

He puts a load of effects on his voice, but I'm pretty sure it's a live vocal. Mixing a taped vocal with an all-live band would be a bit of a feat.

 

At least with the holographic shows you know EXACTLY what you are paying for before you buy the ticket.
If a show advertisement for any artist (say Frankie Valli as an example) does not have "lip synching" expressly written on the advertisement, and I purchase a ticket to see Frankie Valli and he lip syncs the songs at the show, then I will 100% be asking for a refund, as that is fraud. Don't care about the performer's age, health, etc.., if "lip synching" is not expressed as part of the show, then you have the right to ask for a refund.

 

Hopefully the voice coming out of the PA at a Hackett show is someone else's, 'cos Steve can't sing. I love his guitar playing, and some of his solo material is cool, but please Steve, don't sing or lip-sync.

Same goes for Steve Howe (except when his voice was needed for harmony in Yes), and Eric Johnson.

As for Frankie, I'd guess he's been lip-synching since before Selena Gomez was born.

 

Imelda May did it flawlessly with Jeff Beck when Jeff did his tribute to Les Paul. Imelda recorded the Mary Ford harmonies, then sang lead over them live.

 

Most everything Imelda May does is flawless. I always use her as an example of why nobody has an excuse to lip sync,.

 

6 pages, and this thread hasn’t really answered it’s titular question; when exactly did the miming start? From the few replies that do address this question in some way, It seems it was some time in the last 10-20 years, but it would be interesting to try and narrow it down more precisely.

 

To me, this is just the way things are with acts of this vintage, and it will only become more common in future; as the music of boomer musical acts endures into future generations, often perpetuated by legendary retellings like Jersey Boys, and as the original participants age beyond capability, what ends up being presented as the live experience will increasingly become an official tribute band, but with some original element placed front and centre as a talisman of authenticity and ‘group spirit’. People attending a 2018 FV and the 4 Ss show want to hear the great music and singing of the 4 Seasons and and to be in the presence of the legendary FV. They get both. That the former isnt emanating from the latter in real time during their experience as it once did is a side issue that few attending will care to dwell upon.

 

Sure, and since they are not "real" performers, they won't be insulted by the folks who are not paying attention. It's a "win - win".

 

1965

 

I meant miming as a regular live performance default of course, not for TV spots, as I’m sure you know full well.

 

Her shoe collection is flawless, too.

 

Would be hard to say since it was gradual. The falsetto songs would be taped by 1997 or so. Last I saw him, roughly eight years ago, there were still some live numbers (as noted, he was promoting the Romancing the 60s album with real vox). Not sure how it stands now, that fake acappella "Sherry" is a new thing.

 

Just use a click track. Bands do it all the time. The Who use them on tons of songs (Baba, Won't Get Fooled Again, You Better You Bet, Join Together, Relay, Eminence Front, Who Are You, etc).

 

Saw him on his British tour a couple of years ago. His voice isn't what it was, for sure, but he can still hold a tune and, with his band, put on a great show.

 

What about acts like Steve Miller(Jungle/Cowboy and 1-2 more) or ZZ Top(Legs/Gimme and 1-2 more) where several songs are mime city but the rest is live? Do they get the Tarred and Feathered treatment?

 

Not really. I know nothing about Hackett, but Dolly Parton's miming was 100% confirmed by finding videos of different shows and syncing them together. All the different versions featured the same lead vocal but with live (different) instrumental backing. The musicians are just playing along to the vocal and click-track. And I traced videos of the same lead vocals being used back to shows over many years.

 

YouTube
Lightfoot's voice quality took a further drop in the last year or two. Fans still happily go for the victory lap/comfort blanket of his shows on a repeat basis.

I don't think that faking it would work in his case.

 

You could write a book about this forum's Javert-like preoccupation with, and horror of, the always-fresh scandal that is the aging and inevitably failing human body and voice.

 

Fading abilities is not a scandal. Neither Gordon Lightfoot nor Ian Anderson (to take two well-known examples) can sing very well anymore. But they do sing live and when you see them, you get a real performance.

Not singing at all, and basically performing a lip sync video in front of a live audience that paid to see something else is a scandal.

 

Good question. Here are 2 performances from 2017 and 2018, and they sound stone-cold identical, at least to me:
2017:

2018: Dawn (Go Away) - Frankie Valli - Las Vegas - 2018 - Amazing Quality