Ozzy a fake

[Seshmeister]

I was listening to a podcast where Gregg Proops accidentally let slip that his neighbor was the Everclear drummer who had told him how disappointed he was to discover when he supported Ozzy at Ozzfest that there was a singer under the stage faking it.

Google confirms although unfortunately it involves listening to windbag Trunk...

[Terry]

Interesting.

Particularly that this was going on as far back as 1995 for Ozzy.

But the stuff Mason was involved with is child's play contrasted to the stuff going on today at live gigs, in terms of offstage enhancing and pre-recorded tracks being played along with the live instrumentation during shows these days.

The most egregious one I experienced was Motley Crue's farewell tour, particularly with the guitar work, where there were rhythm tracks playing whenever Mars took a solo. At one point...oh, what fucking song was it?...the one that goes Don't Go Away Mad Just Go Away...and Neil has an acoustic guitar strapped on, but he's not playing it, so Mars is the only guy visible onstage playing guitar. And simultaneously there is an acoustic guitar track playing, and electric rhythm guitar track playing, and Mars is soloing over them. And all three tracks are given basically equal volume in the mix, and I couldn't help but laugh, because it was like the band wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. And they also had background vocals piped in to punch up the live sound, which created another snafu a few points during the show when Sixx and the two onstage female backing vocalists were doing some physical bit during the choruses that took them away from their microphones, yet the background vocals are still magically coming through the PA.

The other one that comes to mind is Def Leppard in...2007? 2006, 2007, 2008: somewhere in there (can't remember now). You could tell there were pre-recorded keyboard/synth parts, guitar backing tracks and backing vocals being piped in while the band was playing. It's like, there are only two guitarists onstage, but you can distinctively hear 4 to 5 different guitar parts going on. Hello!? Or only Joe Elliot and Ric Savage would visibly be singing, yet you could hear 5 different voices coming over the PA.

[78/84 guy]

I don't think the guy was singing the whole songs. More backups than anything. At least it wasn't piped in. I think the Crue started doing it as far back as the Dr. Feelgood tour. I bet it happens more than not with many bands these days. Old & new.

[vandeleur]

U2 have always had more backing tracks than fans.. The Hedge basically plays the fender sequencer.

[FORD]

U2 have always had more backing tracks than fans.. The Hedge basically plays the fender sequencer.

Well that's only after they decided they wanted to add keyboards to the music, but didn't want to hire anybody to play them. Edge might have been able to switch back & forth from piano to guitar in 1983, but the dude's in his late 50s now. Can't move that fast. They should have just hired Eno to be their touring keyboard player. It's not like he has anything better to do.

(obligatory U2 post pint of Guinness)

[Seshmeister]

I don't think the guy was singing the whole songs. More backups than anything. At least it wasn't piped in.

Not much backing vocals in most Ozzy songs especially the older stuff (and live it's always mainly the older stuff).

Typical set list around then was

"Paranoid" (Black Sabbath cover)
"I Don't Know"
"Flying High Again"
"Goodbye to Romance"
"Perry Mason"
"No More Tears"
"I Just Want You"
"I Don't Wanna Change the World"
"Suicide Solution"
Alex Skolnick/Joe Holmes guitar solo
Deen Castronovo/Randy Castillo drum solo
"Iron Man" (Black Sabbath cover)
"Sweet Leaf" (Black Sabbath cover)
"Children of the Grave" (Black Sabbath cover)
"Mr Crowley"
"War Pigs" (Black Sabbath cover)
"Crazy Train" [encore]
"Mama I'm Coming Home"
"Bark at the Moon"

I'm going to go listen to some bootlegs...

[Nitro Express]

Sharron has to make her shopping money somehow. Are you sure it's even Ozzy onstage? When a woman wants another Gucci handbag they will do anything.