Taylor Swift Mimes her concerts.A thorough analysis.Should she refund the ticket price?

[THOMO]

 

[stevoz]

I have suspected this for a while. In clips of her concerts, you never see a band....is there one even there? It made me wonder 'is she even singing live?'

 

So this does not surprise me.

 

As for refunds, technically yes but we know that's not going to happen.....plus she did turn up and put on a show, sort of.

[zenikoy]

It's a show. Big theatre. I don't think there is anyone in the paying crowd wanting their money back. Most of of the moaning comes from people who are mostly interested in moaning. There are plenty of acts doing these huge stadium shows that aren't 100% live, whether it is vocals (backing or guides), instrumental additions or triggers (hello U2).

 

I saw the Eras show in Zurich this July with my daughters and it was a blast. A third of the way through I switched from grumbling old man "I cant believe how expensive these cheap seats are" to "this is something we are going to remember for the rest of our lives". There is a band, split to each side of the vast stage. We were close to the left side and they were either playing their arses off for three hours or should be nominated for academy awards   It's a super professional outfit inside a military grade operation. No place for improvisation, guitar lead bzzps, bum notes etc

 

 

Edited November 3, 2024 by zenikoy

[Tweaky]

Milli Vanilli weren't the first, and Taylor Swift won't be the last

[stevoz]

38 minutes ago, zenikoy said:

It's a show. Big theatre. I don't think there is anyone in the paying crowd wanting their money back. Most of of the moaning comes from people who are mostly interested in moaning. There are plenty of acts doing these huge stadium shows that aren't 100% live, whether it is vocals (backing or guides), instrumental additions or triggers (hello U2).

 

I saw the Eras show in Zurich this July with my daughters and it was a blast. A third of the way through I switched from grumbling old man "I cant believe how expensive these cheap seats are" to "this is something we are going to remember for the rest of our lives". There is a band, split to each side of the vast stage. We were close to the left side and they were either playing their arses off for three hours or should be nominated for academy awards   It's a super professional outfit inside a military grade operation. No place for improvisation, guitar lead bzzps, bum notes etc

 

Purely for reference, I'm far from an 18yo Swifty and have seen a gig or two .. https://www.setlist.fm/concerts/Enikoy

 

 

 

It's actually a "live" show....so if I went to see say AC/DC or any other band and found out they weren't actually playing, I would MOAN all day long....and I would have every right to.....so it's nice to see Swift actually has a band and they are actually playing....but as the star of the 'show' and the reason people have paid good money and turned up, she really should be singing.

 

 

[stevoz]

16 minutes ago, Tweaky said:

Milli Vanilli weren't the first, and Taylor Swift won't be the last

 

But Milli Vanilli weren't even miming to their own voices....at least Swift is miming to her own voice....but it's still no excuse for her IMO.

[mylene]

That guy's just click bait. Don't buy him a new car. You'll regret it.

[muon*]

And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate

[mrbuzzardstubble]

4 hours ago, mylene said:

That guy's just click bait. Don't buy him a new car. You'll regret it.

In keeping with Youtube's philosophy where 90% of the ads are scams.

[THOMO]

Phil has done more analysis.It seems that she does sing live in parts but almost always with recorded backing vocals.Which means that sometimes she is not singing live at all or she leaves parts  of the songs to the backing  track.Her vocals are also heavily processed /auto tuned .

Edited November 11, 2024 by THOMO

[crisis]

Where and how did he get the recordings of the live shows?

[Bronal]

12 hours ago, crisis said:

Where and how did he get the recordings of the live shows?

 

From watching previous videos, it would appear that he is often sent recordings, from whom I don't know.

[crisis]

13 hours ago, Bronal said:

 

From watching previous videos, it would appear that he is often sent recordings, from whom I don't know.

Yes well it would be interesting who and how on and what they made these recordings at a live concert.

[muon*]

I've heard her sing without accompaniment and she really doesn't need auto-tune, she has very fine and melodious vocals.

 

Edit: I'd say the guy in the vids is the real hack here.

Edited November 12, 2024 by muon*

[Jakeyb77_Redux]

Most artists have done this for a long time. Especially ones that sing and dance for 2 hours. They all use a backing track to support their voices and sing parts live. 
You do it for 200 plus shows in a year and see how you go. Also there is so much money involved that cancelling shows cause your voice gives out would be financially crippling.

Is it ideal? In a perfect world no, but it is what it is.

She is still a prolific writer and talented singer songwriter regardless. 
Music is about enjoyment. So many people spend their hours picking the s*** out of it forget that it’s entertainment 

 

[Bronal]

I think the real issue in all of this is not whether Taylor Swift (or anyone else) performs with the aid of miming, voice pitch adjustment, backing vocalists/tracks and so on, but whether her audience are aware of this and accept it as part of the 'show'.  I would venture to suggest they do.

 

Performances by major artists, especially those to the 'pop' end of the spectrum, ceased to be mere concerts a long time ago  and are now multi-million dollar 'events' - extravaganzas incorporating music, dancing, elaborate sets and lighting, and sometimes cutting-edge special effects.  Audiences expect perfection these days and even artists or bands that presumably focus more on the the music rather than the 'experience', such as Eagles and Fleetwood Mac have had to resort to backing tracks and additional players or vocalists. to ensure this.  As noted above, you need the stamina of an Olympic athlete to get through two hours trying to sing and dance at the same time.  Perhaps such performances need to be assessed according to different criteria from regular concerts.

 

I'm not saying I agree with this - I'd much rather watch Taylor Swift play songs with a top-notch band for two hours, but there again I'm not 15 years' old.  I'm sure she is more than capable of doing so and there is a YouTube video of her in the early years of her career playing a set with Def Leppard in which she acquits herself very well.  An 'unplugged' Taylor Swift concert might be a real eye-opener.  And she doesn't need the money any more.

Edited November 13, 2024 by Bronal

[muon*]

Well, for starters I'm not listening to some YouTube hack.

 

So now there is no issue/s to debate

Edited November 13, 2024 by muon*

[zenikoy]

1 hour ago, Bronal said:

 An 'unplugged' Taylor Swift concert might be a real eye-opener.

 

Voilà!

 

 

Edited November 13, 2024 by zenikoy

[muon*]

There is good reason why many other great artists like Vince Gill and Alison Krauss credit her talent.

[Dystoria]

I was hoping "wingsofpegasus" was going to credit chatGPT for compiling his content. I guess we all have our hobbies.

[wasabijim]

6 hours ago, Bronal said:

Performances by major artists, especially those to the 'pop' end of the spectrum, ceased to be mere concerts a long time ago  and are now multi-million dollar 'events'

 

spot on, an event

"are you not entertained?!?!" 

[THOMO]

19 hours ago, Bronal said:

I think the real issue in all of this is not whether Taylor Swift (or anyone else) performs with the aid of miming, voice pitch adjustment, backing vocalists/tracks and so on, but whether her audience are aware of this and accept it as part of the 'show'.  I would venture to suggest they do.

 

Performances by major artists, especially those to the 'pop' end of the spectrum, ceased to be mere concerts a long time ago  and are now multi-million dollar 'events' - extravaganzas incorporating music, dancing, elaborate sets and lighting, and sometimes cutting-edge special effects.  Audiences expect perfection these days and even artists or bands that presumably focus more on the the music rather than the 'experience', such as Eagles and Fleetwood Mac have had to resort to backing tracks and additional players or vocalists. to ensure this.  As noted above, you need the stamina of an Olympic athlete to get through two hours trying to sing and dance at the same time.  Perhaps such performances need to be assessed according to different criteria from regular concerts.

 

I'm not saying I agree with this - I'd much rather watch Taylor Swift play songs with a top-notch band for two hours, but there again I'm not 15 years' old.  I'm sure she is more than capable of doing so and there is a YouTube video of her in the early years of her career playing a set with Def Leppard in which she acquits herself very well.  An 'unplugged' Taylor Swift concert might be a real eye-opener.  And she doesn't need the money any more.

The trouble is the standards for what constitutes a live performance becomes corrupted.So smaller scale concerts that lend themselves to a live band and live singing also fall victims to this dumbing down. A few months ago I went to see Marcia Hines at a regional entertainment centre which was promoted as Marcia and her musicians.So one would assume there would be a band but it turned out to be Marcia ,a couple B grade backing singers and a percussionist playing/singing  along to what sounded like a Philipino karaoke  tape.It was dreadful! Half way through the laptop stalled mid song and the whole show came to an end. It was a relief when it was over.I have seen Marcia before with a real band and she was great.

[wasabijim]

 

39 minutes ago, THOMO said:

The trouble is the standards for what constitutes a live performance becomes corrupted.So smaller scale concerts that lend themselves to a live band and live singing also fall victims to this dumbing down. A few months ago I went to see Marcia Hines at a regional entertainment centre which was promoted as Marcia and her musicians.So one would assume there would be a band but it turned out to be Marcia ,a couple B grade backing singers and a percussionist playing/singing  along to what sounded like a Philipino karaoke  tape.It was dreadful! Half way through the laptop stalled mid song and the whole show came to an end. It was a relief when it was over.I have seen Marcia before with a real band and she was great.

what a bummer

it could also be a general industry issue at that level/size where these artists hit the road and it has to be done on a shoe string or jump thru silly hoops imposed one way or another. which is a negative feedback loop when a sub-par show is put on. 

 

[zenikoy]

1 hour ago, THOMO said:

The trouble is the standards for what constitutes a live performance becomes corrupted.So smaller scale concerts that lend themselves to a live band and live singing also fall victims to this dumbing down. A few months ago I went to see Marcia Hines at a regional entertainment centre which was promoted as Marcia and her musicians.So one would assume there would be a band but it turned out to be Marcia ,a couple B grade backing singers and a percussionist playing/singing  along to what sounded like a Philipino karaoke  tape.It was dreadful! Half way through the laptop stalled mid song and the whole show came to an end. It was a relief when it was over.I have seen Marcia before with a real band and she was great.

 

I remember seeing Bjork at the Big Day Out about 30 years ago and the show came to a screeching halt. We were standing by the mixing desk and overheard "We have to re-boot it". Fortunately as it was a festival we weren't particularly invested in it, so it seemed comedic.

[wasabijim]

13 minutes ago, zenikoy said:

 

I remember seeing Bjork at the Big Day Out about 30 years ago and the show came to a screeching halt. We were standing by the mixing desk and overheard "We have to re-boot it". Fortunately as it was a festival we weren't particularly invested in it, so it seemed comedic.

takes me back to seeing Röyksopp in London back 2002 odd. they were the 'next thing' and we're in this old 2-tier theatre type venue sitting in padded chairs watching 2 jokers with a couple of mac laptops and a some Korg keyboards beavering away at their screens essentially recreating their CD to blast at us.

talk about a show, I haven't seen mouse-menship like that for awhile