Bono's Lip Synching at concerts (Edge too)

[L03VIk]

I couldn't care less about the falsettos being pre-recorded, unless if Bono/Edge aren't singing along - and they do, from what I've read.

As for pitch correction, makes me wonder where the stories from off key notes come, then.

Pitch correction only fixes MINOR vocal misses. We have all heard Bono singing 40 in 1/2 a key lower than 40, so it's not that good...
It's not like you could replace Bono with Britney and don't hear the difference

 

[Miroslava]

I stood 2 feet from Bono both in Oslo and Gothenburg and that high Sometimes note was as real as the spit hitting my face! So quit this lipsyncing nonsense... If you wanna see lipsyncing, see Britney.

All the big bands uses backing tracks live, to create a big statium sound, noone hides it either. Do you really think U2 thinks that noone hears the violin at the end of Miracle drug, at least on the first leg? Of course they know we hear it, and of course they know we couldn't care less!!!!

Thank you...

 

[Shaliz]

The who hoo's is live this tour. On Elevation tour they had a backing track through Elevation including Who hoos... BUT THEY DON'T LIP SYNC!

There's a BIG difference between lipsyncing (britney) and backing vocal tracks... The Edges sings HOLA! and you can hear his voice, but you also hear 2-3 more Egdes on a vocal track, and if Edges forgets to sing his bit, you'll only hear the backing track.... For those of us that has more than 2-3 bootlegs you can hear a big difference from show to show.

Let's say they where lipsyncing completely, this is at least 10 things that wouldn't happen:

1. Bono's occationally vocal cracks
2. Edge mumbling his Miracle Drug part.
3. Bono starting 40 in half a key too low
4. Bono's face turning red, green and then blue before finishing "amore" in Miss Sarajevo.
5. A little stop in the drumming when Larry looses his drumstick...
6. Bono playing guitar... OK, it's not a loud sound, but he still misses a few chords...
7. Bono singing the wrong lyrics/starting the wrong verse/staring chorus instead of verse/starting verse instead of chorus
8. Bono not managing to hit a falsetto part, so that only a whispering sound comes out... Often happens during WOWY, and some of the Woo Hoo's in Elevation disappears.
9. Edge or Adam playing the wrong chord.
10. Terry fucking up the keyboard.


I stood 2 feet from Bono both in Oslo and Gothenburg and that high Sometimes note was as real as the spit hitting my face! So quit this lipsyncing nonsense... If you wanna see lipsyncing, see Britney.

All the big bands uses backing tracks live, to create a big statium sound, noone hides it either. Do you really think U2 thinks that noone hears the violin at the end of Miracle drug, at least on the first leg? Of course they know we hear it, and of course they know we couldn't care less!!!!

I was about 4 feet from Bono during Miss Sarajevo in Minneapolis, and there was NO way he was lip synching. It was an incredible LIVE performance.

 

[STING2]

I can't believe I've not yet posted about this...

On 9/21 in the Chi, I had seats immediately behind the stage (very close, too), so I could see a good deal of what was what...I can't tell you how hard it was NOT to read the teleprompter and maintain at least some surprise about the setlist.

Three things, though, were DEEPLY and profoundly disturbing:

1) The same "extra" guitar part that Daniel Lanois supposedly played in Toronto during "Bad" was recreated on 9/21. This despite the fact that only Edge was playing guitar.

2) Edge "forgot" to sing vocals during several songs which, on the PA, featured his voice. I'm thinking particularly of "Vertigo," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," and "City of Blinding Lights." Now, I must warn you that it's been a few weeks, now, and that my memory may be slightly off. I hope not to be flamed, for even if I've accidentally added a song, the basic fact remains true. I was watching intently.

3) This one was uncool. When "With or Without You" started, Larry did not. For about fifteen seconds, I'd say, he was not playing the drums. But the drums could be heard. He suddenly picked up his sticks, stumbled a bit, and started playing. Now, as far as logistics go, I have no idea how this worked out and didn't descend into chaos (I mean, you can't PRETEND to play the drums), but it DID happen. I was really fucking pissed...

Anybody have any insight into any of this? Am I reading into shit too much? Am I perhaps just noticing things that during my previous five shows (I was farther away--quite a bit so, at times) that were always there? I don't watch the dumbass screens, so it's hard to say for sure. Fill me in, if possible. I'd love to be proven wrong...though it'll be pretty tough for me to convince myself what I saw with my own eyes was wrong...

The band do as much as they can live, but when actual vocals or music are needed that the band can't peform themselves, instead of getting another singer or musician on stage, they pre-record the track. The band started doing this on the Unforgettable Fire tour backin 1984, 21 years ago! I don't see anything wrong with it.

 

[Halup]

Heck, the EP Wide Awake in America has a live version (I believe it's Bad) that was recorded at soundcheck and then audience ambience was added later.

dave

It was A Sort Of Homecoming.

 

[Halup]

They use alot of backing tracks that they could do away with if they added a 2nd guitar player, a piano/keyboard player, a percussionist, and 2 or 3 female backing vocalists.

I would like to see them bring original member Dik Evans back into the band to become that second guitarist and have Gavin Friday join as well. This new 6 piece U2 could then start adding Virgin Prunes songs to the setlists, as well as Bono-Gavin duets.
Imagine the reaction in a packed stadium if the followed a song like Pride with Billy Boola?

 

[Ifeelnumb84]

I was at Boston II, front row in the ellipse. As I posted earlier in a different thread, what I saw was Bono singing one thing and another "Bono" singing "and you speak." Clearly this means he was not lipsynching, and indeed it was a backing track. However, it looked very sloppy, and for about a half-hour after that I had Milli Vanilli/Ashlee Simpson/Lindsay Lohan flashbacks.
I think most casual concert-goers assume that they pay money to hear someone actually singing. I had never heard of a backing vocal track being used at a U2 concert until three days ago, so it came as a bit of a shock to me.
After that half-hour of doubt, I realized (in part because I was just 10 feet from the stage) that Bono sings everything for real, but occasionally with backing tracks. So I'm cool with it now, and my love of U2 still remains the same as always.
Miss Sarajevo was easily the most amazing concert moment in my 21 years of life, so I got the high and the low (Crumbs) all in the same concert.
It's a bit ironic after all the fan demand for the band to play Crumbs.

 

[RicoT.O]

Heck and you guys call your self fans, BS, Bono could pull a rabbit outta his ass and I will still love him and the band for that.

<--- TRUE U2 fan.

All this bitching about songs played on the tour, the bootlegs, the Conan show, Bono being boring, and now lipsyncing. Who gives a crap, I will always love U2 for anything they do.

 

[Catlady]

*goes to her car to get mouthguard and gloves*

Be right back boys

Coming with you to help! Hope you have an extra pair of gloves!

 

[doctorwho]

The view from GA Tues night provided this about "Crumbs"...

Bono missed coming in with the "Where you live..." portion of the song, so he motioned to Edge that to come back around and he would sing it...which he did.
While he was sing "diginty passes byyyyyyy" and extending the "By", sudddenly we heard "YOU SPEAK", while Bono was singing a different word and Edge was away from his mic. Bono then made a face.
It appears the "You Speak"s in Crumbs are canned much like the "Woo Hoo"s in Elevation.

Someone misfired it, or Bono's miscue got them out of sync.

There was definitely something going on there, but I'm not sure this was it.

Regardless, I don't think the "Woo Hoos" are canned for this tour. However, I do think they were in the Elevation Tour. They were just too perfect and those are some tough notes to hit starting off the show. But this tour, it's clear that Bono is singing them.

 

[doctorwho]

He still sings the part, it's not as if he stops singing.

This is a result of their attachment to being a 4 piece.

They use alot of backing tracks that they could do away with if they added a 2nd guitar player, a piano/keyboard player, a percussionist, and 2 or 3 female backing vocalists.

As I wrote earlier in this thread, they use backing tracks for tons of songs - and have been doing this for years. They use backing tracks for music, backing vocals, etc. There's no way to prevent it being just a 4 piece band - especially if they want to at least try to replicate the studio song.

However, to accuse Bono of lip-synching is just insane. There's a difference between a backing track doing a little back-up vocals (like in "Beautiful Day") and doing a Milli Vanilli or Ashlee Simpson. The sheer amount of change in the lyrics, Bono's good voice and scratchy voice, and his mistakes prove that he's not lip-synching. Having a token back-up chorus is not lip-synching.

But, as Mr. Brau wrote, U2 could do away with the back-up tapes if they performed more like Bruce Springsteen or the Rolling Stones.

So which is better? Having a 4-piece band with some backing tapes or live back-up singers and extra people playing on stage? From past discussions, U2 fans have preferred the former and loathed the latter. Maybe that's changing?

 

[MrBrau1]

Now that the 10/4 MP3 of Crumbs has broken, you can hear how they use the vocal backing track.

2 voices sing the chorus, live Bono, and a tape Bono. The problem came in when live Bono was ending the bridge with his big bellow note, and tape Bono (chorus) started singing. Tape Bono was cut for the rest of the song.

 

[djerdap]

Are you sure about that?
I thought only "And you speak" was pre-recorded because of the high notes.

 

[MrBrau1]

Yeah, I'm sure.

You can hear 2 voices singing the chorus. The live voice is much more up front, but you can hear the tape was well.

 

[Chizip]

wow, i just listened to that mp3, thats pretty embarrassing

i could see why people would think something is fishy when there are actual lyrics being sung when bono is yelling out something else

 

[amerrydeath]

I was at 10/4 and hearing the backing track definitely threw me for a loop because I'd never heard backing tracks before. But I got over it eventually, Crumbs was a low point anyway inasmuch as U2 concerts can HAVE lowpoints ( I don't like Crumbs much, would rather have me some AIWIY or IALW) so it didn't bother me.

 

[Axver]

I'd like to know if this backing track was used at the NYC show on the 7th. After this bad experience, have the band dumped it?

 

[ramblin rose]

I'd like to know if this backing track was used at the NYC show on the 7th. After this bad experience, have the band dumped it?

I have no idea. I thought Crumbs sounded awesome on 10/7.

 

[MrBrau1]

When audio for 10/7 surfaces, I'll tell ya if a track was used.

 

[Blue Room]

When audio for 10/7 surfaces, I'll tell ya if a track was used.

Or he will make a fake backing track at his pro studios to prove his point. Still waiting on the fake soundcheck samples that would be so easy to fake, because, you know, the Belgian rehearsal version of Crumbs was a fake. I dont think they even played Crumbs in Boston, it was just a backing tape. Easy enough to fake, right?

 

[nathan1977]

Read Flanagan's book. He specifically talks about how U2 uses a variety of backing elements -- be it keyboards, a second guitar player under the stage, etc. U2's attitude seems to be, we need to recreate the songs as best we can on-stage. We are all going to play our instruments (how many times has Bono's voice failed, and he lets it), and augment them slightly.

Big deal.

 

[dazzledbylight]

a few thots.........and thanks {was it Brady} for the tech info--- stuff i didn't know.

seeing how far this goes back {and perhaps further with different bands}
I remeber in 1971 The Who {all 4 original} used musical backing tracks for parts of Who's Next concerts { some of the MOST incredible R&R concerts ever!, and which U2 HAS matched}-- ie the Snyth on BAba O'R and We Won't get Fooled Again.......

then they did some also with Quadrophania....... but there was more trouble syncing those tracks up somehow....i know pete was very frustrated with it.........

So I have been used to b/t's for a lonnnnnnng time

the single vocal enhancements as long as Bono and Edge are singing along i didn't know about ......but as I said if he/they are giving their all..... that's ok if therew's occasional tweaking.

.......I realize of it's recorded as a set of one vocal or 2 mutiplied ?? perhaps like on Three Sunrises??? that makes sense to to try and recreate the sound on record if that's what they & majority of fans

I didn't know about a hidden gutairist.......... again if that's to recreate more of the track.....i guess that's ok.....i think I'd prefer it as Edge doing his own backing track for which ever songs...
..
I guess I'm a bit more of a "purist" in this area ....
U2 IS with very rare exception the kind of MAGICAL band that truely is a Synergistic Foursome ESP LIVE!, that truely is greater together than the sum of the their parts.

As the original Who were!
I have gone to see the ?89 Who 25 aniv at Giants stadium and even with all the other people .....Roge, Pete & The OX still had their Magic together! and Iv'e seen the WHO live since Tommy at The Met and mutiple shows per each tour. { when i had more more and less obligations that really have limited my U2 concert going past 1987}


AND I listen very carefully to u2's vocals live vs recored.........from my POV Bono on Sat had a few off key notes or a phrase or two early on, then got back on key. He ALSO went for some lower register notes, than the higher versions. SO there's no way he's doing lip- syncing of the kind I'd hate and feel very cheated about.

 

[sebo20]

If you don't know what they're doing, babe it must be art!

 

[discothequeLP]

in CoBL, the falsetto at the beginning of the chorus is a backing track, too.

 

[victor_f]

s64.yousend it.com/d.aspx?id=2WB69ZMW76B7J0WQNEVHQQ1Y0T


Hola, The Edge!

 

[MrBrau1]

s64.yousend it.com/d.aspx?id=2WB69ZMW76B7J0WQNEVHQQ1Y0T


Hola, The Edge!

Yeah. His line in Mofo

"Been round the back, been round the front"

was fake as well.

 

[MTEdge]

in CoBL, the falsetto at the beginning of the chorus is a backing track, too.

Despite Kuef's past naysaying, that fact (the backing track for COBL's woohoo's) was established long ago.

 

[MTEdge]

s64.yousend it.com/d.aspx?id=2WB69ZMW76B7J0WQNEVHQQ1Y0T


Hola, The Edge!

Virtually all of The Edge's secondary vocals are supported by backing tracks. (A great example is the "days" in the Beautiful Day chorus.) At times, The Edge also sings over the backing tracks.

 

[MTEdge]

http://s54. you send it.com/d.aspx?id=2PHAV3FCHZUWM3L7O889AJWOA3

CRUMBS Video from 10/7 MSG performance.

CRUMBS Video from 10/11 MSG performance coming shortly...

 

[MTEdge]

http://www. mega upload.com/?d=1YHKAPL9

CRUMBS video from 10/11 MSG performance...