Live Backing Tracks. Is it cheating?

Have no interest in listening to it, so I only go to shows that are 100% live.

That still goes for most shows in my neck of the woods.
 
Regardless of 'cheating', the question would seem to be, is it 'audience effecting to the point of negatively effecting future ticket sales'.
 
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Otto said:
I remember the disillusionment of many concert-goers I spoke to back in the late 80's when Foreigner(I think it was), doing the county fair circuit, relied on backing tracks. It was like watching a favorite uncle fall into dysfunction.

Regardless of 'cheating', the question would seem to be, is it 'audience effecting to the point of effecting future ticket sales'.

I am thinking there was an experience level of the average concert-go'er then that is not in place now...so its impact now would prob. be for the older (more financially stable and nuance hungry) crowd?

Dumb down the crowd and see less interested over time?

It seems to be a question of supporting the concert going ecosystem to develop a crowd that will be around in your bad times not just the good times. A poorly educated crowd(low expectations) would seem to simply not be as interested.

What if we develop a new angle on a concert...extend the show into the audience in ways that are not purely dance oriented...make the 'partially pre-recorded' event something tolerable by involving the audience in a show that is not just on the stage? How to do this becomes the question in the age where looking out on the crowd shows more swiping their phones than holding them up like post-modern(well, late-post-modern?) lighters.(I bet many here have seen this)
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Or just play your damn parts. I'm not interested in hand holding toddlers.
 
AudioWonderland said:
Or just play your damn parts. I'm not interested in hand holding toddlers.
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sorry for all the edits...I thought I was getting a little outside the question.

I am thinking that the business is to get the audience(whomever can and does buy a ticket) to become repeat business? If i have to hold their hand, regardless of age, to make a living...is it worth it?
 
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I saw my first live band using backing tracks last night. They sounded pretty good. The audience didn't know the difference and packed the dance floor every song. The gig was a success and the venue made money.

I realize it's the new, modern way of doing things but it's not for me. I'd prefer not to gig at all than play along to a recording in front of a live audience.
 
A J said:
I'd prefer not to gig at all than play along to a recording in front of a live audience.
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What’s your thoughts on EDM? (I was shocked to see how packed the venues are for this music).

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cbphoto said:
What’s your thoughts on EDM? (I was shocked to see how packed the venues are for this music).

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I've never heard of "EDM" and had to google it. No. It doesn't sound appealing at all. I guess I'm showing my age (60).
 
I'm not sure that playing along to a track is different than playing to a triggered sequence...or pulsing to the delay your guitarist is using...or to the track that is running in your head for that matter...or the breath patterns your singer unconsciously uses.

How working with any external pulse varies from working with the timing of someone pressing the play button on a device becomes the mystery - except to point at complexity - as emotion is not limited by simplicity.
 
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cbphoto said:
What’s your thoughts on EDM? (I was shocked to see how packed the venues are for this music).

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EDM is a world in which I do not belong. I don’t like dropping X while music is being played by a guy in a mouse head. However, I have learned how to make dubstep breaks with my voice through a whammy pedal and echo.
 
I went to a live show this past week, Blackberry Smoke and Whiskey Myers. If they had backing tracks, I couldn't tell, they had musicians on stage to cover the parts that I could hear. Maybe there were tracks for depth, but if so, it was subtle. Both bands rocked.

(Both were awesome, BTW, highly recommended.)
 
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