Chris Jericho Admits He Uses Backing Tracks Live: “Everybody Does…It Doesn’t Make You Any Less of a Band”

Has anyone reading this ever tried Viagra? I have not, and I’ve always wondered what it’s like (I mean, besides being like just having a boner). But something I’ll put out there is that I don’t think there should be a stigma attached to its use. So what if you need some pep to get your motor running, so long as all consenting adults involved are satisfied? I bring all of this up, of course, because wrestler and Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho had admitted that his band uses backing tracks live, and his explanation feels very similar in tone to that of a dude explaining that he takes the blue pill.

Here’s what Jericho said in an interview with Detroit’s WRIF:

“We use backing tracks for some songs, and everybody does. Unless you’re Guns N’ Roses…Let me rephrase that… If you’re in Slash’s band…Guns N’ Roses has backing tracks. They have a keyboard player. It’s just the way of the world right now. It doesn’t mean we’re not singing and not playing. If you’re listening to a record, you go to a Def Leppard gig and you hear ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ that was recorded with 25 tracks of guitars, you can’t just go with two guitars on stage and in your right mind think there wasn’t something building up the background there. It’s just kind of the way that bands are. It doesn’t make you any less of a band. ‘Cause you know what? Queen used tracks in the ’70s. If you don’t believe me, watch it when they play ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ live.”

So, obviously Jericho sounds a little defensive here. And that makes sense, given that Sebastian Bach called him out over lip-syncing recently. Overall, I definitely err on the side of ‘Who the fuck cares,’ but I also think Jericho is incorrect in his assumption that everyone does it. If you look, his examples are all aged arena rockers. Call the dudes from Clutch into a room and ask them if they use backing tracks live. Can’t help but think that they’d cock and eyebrow at you.

Check out the interview here: