Randy Blythe to Future Vocalists: You Have to Be Willing to “Make an Idiot Out of Yourself”
It takes a copious amount of balls to stand in front of people and do literally fucking anything. Speaking, telling jokes, or killing it on stage in a band takes fortitude and according to Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe, a little bit of self-deprecation.
While speaking with fellow frontman Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage and Matt Stocks during a recent episode of the Stoke the Fire podcast, Blythe admitted that while there are way better singers than him out there in the world, real professionals have something a little extra in the tank.
“There are guys in their closet with their YouTube rig or in their garage who can outsing either fucking one of us. There is no doubt about it, man. They have more talent, natural talent, in their little pinky than either of us. But the difference is… I think one of the main requirements to be a frontman, a good frontman — actually, the only requirement, probably; I mean, you’ve gotta have some talent — is a willingness to get up in front of people and make an idiot out of yourself and be really bad for a while until you become good.
“…. [T]hese people with all this natural talent, it doesn’t fucking matter unless you can get in front of people and do it, and you have to do it with a group of people; you have to feel that bond; you have to deliver.”
Thanks to the advent of YouTube, the world can more easily access insanely sick vocal performances at a moment’s notice. Some people make a killing on that platform using their vocal talents to catapult themselves to internet fame and real-life riches.
But the thing that stands out the most between what they do and say what someone like Blythe or Leach do is stand in front of thousands of screaming fans and command the audience. A good frontman, whether they’re “the best frontman of all time” or not, can get people to move with them and react to the music. Blythe is a master of this and you don’t really get that sense without attending a Lamb of God show.
All power to the people making it out there in YouTube, but they get the benefit of editing software and multiple takes, while the men and women that put it all out there on stage do it live and only get one shot at impressing a crowd. And that takes a whole hell of a lot of balls.
As for Randy and Lamb of God, they’re on the cusp of releasing their latest album Omens on October 7, which is available for preorder via Epic Records.
They’re also currently on tour with Killswitch Engage, Baroness, and Suicide Silence. Later dates will have different supporting acts, so check to see when they’ll be performing live at a venue near you.
Lamb of God w/ Killswitch Engage, Baroness, Suicide Silence
Sep 13 – Youngstown, OH – Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater
Sep 14 – Baltimore, MD – Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena
Sep 16 – Atlanta, GA – Coca Cola Roxy
Sep 17 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place
Sep 18 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sep 21 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Sep 23 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life Festival *No KSE, No Suicide
Silence
Sep 24 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Sep 25 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amp at Freedom Hill
Sep 26 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
Sep 28 – Minneapolis, MN – Armory
Sep 30 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
Lamb of God w/ Killswitch Engage, Motionless In White, Fit For An Autopsy
Oct 01 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Great SaltAir
Oct 02 – Grand Junction, CO – Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park
Oct 04 – Fresno, CA – Selland Arena
Oct 07 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival *No Fit For An Autopsy
Lamb of God w/ Killswitch Engage, Spiritbox, Fit For An Autopsy
Oct 09 – Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
Oct 10 – Kent (Seattle), WA – Accesso ShoWare Center
Oct 11 – Portland, OR – Theater of the Clouds
Lamb of God w/ Killswitch Engage, Animals As Leaders, Fit For An Autopsy
Oct 13 – Inglewood, CA – YouTube Theater
Oct 14 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theater
Oct 15 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Oct 16 – El Paso, TX – UTEP Don Haskins Center
Oct 18 – San Antonio, TX – Freeman Coliseum
Oct 19 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
Oct 20 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
