Blackie Lawless Doubles Down on Use of Backing Tracks: “The Bottom Line is to Give the Audience a Good Show. Who Cares How it Gets There?”
In the debate over the use of backing tracks in live performances, lines have been drawn and many artists are very firmly entrenched in their side. Earlier this week we learned that Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns was firmly in the anti-backing track camp. Meanwhile, John 5 of Mötley Crüe recently had to prove to fans that he doesn’t use backing tracks. But, when it comes to the pro-backing track camp, few people are as firmly in favor of their use as W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless.
Lawless defended his use of backing tracks in an interview back in 2022, but now he’s doubling down on it vehemently in a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock. In the interview, Lawless addressed fans who believe that W.A.S.P. shows aren’t live at all, saying:
“Well, if they’re crazy enough to believe it, that’s their business. But if they genuinely feel like that, then don’t go. Listen, God blessed me with this foghorn in my throat. LIke anybody who’s got one, we like showing ‘em off — and I’m no different. I’m sorry if this sounds arrogant, but there will be times where I’m up there and I hear what’s coming out of me, when I’m sustaining a note or something. I’m thinking to myself, “Wow, that’s pretty cool. I’m not sure most people would have the opportunity to experience something like that in their lives. So from my perspective, I’m pretty appreciative of it. As I said, when you’ve got this thing that really not a lot of people can do, you like to show it. [Laughs] Let me add one more thing. I grew up listening to Live at Leeds [by the Who]. Even though I didn’t realize it at the time, there are overdubs on it.
“But it’s pretty raw. It sounds like it was done by a three-piece band. For the most part, it’s pretty realistic. But they don’t do it like that anymore. What they were doing was giving you a reflection of 1970. They were giving you a snapshot of that timeframe. And that’s what bands did. But when technology changed and we had the ability to make it sound bigger and better, who’s not going to do that? I mean, you can do the Live at Leeds version. We used to. Was it good? It was okay for what it was. But you know, if I’m going to see a show — and this is my personal opinion — I want that thing to sound like the record. I don’t care what Queen says, or any of these other bands, ‘Oh, we’re doing that live.’ No, you don’t have 20 guys behind that stage singing. [Laughs] You just don’t. They’re all getting help out there. The bottom line is to give the audience a good show. Who cares how it gets there?”
While the part where he brags about his voice sounds a bit arrogant, there’s a certain logic to what he’s saying. Have you ever gone to see a band that refuses to use backing tracks live despite the fact that they use a ton of effects and additional musicians in the studio? That’s a really disappointing live show to see. While I don’t want to see a band that does nothing but lip-sync to backing tracks, I think I’m with Blackie about wanting the live show to sound like the album.
This fall, W.A.S.P. will be doing a tour where they play their self-titled debut album in its entirety and, now that you know that the live show promises to sound just like the album itself, here’s where you can catch them on that tour:
10/26 San Luis Obispo, CA Fremont Theater (W.A.S.P. only) [Tickets]
10/28 Portland, OR Roseland Theater [Tickets]
10/29 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre [Tickets]
10/30 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre [Tickets]
11/01 Calgary, AB The Palace Theatre [Tickets]
11/02 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory [Tickets]
11/03 Boise, ID Knitting Factory [Tickets]
11/04 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot [Tickets]
11/05 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre [Tickets]
11/07 Minneapolis, MN The Fillmore [Tickets]
11/08 St Charles, IL The Arcada Theatre [Tickets]
11/10 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre [Tickets]
11/11 Toronto, ON History [Tickets]
11/13 Montreal, QC MTELUS [Tickets]
11/14 Quebec City, QC Theatre Capitole [Tickets]
11/15 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre [Tickets]
11/16 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom At Manhattan Center [Tickets]
11/17 Philadelphia, PA Franklin Music Hall [Tickets]
11/19 Cleveland, OH The Agora Theater [Tickets]
11/20 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE [Tickets]
11/21 Stroudsburg, PA The Sherman Theater [Tickets]
11/22 Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore [Tickets]
11/23 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore [Tickets]
11/24 Orlando, FL The Plaza Live [Tickets]
11/26 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium [Tickets]
11/27 Atlanta, GA The Eastern [Tickets]
11/29 Houston, TX House Of Blues [Tickets]
11/30 San Antonio, TX Aztec Theatre [Tickets]
12/01 Dallas, TX The Factory in Deep Ellum [Tickets]
12/03 Little Rock, AR The Hall [Tickets]
12/04 Wichita, KS The Cotillion [Tickets]
12/06 Albuquerque, NM REVEL [Tickets]
12/07 Tempe, AZ The Marquee Theatre [Tickets]
12/09 Tucson, AZ The Rialto Theatre [Tickets]
12/10 San Diego, CA House Of Blues [Tickets]
12/11 Reno, NV Grand Sierra Resort and Casino [Tickets]
12/12 Las Vegas, NV Brooklyn Bowl [Tickets]
12/13 San Francisco, CA The Warfield (no Death Angel) [Tickets]
12/14 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium (no Death Angel) [Tickets]
