Just so YOU know, THIS constitutes 'Live' in 2024

Hi Everyone. Just wanted to chime in and say a big THANK YOU to everyone who’s replied to my original comment on the subject that the OG Phill posted in this episode. A big thank you to you Phill for the great work you do and the way in which you do it. You’re so non-judgemental, (unlike myself 😅) on the subject and you do a great job in educating me personally. Our industry needs more people like you and we’re all of us lucky to have you. I didn’t see anything from you in my IG DM’s which is okay but just letting you know once agin that you have an open invitation to chat and exchange views via FaceTime as I’m sure there are some who my question that it’s actually me. As I mentioned above, I wanted to thank all of you that have replied to my original comment. You’ve all said the nicest things about me and I’m humbled. Sorry I haven’t responded to each of you individually but I just wanted you to know that I’ve acknowledged all of your views in response and that I appreciate you all took the time to do so. It’s seems that as a whole we’re in collective agreement with regard to the integrity of this art form that we’re all so privileged to be a part of, no matter the capacity or level in which we do so. I know that I have been so lucky to have found my purpose very early on in music and I’d even go as far as to say that I don’t think I would’ve made it through life if it hadn’t found me. The wonderful accolades I’ve been fortunate to experience in this journey have all been nice, don’t get me wrong but when all’s said and done, it’s the ‘journey’, the hard graft, the low points that seemed like failing at the time are what I hold closest to my heart. So I guess it’s down to us now to keep fighting the good fight. No we’re not neurosurgeons or curing cancer but we are in our own way healing the world through our music. Here’s to ‘US’ and never giving up in our quest to preserve the integrity of our beloved art form. -Seal

Thanks for that. I'm the bass guitarist and MD in Cyndi's band and I can at least tell you that we had a LOT of monitor issues at Glasto. But yes, everything we played and sang was 100% live.

Hi Brother, this is Seal here, (recording artist) and I just want to say a big thank you for what you’re doing. You’re very diplomatic/politically correct when breaking down these performances ….much more so than I 🤬😂. The reality is that the bar is way lower than that of my generation of singers and those who came before me, those whom I looked up to. I often ask myself the question, if I was starting out today would I aspire to be like the artists in this video given what we all know of their performances? The answer is a resounding NFW!! When I was coming up, my heroes were Marvin, Stevie, Joni, Carol. That was the bar then. So it’s really difficult for me to respect any of what I hear coming from these artists today both in terms of live performance AND actual song writing which is a whole other subject entirely. When I was recording my earlier records such as the ones with Kiss From A Rose, Crazy, Love’s Divine etc, auto tune existed but we just didn’t use it as it was frowned upon by my mentor the great Trevor Horn who made me sing it over and over again until I got the fkn thing right. Then he’d make me stack up my harmonies eight times per harmony! So give me flat or sharp notes in a live performance any day over some homogenised, lifeless pitch-corrected version. I just don’t understand the point of faking it live. Where’s the artistry? Where’s the challenge? Where’s the understanding of history? Where’s the f****ing dignity and artistic self-respect?? Anyway, end of rant -Seal

I just keep hearing Prince saying “real music by real musicians” in my head over and over again.

Amazing that the women whose voices have gone through aging, illness, lifestyle challenges, etc., are the ones CHOOSING to do it authentically. Thanks again, Fil!

I would rather pay to see an imperfect live performance from a true talent like Cyndi, than what amounts to a download from Spotify, any day.

Back in the day you went to live concerts because you wanted to get a different take on each performance. That was part of the fun of it. It's what you couldn't hear on the radio. Extended versions, amazing guitar or drum solos, raw emotion. People don't know what they are missing. I saw Santana, Chicago, Kiss, Deep Purple, Elvis and more all in the mid 70's through early 80's and they were worth every penny.

Cyndi Lauper, forever a legend.

Ever since I saw the video when I think of live music I think of Tracy Chapman in June 1988 playing “Fast Car” with nothing but a microphone and a guitar. No software, no backing track, pure music and all the feels.

Blows my mind that Cindy is 71. Absolute legend.

You can't compare them - one is a live performance, and one is glorified karaoke. Less than karaoke even, it's just singing along to the track. Which would be OK if it was billed as such, but it isn't.

As we said back in the day, if it sounds just like the record, it is the record.

I read some news articles where they really slagged Lauper off for her voice, and fawned over Lipa. The press have been bad at pushing this autotuned "perfection".

As a singer myself I can’t imagine using studio recordings in the mix, it’s like these artists are doing karaoke of themselves. The magic happens between the notes when performing live, and the rush of synergy with the band is unbeatable.

Years ago, I was one of the sound engineers ( mixer ) on the Glastonbury Jazz World Stage, live then was live, no backing tracks, the sound was all the bands instruments and the singers voice. It could be nerve wracking when things went a little wrong, and you always felt that you were the last link that HAD to get it right, but the shows were so much more enjoyable than they are today.

I love Dua Lipa but when Cyndi belted that note it gave me shivers down my neck. It is a completely different sort of emotional involvement you get when a singer is singing live.

When I saw this vid I also saw a suggestion on my feed for Rick Astley at Glastonbury in 2023 performing Never gonna give you up. That's actually live. Rick nails the vocals, talks to the crowd, introduces each member of the band, lets them play a solo each, then closes out his set with one last chorus of Never Gonna give You up. When the band drops in and out with their solos you can hear them adjust and listen to each other. There's no mistaking that it was a live performance.

I'm playing 2 gigs and a recording session this week. No tricks, no pitch corrections, simply real instruments and voices performing music. It feels like the end of an era, of something that mattered. I'm 75, and I don't know any other way to be, warts, clunkers and all.

What is "acceptable" is very personal, I guess. I'm a symphonic metal fan, and quite comfortable with use of a click track and many backing tracks for orchestra & choir to recreate that sound; but I draw the line at the lead vocalist and visible performers not performing live or being buried in the mix. On the other hand, seeing Rush in the 80s and knowing that the entire soundscape was being produced by those three people was also kind of a thrill.

Cyndi Lauper still has her touch. She's better than Madona without a doub!