Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French spoke last Thursday, the 16th, to the Syncin' Stanley about the use of backing tracks in live performances and cited the Rolling Stones , who, according to him, barely play and use doubles in their shows. The interview on YouTube can be found at the end of this article.
“This applies mainly to the singers, although in a band like the Rolling Stones the only one who’s really good these days is Mick Jagger . His vocals, in fact, remain as good as ever, if not improved even further. The rest of the band really needs help. Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood have arthritis and can barely play. I understand that they use stand-in guitarists backstage on nights when they really can’t play” (transcription via Alternative Nation ).
Twisted Sister, which disbanded in 2016 , would never have used such a resource: “We, as a band, Twisted Sister, played live. We never used backing tracks in 15 years of shows, from 2003 until the moment we retired. Everything was there – all the guitar, bass, vocals – everything was live. But I don't condemn bands that use backing tracks.”
Recently, the group was inducted into the Metal Hall of Fame with its classic lineup , performing three songs at the gala ceremony.
The guitarist continued the interview saying that the main reason behind these sonic tricks is aging. “We’re not 20 anymore. Most of our heroes are now 70 or close to 80 and they can’t do that anymore.”
Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin , according to him, is one of the only artists who still performs the songs live in a truly authentic and original way.
Jay Jay, however, explained that the landscape of using backing tracks is more complex than it seems: “As a businessman, that’s a very complicated question. I could say, ‘Oh, it sucks. Everyone should just do everything for real,’ but there’s a lot of money at stake and bands are under a lot of pressure to replicate the records.”
“And I think, ultimately, the real answer is: do the fans care or not? And if the fans don't care, and there's a lot of money on the table, the band is under a lot of pressure to replicate an album, then veteran groups get away with doing it. If these bands believe that the fans will tolerate it, then they get away with it and do it. It's not up to me to say whether they should or shouldn't. You do what you feel you can do, and you get away with it if you feel you can, and more power to you.”
READ ALSO: Jay Jay French would have quit Twisted Sister if he knew success would take so long.