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Did anyone happen to catch or hear about Ashlee Simpson on SNL on Saturday?

Well, the first song she sang was Pieces of Me. Apparently the next song she was to sing was going to be Shadow.

Well, for her next performance (I did not see the show, just read what happened on the net), Pieces of me started again.

Well, the band was not ready for it (to fake play, or play with the music), and Ashlee Simpson definately was not ready as the vocals started playing as well, and Ashlee was not even on stage!

The band kept on playing the song.....and the vocals kept on going...and Ashlee then just ran of stage and they went to commercial!

At the end of the show, she said that "her band had played the wrong song" (duh....your vocals came on and you were not even singing!)

Same with Ryan Malcom (our first Canadian Idol) at the Grey Cup Game last year. The vocals started, and the microphone was by his waist. He had a shocked look on his face, and then put the mic to his mouth, and went on his singing way!

Anyway, what is everone's take on this subject? Should singers get to sing with their backing track? Should they be able to lip sync? Would you rather hear a nice "perfect" performance at a concert, or be able to hear all their flaws?

Appreciate the responses

yes I saw that whole Ashlee Simpson fiasco! It makes me sick. Shania Twain did the same thing at the Grey Cup (or was it the superbowl) a while back..... and she said something like "nobody said that i wasn't allowed to lip sync so I've done nothing wrong" I'd have to say that the biggest offender though is Britney.... Has that girl EVER sang a note in her life?? ! I remember I was watching the Wayne Brady show ('member him?) and someone said to him "Well look at how she dances...... That's got to be SOO hard to sing while dancing like that" and Wayne said "Yeah! It is!! That's why they make MILLIONS more than the rest of us" I couldn't have said it better!! These people are living like kings just because they knew the right people and can move their lips! Some times I wish I lived in the hayday (sp?) of Fred Astaire and Doris Day, even Shirley Temple and all those greats who really DID sing and dance!! what a time.......

-crys

Now look what ya did!! ! got me ranting first thing in the morning!! ! oh well...... it woke me up!!

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I know!

It makes me pretty sad too...seeing as there is so much great talent here!

I hate when they lip sync.

If they can't sing live...they probably should not be singing. That is my take anyway.

That's the whole issue, most of these bubble gum singers can't sing on their own without studio aids, so they need a "helper" track. The band started playing the right song, but the first songs lyrics came on unexpectedly & like any good band would do, started to follow the lyrics that were being done, while Ashlee was stupidly dumbfounded. Not knowing what to do, played Ostrich & buried her head in the sand - running off stage. Then she had the audacity to blame the band - what a loser!

At least it wasn't a total Milli Vanilli flashback. She at least sung her own songs IN the studio.

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There are two takes on this. One from the label and the other from the 'fan'.

From the labels perspective it makes sense to have them lip sync. You're protecting your interest. Think about Meatloaf who tore a vocal chord which nearly devastated his career and the innumerable other artist who's voice isn't able to hold up to a rigorious touring schedule. Want to see and hear a really great show? Go to one of the first on the tour. By the end of the tour many artists voices are shot or at least sub-par. The truth is, most younger people's voices aren't mature enough to hold up to a concert schedule. If you think about opera singers there are very few younger than 35 or so because the music is so hard to sing the younger un-mature voice isn't able to hold up. As long as they're singing young artists they'll have them lip sync because the voice can't hold up.

From the fan's perspective - some want a 'show' and others want to see/hear them sing. The music industry has gone from concerts to multimedia productions w/ the artists as the main attraction.

Some people want the dancing and multimedia 'spectacular'. They don't care if the artist sings or just stands there. They are a 10 year old with ADD waiting to be 'entertained' for a couple hours. They could care less if they sing because they got to see the 'star'!

When I got to a venue to see a performer I want something more akin to a concert. I want to see the band play live music - not see them run around dancing pretending to sing. If I wanted to see lip syncing I'll dig around for some Milli Vanilli concert footage or go to the local transvestite bar (I'm sure there's one somewhere around here).

While I can understand if a performer has a gig and has come down with a cold or other malady has happened that could cause them to lip sync instead of canceling the show and booking it at a later date. But the rash of lip syncing 'productions' is getting out of hand. I go see bands and buy CD's/T-Shirts at concerts because the band makes most of the money and it's a way I can support them without the label getting the lions share. I don't purchase these items for lip syncing nobodies who annoy the hell out of me.

My take? How do I really feel? You signed a contract to produce records which the label takes most of the money. If you want to make money you'll tour. If you're going to make the good money touring at least let them hear the real you. If Ozzy, AC/DC, Led Zepplin, Jim Morrison, CSN, CDB, and all these other stars can sing why can't the 'stars' of today?

I had a friend who went to a U2 concert a number of years ago. Apparently the lead singer had the flu but went on to perform anyway. He went on stage to perform and his voie was shot. Turns out the fans were singing louder than he was part of the time however the concert went over just fine. He apologized for his condition and they canceled the next days show but the band performed until they couldn't anymore. It's dedication to the fans that put you where you are financially that I look for...


My .02 worth...

I know!

At least she could have made a joke about it....or made a better excuse, like I have been singing on concerts for the last few days, and my voice did not feel up to it, or I have a cold!

I don't know what I would have done if it was me, but I would have tried to save myself! Not just run off stage like a goof! The show must go on! Make a joke, laugh at yourself.....anything!

It is always the bands fault! ! Didn't that same thing happen on AI where they blamed the band for something?

I sang at a breakfast once, early in the morning, and I sang We Danced Anyway. The darn CD started skipping, but I made every possible attempt to keep on singing the song.

I must have done a good job cause My friend went up to the sound guy and said the CD was skipping, and he said, No, it is not.

My BF said that he was amazed at how I covered it up and if he did not know the song, he would not have noticed at all.

Oh well....she will be hearing about it for a long time, I am sure. Next week on SNL, they will probably make a skit about it !

If I wanted to pay $50+ bucks to hear a lip-sync artist, i'll save my money & rent a video. I am spending money to HEAR an artist perform the song live - not Memorex. If you can't sing live, with all the little errors that are possible - which is part of a good show is to see well they can pull off a blunder if it happens, then you have no business being up on that stage.
I remember in the later 80's when lip-sync contests were the hot thing in bars, until karaoke kind of took over - but why? Oh yeah, karaoke are LIVE singers.

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The first UK pop idol band, Hear'say, had a big to-do about lipsynching...

I remember reading about it in the British press..

They were "singing" at the Brit awards, just after they hit the big time, and they wanted to sing live, but were apparently told by the programme producers that they HAD to lipsynch cos it was easier for the sound engineers than trying to set up live sound for the evening....

Now, I don't know if that was just an excuse (but I don't think it was, cos they were obviously p***** about it) but me personally, if I go to see a band/artist perform, I'd like to hear them LIVE, not just a recorded track. Hell, if I want a recorded track, I'll go buy the CD.....

The pop idols epecially, I think should sing live... they've already provd they can sing live...

I went to see another British pop idol, Darius, in concert, and the performance was so note-perfect I started to wonder if he was lipsynching... until he messed up the lyrics in one of his songs and sang the first verse twice... then laughed and apologised to the audience... But it goes to show, it can be done... he was right at the end of the tour as well...

Oh, and someone mentioned Meatloaf... I've seen him in concert soooo many times now I've lost track... and I've NEVER noticed him lipsynch... and his stuff is really demanding. I was at the concert back last November when he collapsed on stage and had to stop the concert midway... but damn, that man kept right on to the bitter end, we could all hear that there was something wrong, cos he didn't sound right. But he had enough integrity to go and give it his best anyway... Such a shame ALL performers aren't like that.

Most folks would probably have more respect for them if they were....

The National Anthem is almost never sung live at NASCAR, NFL,MLB etc. A given singer will record it before hand then lip sync. This prevents a multitude of problems from popping up during a live televised event. Karaokemeister hit the nail on the head, the record companies want to protect their investment, most likely you're familiar with the album version, and that's what you're going to hear on TV, no matter what the show. What if the drummer missed a beat, the guitar player breaks a string, keyboards drop out? You don't want to hear that, you want to hear the song just like on the album. Being a guitar player I tend to watch guitar players, it's pretty easy to spot if someone isn't actually playing the song.

Wouldn't that have just sucked to hear him keep singing AFTER he collapsed? True artists don't need to lip sync, the ones that don't have the stamina to last through a show are the ones that have to (@$%&#!) out & have a recorded track.

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Steven Tyler just performed the National Anthem live for the first game of the World Series. Guarantee that was NOT a recorded performance - he wouldn't allow it. What if a drummer missed a beat, etc...that's what MAKES a live show a live show. Things like that is to be expected & may happen>? That is not an excuse for players not to play!

What would happen if you go to show of a singer you thought sang & she started singing, yet she isn't even moving her lips & looking around like an idiot - hey what's happeing, start dancing around like an idiot then run off the stage in complete embarressment then blames the......... Oh wait, didn't these things happen??? I think this would be worse than going to a show & hearing a string break or the drummer miss a beat. Most musicians know how to compensate & quickly to adjust for a minor flaw. You wouldn't see them go running off the stage - they keep playing & at the end of the song a stage hand gives them a back-up instrument (sometimes during the middle of a song if they are quick).

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I mentioned Meatload earlier because he came back from a devastating injury to record and perform again. He's one of the performers that is dedicated to his fans and wouldn't consider doing a 'lip-sync'd' show. It's these true performers that I salute.

I seem to remember being at a concert (IIRC it was Steve Vai w/ Whitesnake) where the lead guitarist broke a string and played around it until the end of the song. Seeing the compensation for 'mistakes' and 'strangeness' is expected in a live show and part of why I go. Even in high school bands there is compensation for the woodwind that splits a reed, etc.

I agree w/ Lonman - if I pay to see a singer I want them singing. If I want to see dancing about the stage I'll go to Riverdance. If I want lip-syncing I'll watch MTV/VH1.

True Lonnie, if I go to a live concert I would expect it to be live. But for TV be it SNL or Grammies or what ever it's mostly lip synced.

But even at these shows, I would still expect a live performance. Saturday Night "LIVE" - it isn't Saturday Night "Recorded Performance". Even at the Grammies, the true artists STILL perform live, they don't have to sync anything, they have the chops & stamina to perform. 20 years ago you wouldn't ever see a recorded performance on live tv - you would see the performance by real musicians & singers.

If people are so worried about a "possible" blunder in someones performance, then music should die - PERIOD! If it's to the point where artists (or record companies) can't rely on their own merits (or don't have the faith in their clients to rely on their own merits) then what's the point. Half of the pop, r&b, rap, even some rock music today can be created with a simple loop program like Acid, and many of the songs out aren't even original, they are snippets taken from real songs from other musicians. Then the singer gets a hundred times to record their performance in a studio & then goes & syncs the same performance on stage - that's crap! Back in the 90's, Candlebox was a group that sucked live, but they kept playing & after a while, their performances started to really shine, but they didn't give up & sync anything, there was just other crap that killed that band.

If you can't sing live & must sync, get out of the business!

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What surprises me is how surprised the media seemed to be. Ok, they were faking it...but I was surprised none the less.

The good news is... maybe labels and artists will try to be a little more real and give us what we all really seem to want. A very well done live performance.

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I only lip-sync in other languages

So this means if i lose wieght, dye my hair and buy a skin tight suit...i TOO can become Famous? ..cause i can lip synche Really Good...

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why it would surprise anyone is beyond me- ashlee learned it from one of the best- her sister Britney... if it weren't for britney being her sister, poor ashlee would be working the food court at the local mall... -tig

Jessica Simpson is her sister.

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OMG!

I just saw the video of the SNL fiasco.....and it is even funnier than I thought!

There is no way the band screwed up that one! !

From watching it, if the band screwed up, there should have been no problem for her to stop the band from playing the song and saying, "hey dudes! ! Wrong song", and then the band stop playing the wrong song to play the right one!

That was so funny!

You know, it really goes to show you how dependent they are on the "backing tracks" to sing with. Why could she not have just sang Shadow without the backing (if that is the song that she was supposed to be singing)? I am sure it could have not been that bad!

She screwed up big time, and did absolutely nothing to cover her butt! ! At least when Shania was singing at the Grey Cup and the Superbowl, she had the smarts at least to say that it was a vocal cut (Like you can do on karaoke machines) so that if something happens to the mic (like a dead spot or something) it won't be silent.

Better excuse than poor Ashley anyway! !