GENE SIMMONS – "It’s Not About Backing Tracks, It’s About Dishonesty"

KISS bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons wants “dishonest” bands who use backing tapes to include that fact on their concert tickets, reports news.com.au.  

Simmons claimed some of the world’s biggest performers are relying on pre-recorded music or vocals in concerts. “I have a problem when you charge $100 to see a live show and the artist uses backing tracks,” Simmons said. “It’s like the ingredients in food, if the first ingredient on the label is sugar that’s at least honest. It should be on every ticket – you’re paying $100, 30 to 50 per cent of the show is (on) backing tracks and they’ll sing sometimes, sometimes they’ll lip synch. At least be honest. It’s not about backing tracks, it’s about dishonesty.”

“There’s nobody with a synthesiser on our stage, there’s no samples on the drums, there’s nothing. There’s very few bands who do that now – AC/DC, Metallica, us. I can’t even say that about U2 or the Stones. There’s very few bands who don’t use (backing) tracks.”

Read the article in its entirety at this location.

The next KISS concert is scheduled for April 10th in Bogota, Colombia. To view their complete tour itinerary, click here.