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tatters
BILLY JOEL OUTS U2 LIVE ACT
12/16/2011
Is there more to a U2 show than just the four members of the Irish band? Billy Joel says there's more than meets the eye. During a lecture and performance this week at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Joel told the crowd that "Bono's gonna kill me for this..." before saying that when he attended a U2 show in New York he learned that additional musicians were underneath the stage supporting the quartet. U2's use of supporting players, not unlike Pink Floyd during the 70s, has long been rumored but never openly reported. The U2 camp has not commented on Joel's bombshell.
Maybe there's something the Stones should have considered if Mick insisted on having all those singers and horns along to better recreate the studio versions. I might not mind all the hired help if I didn't have to SEE them. Seeing all those extras for the first time in'89 put a damper on my idea of what a Stones concert should look like. I just want to see THE STONES onstage and focus on them; maybe the piano player and Bobby Keys could be allowed to be seen. Although I prefer the sound of the stripped down Stones ala '78, I'll say they do still sound pretty damn great live. I just hate when the cameras focus on the extras instead of the Stones. Good idea U2. Keep the hired help hidden and out of the way! *much of prior post said with tongue firmly in cheek....but semi-serious. take it however you please*
When I saw the Stones on the Steel Wheels tour for the first time along with the extra singers, horns, keyboards, etc, I didn't know what to make of it. My initial reaction was that they sold out. However, upon hearing the then "new" arrangements of songs like You Can't Always Get What You Want & Gimme Shelter with all the subtleties and nuances thrown in just like the recorded versions, I changed my own tune (so to speak). At that time, I liked the more professional sound. For me, it added something to the Stones live performances.
I was recently re-reading Bill German's Under Their Thumb and in one of the chapters, German reported that it was Jagger who wanted the Stones to play their hits to resemble the recorded versions which was more a less a business decision,rather than for artistic reasons. German summed it up aptly: "He (Jagger) learned that the way to reach the vastest audience (referring to Jagger's solo tour in 88), not just hardcore Stones freaks, was to play the hits the way people remembered them. Don't ask people to indulge the Stones' onstage idiosyncrasies, and don't assume the Stones' unpolished sound would be endearing."
Relating back to this particular thread, as music fans we know that of the several artists mentioned (Who, U2, Pink Floyd), they have produced great works in the studio that aren't easily replicated on stage without utilizing technology and/or having additional personnel to recreate said music. Haven't the Stones best studio works (Exile on Main Street,Aftermath, Let It Bleed) benefitted from additional layers (marimba, dulcimer, extra guitars, female vocalists) that have made those records classics? I guess my long winded point is, you can't have it both ways-meaning, I would rather have all the additional players on stage TO BE SEEN, rather than hidden away somewhere like you're trying to hide something or deceive your audience. Just my two cents.
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stonesdan60
Oh well, great bands have used various tricks to enhance the live sound. I don't think Led Zeppelin ever did, but consider The Who. In an era when anything not actually played live was detested, Townshend insisted that tapes of his intricate synth parts be used onstage because he felt they'd be impossible for someone to recreate live and they were an essential part of the song's musical stucture. Granted, songs like Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again do need those parts. I'll forgive Townshend for using tapes just because I think he's a freaking creative wizard and those synth parts are his own work....Totally unrelated, I remember seeing Heart many years ago and was rather amused to hear a lot of keyboard parts with nobody onstage but two guitars, bass and drums. Tapes? Hidden player? Lots of bands cheat.
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Justin
They're literally under the stage? Seems uncomfortable.
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GazzaQuote
its good to be anywhere
At least the Stones have all the backing musicans visable and on stage....
Not always.
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TornAndFried
I found this rare soundboard recording of U2 playing "Magnificent" on David Letterman in 2009 without all the reverb, guitar effects and electronic razzmatazz that you usually hear in the mix when they play live. Perhaps now you can understand why they employ a keyboarist to help flesh out their live sound.
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dcbaQuote
GazzaQuote
its good to be anywhere
At least the Stones have all the backing musicans visable and on stage....
Not always.
Tell us!
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dcbaQuote
GazzaQuote
its good to be anywhere
At least the Stones have all the backing musicans visable and on stage....
Not always.
Tell us!
Go on IMDB or U2 homepage and read about additional U2 musicians on their consert movies - nothing / no information.Quote
Papo
Bono introduced Terry Lawless openly during "Unknown Caller" on the 360-Tour, at least at the many shows I have been to. He said "Underneath the Stage: Terry Lawless on the keyboards!". They even showed Terry Lawless on the screen, several times.
Terry played keyboards during "Unknown Caller" and of course "Streets". And he triggers/ starts the backing tapes, clicks, just like Chuck L. does with the Stones.
Terry and U2 talk about it openly - when asked. And they have been asked and interviewed about this. It's just no big deal.
There are other musicians/ bands that "perform(ed)" and don't/didn't even play or sing live, e.g. Madonna, Michael Jackson, Britney and countless others...
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TornAndFried
I found this rare soundboard recording of U2 playing "Magnificent" on David Letterman in 2009 without all the reverb, guitar effects and electronic razzmatazz that you usually hear in the mix when they play live. Perhaps now you can understand why they employ a keyboarist to help flesh out their live sound.
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TornAndFried
I found this rare soundboard recording of U2 playing "Magnificent" on David Letterman in 2009 without all the reverb, guitar effects and electronic razzmatazz that you usually hear in the mix when they play live. Perhaps now you can understand why they employ a keyboarist to help flesh out their live sound.
I would bet that's fake. Maybe the band sounds like that, but the vocals are comically bad, and I would bet that's not really Bono's voice. I don't think Bono is one of the best vocalists ever, but he CAN sing better than that. I think somebody is having some fun with us there.
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tatters
U2's live act is the stage. They should all be under there; U2, the 'supporting' players, everybody. Just disappear and let the crowd concentrate on watching all the pretty lights.
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tatters
U2's live act is the stage. They should all be under there; U2, the 'supporting' players, everybody. Just disappear and let the crowd concentrate on watching all the pretty lights.
+1
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Seriously, lots of well known bands have or had hidden musicians :
Aerosmith toured during the 90ies with a keyboardist who wasn't on stage : Russ Irwin or Thom Gimbel
Iron Maiden has a keyboardist backstage since the late 80ies : Michael Kenney. He never is on stage with the band
The Stones kept Bernard, Lisa and Blondie OFF stage for the first songs of all the ABB Tour shows, but they were in the mix.
Queen had Spike Edney on keyboards but he wasn't to be seen either
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Munichhilton
Naturalust they do get credit. This whole thing is bogus.
Even Sting had a bass player (Danny Quatrochi) on Walking On The Moon backing him on the Synch tour.
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Munichhilton
Naturalust they do get credit. This whole thing is bogus.
Even Sting had a bass player (Danny Quatrochi) on Walking On The Moon backing him on the Synch tour.
Whew! I was getting a bit distressed over the whole thing. Thanks MH! Appreciate the real info here. We tend to believe what we read, gotta have sanity checks every now and then. Credit where credit due always works for me! peace.
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Max'sKansasCity
Now awaiting Weird AL's cover of "Under my Thumb" done as "Under my Stage".
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tatters
BILLY JOEL OUTS U2 LIVE ACT
12/16/2011
Is there more to a U2 show than just the four members of the Irish band? Billy Joel says there's more than meets the eye. During a lecture and performance this week at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Joel told the crowd that "Bono's gonna kill me for this..." before saying that when he attended a U2 show in New York he learned that additional musicians were underneath the stage supporting the quartet. U2's use of supporting players, not unlike Pink Floyd during the 70s, has long been rumored but never openly reported. The U2 camp has not commented on Joel's bombshell.