Fozzy’s Chris Jericho Defends Bands That Use Backing Tracks Live
Backing tracks are one of the most polarizing pieces of technology in rock music. Most artists are either for them and use them, or are completely against them and bash them. Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho is in favor of them, and defended bands that use them while they perform a show.
During a discussion on the Talkin' Rock With Meltdown podcast, Jericho admitted that Fozzy uses them during some songs in their live set, and named a couple of other big groups that enhance their live sound as well.
"We use backing tracks for some songs, and everybody does. Unless you're Guns N' Roses — let me rephrase that — if you're in Slash's band... Guns N' Roses has backing tracks. They have a keyboard player. It's just the way of the world right now," Jericho stated.
"It doesn't mean we're not singing and not playing. If you're listening to a record, you go to a Def Leppard gig and you hear 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' that was recorded with 25 tracks of guitars, you can't just go with two guitars on stage and in your right mind think there wasn't something building up the background there."
The vocalist further argued that using backing tracks live doesn't determine the band's talent, and cited Queen as another group that used them during the 1970s, particularly during "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Listen to the full segment below.
Among the artists who've been vocal about their disdain for the use of backing tracks is Sebastian Bach, and he and Jericho have actually gone back and forth about the subject in the past. The Fozzy vocalist challenged Bach to a sing off after the latter accused the former of lip-syncing on Twitter.
"I don't see a lot of bands coming up that are going to replace [classic rock stars] because too many of them rely on tapes, and that's not gonna last the test of time," Bach told Ultimate Classic Rock of his thoughts on newer rock bands. "There's gonna be a time when those tape bands are gonna have to do it for real, and people are gonna go, 'This is a fucking joke.' And I just know that real musicians hit your heart way more hard than guys miming to a tape.”