Doc McGhee, the long-time manager of KISS, has defended Paul Stanley and his vocals during the “End Of The Road” tour, asserting that the “Star Child” vocally performs every song at every show.
Rumors and speculations have been circulating the internet ever since the launch of KISS‘s “End Of The Road” tour in January 2019, surrounding the possibility of Stanley‘s singing to a backing track, because of his struggles to reach high notes in KISS‘s classic songs for the past years.
In an interview with the Syncin’ Stanley YouTube channel prior to Stanley‘s show at Wentworth Gallery in Boca Raton on February 4, McGhee addressed allegations that KISS is playing pre-recorded audio during its final tour.
He said: “He sings every track. So he sings to it. So he’s not lip syncing. He fully sings. It’s enhanced. It’s just part of the process to make sure that everybody hears the songs the way they should be sang to begin with. Nobody wants to hear people do stuff that’s not real, that’s not what they came to hear.”
When Syncin’ Stanley questioned McGhee as to whether he was implying that Paul was singing along with pre-recorded tracks, Doc replied: “He’ll sing to tracks. It’s all part of a process. Because everybody wants to hear everybody sing. But he fully sings to every song.”
Last June, KISS drummer Eric Singer made a “rare” mistake during the band’s concert in Antwerp, Belgium, which fans founded as proof that KISS is using pre-recorded tracks during its performances.
Several KISS fans who attended the group’s show at Sportpaleis have shared video of KISS kicking off the set with “Detroit Rock City,” the classic song that has consistently served as the live opener for the band’s live performances in recent years.
At the end of the song, Singer, who has played with KISS on and off since 1991, apparently “forgets to rest for a measure,” according to YouTube commenter Austin Ogonoski, “instead continuing to play the standard beat for two additional measures.”
After “Eric realizes he messes up,” he “begins the drumroll/breakdown a measure late,” which “means Paul‘s [Stanley] vocal track is out of sync with what the band is actually playing,” Austin explains. “Paul‘s track plays ‘Everybody’s gonna leave their SEAT,’ completely out of sync with the song and when nobody is at a mic.”
In a 2015 interview with News.com, Gene Simmons criticized band’s who use pre-recorded vocal or musical backing tracks during concerts.
“I have a problem when you charge $100 to see a live show and the artist uses backing tracks,” Simmons said at the time. “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.”
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