Sebastian Bach has a clear answer for anybody accusing Paul Stanley of using backing tracks onstage recently: "Kiss is not lip-syncing."

After attending a show by one of his favorite bands on its current farewell tour last night in Anaheim, the former Skid Row singer weighed in on the growing discussion with a series of tweets and replies. "I am saying that I went to see Kiss and I fucking saw Kiss," read one. "I listened to Paul Stanley sing his ass off LIVE."

Some fans on social media have been accusing Stanley of lip-syncing during shows on the End of the Road tour. Several have even posted Zapruder-type YouTube clips, such as the one below, breaking down alleged instances where the singer isn't near a microphone while his vocals play.

"Every single person I've talked to in the music industry who has looked at video and seen Kiss recently has told me that they are running a plethora of backing tracks, not just Paul's vocals," radio and TV host Eddie Trunk said during a November 2018 episode of his show. "By every account, they also did it on their recent cruise. If you watch videos of them performing on the cruise, there are moments where they are nowhere near microphones, especially Paul, and vocals come out."

Bach is quite clear on what he saw and heard at this particular concert. "What shows on this Kiss tour did you guys go to? Because of course you wouldn't offer an opinion on a show you didn't even go to? Right?" he said in response to a separate and more recent Trunk tweet on the subject. "Kiss hit the exact same notes last night in Anaheim that they did in their 30s. I don't know what show you went to," Bach said to a fan who suggested that things were "tuned down a bit."

"Kiss is not lip syncing," he summarized in another response. "There are too busy putting on the greatest rock show you will ever see. Or not."

In 2015, Kiss bassist Gene Simmons criticized bands that aren't honest about their live performances. "I have a problem when you charge $100 to see a live show and the artist uses backing tracks," he told news.com.au. "It should be on every ticket: You're paying $100, 30 to 50 percent of the show is [on] backing tracks and they'll sing sometimes, sometimes they'll lip sync. At least be honest. It's not about backing tracks; it's about dishonesty."

Speaking to Rolling Stone before the start of the End of the Road tour, Stanley said he'd been working hard to make sure his voice was as ready as possible. "Every singer that I know, probably the first thing we all say to each other is, you know, ‘Is this becoming tougher for you?’" he said. "I’ve been doing a lot recently to make sure that my voice is in great form. [But] if you want to hear me sound like I did on Kiss Alive!, then put on Kiss Alive!"

The initial North American leg of Kiss' farewell End of the Road tour visits Las Vegas on Feb. 15, and is scheduled to last until May 4 in Mexico City. Dates are expected to continue two or three years total. A final show hasn't been announced.

 

 

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