“We’re going to play totally live”: Michael Anthony declares “no tapes” on Best Of All Worlds tour
Michael Anthony has declared that his upcoming Best Of All Worlds tour with Sammy Hagar and co. will feature “no tapes”.
The tour, which kicks off mid-July, will see Anthony, Hagar, Joe Satriani and Jason Bonham performing material from the Van Halen catalogue.
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Speaking about the band’s preparations for the tour during a recent appearance on Sirius XM’s Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk podcast, Anthony says [via Loudwire]: “We’re going to play totally live. There will be no tapes, no piped in vocals, nothing.”
“This is going to be 100%,” he adds.
The bassist also teases that the band may add to its current lineup should the need arise: “We might even have another person with us to play keyboards… which we are going to do because we do want to keep it 100% live,” he says.
Anthony’s remarks come amidst growing criticism of classic rock bands for supposedly relying on backing tracks and digital aids in their live shows. Extreme virtuoso Nuno Bettencourt recently spoke against the use of backing tracks during live performances, saying: “I think it’s always been okay for me to hear things live that a band cannot do. For instance, if it’s a four-piece band, and they’re like, ‘You know what? We don’t have a keyboard player, but we want to hear some keyboards.”
“Where it goes wrong for me is when you fake it. What goes wrong for me is when a singer [is] faking it. Or, I’m playing guitar and I’m faking my guitar solos. That, to me, is crossing a line. I think there’s a balance in this. There’s got to be a respect there for the audience if they’re coming to pay to see you perform.”
Also in the chat, Anthony reveals while Van Halen material will comprise the bulk of their setlist during the tour, the members will also be performing a selection of other music.
“We’re mixing it up,” he says. “It’s more than a tribute tour. Sammy had summed it up good. We’re kind of calling this a thank you tour. Thank you to all the fans.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
