I recently heard live bands that used backing tracks. The backing tracks filled out the sound stage but for me took away the sole of the performances. It clashed with the musicians.
Why do bands do this?
Is it just me do other form members like it?
Paul
Ive had good and bad experiences. So ultimately, for me, it’s a case of it’s okay “if it’s done well”.
if done poorly, it’s very artificial and takes away the fun of live music.
Sometimes though it adds something. I guess for smaller (eg 2 piece / 3 piece) bands that would rely on a lot of multi track in the studio, it’s a way of touring that avoids need for a lot of extra musicians (especially if on a smaller stage).
I guess the ultimate example is actually the reverse: live backing music and taped main vocals with avatars . ABBA Voyage ! Works very well (enthusiastic crowd needed/ helps)
Difficult one. If I’m going to a live performance I want to hear what the musicians are capable of and that spontaneous interaction with the audience.
Backing tapes if done well should provide greater musicality but must reduce that spontaneous interaction? If done badly, then it ends up sounding and looking like a bunch of amateurs - not what I pay money to hear.
Falsehood, appalling.
Using a backing track means it is not really a live performance. The format, structure, and timing of the material is predetermined and there is no scope for inspiration or reaction to the occasion. You might as well listen at home in comfort.
I wonder if the first band to do this was The Who on their live tour after release of Whi’s Next in 1971 when they had an organ back track playing for Won’t get fooled again just as on the album? I recall Pete Townshend Saying something about it by way of introduction just before it started. That worked, and was unnoticeable other than as on the album, though it presumably would work like a click-track for the band, which I’m not aware of The Who normally using.
In general I feel that use of a that playing accompanying recorded instruments would be undesirable in most cases as what I want to see/hear is the musicians making the music, otherwuse it amounts to a disco with the musicians just going through the moves onstage. Obvious exceptions are solo or very small ensembles with just voice and very limited instruments, e.g. having a drum recording.
If I go to see musicians play live, I want to hear them play live.
Lots of Jazz musicians use loops and effects. I am not sure about this. A lot of Pop is mimed. This is a con.
Loops and effects are not confined to jazz. My own feeling with effects is that they simply expand the musical range of the instrument. Loops oK if created on stage, but if not then my feeling is as any backing recording as per my previous post. Miming in my view is simply wrong and despicable unless clear in the advertising of the gig.
This subject reminds me of one oddity:
I really like the Edgar Broughton band as was, saw them quite a few times, always thoroughly enjoyable, some the in the early 2000s they started touring, and a gig at the Rockpalast was recorded and released as a video. Shortly after that Edgar and his brother Steve (the drummer) fell out with each other and the band never played again. Edgar’s son Luke had joined the band for that tour, on keyboards. Now, I don’t know Luke’s musical abilities, but there is something very strange on the Rockpalast video: On the album Superchip, one track links into another with keyboard sound. On that video when the track ends the keyboard sound doesn’t simply stop, but fades as if someone is playing and turns the volume down rather than stopping at the end of the song. It sounds to me as if it was the studio recording being faded out. It did make me wonder if Luke was only miming, and perhaps Steve was unhappy with him being in the band doing that, leading to the fallout. Regardless, I did feel let down by EB and that recording, even though the video is a nice reminder of gigs I’d been to years earlier.
It was a looped synth wasn’t it, would actually have been difficult to have played live. But on the Quadraphenia tour they used backing tapes for the piano and synth parts but it all went disastrously wrong, the timing was all over the place, ended up with Pete Townsend smashing up the machinery!
I read somewhere, that an incredible amount of “live” music is in playback, much more than we realise. I believe those concerts where the singer dances with a dance troupe, with flashy costumes and light effects, are the worst offenders.
The days of the Watkins Copicat? I can remember making the loop, turning it over to change the sound.
Checking it out I was surprised to see the first models were 1958. I haven’t found references to who used them though.
Probably not the same thing but guys I know back in the day went to a Tangerine Dream live gig and at various times people came and went off stage with no difference and then sat on their arse for an hour and a half twiddling knobs.
There was still a synth bass line playing when they stood up and waved at the end. 
Fortunately not my kind of thing! I think all I’ve seen live has been genuinely live, otherwise not only incredible miming but also recorded with varuations from the studio recordings and differences for different gigs, though I wouldn’t necessarily know if some part of the sound was from a backing tape.
ABBA Voyage was near perfect. I had forgotten about that!
At least for the classical music that is still live!