The much-hyped Justin Bieber concert in Mumbai is over and the singer seems to have left his die-hard fans high and dry. After having purchased tickets for exorbitant amounts of Rs 50,000 and Rs 75,000, the waiting crowds were greeted with Bieber, lip-syncing to his own songs, that too rather shoddily.
Understandably, fans grumbled on social networking websites, but the question is, why single out Bieber? From Beyoncé to Iron Maiden, and Ashlee Simpson to Muse and Victoria Beckham; lip-syncing in live performances isn’t an anomaly. So if Justin was guilty as charged, he certainly wouldn’t be alone.
Today, it is common for acts to “sing” over pre-recorded tracks — especially at large live events where acoustics can be challenging to control, feels singer and performer Neha Bhasin. “No one goes on to sing the full two hours long concert without backup vocals. I’ve attended a concert by Beyoncé and there was a healthy amount of lip-syncing. It is an established fact that Britney Spears lip-syncs in most of her concerts and that her fans are just there to watch her perform; so was the case with Michael Jackson. Unless it’s a completely acoustic performance like Adele does, it is not possible to have the whole concert live.” Having said that keeping your fans in the loop is important warns Neha.
Sahil Makhija, the lead vocalist of Demonic Resurrection, a death metal band, feels that Justin Bieber is being singled out because of the expansiveness of the event, “It is because so much investment had gone into it, and many had paid so much for it. During concerts, artistes require immense stamina to maintain the energy level and many are unable to do it. Especially, in pop concerts, the energy level required is even greater,” he says.
