It’s no secret that the past few years have been crazy. Before the year started, 2020 seemed like it was going to be full of great tours. Unfortunately, all of these were rescheduled or canceled (but mostly rescheduled), with a lot of these taking place in 2022.
Initially, it all felt like everything was going back to normal, as far as live shows go. However, it didn’t take long for the hype to turn into disappointment when some of the bands started performing. Although some were pretty great, most of the tours seem like they’re riddled with show cancelation and poor performances. And obvious use of backing tracks.
Kiss got some attention after they were busted for using vocal backing tracks earlier this year. But after Kiss’ lip-synching, we’ve got a new thing on the menu – Mötley Crüe using drum-synching. Or just Tommy Lee simply using drum backing tracks for live shows.
Right when the band’s tour with Def Leppard and Poison started back in June, the drummer played a few songs and addressed the audience, revealing that he has broken ribs. No official information prior to the show was given to the fans and Tommy Clufetos stepped in. On June 28, Tommy finally played a full set.
However, a new fan-filmed video shared via YouTube suggests that Mötley Crüe have another backup option that doesn’t involve a different drummer. As Loudwire reports, there’s some evidence to support the claims that Lee has been using drum backing tracks.
The video in question shows the band getting ready to kick off “Looks That Kill.” At the same time, Tommy Lee’s drum tech is doing some adjustments leading up to a hi-hat count-in. Well, the problem is that the count-in wasn’t played by Lee but was heard through the PA. It seems that Lee is definitely playing but there are some sort of pre-recorded tracks involved here. You can check out the whole thing in the embedded player below.
Photo: Toglenn (Tommy Lee 2012), YouTube screenshot
