Tom Petty Playing to Backing Tracks

[Shakabrah2]

at the Super Bowl, is nothing sacred anymore??? Mic came up halfway when he was saying something after a song. Part of the gtr solo, fingers didn't match the audio. Bkg vocals sounded like tracks. Anyone?

[doorknocker]

Please elaborate.

[The Ox's Nard]

At least his nipple stayed in check
Seems Mary Jane's Last Dance was too risqué. BOOH!

[FFTT]

I'm waiting for the show to be up on You Tube, so I haven't seen the performance yet.

I'm just going to take a wild guess that the network had a delay on the program, just in case, after all the fun times caused by Janet Jackson.

[jowillie]

The most "analog" sounding half-time in a long time.

[bassie12]

Not so sure about backing tracks....Why have spare amps onstage for everyone? Or why even bother to run lines to the synth. Why bother to change guitars loaded with dummy wireless packs?

And if it were backing tracks, shouldn't the mix be better???? Dandy playing in either case.

[JimThompson]

I don't know about the backing tracks, but it sounded like they were pulling his mic way down on the chorus of Free Falling, and either flying in another vocal from the band, or possibly a background sample

[Shakabrah2]

Originally Posted by bassie12

Not so sure about backing tracks....Why have spare amps onstage for everyone? Or why even bother to run lines to the synth. Why bother to change guitars loaded with dummy wireless packs?

And if it were backing tracks, shouldn't the mix be better???? Dandy playing in either case.

for show....

[Heartfelt]

It seemed to me to be more that the video wasn't as in sync with the audio than I expected.

I don't understand all that is involved but the path from the stage to the broadcast center has got to be monstrous.

That is my thought. I would expect that Tom would have told them to stick it if they asked him to lipsync.

[Chris Parsons]

If it was tracks, they fooled me. Good performance I thought, but not really "Half Time Show" good if you know what I mean.....

[Shakabrah2]

Originally Posted by Heartfelt

It seemed to me to be more that the video wasn't as in sync with the audio than I expected.

I don't understand all that is involved but the path from the stage to the broadcast center has got to be monstrous.

That is my thought. I would expect that Tom would have told them to stick it if they asked him to lipsync.

I dunno....some of those subtle vocal nuances can only be sung on target on the studio.....

[Mr. PC]

It was not backing tracks. It was live.

They aren't that great of actors. Petty called song endings etc...

There is no freaking way Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers would try so hard to fake it.

PC

[Heartfelt]

Originally Posted by Chris Parsons

If it was tracks, they fooled me. Good performance I thought, but not really "Half Time Show" good if you know what I mean.....

True... Love Petty but...

There are so many great stage shows - performers to choose from... they keep getting the old folks out.

I am still recovering from when Mick took his jacket off and fanned the fans with his 80yr old, girlie triceps. yuuuck! My eyes bled.

just one guys opinion but it seems to me that the 1/2 time show for the biggest American sporting event needs to be bigger than a "few great songs". At least give us more pyro!!!

[loujudson]

SO glad I don't watch football - let me know when Tom is up on Utube. GREAT interview Friday on Fresh Air!
http://www.npr.org/templates/rundown...n.php?prgId=13

[AllAboutTone]

Originally Posted by Heartfelt

they keep getting the old folks out. !

They don't want to get sued is why they are no young acts, I don't like Jordan Sparks but she did well.


I also noticed that they had that big windscreen so you could not see Tom's lips....i wonder why?

[liquidorange]

that was live what were you watchin?

[snüzz]

I don't like Jordan Sparks but she did well.

now that was not live.

i think petty and the boys were live- there could have been a backing vocal track and if there was not then the backups were great. the big wind screen theory doesn't carry much weight.

[joeq]

Originally Posted by Heartfelt

It seemed to me to be more that the video wasn't as in sync with the audio than I expected.

yep

it was very clear just now when they did the trophy presentation, a good half second off sync for whatever reason.


Tom Petty certainly looked live to me, and I must admit I was trying to spot a phantom crash cymbal or whatever.

[vernier]

I would have watched if it was Hannah Montana.

[infopimpster]

Is he wearing body armour? Check it out...

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5...G-omTJJ8muwJIA

[CorkyTart]

Who cares he's rich.

[Beyersound]

Take it from a live engineer, it was live. Don't be friggin silly! The early BVs were live, he might have blended a BV sample with them in Free Fallin, but don't kid yourself about the rest. There were audio/video sync problems for the whole Super Bowl. The reason it was such a gorgeous Lead Vocal sound is that, it was probably Scovill mixing it, and if it was, he probably used the Neumann KMS 104 and TT CL1B combo he usually uses with Petty and a great pre. Just enjoy the great performance and sound(it's a rarity), stop trying to pick it apart!!!!

[herecomesyourman]

There are backing tracks, but it was also a totally live performance.

I've been working on a new project as an assistant engineer and acoustician for Shelly Yakus here in AZ. (Shell recorded / mixed Damn The Torpedos and a whole lot more for them over the years) We were having some beers last night with some guys who ran sound for the Superbowl and Shelly said that for gigs as big as this they'll reamp old tracks transfered to a protools system at lower volumes than their normal rigs and mics on-stage.

The reason is, that their drummer Steve Ferrone is listening to the actual old click tracks to keep in time, and that with some little labs phase box action the whole thing ends up syncing very well with huge results when it comes to definition for their drums especially.

This is a far cry from lip syncing anything though, the vocals are always live with no backing tracks. And everyone plays all their parts as best they can to match up live, at a much louder volume than anything backing them up. my guess is any vocal rig they give him will have a nice compressor in line with a delay on an aux send they can bring in and out here and there as needed.

[dannygold]

Maybe Depeche Mode will do the super bowl half time show next year?

[Sounds Great]

Live Petty, sounded pretty good, a little lackluster at times. Free Falling was the best number i.m.o

I'm a Petty fan, have many of his records, though all of a sudden it kind of struck me how simple the songs were. But they get your foot tapping, don't they? thumbsup

[Heartfelt]

Word

[PDC]

Originally Posted by vernier

I would have watched if it was Hannah Montana.

Speaking of Hannah...I took my youngest to that 3-D concert movie thing last night. The concert vocals were back in the mix and the top end was not what it should have been. When she was speaking between tunes, it was pretty bad.

[mikey]

it sounded live to me ...i didn't notice any backing tracks.

[daryllh]

Jordan Sparks was all over the lip-syncing folks.

Petty was good I thought. I had forgotten Ron Blair was back playing with them. Would have been cool to have Stan Lynch up there too. Course, I'm more of an old school Heartbreakers fan than newer.

[PoorGlory]

If those guitar solos were previously recorded, that's pretty damn bad.

So yea, I think everything was live. Petty's vocals sounded great, and were definitely live.