Michaels 90s live performances are overrated

[filmandmusic]

Are you lik

I sincerely doubt it. Judging by the rehearsals for TII and the response of fans and the public to that movie, he would be very well received and appreciated by people who know what they're looking at and aren't entitled brats.

Are you like really angry with me now or is it more tongue in cheek 🤔😛

 

[PurpleThriller]

Yes I am thinking the same that HTW shouldn’t be harder to sing, those moments where he sings live like in the rehearsal 1992 and Bahamas 1998 does sound great. But then he sing those with a hand microphone and I often hear from other people that Michael sounded hoarse and out of breath when he sang WBSS and Human Nature in 92-93 as he obviously wears headset.
In Rome 92 he switch to a hand microphone in the middle of WBSS and people say he sounded much better.

So maybe due to the fact that Michael wears a headset in HTW he probably wasn’t pleased with his vocal performance as he might felt that he would also sound hoarse and out of breath. Plus the fact he would also stick with singing live in the end of the song instead. Importance of spreading out the message with HTW was very high and personal for Michael and not let it be overshadowed by weak live vocal performance even though the song might be simple and easy to sing. That has been the impression I get the more I listen to HTW live.

Here is a complete live vocal performance of TWYMMF in New York 1988 and you can hear he doesn’t hit those highest notes of verses "paint the town" and "forever more". I can hear that it puts a strain on his vocal cords and it is not so strange that he chose to lip-synch it from Europe and onwards:

I hate to say this,but I'm happy he rarely sung this live. It sounds so mediocre ...

 

[PurpleThriller]

That is true, but people still can't believe that TWYMMF, Smooth Criminal, Man In The Mirror and Bad were lip synced in the Europe Leg 1988. They don't believe it not only because it is Bad, but also because of the backup vocals.

I already knew he lip-synched those.

 

[filmandmusic]

I hate to say this,but I'm happy he rarely sung this live. It sounds so mediocre ...

Sounds pretty good to me. I can almost feel the energy! Anyway it is to my knowledge the only fully live version that has leaked so maybe other performances were better.

 

[PurpleThriller]

Sounds pretty good to me. I can almost feel the energy! Anyway it is to my knowledge the only fully live version that has leaked so maybe other performances were better.

i hope so. Still, i can understand why he has sounded this way after 2 hours of live singing and dancing(since only ,,Man in the Mirror,, was playback during the MSG 1988 shows).

 

[Themidwestcowboy]

I hate to say this,but I'm happy he rarely sung this live. It sounds so mediocre ...

Lol what? He sounds almost exactly like the record with the exception of some high notes

 

[filmandmusic]

Lol what? He sounds almost exactly like the record with the exception of some high notes

Yeah I don't get it either, sure he doesn't try the high notes but the rest sounds pretty darn good

 

[Themidwestcowboy]

Yes I am thinking the same that HTW shouldn’t be harder to sing, those moments where he sings live like in the rehearsal 1992 and Bahamas 1998 does sound great. But then he sing those with a hand microphone and I often hear from other people that Michael sounded hoarse and out of breath when he sang WBSS and Human Nature in 92-93 as he obviously wears headset.
In Rome 92 he switch to a hand microphone in the middle of WBSS and people say he sounded much better.

So maybe due to the fact that Michael wears a headset in HTW he probably wasn’t pleased with his vocal performance as he might felt that he would also sound hoarse and out of breath. Plus the fact he would also stick with singing live in the end of the song instead. Importance of spreading out the message with HTW was very high and personal for Michael and not let it be overshadowed by weak live vocal performance even though the song might be simple and easy to sing. That has been the impression I get the more I listen to HTW live.

Here is a complete live vocal performance of TWYMMF in New York 1988 and you can hear he doesn’t hit those highest notes of verses "paint the town" and "forever more". I can hear that it puts a strain on his vocal cords and it is not so strange that he chose to lip-synch it from Europe and onwards:

He does hit the "forever more" tho but I hear ya, it sounds a bit thin.

 

[Hess]

I would always prefer 100 % live singing. - And if he does not hit all the (high) notes... that's part of the charm with live concerts.

He did not have to do it like the record IMO - quite contrary, if I just wanted to hear the album version I'll put on the CD (or play it via Spotify these days) - I do not go to a live concert to hear 1:1 the album version... What's fun about that. I've heard it 1000's of times.

That is 1 thing where I think/feel MJ was wrong - when he says "I want it to sound like the album" during TWYMMF rehearsals in TII.

It should be a little different, small changes etc. that's magic.

I think MJ had MANY great performances also after 1993.

 

[PurpleThriller]

Lol what? He sounds almost exactly like the record with the exception of some high notes

I dunno, Im maybe deaf)

 

[PurpleThriller]

I think MJ had MANY great performances also after 1993.

Honestly,me too. I don't really know what was in my mind,when I started this thread

 

[Mikky Dee]

Are you lik


Are you like really angry with me now or is it more tongue in cheek 🤔😛

Not angry at all and definitely not tongue in cheek. Just my honest and serious opinion - based on knowledge, observation and experience.

 

[Mikky Dee]

Honestly,me too. I don't really know what was in my mind,when I started this thread

There needs to be a WTF emoticon on this forum. Jeez.

 

[Mikky Dee]

That is 1 thing where I think/feel MJ was wrong - when he says "I want it to sound like the album" during TWYMMF rehearsals in TII.

Yes but when he said, "I want it to sound like the album", I think he was talking about the band....not necessarily about his vocals. At that same point in TII, he also said he wanted the music to be the way the fans wanted to hear it. Someone must have given him the impression that the fans wanted to hear it like the album, because he seemed to really believe that. I must admit that I never liked the increased tempo that was used in songs for the concerts....particularly noticeable in the BAD tour. I don't mind a lower pitch for concerts, but I MUCH prefer the tempo of songs to be the way it is on the albums.

 

[analogue]

Yes but when he said, "I want it to sound like the album", I think he was talking about the band....not necessarily about his vocals. At that same point in TII, he also said he wanted the music to be the way the fans wanted to hear it. Someone must have given him the impression that the fans wanted to hear it like the album, because he seemed to really believe that. I must admit that I never liked the increased tempo that was used in songs for the concerts....particularly noticeable in the BAD tour. I don't mind a lower pitch for concerts, but I MUCH prefer the tempo of songs to be the way it is on the albums.

I think the increased tempo for Heartbreak Hotel really benefited that song.

 

[Arif Emirhan Alkan]

I Think You should re-watch This Performance:

Btw The Great quality one by Rafael looks like It's gone.

 

[analogue]

From 3:38 is this sung live? It sounds live compared to his other Earth Song performances

 

[NeoGardiV8]

Yes but when he said, "I want it to sound like the album", I think he was talking about the band....not necessarily about his vocals. At that same point in TII, he also said he wanted the music to be the way the fans wanted to hear it. Someone must have given him the impression that the fans wanted to hear it like the album, because he seemed to really believe that. I must admit that I never liked the increased tempo that was used in songs for the concerts....particularly noticeable in the BAD tour. I don't mind a lower pitch for concerts, but I MUCH prefer the tempo of songs to be the way it is on the albums.

I honestly love the increased tempo, specially on songs like WBSS or the Off The Wall album songs.

 

[filmandmusic]

@analogue Don’t think itis live though, sounds to clean but it sounds more clear somehow, not sure what happened here
anyway that aauw at 7.24 immediate goosebumps every single time!

 

[Hess]

The change in pitch and tempo is great IMO.

Makes the live experience better. WBSS is faster - Billie Jean was also faster in BAD wasn't it. Heartbreak Hotel is great. Rock With You.

Human Nature is a lot different than the album version - and Human Nature is one of my favorite live songs.

 

[Rocketeer]

BOW Munich 92

Jam/WBSS Rotterdam 92

Jam Rome 92

WBSS Ludwigshafen 92

Dangerous AMAs 93

MTV VMAs 95 Rehearsal

Dangerous Wetten Dass 95

Earth Song Royal Brunei 96

Dangerous Prague 96

Thriller Amsterdam 96

Billie Jean Kuala Lumpur 96

Billie Jean Auckland 96

Beat It Sydney 96

TDCAU Lyon 97

Billie Jean Basel 97



I mean I still enjoy some 90s performances

 

[analogue]

I'd rather watch the HIStory Tour instead of the 1993 leg of the Dangerous tour. 93 had more live singing but it's hard to watch knowing what Michael was going through at that time.

 

[dethorro]

From 3:38 is this sung live? It sounds live compared to his other Earth Song performances

No, it sounds different because they added some different effects to the vocals (e.g. more reverb).

Otherwise it’s identical to the album version and you can even hear the two claps before the “someone tell me why” line at 5:08 which can also be heard on the album version and on the acapella.

The live vocal starts at 06:02, that last “hoo”.

 

[analogue]

No, it sounds different because they added some different effects to the vocals (e.g. more reverb).

Otherwise it’s identical to the album version and you can even hear the two claps before the “someone tell me why” line at 5:08 which can also be heard on the album version and on the acapella.

The live vocal starts at 06:02, that last “hoo”.

Maybe more veverb should have been added to his other lip synced performances? To make it sound ''more live''

 

[PurpleThriller]

Funny that everybody thinks BAD was the final tour to sing the entire setlist live.

Well Bad was the last tour where THE MAJORITY of the songs sound like they were sung live. Still ,after the 1987 shows ,some new songs have been lip-synched. Which is a shame,but still,4 songs ain't that much.
Prince(in his prime years) did much more on stage than Mike ever did:did lead the band through the songs with musical signals,he himself played at least 2 or 3 instruments EACH SHOW,he danced his ass off IN HIGH HEELS(he even did splits ,while wearing high heels) and still never lip-synched in concert.
Michael only had to dance . Thats it. And still lip-synched his ass of after the Dangerous tour.
I'm not bashing Mike,but doing a moonwalk or a toe stand should never make you lip-synch a show .Especially when people have payed for live vocals. He should have cancelled the tour if his voice wasn't in good condition..

 

[Andymachine]

The 1993 concerts were awful in terms of live singing and anything and who can blame him. However the 1992 performances of She's Out of My Life vocally were incredible and much better than any of the BAD tour versions. He clearly did not want to do a History tour however. Anyone that shows backing singers themselves lip synching to MJ backing vocals was just an embarrasment and trust me if the UK or US press ( as they now seem to have caught up with the UK in terms of scandal press) would have massacred something like that. YANA great song but written by a p . I saw him Glasgow at the green in 1992 it was an incredible concert and i was 9 but i found vids on yt of it and honestly it does not do it justice . Alsp MJ was a lip syncher from a decade before that but he definetly sang that one live i still remember the crowd saying things "he is not even singing " and they were right! Because when you heard the way hey sang She out of my life and Human Nature compared to Heal the world clearly lip synched there were a lot of boos and drunk people telling him to f off and they had a point imo. £45 was a lot of money back then . The same happened with the Free Willy song but in reverse but they did not understand why he had to mime it instead of just taking a normal mic and sing it because they knew what the song sounded like on the CD and it was identical and i even remember hearing " i fn told you he was miming " Not a good legacy if you are a singer

 

[Andymachine]

Though when he did sing at that Glasgow concert he was INCREDIBLE . I do not understand why he made life so much more difficult for himself. History tour well i am glad i missed that one , i did not miss anything jokingly but it was literally a case of put a CD on and pump it through speakers and by that time it was more expensive

 

[PurpleThriller]

The 1993 concerts were awful in terms of live singing and anything and who can blame him. However the 1992 performances of She's Out of My Life vocally were incredible and much better than any of the BAD tour versions. He clearly did not want to do a History tour however. Anyone that shows backing singers themselves lip synching to MJ backing vocals was just an embarrasment and trust me if the UK or US press ( as they now seem to have caught up with the UK in terms of scandal press) would have massacred something like that. YANA great song but written by a p . I saw him Glasgow at the green in 1992 it was an incredible concert and i was 9 but i found vids on yt of it and honestly it does not do it justice . Alsp MJ was a lip syncher from a decade before that but he definetly sang that one live i still remember the crowd saying things "he is not even singing " and they were right! Because when you heard the way hey sang She out of my life and Human Nature compared to Heal the world clearly lip synched there were a lot of boos and drunk people telling him to f off and they had a point imo. £45 was a lot of money back then . The same happened with the Free Willy song but in reverse but they did not understand why he had to mime it instead of just taking a normal mic and sing it because they knew what the song sounded like on the CD and it was identical and i even remember hearing " i fn told you he was miming " Not a good legacy if you are a singer

Well too bad he lip-synched half of the Dangerous show. I agree,comparing the breathy vocals of Human Nature or She's out my life to the perfect vocals of Heal the World or Will you be there gets frustrating,because it's obvious that songs such Heal The World,Man in the Mirror,Will you be there were lip-synched. Shame ,i feel the audiences were completely conned for the lip-synched songs,but the live sung performances were worth the money

 

[SmoothCriminal1995]

From 3:38 is this sung live? It sounds live compared to his other Earth Song performances

I'm not technically inclined but it sounds louder. I wish they'd done this for more lip synced tracks, like Smooth Criminal, Dangerous and others. Give it that live feel

 

[KOPV]

While the Dangerous tour was great and I personally love it. I think some opinions here would change for the better if they did not go with speeding up the tempo of the music the way they did. While energy level was high, I think there was a little lost with that decision. He could have settled in his moves a bit more, gave the audience a little more time to take in what's happening, and vocals (while they were great) could have been even smoother.

I think the Dangerous tour is amazing but the two pieces of criticism I've always had was 1. the leotard-esk fencing outfit 2. Things feeling a bit rushed.