Backing tracks have been a weirdly hot topic in 2022. The most recent iteration of the conversation came about when Falling In Reverse canceled a show due to their laptops not arriving in time, which drew the ire of some fans and noted music personalities.
Of course opinions on whether backing tracks have a place in live shows differ greatly, though Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment guitarist John Petrucci has a pretty level-headed opinion on 'em. In an interview with Guitar World, Petrucci said it really depends on what musicians are trying to do, but notes that the line is definitely at anyone trying to deceive fans. And would you really want to anger Petrucci? Dude can tear you in half.
"It depends on what people are doing because some people don't tour with their whole bands, so they have sound effects and things going on. If they're up there playing their asses off, and they have some sound effects backing that up while they're doing it, that doesn't really bother me.
"Having said that, I think that if anybody's up there faking it or pretending, that's a whole different thing.
"But I think things have changed a lot; you'll have a lot of bands that just go out with two guys now, maybe it's just a guitar player and a drummer, so they need a pre-recorded bass player. If that's the case, then I guess they have to do what they have to do to keep the show going. So, while I am not for people fake playing, it really depends on the situation."
Petrucci is currently out on the road featuring Dave LaRue on bass and his ex-Dream Theater bandmate Mike Portnoy on drums, both of whom played on his recent solo album Terminal Velocity. All dates will be opened by the recently-reunited Meanstreak. Get the dates below!
10/26 House of Blues New Orleans New Orleans, LA [Tickets]
10/27 Charline McCombs Empire Theatre San Antonio, TX [Tickets]
10/28 Stafford Centre Stafford, TX [Tickets]
10/29 Tower Theatre Oklahoma City, OK [Tickets]
10/29 Tower Theatre Oklahoma City, OK [Tickets]
10/30 The Factory In Deep Ellum Dallas, TX [Tickets]
11/2 Celebrity Theatre Phoenix, AZ [Tickets]
11/3 The Magnolia El Cajon, CA [Tickets]
11/4 Ace Hotel Los Angeles, CA [Tickets]
11/5 House of Blues Anaheim Anaheim, CA [Tickets]
11/7 Palace Of Fine Arts Theatre San Francisco, CA [Tickets]
11/12 Pantages Theatre Minneapolis, MN [Tickets]
11/13 The Vic Theatre Chicago, IL [Tickets]
11/14 Pabst Theater Milwaukee, WI [Tickets]
11/16 House of Blues Cleveland Cleveland, OH [Tickets]
11/17 The Danforth Music Hall Toronto, ON [Tickets]
