Do you think backing tracks and other tools to enhance the live performance are a good or bad thing for live music?

I agree 100% about the KISS setlist. I would probably go one more time to hear a hidden gem or something, even with some tracks. And in a nutshell, I think the honesty part plays a big part with the help from backing tracks. Probably why I am cutting Blackie some slack and going to the show later this year.

These days I just accept it as the norm that a band outside of a small club is using tracks of some sort, especially bands whose songs are full of orchestral type moments (like Nightwish for example). They simply cannot feasibly recreate their sound live without backing tracks. I get where Blackie is coming from with some of the WASP stuff in regards to the backing sound. As musical styles and technology on records evolved over time, so did trying to recreate those songs on stage at shows. It’s when you get into full-on lead vocals and main instrument parts that are being piped in when there is a person on the stage that is supposed to be creating that sound, that blatant stuff I am out on. I recently I saw Ugly Kid Joe and I am fairly certain they were 100% live. Awesome set. The next night I saw Helloween. An AMAZING show but there had to be moments when tracks were used to recreate some song parts. Instruments don’t make those sounds. But main vocals, guitars, drums, all that was live. And I’m in no way accusing Helloween of using tracks, just my opinion. Anyway. both nights were great. Another good example for me is seeing “Tears For Fears” live. When Curt sings “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, he loses his bass to be more of a front-man with a keyboard track or something taking over the bass lines. My experience for that show is not diminished one bit because of it. Their live shows are still simply mesmerizing. KISS is one of my favorite bands of all time (top three for sure, for a long time they were number one). My last time to see them was in 2017. I have seen them so many times that I just can’t go anymore since there is so much evidence that even the lead vocals are tracks at times. If I had never seen KISS live, I might overlook the tracks these days, who knows. I have not seen WASP in a long time so I’m going later this year. Hopefully Blackie will actually be singing the songs. I know that I am straddling the fence here, i.e. “it’s OK here but not there”. I get that. But if I go 100% “no-tracks or I ain’t going”, many bands I really want to see I won’t get too. And I absolutely love live music so it’s just a personal choice I make from show to show.