Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick recently defended the band against accusations that they were using pre-recorded tracks during their farewell tour.
Bruce Kulick opens up on the matter
Kulick addressed the rumors about Paul Stanley singing to a backing tape during KISS’s ‘End Of The Road’ tour and compared him to Jon Bon Jovi.
“I know there were people doing video proof and the whole thing, and I know that there’s plenty of video out there that shows what was happening with backing tracks,” Kulick explained. “I know at one point [KISS’s longtime manager] Doc McGee finally let it out that that’s what that was happening. And I always felt like, quite honestly, KISS is much more than just that, and they wanted to do this show and they were going to try to do it any way they did. And it’s not fair for me to judge on it. All I know is they made a lot of people happy. I do prefer when people — like I know Jon Bon Jovi doesn’t wanna perform if he can’t sing. But I can’t fault Paul for going out there and putting on a hell of a show, even if it was with some of these — the help, shall we say, okay? So, it was a weird thing.”
He continued: “I always feel bad for the singers that were known for these high-register things to carry on. But I know that this podcast has had a lot of fun with it… But no matter how anyone wants to look at it, Paul Stanley’s an icon and he’s always gonna be loved by everybody. And I’m just grateful that they did finally wrap up, and ‘Kisstory’ is now 50 years, and that’s done.”
Former bandmate Ace Frehley had also chimed in about the matter in another interview, saying he knew Stanley had vocal surgery and that the rumors were unfortunate.
Since the start of KISS’s ‘End Of The Road’ tour in early 2019, there has been ongoing speculation online about frontman Paul Stanley possibly singing along with a backing tape. This speculation emerged due to Stanley’s struggles to hit high notes in many of the band’s classic songs over the years.
After several videos went viral among fans and critics, KISS manager Doc McGhee addressed the allegations that Stanley was lip-syncing during live performances. McGhee reassured fans that the Starchild does sing at the band’s concerts, although backing tracks are used to enhance the overall experience.
“He sings every track. So he sings to it. So he’s not lip-syncing. He fully sings. It’s enhanced. It’s just part of the process to make sure that everybody hears the songs the way they should be sung, to begin with.”
