A slew of artists are weighing in on the Frankie Valli lip-sync controversy, including the 90-year-old singer himself. The “Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons: The Last Encores” tour has sparked some concern, as viral videos emerged showing the New Jersey legend barely moving his lips as music played at the tour’s final stops.
The singer offered some defense in an interview with The Washington Post.
“I’ve never had a problem, a crowd problem, in my entire life,” Vale said. “And if I can’t get a note down, I won’t sing it.”
Vale’s wife, Jackie, 62, also defended him and pointed out that the public pays for the entire experience.
“Frankie wants to give the audience and his fans that he loves so much everything. He wants to give them a show that they love,” she said.
Some musicians don’t buy this idea. Graham Nash, 82, who still performs live to this day, has never been a compliment to Vale’s live shows.
“Frankie Valli doesn’t sing,” Nash told the newspaper. “He just lip-syncs poorly to the tape. As a musician, if you’re not singing, you shouldn’t be on stage.”
Ann Wilson, 74, also offered her thoughts after watching a live video of Vale’s performance provided by The Post.
“Oh my God. His face is completely still. It’s like he’s not even there. I guess he’s not,” Wilson said.
“I think that’s the moment where you have to decide whether you’re going to walk off stage or not. You really have to look at your morals and say, ‘Do I want to just go out there and phone it up, and give a great performance because I’m me, or do I follow Highway?
“The Last Encores” tour is scheduled to resume on November 8 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.
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Murjani Rawls can be reached at mrawls@njadvancemedia.com and followed on Twitter at @MurjaniRawls.
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