Blackie Lawless (W.A.S.P.) defended the use of backing tracks during the live shows and explained what fans don’t understand about playing live without using backing tracks.

During an interview with Guitar World, Blackie Lawless said:

“It’s because we don’t have the personnel. We were doing stuff from ‘The Crimson Idol’, and there’s a 100-piece orchestra going on there; taking that on tour would be impossible financially. The first time we did ‘Crimson Idol’ live, we did it without the orchestration.”

“Did it sound good? Yeah. But when we did it with the orchestration, I stood in the middle of the room in rehearsal, and I swear to you, it was like a religious experience. I thought to myself, ‘If I’m a fan, this is what I want to hear.'”

“So that’s the reason I do it. It enhances the experience. I want people to hear the records the way they were intended to be heard, not like a facsimile version.”

The interview host mentioned that fans assumed W.A.S.P. uses backing tracks during the live shows to simulate Lawless vocals and guitar. In regard of this, Blackie Lawless clarified:

“All somebody has to do is record it and listen to all the mistakes. Then they would understand. You can try as hard as you can, man, but you’re gonna screw up. Rock ‘n’ roll was never meant to be perfect. And even if you try, it ain’t gonna be.”