Saw this on the net this morning.
 
http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/machine-head-on-using-fake-amps-on-stage-we-back-any-band-that-uses-dummy-cabs/
 
Me thinks... much to do about nothing.....  
 
(think about that for a minute)
 
 

 
It seems like a case of a Kool Aid drinker having finally read the ingredients.
 
I am of the opinion that many, if not most fans of heavy™ music rely on an aesthetic that has been informed by their TV set and the music videos. It seems to me that most fans want to hear the sound of heavy™ music played back through the infrastructure of a television distribution network. It seems like we've had 20+ years of guitarists copying the guys that are copying what was once the sound of a Marshall stack squeezed through a 3" television speaker. It used to take some extra work to get that sound in there... but now we have presets.
 
With that in mind, it seems perfectly natural that bands that manufacture that specific sort of sound will use the same tools they used to make those sounds in the studio.
 
I am accustomed to live played heavy music that comes blaring out of amps being held under control by a player... right at the edge of insanity. If it's not heavy like that I generally surmise that it is just more fodder for the TV set generation.
 
I've danced with Buddy Guy as he ripped a hole in the sky with a guitar, a boost pedal, and an amp. He did it while he boogied through the audience with his 100' guitar cord. I refer to it as having been "experienced".
 
And, it's not just rock and blues. For example; The Charlie Daniels Band will rip you a nu one too. 
 
:-)
 
Yep.
 
It seems like some of the fans of heavy™ have to ignore some stuff like fake amps and cabs to get maximum enjoyment out of their genre.
 
No harm. No foul. 
 
:-)
 
Still, I can't help but thinking how much the fans would enjoy some wild and crazy heaviness if they ever crossed over the line.
 
:-)
 
 
 

If the amps weren't fake, the sound pressure level on stage would be unbearable. Most musicians these days know the dangers of overly loud music.
 
As I see it, looks are a big part of the show. Who wants to see a heavy metal band with a little 30w amp on stage with a mic stuck in it's grill? Heck no.... I wanna see 24 cabinets on each side of the drum riser stacked 3 high. ROCK AND ROLL BABY!!!!
 
even if it's all fake....
 

I once saw Neil Young play after he tricked Sonic Youth into opening for him.
 
Sonic Youth finished their set by smashing their guitars and punching out some speaker grilles in the Marshall stacks. It was heavy™.
 
After the Sonic Youth set the roadies came out and kicked all the fake cabinets over and then Neil and Crazy Horse played the Atlanta Omni with little 30 watt combo amps through a screaming loud P.A.
 
It was sort of obvious that the Sonic Youth house mix had been constrained to stay below a certain SPL as Neil opened his set with the Star Spangled Banner played about as loud as you can hear.
 
The kids who had snatched up the good seats to see Sonic Youth literally started running backwards. It was heavy.
 
I was up in the balcony watching and thought it was entertainment at it's best.
 
It still puts a big smile on my face.

As I see it, looks are a big part of the show.

 
If they were n't, Justin Beiber would n't be famous.

Keep on wrasslin!

The backup dancers are still real though, right?  I mean, that's what's really important.

I don't think I can say my thoughts on fake backlines any better than Geddy has repeatedly:
 

 

geddy's funny, but i guess he wants the roadies to earn their keep.
 
LOL
 
granted, he is running direct, and has his sound absolutely dialed in..
 
but he's got a huge PA and monitors as well as IN-ear system blasting his bass back at him..
it's not exactly 'fake'

me, i gotta have a real amp.
 
i've played with all the sims, demo'd the axe fx units, owned some pods, about the only modern new device i haven't been able to try is the Kemper Profiler..
 
 
but in all cases, even tho it 'sounded' good, it never felt right.
 
uninspiring.
 
i really want to feel volume, and speaker excursion, and this interacts with my guitars in a way i understand, and can control.
 
there is ALWAYS a disconnect when running an amp sim or modeler.