FIX THIS BAND! Ep.2: Sweet Child o' Mine!

-FIX THIS BAND! Ep.2: Sweet Child o' Mine!
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Thanks!!!

[@Danjoker.]

Singer sounds like Axl today 😂

[@skolshred]

😂😂😂

[@SamVecchio]

*better than 😂

[@fiverx2159]

The kid wasn’t that bad. Motley Crüe should hire him and upgrade their vocals

[@topsbottom2214]

Only better 😂

[@imonlyheretoarguewithidiots]

Tbf, he's always sounded absolutely horrible

[@LTGVCasanova]

Bassist and drummer holding it together as usual

[@Jreb1865]

Lol... Every time.

[@thatotherdan9984]

Once the drummer pulled back on smashing the skins. Started off by overpowering the other instruments. But I agree they did a great job leveling out

[@jamesftoland]

No. They miss the whole bouncy bounce of the choruses that feed the tension and release of this song. Sure they're playing the right notes, but they miss entirely the point of the whole song form. Major fail.

[@cris46531]

Where do we go now 😂

[@robertcooney1938]

That's their job.

[@blackjesus804]

I want these guys to play my wedding just to troll my wife.

[@TheArtofGuitar]

🤣🤣🤣

[@anthonylove821]

Lmfaoo And just to think this band didn’t even hit the bar at the reception yet? Lmfao

[@MacXpert74]

I hope you also save some money for the divorce, you're gonna need it! 🤣

[@murphymoe9220]

They might surprise you

[@lovejumanji5]

Awesome 😎😹

[@exittomenu]

dude committed to that singing harder than ive committed to anything in my entire life respect

[@ralphemerson497]

Hats off to anyone who gets on stage and gives it a try. Much more than I can do.

[@flyballhdeg9775]

Not true. You can. Embrace the fear. Accept failure. These are steps to success.

[@toddmoore2324]

I second that.

[@MrChopsticktech]

I didn't play onstage till I was 40.

[@warpaint9385]

I’ve been playing guitar on and off for 20yrs so as bad as this sounds it’s pretty brave of these guys to get up there and have a go. Where I am right now as a guitarist, there’s no way I’d be confident enough to jump up on stage.

[@gabaghoul6759]

​@@flyballhdeg9775this is the way

[@Riclmnopp]

The guy mixing the sound gave the lead guitarist the ….and Justice For All treatment. Also Merry Christmas Mike.

[@yooutubb]

so true

[@fearless4666]

bro did him dirty

[@CorbCorbin]

I’d have stopped and pointed at someone, until the guy fixed it. 😆 Actually, I would’ve grabbed the singer’s guitar after about a minute, and hold him we’re doing a 20 minute extended jam. 😄

[@18JR78]

That dudes tone/ eq was also really scooped, his sound disappears in the mix.

[@Zilvinas.]

I think its guitarist problem, he must have turn off his volume because his amp has the power to be loud on its own.

[@mangakhawlhring3054]

Fun fact: This is an old video from a very rural part of India, from the capital Delhi, you'll need to take 2 planes and another 12 hour ride by road just to get to this very place and 2G internet was just introduced, KZbin was never heard of and only few people were familiar with the internet. They probably figured out all the lyrics and chords just from hearing alone, from magnetic cassette and CD. All the suggestions were fantastic but you have to understand the reality of their situation, their access to any information, gears and equipment during this time

[@happygosunday]

Props to the Bassist for holding it together during the tech issues

[@gentlemanjake]

I thought that was Yoko at first.

[@wolffpackrocks]

[@michaelmiami]

Bass player here, love this new series! Especially the respectful way you’re handling it. I searched, but can’t find anyone else who’s doing this. Sometimes you NEED the honest advice of other performing musicians to get to the next level, and the people you know, may not be honest. Merry Christmas!

[@shanemiller6982]

You're the bass player in that band?

[@2760ade]

You need to be reasonably good in the first place though to get to another level! This band need only to watch this video to tell them all they need to know!!

[@michaelmiami]

I am not the bass player in the video (nor do I know who that is). I play with a very experienced group of excellent musicians. But, even I, notice things that bother me. (I look at the fret-board too often, for example). I do wonder what another experience musician would suggest if he didn’t care about hurting my feelings. …but I certainly don’t have the gut to post a live video here! I’d much rather learn from others.

[@blindjustice8718]

Unfortunately, too many people these days want sunshine pumps, not honesty.

[@KiteShopDude]

Im a singer in my band and play some keyboard parts. I noticed you mentioned the singer not having a tablet as if its a bad thing to have one. Can you expand on your feelings about using lyrics in a cover band? I personally have one because my memory is very poor, I just cannot remember lyrics to save my life.

[@MattSwain1]

Kudos to the lead guitarist for not losing his sh*t and seeing it through. Managing any kind of solo with all that going on is a great effort

[@Rikk_Klaww777]

Oh God that is so fkng true.!!! The amount of comebacks in that situations, i sometimes think i can be a Late Night Show band member doing turn-arounds.!😢😐😑🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jennycraigadventures3314]

Starting with verse #2 was a good strategy: It brought us closer to the end 😁

[@sherwyngray3979]

😂😅😮😊

[@balu.92]

Lmao!!! 🤣 🤣 🤣

[@magick2783]

Hahaha

[@chaotictoast8199]

He lands up singing verse 2 again though lmao

[@abrahamvictor3811]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@prometheustv6558]

Watching these videos makes me appreciate lead singers that play guitar at the same time.

[@Lance37a]

The people who do it well have practiced doing it.

[@b0r0din988]

It's a lot harder than it looks. A lot. Being able to focus on just vocals or just guitar makes it so much easier. It doesn't help though that this song is out of the vocal range of a lot of singers, which now amusingly includes GNR's own Axl Rose. Take the song down an octave vocally, it still sounds great.

[@JeredtheShy]

It's always an underrated skill. We've seen it done well so many times that we forget that it's a real accomplishment.

[@dawsondetrana5496]

It took me years just to be able to strum and sing😅

[@IamtheFerryMan]

I've been playing guitar going on 30 years. Decided last year I'd start singing. I should have started years ago. It's difficult but if you do it every day you see improvement. I still wouldn't get on stage and do it. Even if I am a good guitarist, throw my shitty singing on top and it doesn't matter.

[@rjamesyork]

The singer not being a native speaker is the least of his problems.

[@integrityborn6156]

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@chriskiefer7493]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👍

[@elbowstancenow1519]

Excuse

[@SayJee]

That child is not mine

[@rubilauvina7807]

I remember the first time I played for a crowd. It’s not easy. I applaud their bravery

[@georgewashington7533]

This is insanely tough to watch for me. The secondhand embarrassment is un-be-lievable! Love this series.

[@infidelmat]

Let's all hold hands and form a cringe protection circle! We can all hug when it's over....

[@Taxevader-gk9ms]

the singer sounds like he's going for a dead Kennedys thing

[@ElrondHubbard_1]

Not to mention, the singing is physically pretty painful entering the ears due to involuntary squinting, crinkling of the forehead, and brainwave disruption.

[@matoatlantis]

This was one crap performance. But we are missing context. Maybe it was at school where they were trying their best, etc. It's ok. Especially if band is aware of their skill level. Sad thing is there are people who are not able to evaluate themselves. One of those "I can do anything and I'm the best at whatever I try" people. And they used that "I'm offended" bs, etc. Be offended, I don't give a damn. That doesn't make you know how to play. :)

[@blahpunk1]

These guys sound like they hadn't practiced the song too much and then got rushed onto the stage without a sound check.

[@IgnorancEnArrogance]

Bass player held it together like in most bands.

[@Murdo2112]

Aye, once they got into their stride, him and the drummer were reasonable enough.

[@SO-ym3zs]

Bass players are the backbone of rock :) It was nice to see the rhythm section holding it together while everything else was catasrophically falling apart around them.

[@shanemiller6982]

The street lights are on , do you know where your bass player is at.

[@pulykamell]

I have't seen this clip before but that's what I thought through this whole video. Bass is holding it down.

[@cactustactics]

@Mars-mr3om then how do they play so many 5ths?

[@518freakshow4]

The epic restraint you display by not straight up roasting these guys upon first chord is admirable!

[@shanewilliams247]

It's unforgivable going out on stage with a guitar that out of tune

[@vincebagadonis8016]

You are being extremely kind and empathetic with this band. You are a truly a saint. 😆 I would not share your kind words when analyzing this disaster.

[@J.C...]

A saint? He's been low-key trashing them the entire time.

[@AngrySkipperGC]

Everything he said was accurate.

[@thomasjoyce1741]

WWSD? What would Simon do?

[@doomerius1300]

​@@J.C... Uhm...no???

[@kennethjolley]

@@J.C...where?

[@smthnew861]

My sisters husband is Vietnamese, and this is exactly how he sings 😂

[@J0ZZE123]

😂😂

[@antlou123]

Waaaaaaa😂😂😂😅😂

[@elbowstancenow1519]

Hahaha

[@6lordof6thisworld6]

i was still impressed by them going through the whole sound problems unimpressed. no one stopped, everybody kept going until they figured it out

[@jeffrey.a.hanson]

Idk…I would say the solution is to just give it a restart at the first hit of that rhythm guitar. Coffee break…tune to the guitar and turn up the amp. Then again as John Mayer once said when he had to restart ‘Your Body…’- “This is a lot of pressure! I have to play this THAT much better to justify me restarting.” Now, Mayer nailed it. I’m not sure it was gonna get all that much better for this band lol.

[@fumanpoo4725]

Rock on!

[@lukemallon4499]

Exactly right - in real performance situation,plough on.And they didn't crumble when many, many would have.

[@BigBri550]

Yes! One of the most important lessons a new band must learn is to not let mistakes stop the momentum. Commit to a tune from start to finish.

[@venom-kc7ri]

hahahaha those are my friends from MIZORAM (INDIA) 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 very old video

[@Bimbobaggins2112]

Where are they now with their music

[@apofire]

Hi Mike. This is a great series, thanks for putting in the work for us to learn from. As far as the critics go, don’t let them get in your head. You’re one of the kindest and most humble guitarists on KZbin. You certainly have the chops! I’m 60 years old and have been playing for 50 years and learn from you all the time. Thanks for putting yourself out there for all of us.

[@CorbCorbin]

I’ve actually heard bootlegs of Axl that you’d think was that dude.

[@tonepilot]

Haha, maybe this singer learned the songs off of bootlegs after Axl lost his voice.

[@remingtongagnard4442]

I thought the first video gave them a lot of credit and highlighted some true highlights! This is vital information for people trying to get on stage for the first time 👍

[@ryandougherty8964]

No one is above the cringe - we’ve all been there. As said, you just have to make the mistakes and move on. Important to note is what is inside and outside of the band’s control. Obviously engineering issues and technical difficulties can’t always be helped, but your balance internally as a band is critical. Making sure your volumes and frequencies are balanced as much as possible just makes the sound tech’s job that much easier and your setup at the venue that much smoother. If you sound good on your own, you’ll sound good on stage (usually 😅)

[@fumanpoo4725]

Yes...we have all been deep in Suckville. We must just strive to do better next time...

[@josiahbryan9571]

Please continue this series. These are great. You have been very respectful in your critiques.

[@arielkars6150]

I love the series, really reminds me of when I started playing live aged 13 - soooo many mistakes... I wish I had someone like you to help me correct my bads. Your criticism is a constructive one, very helpful I think

[@MrRubyElf]

I love this series so far. Rick Beato started a couple of episodes like this but from a producing perspective. I always find invaluable insights from these kind of series. I look forward to the next one!

[@judegraham463]

great critique. Need more critiques like this. This is where musicians who are just starting out and have no experience can learn a whole bunch from an experienced band player. Thanks for putting this out.

[@MyDogRunner]

What a great series! I don’t even play in front of people, and I am learning a lot. Thanks and happy new year!

[@joshuas8779]

As someone who really liked the first episode, I am happy to say that I enjoyed this one just as much. Funny how the frontman is the one who ruined the band in both videos.

[@jeremiahmeraz9298]

It’s always the case

[@sw4610]

I was at one of the few performances of GnR where they finished their set and walked off stage on a positive note (Axl said it himself, he normally gets mad and storms off stage). I did not see Axl ruin the concert as the frontman that time, but he was always notorious for his lack of professionalism. The Metallica incident (Axl again) is a great example of how the frontman can really mess it up.

[@badgasaurus4211]

@@sw4610How many times has axl actually walked off the stage before finishing the concert? I here this a lot but haven’t actually seen it as commonly as people say it happened. There must be a compendium for that kind of thing somewhere

[@spill1t]

Good point. This is why some of the very best bands are based on their front man more than the ability of the others.

[@wtdenton4090]

Mike this is a great series/idea. When I started playing in activly gigging bands in about 1987 🤦‍♂️. This kind of advice just wasn't so readily available. This could be extremely helpful to beginning bands. It took years to get the live performance skill down, thru trial and error. What you are doing is not a Criticism it's technically a Critique. If some are calling that out, possibly they have too thin of skin or too big an ego to deal with the the vast amount of things that can and do go wrong. My worst show ever was about my 500th or so. Keep up the great content! Thanks.

[@eightbars1]

love this series. These guys need to hear this from someone they can respect

[@scottnance2200]

This is so cool. I'm already looking forward to hearing you do your first band.

[@christianschmidt2915]

I like this new series, and I think you are handling it very good, being very respectful and still honest and to the point. I still can't help and feel a bit sorry for those kids. My first band was even worse when we were starting around that age, and I'm very happy that neither camera phones nor KZbin were a thing back then. I wonder if the possibility to end up being embarassed before thousands of people might have a chilling effect on highschool bands these days.

[@CosmicVr-it1fg]

I could never play in a band if I was that bad

[@jurgenstrang6366]

Keep this series going mike! Its quite informative and some good insight

[@majorgaming2126]

Love this format! Keep these coming!

[@deadmodeon]

We love this series, keep it up!!!!

[@Dberesford10]

Awesome job Mike. Favorite part how you memorized lyrics. Really like the series. Keep it up.

[@miraggg]

really enjoy this series please make more! Although it is funny/embarassing/etc it is also quite humbling for people to see how it's really harder than the professionals make it seem and everyone has to start somewhere. Your commentary is also very respectful and constructive

[@forest7874]

I really think this is a great series. Don't stop.

[@bernardsoriano3893]

Really digging this new series 🤙 Have a Merry Christmas Mike!!! One last livestream for 2023?

[@rogueshinobislash]

i can tell you know your craft very well... and that you are very generous, composed and very kind.

[@eskrimadorchris]

Spot on Mike! I am enjoying this series you're putting together and hope you continue giving positive suggestions! Stage Presence...that's a topic worth tackling.

[@RichardPFranklin]

You know what I hate the most? As a lead guitarist I work my ass off to learn all the tricky parts and sort out tons of details. I have to work on my sound until I find the right tone for the song. Bass players and drummers usually do some heavy lifting of their own. But then your typical rhythm guitarist comes over, "Nah, man. I'll just strum through some cowboy chords." And some of them are really heavy-handed, with no dynamics, no nuance, so they stick out like a sore thumb. Why the no-effort attitude? Is it because any fool can play a bunch of chords? I just don't get it. That's exactly what we see in this video as well.

[@chuckHart70]

As the Rhythm guitarist I hate when Lead guitarists blow the solo all they got to do is play a few notes you know to maybe Bend some strings? See how dumb that sounds.

[@shawnmcvey7789]

This is why I spend as much time on rhythm as much as I do on lead. Studying jazz and loving Keith Richards has taught me you can improv with voicings or different rhythm styles.

[@bedroom_psyche]

i have the opposite problem me a bassist and a drummer will put together a section with really cool chords and get it as tight as we can and then a lead player will show up with an amp that's way too big and improvise some sloppy pentatonic bs over it with WAY too much gain and act like he added something

[@gergoretvari6373]

Former rhythm guitarist here, no idea why so many guitarists just ignore that. Not just rhythm guitarist i might add.

[@minij516516]

"I sing and no one else does, so I just get to play whatever I want" These guys are a dime a dozen, only acceptable behavior if their singing chops are great.

[@mattgrundy27]

New singer. There I fixed it. Lol Merry Christmas Mikey! 🎅🤘🍻

[@debkantisaha1442]

This is a great series. As a person who's recently started in a band this series is very educational.

[@brucewayne251]

As a musician/producer, these are excellent tips - especially the lyrics tip. Usually more is learned from seeing mistakes.

[@crunchchannel8788]

Nice way to tackle this constructive criticism. Cool video. Obviously this band practiced and went on stage to do their best. Huge respect for that. It is not easy at all. Yes, things to improve, but getting up there on stage is a step not many will even try

[@bottomkitchen250]

Great T-shirt. I remember the old tdk vhs tapes. As for the band, at least they are giving it a try. They are probably having fun too and that's important. If they keep practicing and work out these issues they'll be much better. At least these guys have a band and are playing for an audience. That's more than I can say for myself at this time 🙂

[@artguy3604]

Great vids and hats off to these bands for just getting up there and playing.

[@guitarstitch]

Sound tech and cover band musician here. It's pretty common to put the snake head beside or behind the drums to hide it, especially on a larger 16 or 24 channel analog snake. The guy walking back by the drummer to fix the guitar amp mic was likely checking the patching of the mic to ensure that it got plugged in. This has the feeling of a show that consists of multiple acts and built on entry level or volunteer labor. Patching mistakes easily happen, particularly when there is insufficient time between acts for a line check. Kudos for the quick thinking in grabbing a functioning mic rather than trying to troubleshoot the existing line. The sound tech was smart in that he muted the vox mic while it was being repositioned to the amp, rolled the gain back, then brought it into the mix protecting the PA system and the ears of the audience. Also, big credit is due for managing that boomy midrange feedback, especially in a very acoustically live environment. Also, the bass vocal effect...I can almost promise he's using a voice effect box with an octaver on it to drop to the proper register. It has a very cheap guitar pedal sound to it and is not set to fully wet, further exposing the delay in the digital processor. I've tried similar things when I was starting out. Then I realized that 99% of voice processors suck unless you're really good with the setup of the effects banks and are working with a good PA and great sound tech.

[@fndjufri]

The whole time I was feeling what James was feeling the first time he jammed with Lars. I bet the singer/rhythm guitarist has a great record collection like Lars did. 😁😁😁

[@nickf2170]

Definately a good thing with the review. When a musician (and a band) steps on stage, you had better be practiced, polished and together. If you love your craft, then you love to play AND love to practice and rehearse. If you don't, you can bet the audience will know it.

[@zoso8818]

I really like this series and appreciate the respectful criticism you provide. Being said, this gave me William Hung from American Idol vibes

[@madsombrero]

Being a sound engineer and working with starting bands many things they did would drive me nuts. Of course bad equipment quality is always a struggle. Important to always do sound check to make sure all mics and cords are functioning properly. Good points made and appreciated the positive vibes. Love to encourage all starting musicians and keep the music alive ❤

[@ericwollam5532]

I think one thing that would be cool would be if you did like a JJJacksfilms style of video where you let small cover bands, or just relatively unknown bands submit videos for you so you can critique them. To the best of my knowledge, there really aren't any youtube channels doing that kind of thing. That being said, i love this series. Keep doing what you're doing, brother.

[@BeastOfSoda]

Hopefully someone will point the band to this review, it's solid advice that doesn't try to rag on it.

[@claycrowe4032]

Really enjoying this series.

[@eyvindur3000]

Love this series!!!

[@jsgovind]

Great video. Musicians really need to record themselves individually and as a band. Listen to yourself playing the songs so that you know whether you can perform a song individually and as a band or not. Doesn't have to be fancy. Just a phone recording during a practice session should be good.

[@Wiggimus]

I can't help but feel bad for that lead guitarist.

[@localghost3796]

excited to see the solo in the next episode, lol. love the series, finding it very helpful

[@TheShreddDude]

I love this series keep it up.

[@_widas_]

Love this series 🎉❤💀

[@cubanorafter]

Really liking this series! I appreciate the way you are critiquing these bands, not bashing the individual players, but giving solid advice for improvement. As a fellow guitar player, I can get caught up in my own world, so I am loving all the extra tips and nuances, from stage presence to the importance of sound engineers, etc. Keep em coming!

[@raaidbinfahd2005]

This series is so much fun!!!

[@Greggyboyz60]

Your short guitar solo with the Wah demonstration had awesome tone and feel.

[@stephenshoihet2590]

I died at least 3 times while watching this 😆 partly because I'm sure that GNR have performed like this at least once 😂 At least no fights broke out on stage 🙂

[@GooseBlack-se3kv]

I was there . I die listening to the song. 😂

[@fibromanmusc4369]

😀😀😀 I knew this people (band or just a group of friends) not personally though, we're the same community. This video has been circulating the internet for over 10 years at least, I think.

[@andym2612]

The bass player could play but it's a shame he didn't play the intro bass part. It's a classic element to the intro.

[@michaelmiami]

I think he DID play it?

[@RareMaestro]

​@@michaelmiami Yes he did, you can barely hear it and if you watch you will see him playing it. If you remember like Mike mentioned, the sound engineer only made the bass player louder later when he realised he was too soft

[@SO-ym3zs]

He plays it, but an octave lower than the original. Should start at the 12th fret.

[@Axelorox]

Pointing the microphone between the speakers was a technique used to mic Vox amps during the early Beatles recording sessions (before they switched to Fenders). In that case it made more sense to help tame the inherent brightness of the Vox amps. But for most amps, probably not the best method

[@bebop425]

Sometimes it's hard for musicians to understand what it takes to vibe with others. It's easy for some musicians with the experience and a breadth of styles, but for others it takes time together making mistakes then adjusting. Liking the series.

[@AngryTruckerBob]

😂😂 maybe you cant laugh at them, But I certainly can 😂😂😂

[@michaelluciano1980]

🎵 OOF OOF OOF oh Sweet Child of Mine🎵

[@mattevans060972]

Merry Christmas Mike! Good series, more please.

[@wilson71277]

Thanks for appreciating the effort of the bassist. He is holding the fort with the drummer.

[@lastbestplace8112]

Tambourine player here, love this new series! Especially the respectful way you’re handling it. I searched, but can’t find anyone else who’s doing this. Sometimes you NEED the honest advice of other performing musicians to get to the next level, and the people you know, may not be honest. Merry Christmas!

[@hopper1]

This looks to be a high school talent show thing. There is no sound engineer. "Mom can we get some Guns & Roses?" "We have Guns & Roses at home."

[@Quinceps]

Guns for sure 💀

[@cactustactics]

Course there's a sound engineer! That's the person setting up the mics and PA and mixing the whole thing

[@blakestone75]

I ran sound for a battle of the bands once. It was put on by my small town church youth group. So with zero budget. We had a PA which could do vocals… and that’s it. Sound check was the first song for each band. That by the seat of your pants life… this video reminded me of that.

[@sydhamelin1265]

Love this analysis, and it's not even close to mean spirited at all. It's a very balanced review of the rights and wrongs. I mean, we ALL have shows that go wrong, so it's very helpful for this kind of video. I don't know how anyone could draw anything mean out of this. As musicians, we have to put that kind of ego aside if we're going to improve. We have to be open to criticism, and to taking advice about things that go wrong. It's not mean, it's productive. There's a reason we have the term 'constructive criticism' and this analysis is a perfect example of that. I feel like the amp mic problem went as follows. Tech and assistant. Tech knew the problem, and overestimated his assistant. Probably told him 'go fix that', and pointed on stage, but assistant went past the amp and to the drums. Tech figured out is it was the mic, did a quick check, then told assistant to swap. Then assistant did a sloppy swap. The cables weren't wrapped to the stand, so he really should've just grabbed the mic and cable, and put them in the mic stand by the amp. No need to drag the stand with you.

[@GregMcNeish]

I spent a few years as the lead singer in my church band (replacing a not-good chorus), playing with a pair of talented jazz musicians (drums & piano). I'd been playing guitar for almost 20 years when I started, but having played entirely on my own, and never having lessons, it was difficult for me to play with a band, especially when they were expecting me to be the band leader. Vocally, no problem, but getting the guitar to work was a STRUGGLE. As such, I have some advice on how to approach a situation like this. First off, it's important to be able to admit your limitations, and not get down about them. There were plenty of times when I just could not figure out how to get comfortable with a guitar part (especially since I was often adapting piano arrangements, while the pianist took a jazzy improv approach), and I would simply make the decision not to play for a song, or to only play guitar during particular sections. My bandmates were very supportive of my playing, and would sometimes argue with me to keep giving it a try, but I stuck to my guns and did what I felt was best for the song. If the guitar was getting in the way of me being able to confidently sing the song, then the guitar went back on the stand until the next song. Simple as that. What doesn't work is what we saw here, where he was coming in and out not with distinct section changes, but haphazardly in the middle of sections. Either play or don't. Both are valid, but you have to have the confidence to choose and stick with it. If you're going to be in-and-out during the song, do it with purpose. Building on that point - and this is something that I think a lot of musicians should hear - it's okay to play something different from the original recording. What matters is that the BAND sounds good. Listen to what your bandmates are playing and tailor your part to fit theirs. That's especially important if you are less experienced/comfortable than those around you. Listen to what they're doing, and feel out what you can do that will ADD to what's already there. In this case, where the rhythm guitar isn't going to be a driving presence (with the drums & bass carrying the song's momentum), a nice approach would have been to focus on more selective big hits, and letting the chords sustain, rather than clumsily strumming through them. That would let the arrangement breathe a bit more, while still adding that dynamic texture to the chorus. Then for the outro section, where you want to build the intensity, maybe go to power chords and a straight 8ths driving rhythm. Keep a steady attack and let the drums & bass do the accents and subdivisions. Dynamically this song and many others work just fine with drums, bass, and lead fills in the verses (and the post-chorus solos, which are the same thing), so it's totally fine to drop out entirely for those sections. Like I'd said above, though, you've got to COMMIT to not playing just as much as you commit to playing. Lastly, and you touched upon this, trust the microphone to do its job! As a singer who has also done some amateur audio engineering I cannot stress this enough. Think of how you'd sing a cappella in your bedroom, and do that straight into the mic from about an inch away. I would always tell people who oversang that they weren't singing to the room; they were singing to the microphone that's right in front of their face. Don't push, don't yell, and certainly don't grab the dang thing. Just sing to the microphone and trust that it will amplify your voice, even if you don't hear it. I actually had the experience just this week of playing an open mic I hadn't been to before, hearing the people before me sounding well balanced, then getting on stage and discovering that while there was a guitar amp behind me, there was no vocal monitor at all. So, while I was bathing in the sound of my guitar, I could barely hear my voice. I didn't try to compensate, though. I just listened where I could to catch that I was in tune, and sang using my normal voice, the same as I would unplugged in my living room. And you know what happened? I got compliments from a whole bunch of people, including the organizer who set the levels, on how good my voice sounded. I trusted the mic, and it did its job, even if I couldn't hear it. That's why we practice how we play, and play how we practice. Get the reps in the right way, and you can play through any situation.

[@futurewave27]

Very Informative and educational. Thanks.

[@crescendo5594]

This is the best band you’ve covered in the series. They replace the singer with a competent one, don’t have audio issues, and this is a solid cover.

[@chaos120]

Definitely do more of these please. So funnee

[@DevinRyanVitek]

Digging these episodes, merry Christmas Mike!

[@spaghettiowsboober6548]

There are some songs that even seasoned, professional musicians should avoid unless they have a vocalist that really can nail it. This one is a prime example. Non-musicians in the crowd generally are about 90% focused on the vocals, although they can sense when other things are "off" even if the cannot pinpoint exactly what it is. In many cases, a less than perfect performance by the instrumentalists can be saved by great vocals. The most common cover band songs that really require a knockout punch on vocals are of course, Sweet Child O Mine, but also You Shook Me All Night Long, and many Journey songs, though Journey can often be handled by a competent singer by taking the key down a half or whole step. Still won't sound like Steve Perry but can be acceptable. I guess my main points are: A.) Be aware that people in the crowd notice the vocals more than any other component of the band; and B.) Vocalists should be aware of their limitations and stick to what they can pull off well.

[@garethroberts6988]

Very polite and professional Mike, don’t change buddy 👍🏻

[@mediabysemaj]

Love this series. Do you have somewhere i can send an old video of my band when we first started and performed? we grew a lot from then til now but it was because of people like you and us listening to constructive criticism that we grew and got way better.

[@kevinkillsit]

This is epic! 😂I want this one on Spotify. Absolute ripper of a track

[@prometheustv6558]

Th singer sounds like someone trying to mock Axl Rose

[@jwanda10]

My cat actually thought someone was trying to fight him. he’s looking around all pissed off and confused

[@mogmason6920]

Sounds more like a really bad Billy Corgan impression to me

[@bryanm120]

Anyone saying that you’re making fun of these bands is way off base. First, these videos are available to the general public as they have been posted on the internet for anyone to see, these are not private videos. Second, since these videos were made public, it’s fair to say that the people involved are aware of the nature of the internet and the criticisms they may receive. Third, nothing that you have said is untrue about these bands. We all have ears including the band members themselves and can hear the issues that you’ve pointed out with these bands. Not once have you made fun of any of these bands. Simply pointed out the obvious. I really enjoy these kinds of videos because it really helps us musicians understand what we do better and makes us more aware of things we might not be focusing on when it comes to playing and performing. There’s certainly been times during my tenure as a musician that I’ve been the one who is holding back the band for one reason or another and I certainly would have liked it if someone had been willing to tell me straight about the things I could have done to improve. But I had to learn the hard way by critiquing myself by watching my performances. Keep up the great work and thank you for bringing us this series!

[@stefanschinow5326]

Such fun, keep the series going! Subscribed

[@eseguerito2629]

TLDR: the band had zero heads up

[@friedrudibega6384]

A practice or two could have helped.

[@michaelmiami]

Yea, they weren’t quite ready.

[@DanielStrange-yj4lo]

Love the series!

[@dcarr70]

This is a great series. Thank you for doing this. I am in a band now and I am learning a lot. I am the lead singer. You are very gracious. These guys are really rough! UGH

[@Psychodermia]

Sometimes, our band plays a game called Kamikaze Karaoke with our audience. An audience member gets up with the band and tries to sing a song with us. Thing is, they think the stage sound is the same of FOH. The look on their face is priceless when the song they can do so well with a recording suddenly gets much harder when they're with a real band.

[@charlesjoynes9497]

Lol! That's a great lesson. VERY different on stage, with live musicians. I never played in a band, but started going to open mike blues nights. The first few times were 100% horrible, humiliating and terrifying! That said, everyone there was so supportive and encouraging that I was able to keep trying.

[@doomerius1300]

That's evil. Love it