SEBASTIAN BACH Says 'A Rock Concert Is Like Going To Battle': 'It's Like A F***ing Boxing Match'

During an appearance on a recent episode of "The Jasta Show", the podcast hosted by HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach spoke about the criticism he sometimes gets from people on the Internet for not reproducing his vocals from his albums in a live setting. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The Internet is so hilarious. You can relate to this. When you're doing show after show, night after night, some nights better than others. That's just the way it is. Unless you wanna use tapes — that's your only option to do everything perfect. We're human beings. So if you don't sing exactly like the record, you might read a comment like, 'Oh, he doesn't sound like the record.' And I'm, like, there's a difference between not being able to sound like the record and not giving a shit. I hate to break it to you, but if you're at some dumpy club on a Tuesday night in the middle of nowhere, and you're just not feeling it, you might not give your ultimate performance of your fucking life that night. Maybe you will, but maybe you fucking won't, because you're not inspired. Human beings are emotional people, and sometimes I feel like a nut, sometimes I don't."

Referencing JOURNEY frontman Arnel Pineda, who was panned for his performance with the band at the 2024 edition of Rock In Rio festival in in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Sebastian added: "Did you watch [Arnel's 2012] movie, 'Don't Stop Believin'', which details his rise? Well, there's a hilarious part in there where he does his first show with JOURNEY and he's running around like a madman and he's going crazy, jumping, and he comes on stage and they're all looking at him. They were, like, 'Dude, what the fuck was that?' That's the story of my life. And I'll tell you why. There's a saying, when you're making a record, you're playing for your audience. When you're doing a show, your audience is playing you. That is the most spot-on…

"I was thinking about this last night," he continued. "My job is to be as excited as I can be at the same time as being as calm as I can. How the fuck is that [possible]? Because if I'm too excited, I suck. I have to remember what I'm doing, because when I look at Arnel, he's just caught up in the crowd. He's in front of a hundred thousand people and he's in the pit, and he's, like, 'Look at this shit.' He's not making a record. He's jumping in the pit with the security guards.

"When you're making a record, you're standing in an air-conditioned room, and you can try it as many times as you feel like it and get it perfect," Bach explained. "That is not what a rock concert is. A rock concert is like going to battle. Well, to me — I don't know why it's like that, but I feel like it's a fight, it's like a fucking boxing match."

Sebastian Bach's latest album, "Child Within The Man", came out last May via Reigning Phoenix Music. The LP was recorded in Orlando, Florida; produced and mixed by Michael "Elvis" Baskette; engineered by Jef Moll, assistant engineered by Josh Saldate; and mastered by Robert Ludwig of Gateway Mastering. Bach wrote or co-wrote all the album's 11 tracks and sang all lead and backing vocals. "Child Within The Man" features guest appearances from John 5, Steve Stevens and Orianthi — who all co-wrote their respective tracks with Bach — and two tracks co-written with Myles Kennedy ("What Do I Got to Lose?" and "To Live Again"); Devin Bronson on guitars, Todd Kerns (bass) and Jeremy Coulson (drums) round out the players on the album.

"Child Within The Man" has yielded five singles/videos, all of which have impacted the rock charts: "Freedom", "What Do I Got To Lose?", "Everybody Bleeds", "(Hold On) To The Dream" and "Future Of Youth".