Who’s That Guy?!? Replacing Lead Singers In Popular Bands

BY MARTINA SMITH

The lights go down in the concert hall, and screams of joy are unleashed by everyone in attendance. Fans have waited years for this moment, the chance to see their favorite classic rock band, Journey, actually perform live. As the band walks on stage, the audience loses their minds in excitement. The members stride out, one by one, until it’s time for the lead singer to join them. But wait a second, that’s not Steve Perry. Who is that…that…imposter? Who is that strange man that has replaced Journey’s beloved front man?

Scenes like this occur all the time. Groups replace their lead singers; it’s just a sad fact of the music industry. Fans tend to react poorly, and make the change out to be a crime.

However, their angry reactions are somewhat justified. Lead singers are the face of their band, they usually write the lyrics and they’re the ones that the audiences truly connect with. Fans feel attached to them, more so than the other members of the band. When a front man is replaced, the replacement becomes a “replacement scrappy,” and is hated just because they took the place of the one fans felt close to. This “Replacement Singer” phenomenon happens more often in rock music than it does in other genres, mostly due to the fact that in other genres, such as pop, when a leader of a group leaves, the rest of the band tends fizzle out. When Justin Timberlake left NSYNC, the band didn’t try to replace him.  Why? Maybe it’s because they knew their place and instead of trying to create something out of nothing, they opted to simply break up.

However “replacement singer” concept is not a new one. Historically, these newbies have always been met with mixed reviews. In 1985, Van Halen replaced their long time front man, David Lee Roth, with Sammy Hagar. Despite the commercial success of this era of the band (all four studio albums produced during this period reached No. 1 on the Billboard pop music charts), fans weren’t happy. “Van Hagar,” as that era of the band was known, showed a loss of the classic Van Halen sound, so much so that it almost ruined the band entirely.

Acts still continue to replace their singers today. Just like in the past, sometimes fans are okay with the change and sometimes there is chaos. In 2008, Ronnie Radke of Escape the Fate went to prison, forcing the rest of the band to find a replacement if they wanted to continue. They chose former Blessthefall singer, Craig Mabbitt. The fandom wasn’t happy for a few reasons. First, the entire direction of the band changed. The sound had more of a mainstream rock vibe, differing from the grippingly emotional and dynamic ballads Ronnie Radke was known to produce. While the second album they made with Mabbitt would somewhat revisit that old sound, the first album he sang on sounded rushed. The way both the band and Radke reacted when Ronnie was released from prison, however, is what really ticked fans off. Both took turns bashing each other on stage, on Twitter and in interviews. Fans were split between “Team Radke” and “Team Mabbitt.” The situation got so chaotic that fans were kicked out of concerts for supporting the other side. Those that remained would occasionally get injured during fights that would ensue. All of this over a change in vocalists.

It’s important that fans acknowledge that bands will always go through lead singers and that this phenomenon isn’t about to change. Instead of throwing a fit every time a line-up change is announced, perhaps they should try to give the newbies a chance. Yeah, the sound may be different and you may not like it as much, but who are we to judge a band for wanting to continue after their front man calls it quits?  Who are we to deny them another chance?  Music changes, bands progress and who knows? You may surprise yourself and actually like a new singer after all.