BETTE MIDLER - MIDLER TAKES AIM AT POP STARS

MIDLER TAKES AIM AT POP STARS

Veteran entertainer BETTE MIDLER has hit out at the current batch of pop stars, insisting their live performances lack the emotion needed to make a connection with fans.
The singer is convinced modern day artists miss out on the bond performers of the older generation once forged with their audiences, because they don't take the time to speak to their fans.
She tells the New York Daily News, "They don't speak. They don't talk to their audience. They may say, 'Hello, New York' or 'Hello, Las Vegas,' in the beginning, and 'Thank you' in between songs, but they don't talk.
"They don't tell stories or take the time to make a connection, build a rapport. There's no emotion."
And she blames broadcaster MTV for ruining the live music scene, because today's audiences now expect perfect shows - forcing modern acts to lip-sync to replicate their studio recordings.
She adds, "Video really did kill the radio star.
"After MTV came along, people were seeing their favorite singers in videos, and suddenly there was a certain vision of a song - how it should sound, how it should look. Then (in concert), there was no room for improvisation - everyone wanted an exact replica."