Sorry, just read this now. I'm even more confused. Keep the Faith wasn't performed acoustic that show so I'm not sure were "common sense" is coming into play. He's playing a standard electric bass. Like I said before, he's not playing different notes. He's playing the same notes differently making it pretty obvious he didn't play it on the album.

Sorry, Acoustic was the wrong word... When they were initially asked/agreed to do this, it was supposed to be part of the UnPlugged series but Jon didn't want to jump on that... I guess with being credited for creating the unplugged series and with so many other bands now doing it, I think Jon felt he was past all that and didn't want to jump on that bandwagon... Actually, I know for a fact that's what happened based on interviews... I remember as a kid being disappointed because I wanted it to be acoustic...

So Jon created this acoustic feel with electric instruments (again, not a musician so I might not be saying this right) but I think it's obvious that it sounds slightly different than any other performance... Circling back to Alec, every review I've read has been positive... If you go on YouTube and read the comments that pertain to Alec, it's all positive... My point is, if it sounds a little different it's because it's not a traditional Electric sound... It's a different mix

I think I get what you're trying to say, yeah, but again we're not dogging on Alec saying he's playing it wrong, he's just playing it different than it was on the album. The mix just isn't as different as you're saying, it's electric instruments playing an electric song. If we're talking about the alternate arrangements like Lay Your Hands On Me from that show, absolutely I could see where you're coming from. Compare it to any sound board of Alec playing the lick from the KTF tour, it's the same way he hits the notes there too. I just feel like you're trying too hard to make it sound like it's him on the album and I just disagree. Hugh plays is with the same inflection both studio and live. It's Hugh.

Is this discussion still going on? Phil is a session player and is used to getting paid by the hour. He probably also somewhat depends on taking other gigs on the side when BJ are not on the road. To take time off from other sessions just to be readily available as JBJ & JS are writing and recording stuff over the course of months would be a bad financial decision for him. To have a session player at the studio all the time over the course of months would be a bad finanical decision by JBJ.

Shanks is paid by the hour too, sure, but he's already at the place. He doesn't have to fly in to do basic track so the rest of the band can record their parts. Phil can come in at the end and do some overdubs at a previously arranged time. Which he did.

Hugh was used all the time because he was the only one available to play bass at studio level. If somebody else had been up to it, they might have just used that guy, too. But it seems that for JBJ, Shanks does a 100% satisfactory job at handling guitar duties. I really don't hear that, but it's Jon calling the shots. Plus unlike Bruce Fairbarn who might've called out Alec for being sloppy, I don't see the producer of THINFS calling out John Shank's guitar playing...