I guess the bottom line is, if your audience does not mind then it is probably OK. there really is no other standard to apply! personally I would not feel comfortable standing up there by myself with only an acoustic guitar when the piano or sax started playing its solo! smile it would seem totally weird to me!

for those of you who are comfortable using BIAB and/or backing tracks in live performances, I am curious as to whether there is a line you would feel should not be crossed. for example, if I have trouble singing and playing guitar at the same time, would it be ok for me to hold the guitar and sing while the backing track is playing the guitar? taking this a little further, what if I have a bit of a cold? would it be ok for me to lip-synch the whole performance? at what point is the "live" show not "live" enough?