METAL SLUDGE / August 16th 2026 – It appears that there is another “Is it Live or is it Memorex” debate and this time it’s Chicago rockers Enuff Z’Nuff who are the target.
The crazy part is, the shots fired are coming from the band’s classic frontman / former lead singer Donnie Vie.
Earlier today (August 16th) Vie took to social media writing: “I just saw a clip from current enuff znuff show. Its amazing how much greater they now sound. Chips sounds exactly like me now, and those guys get great keyboard sounds from their guitars. Sounds just like the cd. Haha. Giving Brittany Spears a run for her money. . Can’t get much better than that, at that. I dont even sound as much like me as that anymore. Congrats to those guys. By the way, hope to see yall at the record release show in New york Sept 18th at the cutting room. Its gonna be a very special night. There may even be special guest. ”
Vie and his longtime song-writing partner and ex-bandmate Chip Z’Nuff have been hot and cold for decades, with much of it being covered right here on Metal Sludge.
These two have had their fair share of back n’ forth, breaking up, making up and this includes the pair exchanging random comments through the press and interviews.
The internet is full of opinions on all bands including Enuff Z’Nuff… with someone even starting a Reddit thread about the group a few years back… which appears to have fans choosing both sides along the way.
But now, Vie appears to allege that Z’Nuff and his band are using some form of assistance to enhance their live show… what say you?
Metal Sludge grabbed a few live performances from Enuff Z’Nuff that have been filmed in recent months, and up close too.
Some of these videos are zoomed right in on Chip as he’s singing, and it’s pretty clear that he is in-fact singing those lead vocals, see for yourself in the videos below from April on the Monsters of Rock Cruise with the band performing “Fly High Michelle“, and another clip from the same month of “New Thing” in Austin Texas.
Dare we add, whether Enuff Z’Nuff are using tracks or not is up for debate, but Chip definitely appears to belting out those lead vocals.
The use of tracks or samples has been a big discussion over recent years, and while some bands appear to use it mildly, there are select groups who have relied on pre-recorded content that appears to border on live kareoke to flat-out (faking it) lip syncing.
Vie and Z’Nuff have often been hailed as one the glam rock era’s best song-writing duos, and we’re guessing today’s comments from Vie can be chalked up with the rest when he’s rambled on about his former band and Z’Nuff over the years.
Vie was the band’s frontman from inception in 1984 through 2022 and again he sang for the group from 2008 to 2016.
Z’Nuff has been the band’s bassist for the entirety of their existence 1984-present, and took over lead vocal duties after Vie’s latest departure starting in 2016 to current day.
Our friends Anthony and RVK over at the Hair Metal Guru channel have also chimed in with a vlog about this and we have shared it below.
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