Author Topic: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward  (Read 17060 times)

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Offline bosk1

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #105 on: February 28, 2017, 05:39:37 PM »
???  How can someone provide a source for something that has not been released yet?  I don't understand.
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Offline Architeuthis

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #106 on: February 28, 2017, 05:55:19 PM »
???  How can someone provide a source for something that has not been released yet?  I don't understand.
In the post before that, CB said the schedule for the next leg looks frightening. I was just wondering where he saw the schedule for the next leg.. I haven't seen or heard of anything about the next leg, I'm assuming North America.
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Offline CB

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #107 on: February 28, 2017, 06:01:52 PM »
I don't see any schedule for any next leg of the tour. Source?

Sorry, I didn't mean to cause confusion. I just meant the 2nd tour in Europe, starting April 18th in Birmingham.

Offline Architeuthis

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #108 on: February 28, 2017, 06:11:48 PM »
Oh ok, thanks for clearing that up. I misunderstood, my bad.
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Offline TheAtliator

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #109 on: February 28, 2017, 06:51:06 PM »
I don't see any schedule for any next leg of the tour. Source?

Maybe that's the frightening part

Offline rumborak

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #110 on: March 01, 2017, 08:55:04 AM »
Holy cramoly, I just looked at the upcoming dates, yeah. April 18,19,20,22,23,25,26,28,29, 30. That's almost two weeks, with only 3 days off.
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Offline Tony From Long Island

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #111 on: March 01, 2017, 09:00:33 AM »
I hope James has learned sign language.  That's how he should communicate when not on-stage!  Yikes!
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Offline Samsara

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #112 on: March 01, 2017, 09:01:59 AM »
The voice is a tricky thing. I'm not a professional, but I do sing, and my wife is a professionally trained vocalist. From all I have learned, and what she and her vocal coach have said, it comes down to this -- what's best depends on the individual. James knows what is best for his voice. I am sure, now being in the band for 25 years, he has had some say and input into how the tour is spaced, and what is being done to assist him.

I know vocalists whose voices get stronger and better the more they sing (properly -- which has a lot to do with it). Others, particularly those that sing from their throats, have a harder time with that. I mean, look at a vocal freak like Glenn Hughes. All those drugs he did, and he steps on stage every night and just destroys people. It's really an individual thing. James knows what's best for him, and I'm sure if he felt like the tour schedule was a problem, he would have voiced that. It's not like he has no say at all -- he's the singer.

Holy cramoly, I just looked at the upcoming dates, yeah. April 18,19,20,22,23,25,26,28,29, 30. That's almost two weeks, with only 3 days off.

That's not as bad as it looks. Three days in a row (which is the most he likely would want to do), a day off, two days in a row (fine), a day off , two days in a row, a day off, and then three days in a row. For a guy like James, who sings with good technique, and works on keeping himself healthy, that's not bad at all.

The problem I've seen over time is folks, as mentioned above, that sing with their throat. If you're a throaty singer, you're going to struggle. But James isn't. He'll be fine, and he'll be what he is (he has always been a bit hit and miss at times live). The DT set is challenging, but James knows his voice. he'll be fine.
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Offline bosk1

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #113 on: March 01, 2017, 09:03:48 AM »
Hopefully, he will have shaken his bug and eaten his Wheaties.  :lol  It's a demanding stretch for sure, but he can pull it off if he is healthy. 

Again, keep in mind the economics of the situation.  That's why they do it with so little rest in between gigs.  To use round numbers, let's say it costs a band like DT $100,000 per day to be on the road, and that includes travel, gear, food, lodging, crew wages, etc.  And without divulging specifics, I have it on good authority that a band that plays the types of shows DT plays actually pays MORE than $100k per night on average, but just keeping it to round numbers here for sake of discussion.  If we assume a travel day on either end of the schedule, that's 15 days, which comes to $1.5 million in expenses for that little 2-week jaunt.  For international travel, I'd actually put it somewhere between $2M and $2.5M.  But still, that's a HUGE amount of expense.  Barring health issues, they have consistently demonstrated that, although it is hard, they can pull off that kind of schedule.  In this day and age where it is so expensive to tour, it just doesn't make sense for a band to add another half million in expenses for just a few more days, especially when that $500k going out the door is for rest days when no money is coming in the door

As said in the post above, James knows what is best for him.  And if he has a problem with the schedule, I'm sure he will speak up.  But he knows the realities of touring and is a realist.  I can guarantee you won't find him sitting in the back of the tour bus wringing his hands about how hard the tour is.  He is a pro and will step up to the plate and bring it each night to the best of his ability.
« Last Edit: March 01, 2017, 09:15:28 AM by bosk1 »
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Offline rumborak

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #114 on: March 01, 2017, 09:12:53 AM »
Yeah, I agree. The schedule will have been economically driven. Sure, management will have had a certain measure of "well, they can't play for two weeks straight without rest", but I put the chances to virtually zero that James could have just walked in and said "can we take out these two gigs so I can have more rest?"

We'll see. I personally feel they're pushing him too hard, especially for this type of tour. They're playing 3 hours each night, with material he is struggling with. It doesn't matter how much of a professional you are, you can't push the envelope night after night.
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Offline Sycsa

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #115 on: March 01, 2017, 09:14:59 AM »
Hopefully, he will have shaken his bug and eaten his Wheaties.  :lol  It's a demanding stretch for sure, but he can pull it off if he is healthy. 

Again, keep in mind the economics of the situation.  That's why they do it with so little rest in between gigs.  To use round numbers, let's say it costs a band like DT $100,000 per day to be on the road, and that includes travel, gear, food, lodging, crew wages, etc.  And without divulging specifics, I have it on good authority that a band that plays the types of shows DT plays actually pays MORE than $100k per night on average, but just keeping it to round numbers here for sake of discussion.  If we assume a travel day on either end of the schedule, that's 15 days, which comes to $1.5 million in expenses for that little 2-week jaunt.  For international travel, I'd actually put it somewhere between $2M and $2.5M.  But still, that's a HUGE amount of expense.  Barring health issues, they have consistently demonstrated that, although it is hard, they can pull off that kind of schedule.  In this day and age where it is so expensive to tour, it just doesn't make sense for a band to add another half million in expenses for just a few more days. 

As said in the post above, James knows what is best for him.  And if he has a problem with the schedule, I'm sure he will speak up.  But he knows the realities of touring and is a realist.  I can guarantee you won't find him sitting in the back of the tour bus wringing his hands about how hard the tour is.  He is a pro and will step up to the plate and bring it each night to the best of his ability.
Can you also give a rough estimate for the income/profit they make?


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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #116 on: March 01, 2017, 10:24:00 AM »
Yeah, I agree. The schedule will have been economically driven. Sure, management will have had a certain measure of "well, they can't play for two weeks straight without rest", but I put the chances to virtually zero that James could have just walked in and said "can we take out these two gigs so I can have more rest?"

We'll see. I personally feel they're pushing him too hard, especially for this type of tour. They're playing 3 hours each night, with material he is struggling with. It doesn't matter how much of a professional you are, you can't push the envelope night after night.

In a perfect world, I'd says 2 days on, one day off, would be ideal. But economically, it doesn't pencil out. If James had a problem with this particular schedule, he'd voice it. Perhaps he does, but feels he can handle it, and I am sure he can. One thing I think needs to be considered as well -- Dream Theater's songs are also longer. So his voice gets breaks a lot of other singers do not. He'll be fine. But it's teetering on the edge of pushing the envelope for him, for sure.
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Offline TheAtliator

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #117 on: March 01, 2017, 01:16:57 PM »
I think it should also be noted that "vocal rest" for a singer always being a good thing is a myth. As a singer, and as a personal witness to many other singers, I can say that the voice strengthens with exercise much like any muscle. Not that it can't be pushed too far; there's definitely still an extent which is too much within too short of a time period, and that amount totally depends on the singer. Some thrive from a heavier balance, some from a lighter balance. But nonetheless a balance which relies greatly on the consistent usage of your full voice.

I believe if you rested your voice completely for two weeks, did a 45 minute warm up and walked right on stage to sing the IW&B set, you'd damage and wear your vocal cords MUCH more than if you practiced singing the set once every day for 1-2 weeks then did the show.

Offline Samsara

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #118 on: March 01, 2017, 02:34:02 PM »
I think it should also be noted that "vocal rest" for a singer always being a good thing is a myth. As a singer, and as a personal witness to many other singers, I can say that the voice strengthens with exercise much like any muscle. Not that it can't be pushed too far; there's definitely still an extent which is too much within too short of a time period, and that amount totally depends on the singer. Some thrive from a heavier balance, some from a lighter balance. But nonetheless a balance which relies greatly on the consistent usage of your full voice.

I believe if you rested your voice completely for two weeks, did a 45 minute warm up and walked right on stage to sing the IW&B set, you'd damage and wear your vocal cords MUCH more than if you practiced singing the set once every day for 1-2 weeks then did the show.

Bingo. And that builds on what I was saying above as well. Having a day off is good, but repetition becomes the voice's best friend as long as it is done carefully. Good post!
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Offline CB

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #119 on: March 01, 2017, 06:53:38 PM »
I think it should also be noted that "vocal rest" for a singer always being a good thing is a myth. As a singer, and as a personal witness to many other singers, I can say that the voice strengthens with exercise much like any muscle. Not that it can't be pushed too far; there's definitely still an extent which is too much within too short of a time period, and that amount totally depends on the singer. Some thrive from a heavier balance, some from a lighter balance. But nonetheless a balance which relies greatly on the consistent usage of your full voice.

I believe if you rested your voice completely for two weeks, did a 45 minute warm up and walked right on stage to sing the IW&B set, you'd damage and wear your vocal cords MUCH more than if you practiced singing the set once every day for 1-2 weeks then did the show.

Bingo. And that builds on what I was saying above as well. Having a day off is good, but repetition becomes the voice's best friend as long as it is done carefully. Good post!


I hope you're right. I'm not a singer, I don't know how much vocal rest is needed. But last year, when they had to cancel the Trieste show because (Jordan's words) James had the flu and no voice, JLB later posted on his Facebook page "My voice needed a rest far too many shows in a row". I don't doubt he had the flu (MM had it some days later and played a show being very sick) but I wonder if it was the flu or the "too many shows" that ruined JLBs voice for some days. Or perhaps the flu hit him that hard because he was worn out from doing too many shows?

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #120 on: March 01, 2017, 07:56:23 PM »
Most likely the flu and not enough rest.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Offline McNugg

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #121 on: March 02, 2017, 02:42:46 AM »
In both the DT12 and ADToE tours James I noticed James improved more and more throughout the tours.  His voice got stronger and it sounded like he could push it more the later into the tour they got.  I'm not buying that he needs a rest, i'm sure it's just the remnant of his flu he is still dealing with.  Can sometimes take weeks to get back the 'holes' in a vocalists total range that they lost with illness.

Offline Evai

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #122 on: March 02, 2017, 02:50:10 AM »
I'd say they're moving backward.
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Offline Bertielee

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #123 on: March 02, 2017, 07:02:40 AM »
I'd say they're moving backward.

Care to elaborate?
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Offline Samsara

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #124 on: March 02, 2017, 08:12:17 AM »
Most likely the flu and not enough rest.

This. It's gotta be hard to sing with the flu, particularly if you get hit with the worst symptoms in the middle of a longer stretch of back-to-back gigs. I mean, he's human. And it's not like a cold, where guys like James can sing around it (if it is just sinus stuff, you can generally get up into your head voice and be fine, unless it is a head cold). The flu, the puking, the chills, it's gotta be near impossible to sing a set like that on little rest, on back to back nights, with major flu symptoms. I think that incident referred to probably had more to do with the symptoms COMBINED with being in the middle of a stretch. Just a perfect storm...

James knows what's best for his voice. He's been doing it professionally for more than 30 years. :)
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Offline bosk1

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #125 on: March 02, 2017, 09:15:51 AM »
Most likely the flu and not enough rest.

This. It's gotta be hard to sing with the flu, particularly if you get hit with the worst symptoms in the middle of a longer stretch of back-to-back gigs. I mean, he's human. And it's not like a cold, where guys like James can sing around it (if it is just sinus stuff, you can generally get up into your head voice and be fine, unless it is a head cold). The flu, the puking, the chills, it's gotta be near impossible to sing a set like that on little rest, on back to back nights, with major flu symptoms. I think that incident referred to probably had more to do with the symptoms COMBINED with being in the middle of a stretch. Just a perfect storm...

Yeah, it just depends.  And it hits different people differently.  When I get a cold, the flu, or allergies, it almost always seems to go to my chest and give me a cough.  And the problem with that is, I can't get the breath support that I need to sing properly.  And while I am nowhere near the singer James is, I can easily fake my way through a few hours of fairly challenging covers with my covers band when I am in good health.  But when the chest/cough issues hit, it severely hamstrings me, and I find it extremely challenging to get through even one set without cutting a bunch of songs that I know I can usually pull off with relative ease.
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Offline nemonius

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #126 on: March 02, 2017, 11:42:39 AM »
Just saw them few nights ago in Finland for the sixth time. Most of the time I was literally on the edge of my hoping that his voice doesn't break. I think the flu or something really hit him while on the road. He really struggled even with the more recent songs (https://youtu.be/iIWly530Smo?t=149). He was also drinking a lot of water. Felt kinda bad for him.

In general I'm now more of fan of his lower voice like in Astonishing and Dream Theater rather than his high register singing of the older records. They should really use it more. Wait for sleep really sounded nice that night (https://youtu.be/S-d6m0CZ4mY)!

I think they should make this their advantage and joke a little! And so should we as the fans. I hope their virtuosity and perfectionism is not their Achilles' heel.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2017, 11:58:38 AM by nemonius »

Offline Samsara

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #127 on: March 02, 2017, 12:56:59 PM »
When a guy in his 50s stands up there and does Images and Words in its entirety, plus an encore of ACOS, night after night, you tip your cap, and give a bunch of respect. He recorded that stuff in his 20s. Does JLB have off nights? Yes, sure. Does he catch a cold like anyone else? Yep. But the fact he is standing there, in the spotlight, giving it his all...mad respect. I&W is one of the hardest metal records to sing in history -- even for a tenor who is at the top of his game.

I am just as critical as anyone, and I hate it when the singer can't sing well for whatever reason, but personally, I'm inclined to give JLB a lot of leeway on this tour. The setlist is amazing, it is vocally challenging, and he's giving it his all. It'd be different if he was mailing in his performances, like some singers I will decline to mention. But he's not. He's going all out, and  I have never respected JLB as much as I do now because of that.
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Offline cramx3

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #128 on: March 02, 2017, 12:59:35 PM »
I hope their virtuosity and perfectionism is not their Achilles' heel.

I think you hit the nail on the head here.  The rest of the band is so damn near perfect each night on really difficult material to play that it makes the vocal mistakes stand out a lot more.  It's kind of cool though to see the vocal appreciation in the MP Shattered Fortress thread since other vocalists have struggled as well with the material.  It's not easy and the vocals are not the same as playing an instrument.

Offline rumborak

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #129 on: March 02, 2017, 01:16:31 PM »
@anybody.listening: Don't get me wrong, of course (I think) we all appreciate and respect his commitment and skill. But, I sometimes find comments like yours (and others in this thread) a bit bewildering because they seem to venture into "participation medal" territory, where commitment is enough. DT isn't some loud punk band where the sound doesn't matter.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2017, 01:34:57 PM by rumborak »
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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #130 on: March 02, 2017, 01:46:44 PM »
@anybody.listening: Don't get me wrong, of course (I think) we all appreciate and respect his commitment and skill. But, I sometimes find comments like yours (and others in this thread) a bit bewildering because they seem to venture into "participation medal" territory, where commitment is enough. DT isn't some loud punk band where the sound doesn't matter. So, I kinda feel sorry for the Oslo guys for getting that sort of performance. Again, there's nothing James can do about catching a cold; but the expectations are just also really high on a singer in DT.

Rumbo -- please, my screen name is clunky. Brian or AL is fine.

Your comment about being "participation medal" territory is a fair point to a degree. But at least from my personal standpoint (ask bosk, Scotty, anyone who has followed my posts over the years), I'm as critical of musicians as they come. But there's a huge difference between what James is doing, and what perhaps some other singers do. Some in a similar genre go out there and croak through a set, not giving a rat's ass what they sound like. JLB takes care of himself, takes care of his voice, and at the end of the day, he's spotty live. He knows it, we all know it. So why...pile on a 50-something year old guy singing one of the most difficult records to sing in the genre, that he recorded 30 years ago?

I don't know JLB, never met him before. But I guarantee you he, more than anyone, is his biggest critic. I'm all for fans like us wanting our favorite bands to play (and sing) well. We pay a lot of money to see bands and buy stuff. There's a high expectation. JLB more than anyone knows that, and he has, arguably, one of the most difficult jobs in the world performing what he performs.

I'm not in favor of participation medals, like you were saying. But I also like to be a realist -- he's not just showing up and cashing the check. He's busting his ass. And I think, given how easy the rest of DT makes it LOOK, people forget just how difficult to sing this record, sing most of DT's 90s material -- is.

Take a guy like Nathan James of TSO and Inglorious. The guy is other-worldly. A pure tenor, sounds amazing. His band opened for the Winery Dogs in the UK. Nathan would likely, night after night, find I&W a huge workout, and probably struggle here and there on some things. Nathan is 28, roughly the same age as JLB was when he recorded I&W. He's one of a handful of guys that can probably pull it off, and it still wouldn't be perfect. And for my money, Nathan James is the best singer out there right now. Dude can sing anything.

The point is, I think people instinctively know the difficulty level of what JLB is doing, but sometimes look past it, given the ease the rest of the band make the musical part of I&W look. (points to the whole virtuoso comment being an Achilles heel.)  James is 53, and is working his ass off. Critiquing is important. But I'd just encourage people to remember just HOW DIFFICULT I&W is to sing, and then realize that James recorded that in his prime, and it is 25 years (and a lifetime of singing) later. It's incredibly hard. Unlike the rest of the band, who play mechanical instruments, James' is what it is.

And I realize everyone knows this -- not meaning at all to be condescending. Just pretty supportive of James in this regard. And people will tell you from the past, I've always been a big critic of James' singing overall.
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Offline rumborak

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #131 on: March 02, 2017, 01:50:53 PM »
It's a tough topic to discuss for sure. I mean, as I said, I'm with you to some degree; his work ethic is impeccable, and he really tries to make it work night after night.

At the same time, I feel he is being left in the dust by the other guys, who are just about as good as they were 25 years ago. True of course, you can't just go to your next Guitar Center and buy a new set of vocal chords. But the question at some point arises, at which point are you just no longer doing the music justice?
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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #132 on: March 02, 2017, 02:02:32 PM »
It's a tough topic to discuss for sure. I mean, as I said, I'm with you to some degree; his work ethic is impeccable, and he really tries to make it work night after night.

At the same time, I feel he is being left in the dust by the other guys, who are just about as good as they were 25 years ago. True of course, you can't just go to your next Guitar Center and by a new set of vocal chords. But the question at some point arises, at which point are you just no longer doing the music justice?

I am not the be all, end all (great song) on singers that are in their 50s that sing this type of stuff, but yeah, there are certain guys that still bring it live that are the same age who sing similar material (Kiske comes to mind immediately). But many have struggled, even guys like Michael Sweet, who is the closest to Labrie in terms of his sharper tone, who sings incredibly high parts.

I saw Stryper last year doing the 30th Anniversary Tour for To Hell With the Devil. Michael's voice was not good. Not on that stuff. He struggled, and it wasn't just my gig. He gave it his all, the songs were in the original key, and I found myself rooting for him, as opposed to criticizing. He obviously could do it in spots, but had a hard time keeping up through the whole record. Then when they switched to newer material, he nailed it, because it was written in his comfort zone.

All I'm saying is that while other singers may have aged a bit better, vocally, it isn't many. You asked "at what point are you just no longer doing the music justice?" Well, this could indeed be the last time we see more than a song of I&W ever performed because of that reason. So instead of being overly-critical, I guess I would rather just applaud him for what he's doing, and appreciate the fact he's giving it everything he has.

The only options are to not play that material live again (which I think is what is going to happen to a degree) or get a new singer. And DT's not going to do that. JLB is the voice of Dream Theater. Has been for 25 years. Unless he loses his mind like Tate and starts beating up JP and kicking MM's drums over, JLB isn't going anywhere.

So for me, I'm just going to appreciate what he's doing, warts and all, and tip the cap to someone who clearly works his ass off to give us the best performance he's capable of giving on such a difficult record to sing.
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Offline bosk1

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #133 on: March 02, 2017, 02:06:07 PM »
Rumbo -- please, my screen name is clunky. Brian or AL is fine.

Definitely call him AL.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq-gYOrU8bA
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Offline Samsara

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #134 on: March 02, 2017, 02:14:08 PM »
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Offline rumborak

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #135 on: March 02, 2017, 02:30:00 PM »
The only options are to not play that material live again (which I think is what is going to happen to a degree) or get a new singer. And DT's not going to do that.

In my book, the idea of a year-long (JMX said it will last until the end of 2017) IAW tour is a bad idea, from exactly that perspective. I think it was born out of the mixed attendance of the TA tour, but from a performance point of view it doesn't make all that much sense. They already had retired TTT for a long time (I'm pretty sure partially because of vocal issues), so singing this song for a whole year seems not smart.
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Offline cramx3

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #136 on: March 02, 2017, 02:34:57 PM »
I think it was born out of the mixed attendance of the TA tour

I kind of feel the same way.  Just look at the attendance for these shows.  It's almost like a revival of DT from a live show perspective compared to 2016.  I guess we can say "25th anniversary" and have a valid point, but they played the whole album for the 15th anniversary so I'm not sold it was necessary to do this, although as my favorite DT album and having not seen my favorite DT song live (LtL) I am glad they are doing it.  I also think a lot of these songs may not be getting played much or at all anymore after this.  Their catalogue is too big and strong to have to go back to these songs that JLB struggles with.

Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #137 on: March 02, 2017, 02:37:22 PM »
Hef is right on all things. Except for when I disagree with him. In which case he's probably still right.

Offline erwinrafael

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #138 on: March 02, 2017, 03:36:09 PM »
I think it was born out of the mixed attendance of the TA tour

I kind of feel the same way.  Just look at the attendance for these shows.  It's almost like a revival of DT from a live show perspective compared to 2016.  I guess we can say "25th anniversary" and have a valid point, but they played the whole album for the 15th anniversary so I'm not sold it was necessary to do this, although as my favorite DT album and having not seen my favorite DT song live (LtL) I am glad they are doing it.  I also think a lot of these songs may not be getting played much or at all anymore after this.  Their catalogue is too big and strong to have to go back to these songs that JLB struggles with.

I think they are just giving Images and Words its proper sendoff. They barely played it recently, not playing any song from the album in the AFTR tour and in the TA tour (except the last few shows). I think they won't touch most of the material again in the next tours.

Offline rumborak

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Re: JLB's vocals in DT moving forward
« Reply #139 on: March 02, 2017, 03:44:52 PM »
Have to disagree. I think this was the ultimate sendoff of IAW:

https://youtu.be/TfLkE5PD1Rg

Listen to TTT. He was still able to sing it, at original pitch, no altered lines, no "barking".
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