James Labrie vs Bruce Dickinson

[Perpetual Change]

Back to the my original point, that people just mythologize the 80s singers and don't put them under the same microscope they put guys like LaBrie, watch this video of Bruce from a better show:

(skip to about 3 mins in past the intro music)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5zh3Y6VJxY&feature=related


Listen to how Bruce sounds fine during the verses, but lands almost a half-step flat on every single note in the chorus.

This is the normal Bruce, not at all Bruce on a bad night. This is how he sings many songs. Yet people make him into a legend and then throw bitch-fits when the hear James LaBrie sing flat for the choruses of 3 songs in 3 hour concert DVD, while the people at those shows actually didn't notice.  You don't notice these kinds of flaws when you're at shows. You only notice them when you're out of the element, watching a concert on Youtube or listening to a bootleg.

Bruce existed before the Youtube era. So people by and large just remember the great times they had listening to Bruce slaughter at Maiden concerts, while the majority of Dream Theater fans have never gotten off their asses to actually see the band play in a vicinity outside the DVDs and Youtube.

[Mladen]

Well, one explanation:

In the 80s, people weren't uploading people's performances up to Youtube to be dissected by legions of fans. I'm sure Bruce would catch more heat if Iron Maiden were at their peak now. For example, he's never sung the first verse of Aces High correctly. I think James' vocals have received a ton of abnormal heat because: 1.) the technology is there for us to put him under that microscope and 2.) he's alone in it, as an operatic vocalist in a time where they don't exist and there are few other contemporaries to compare him to.

Also, just to ruin your day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm2_cpljz2M

Yeah, he wasn't that great back in the 80s, at least on Powerslave tour. But if you listened the live albums from the last ten years (Rock in Rio, Flight 666), you just can't be ignorant. He completely rules, he's one of the singers that improves with age. Not sure about the last tour, though...

[Perpetual Change]

Well, those are overdubbed. But yes, he's still a very good singer, as he was in the 80s. I think he really grew a lot when he left Maiden.

[Zook]

Wait what? Rock in Rio is over dubbed?

[sneakyblueberry]

I don't think that's correct.  There was a live TV simulcast of Rock in Rio, there's bits of it floating around on youtube, and Bruce's vocals are exactly the same.

[Perpetual Change]

I don't think that's correct.  There was a live TV simulcast of Rock in Rio, there's bits of it floating around on youtube, and Bruce's vocals are exactly the same.

They aren't. There a number of differences, and Maiden fans have been talking about them since the live concert was released on DVD. Many of these differences include Bruce's vocals being added in the studio lately during parts where he had originally just let the audience sing.

[Mladen]

Well, those are overdubbed. But yes, he's still a very good singer, as he was in the 80s. I think he really grew a lot when he left Maiden.

Yeah, right. Go watch the DVD again. The only overdubbed parts were the one with Bruce letting the audience sing some lines (for example, The Wicker man or The Clansman). And actually, there's a few weak bits, like the second verse of Iron Maiden, so why didn't they overdub that section?

[Perpetual Change]

That's called an overdub. Letting the audience sing, believe it or not, saves him a lot of work. Especially when it comes to saving his breathe for those high screams. If James LaBrie hit one "Blind Faith we have in youuuu...." perfectly, and then took a break by letting the crowd sing the next one, it'd mean something. Especially if that initial first "perfect" Blind Faith were copied and put back in where James had let the audience sing.

That's essentially what happened on Rio.

Anyway, I've seen Maiden 3 or 4 times, all since the Reunion. Bruce sounded great the first couple times. The tour with Dream Theater was the first time I heard him straining quite a bit.

[Mladen]

That's called an overdub. Letting the audience sing, believe it or not, saves him a lot of work. Especially when it comes to saving his breathe for those high screams. If James LaBrie hit one "Blind Faith we have in youuuu...." perfectly, and then took a break by letting the crowd sing the next one, it'd mean something. Especially if that initial first "perfect" Blind Faith were copied and put back in where James had let the audience sing.

That's essentially what happened on Rio.

Anyway, I've seen Maiden 3 or 4 times, all since the Reunion. Bruce sounded great the first couple times. The tour with Dream Theater was the first time I heard him straining quite a bit.

That's an interesting point of view. I though it's just a matter of showmanship, stimulating the audience to go crazy and be as loud as possible, and it's all good fun. Maybe it makes his job a bit easier, but I don't see it a such a significant thing in his performance as you do. And seeing that you were in the audience at the couple of Maiden shows, you know how awesome those moments are. 

I watched them on Somewhere back in time tour, and I even listened to some bootlegs from the tour, including the concert I attended - Bruce is as amazing as on the live album. As for the last tour, I've said it already, it might be a tiny step back, but the dude is still giving his best. Hats off to Bruce. 

[Perpetual Change]

He really was great on that show. Perfect even. On the last tour, not so much. I wish he would have given us more "You sing it!" moments because listening to him belt the chorus of "No More Lies" and miss it almost every time was very painful 

[Mladen]

That's too bad for No more lies, they shouldn't have played that song in the first place. 

[TAC]

I like No More Lies!

Perp and M..great points on this page, and that 87 Chicago show was pretty rough. I actually just listened to that show on our last trip. Bruce was pretty bad on that tour. He is so much better now live.

The main differences between Bruce now and Bruce then has a lot to do with 2 things:
1. Experience-Bruce seems more in touch with pacing a performance and taking care of himself. He knows how far he can go and maybe where not to go.
2. Quantity of shows- Take a look at those 80's tour schedules. That must've put a tremendous strain on Bruce.

[Jirpo]

I love NML too, but there are better songs to play live.

[sneakyblueberry]

In answer to the OP:

JLB has the better vocals.

As an aside, Bruce is 100x the frontman Labrie is.

[tartarus250]

Back to the my original point, that people just mythologize the 80s singers and don't put them under the same microscope they put guys like LaBrie, watch this video of Bruce from a better show:

(skip to about 3 mins in past the intro music)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5zh3Y6VJxY&feature=related


Listen to how Bruce sounds fine during the verses, but lands almost a half-step flat on every single note in the chorus.

This is the normal Bruce, not at all Bruce on a bad night. This is how he sings many songs. Yet people make him into a legend and then throw bitch-fits when the hear James LaBrie sing flat for the choruses of 3 songs in 3 hour concert DVD, while the people at those shows actually didn't notice.  You don't notice these kinds of flaws when you're at shows. You only notice them when you're out of the element, watching a concert on Youtube or listening to a bootleg.

Bruce existed before the Youtube era. So people by and large just remember the great times they had listening to Bruce slaughter at Maiden concerts, while the majority of Dream Theater fans have never gotten off their asses to actually see the band play in a vicinity outside the DVDs and Youtube.

right i feel i have to respond to this. this song is is the first of a two plus hour long show which given the length and frequency  of the shows he does minimal warming up for if you had picked a song from further on in the set you would have found he sounds better and better as the show goes along.