Your opinion on James LaBrie's performances over the years?

[erwinrafael]

I wouldn't say it's the easiest instrument, but it presents completely different challenges to other instruments. The voice is much more susceptible to age, health, care, environmental variables, and requires more strict lifestyle choices to maintain that instrument.

JR's keyboard isn't going to be harder to play because he has a cold. JM's bass isn't going to sound off to the crowd because he's had to play several nights in a row after a long tour. JP isn't going to have trouble hitting a high note on a guitar by the end of a show. If JM hits a bum note, maybe 1% of people will notice. Not the case for JLB.
JLB is upfront, and under the most direct criticism being the frontman. He's 50 now, and is being compared to himself at age 30. I think that deserves a little bit of slack now and again! That's not an excuse, just the reality that we judge him to a pretty high standard.

True,  James does a great job.. But i'll say this again; I hope that next DT album will have songs that are more suitable for James's mature voice.. slower and softer, ya know

Based on what I see from Youtube videos, though, he looks to be more comfortable with his Awake vocals, than I&W-style vocals. He did great with 6:00 and Caught in a Web last tour, and he's doing great with the second half of Awake this tour. Maybe they should do more Awake style vocals for their new songs.

Still one of the best bootleg performances of JLB I have watched.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqrKERo1CeY

Mangini was not bad as well. 

[Tis BOOLsheet]

Honestly, I know it's relative but I really wouldn't say that vocals are an easy 'instrument' per se. I mean some instruments are hard to get the hang of, but once you understand the patterns, not as difficult to improve upon (piano imo), some are easy to learn, hard to master (guitar?). Some people claim that vocals are a 'gift', as in, it is what it is and if you can't sing you can't sing, and some people just can. I strongly disagree with this assumption and believe anyone can train their vocal chords and learn to sing. But it requires one to truly be in touch with themselves to express the qualities of their voice comfortably and naturally, and I think this aspect is possibly more important than vigorous and intensive training (not to dismiss these methods). Some people simply can do this more naturally so they can just sing and it might seem easy for them, some people need to learn how to relax and not tense up and not have to completely control every aspect of the voice, they need to let the sound flow and vibrate naturally. Most of the people I know that can't sing, truly believe they can't sing so they don't even try. I think vocals CAN be easier to learn than some people believe but I wouldn't ever say it's easier to learn than any other instrument, and certainly not the easiest.   

It is definitely not easy at all...especially to master. It all depends how good the person wants to be. You can be just an okay vocalist in a rock band and I guess that wouldn't be relatively difficult. I don't think what JLB is doing these days is relatively difficult in the bigger picture of what vocal artists are capable of. If you want to just sing simple rock tunes, I think could say it's "easy" to a certain extent. If you want to be a vocal artist and a virtuoso, that's another story.

[theseoafs]

Still one of the best bootleg performances of JLB I have watched.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqrKERo1CeY

Mangini was not bad as well. 

Hey, I was at that show!  Funny, I had forgotten all about that "how bout dem bears", but as JP walked up to the mic I knew what was coming.  I'm way up in the balcony, so far to the left that seeing JR was impossible.

Great performance, watching the video.

[Tim van Duijn]

I can think of an easier job instead of singing in Dream Theater. LaBrie is 50 now and to me he does a great great job!

I agree with the fact that they are approaching the music different to stay in JLB's vocal range (can you imagine what they could come op with if James could nail everything?)

I was talking about his performance around 2004-2005 when he started to get more sloppy and more off key.

For example check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivID2_qjDhU

and then this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHHSBWWqDpU

Notice that this is the same tour. Actually, there were 7 days between the Toronto gig and the Score gig.

Different tours dude. That Toronto show is 2004, Score was 2006.

holy shit, was i drunk? You are right excuse me..

[Madman Shepherd]

Still one of the best bootleg performances of JLB I have watched.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqrKERo1CeY

Mangini was not bad as well. 

Hey, I was at that show!  Funny, I had forgotten all about that "how bout dem bears", but as JP walked up to the mic I knew what was coming.  I'm way up in the balcony, so far to the left that seeing JR was impossible.

Great performance, watching the video.

What is not very audible on the bootleg is that a few groups of people were booing at that comment.  Bunch of assholes driving down from Wisconsin for the show