Blu Ray / DVD of The Astonishing tour

[Ben_Jamin]

o_O?

I'm sorry, but do you guys just seriously not hear this?

Yes. And I'm saying it sounded way better live. Hell you can barely hear his background vocals in those.

[rumborak]

The first link especially leaves very little to the imagination. And it was that way too in Boston.

[Ben_Jamin]

I guess the band just had a really good night in Tuscon.

[noxon]

Eh, being there is always different than hearing a recording. i've been to many shows that sounded absolutely amazing to my ears while there, but listening back to recordings was just a sad sad wakeup call.

[rumborak]

I just don't understand why, when they're recording, James doesn't speak up and say "listen guys, I'm rested and sure, with 10 takes, I can pull this off. But have you considered the three nights in a row where I have to pull this off after an hour of singing?"

Rush learned that lesson and so did many other bands, when they realized they're no longer 20-year olds, but instead write within the constraints of their instrument. In fact, many bands rose to new heights when they were forced to shift.

[KevShmev]

Never underestimate the overconfidence musicians, including singers, can have; it's possible that JLB thinks he can do it.  Heck, while it's very possible that deep down he knew it, but never said it, Geddy Lee talked in recent years like he could still everything as good as he ever had, which is crazy when you consider that his vocals, especially live, aren't nearly what they used to be.

[rumborak]

Goooood point, Kev, I have often wondered about that. Even when I was playing in my measly DT tribute, there was already a staggering amount of "mental turf war" going on. Your band mates aren't going to say anything, especially after years of playing with you. MP was the only one seriously aware of negative feedback, so I think at this point James, and the others, live in a bubble, for better or for worse.
He might think "nobody notices in the heat of the action", and frankly, if DTF is a measure, many actually don't.

[ToT-147]

o_O?

I'm sorry, but do you guys just seriously not hear this?

James is pushing his vocals, but hitting a hard ceiling, with the result that he essentially hovers around one (wrong) note the whole time. At the end, when he should go even higher, he resorts to this ... bark thing.

Now I do.. The first thing I noticed about this section live though is that JLB changes the rhythmic of the verse.. Basically, he doesn't start the very first note/word of each line where he suposed to (along with the riff and the cymbals).. As for the tone, yeah, in the first vid he's out of it... but as guys up here have said, to hear it live is not the same, and he's nailed those lines when I saw them this year (which in fact happened only a couple of days before the Chile show)..

[rumborak]

I'm just gonna leave this discussion at the point where I think you guys are just not hearing it. Both clips are atrocious, it's like a dog barking into a microphone. James can be a great singer when in range, but in this section it's like listening to a dying animal.

[Ben_Jamin]

I'm just gonna leave this discussion at the point where I think you guys are just not hearing it. Both clips are atrocious, it's like a dog barking into a microphone. James can be a great singer when in range, but in this section it's like listening to a dying animal.

We do hear it fine. And it's not great.

But I am saying his voice was awesome in Tuscon. In those vids it doesn't sound great.

[rumborak]

I have strong doubts you were cognizant of the faults in Tucson. I think they were there just as in Chile, Boston and Hannover, but your excitement and adrenaline made you not realize them. I mean, it already took some "convincing" that the atrocious video samples were as bad as they are, whereas to any outside observer they were karaoke night level.

[ToT-147]

to any outside observer they were karaoke night level.

Probably you should've leave the discussion as you said so you wouldn't get to say something like that..

Seriously though, at least *I* did say that I was hearing now what you were saying.. But then again, I didn't hear any BIG detuning by James the time I saw him this year (here's that part of LN from the show I went to, although with pretty bad quality https://youtu.be/9ZB63MxrkTk?t=78)

I just checked it with my keyboard and he doesn't "hovers around one (wrong) note the whole time" as you said; instead, the notes he sometimes hits and sometimes not are precisely the highest and lowest of the three.. While I hear he's out in those few notes, and I also agree about the 'barking' (lol), I think his performance is not THAT bad to consider the overdubbing in a hypothetical DVD..

If we're going to be that strictic, there are a lot of sections more where he doesn't reach well the notes, specially the highest, obviously..

[gzarruk]

I think, at least, we can all agree that, if they make a DVD for TA, they'll overdub a lot of the vocals  anyway

[Ben_Jamin]

That video is pretty much close to how he sang it. Which was awesome live. But then, I thought his vocals were too high in the mix at times that his vocals didn't blend too well with the music.

[ErHaO]

I sing (lessons, classical/musical) and frequently do so with other people. When improperly recorded with much background noise, it can sound like shit. When recorded with a proper device, it usually sounds much better. But this depends on many factors. You can't possibly judge a performance on a crappy yt vid, though I do think you can hear James struggles there and that his pronounciation is basically absent because of it. In the two shows I attended, there were definitely quite a few moments where James sounded straight up bad. Still, having recorded myself many times now with my phone in surrounding nowhere near as loud as a concert, I can say crappy bootlegs can make thing sound way, way worse than they actually are.

[gm5k]

to any outside observer they were karaoke night level.

Probably you should've leave the discussion as you said so you wouldn't get to say something like that..

Seriously though, at least *I* did say that I was hearing now what you were saying.. But then again, I didn't hear any BIG detuning by James the time I saw him this year (here's that part of LN from the show I went to, although with pretty bad quality https://youtu.be/9ZB63MxrkTk?t=78)

I just checked it with my keyboard and he doesn't "hovers around one (wrong) note the whole time" as you said; instead, the notes he sometimes hits and sometimes not are precisely the highest and lowest of the three.. While I hear he's out in those few notes, and I also agree about the 'barking' (lol), I think his performance is not THAT bad to consider the overdubbing in a hypothetical DVD..

If we're going to be that strictic, there are a lot of sections more where he doesn't reach well the notes, specially the highest, obviously..

James sounds good here, and decent on the other vids.  That's an incredibly difficult part, and I don't mind James "barking" it if he can recover for the following part.  If he comes in flat after the shouting then yea that sucks.  Expecting him to nail that with incredible power and perfect enunciation live when he has to sing the part that comes right after is ridiculous.  He's got to pace himself a bit at times.

[cramx3]

I sing (lessons, classical/musical) and frequently do so with other people. When improperly recorded with much background noise, it can sound like shit. When recorded with a proper device, it usually sounds much better. But this depends on many factors. You can't possibly judge a performance on a crappy yt vid, though I do think you can hear James struggles there and that his pronounciation is basically absent because of it. In the two shows I attended, there were definitely quite a few moments where James sounded straight up bad. Still, having recorded myself many times now with my phone in surrounding nowhere near as loud as a concert, I can say crappy bootlegs can make thing sound way, way worse than they actually are.

This.  I just watched both of those clips which sound all around terrible.

[CB]

I'm just gonna leave this discussion at the point where I think you guys are just not hearing it. Both clips are atrocious, it's like a dog barking into a microphone. James can be a great singer when in range, but in this section it's like listening to a dying animal.

To me the barking sounds like Nafaryus in a fit of anger

[CDrice]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLu0ClOcNQs&feature=youtu.be&t=85

There something I noticed in the video. If you go at 2:56, the sound temporarily gets muffled for some reason and James voice starts to sound pretty weird. But at 2:59 the sound gets back to normal and you realize that he actually sounds okay. So it seems to me that low quality recording can affect his voice negatively.

However, I'll agree with you that James seems to be struggling pretty hard in the section you've pointed out.

[cramx3]

However, I'll agree with you that James seems to be struggling pretty hard in the section you've pointed out.

Yea, I didnt mention this, but I do agree that JLB didn't handle this section greatly when I saw DT either.  Just didn't think it's fair to rip him on such a poorly recorded video, but there is some fair criticism on this section, maybe there are other videos out there of it.

[Chino]

This is all I have to say about that, and it was just as bad the three times I saw it live.

The twenty seconds following 1:22 in Lord Nafaryus might be the most annoying, unpleasant piece of audio DT has ever released. Other than that, I really like this album.

[TheAtliator]

This is all I have to say about that, and it was just as bad the three times I saw it live.

The twenty seconds following 1:22 in Lord Nafaryus might be the most annoying, unpleasant piece of audio DT has ever released. Other than that, I really like this album.

That's like my favorite part!!!!! I even showed it to my friend two days ago just because I thought it was awesome

[faizoff]

I just came back from the Clearwater concert and will be very sad if there is no video release of this performance. It was an amazing concert start to finish and I got all kinds of emotional at the end when it hit me that I've been listening to this band for 25 years now.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Sorry if I'm late to the party, but are we pretty certain at this point that there won't be an Astonishing Blu-Ray? That would be a huge bummer for me. I'd love to see it captured live.

[bosk1]

Sorry if I'm late to the party, but are we pretty certain at this point that there won't be an Astonishing Blu-Ray?

No.  People just speculating.  It is the DTF way.

[smegolas]

Yes those clips sound awful.  Some of that is due to an iphone recording, some due to the fact that James has never been a good live singer.  You can get away with that in the heat of the moment during a concert where everything is turned up to 11, but not on a live DVD which listeners can hear properly.

Some people like me absolutely love TA but never got to see it live, and it would be a damn shame not to get a DVD of what is probably the most epic thing they, or maybe any band, has ever done.  James sounds like hell?  Just overdub the whole damn vocal track.  While you're at it, overdub anything that that doesn't sound right.  Who the hell cares?  I want something that sounds great, not to listen to a bunch of mistakes just because its more "authentic".

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Yes those clips sound awful.  Some of that is due to an iphone recording, some due to the fact that James has never been a good live singer.  You can get away with that in the heat of the moment during a concert where everything is turned up to 11, but not on a live DVD which listeners can hear properly.

Some people like me absolutely love TA but never got to see it live, and it would be a damn shame not to get a DVD of what is probably the most epic thing they, or maybe any band, has ever done.  James sounds like hell?  Just overdub the whole damn vocal track.  While you're at it, overdub anything that that doesn't sound right.  Who the hell cares?  I want something that sounds great, not to listen to a bunch of mistakes just because its more "authentic".

I like some cosmetic surgery on live releases, but not too much. Part of what makes a live release different to the studio counterpart is (apart from the obvious live setting) the subtle imperfections throughout. As you say, I'm not interested in hearing James (or anyone) screw up big time, but I indeed am looking forward to the small nuances and mistakes that normally make up the live release. If I wanted to listen to a 100% polished studio production, I'd put in the 100% studio production and not the live release. Also, they rely so heavily nowadays in backing tracks that the live release would be very much alike the studio version aside from the mixing which can bring a different element of the music upfront (such as the DT12 tunes in BTFW9).

[smegolas]

My concern is mainly the vocals - that's the weak link.  Some their old DVDs (Live Scenes from NY) could have been way better with some overdubs.  TSCO with Teresa and the choir could have been so incredible if not for James' vocals.

[cramx3]

Yes those clips sound awful.  Some of that is due to an iphone recording, some due to the fact that James has never been a good live singer.  You can get away with that in the heat of the moment during a concert where everything is turned up to 11, but not on a live DVD which listeners can hear properly.

Some people like me absolutely love TA but never got to see it live, and it would be a damn shame not to get a DVD of what is probably the most epic thing they, or maybe any band, has ever done.  James sounds like hell?  Just overdub the whole damn vocal track.  While you're at it, overdub anything that that doesn't sound right.  Who the hell cares?  I want something that sounds great, not to listen to a bunch of mistakes just because its more "authentic".

Couldnt disagree more with some of this.  First James is a decent live singer.  He isn't always perfect, but he is far from "never been a good live singer" IMO.  Also I'm with Darklord on the live release.  No one wants major fuck ups, but I also don't want a perfect rendition of the album.... that's what the album is for.

[TAC]

Yes those clips sound awful.  Some of that is due to an iphone recording, some due to the fact that James has never been a good live singer.  You can get away with that in the heat of the moment during a concert where everything is turned up to 11, but not on a live DVD which listeners can hear properly.

Some people like me absolutely love TA but never got to see it live, and it would be a damn shame not to get a DVD of what is probably the most epic thing they, or maybe any band, has ever done.  James sounds like hell?  Just overdub the whole damn vocal track.  While you're at it, overdub anything that that doesn't sound right.  Who the hell cares?  I want something that sounds great, not to listen to a bunch of mistakes just because its more "authentic".

No issue "fixing" a major mistake, but absolutely not on board with a totally dubbed in vocal track. What's the point?

Couldnt disagree more with some of this.  First James is a decent live singer.  He isn't always perfect, but he is far from "never been a good live singer" IMO.  Also I'm with Darklord on the live release.  No one wants major fuck ups, but I also don't want a perfect rendition of the album.... that's what the album is for.

[hefdaddy42]

Spoke to both JP and JLB about this last night at the last show of the tour.  That was it for The Astonishing for the foreseeable future, and no DVD/Bluray was filmed.  Both of them mentioned that the production could potentially be pulled back out at a future date for such a filming, but there are no concrete plans for it at this time.

[cramx3]

Spoke to both JP and JLB about this last night at the last show of the tour.  That was it for The Astonishing for the foreseeable future, and no DVD/Bluray was filmed.  Both of them mentioned that the production could potentially be pulled back out at a future date for such a filming, but there are no concrete plans for it at this time.

that really sucks, but not at all surprising.  I don't see them pulling this back out in the future sadly.

[goo-goo]

Spoke to both JP and JLB about this last night at the last show of the tour.  That was it for The Astonishing for the foreseeable future, and no DVD/Bluray was filmed.  Both of them mentioned that the production could potentially be pulled back out at a future date for such a filming, but there are no concrete plans for it at this time.

Massively disappointed by this but glad I saw it twice.

[mikeyd23]

Based on that, I don't think we will ever see a DVD of TA.

I don't see them randomly busting this full show, production and all, back out in the future.

[w_marano]

Spoke to both JP and JLB about this last night at the last show of the tour.  That was it for The Astonishing for the foreseeable future, and no DVD/Bluray was filmed.  Both of them mentioned that the production could potentially be pulled back out at a future date for such a filming, but there are no concrete plans for it at this time.

Sad news! Luckily I had the chance to see Astonishing live in Brazil last year!