MR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8imszU1JSA


Just checking this out again, and wondering why some think this isn't a great performance?

Now, I know it's been dropped a half-step, but you can't tell me he isn't singing the hell out of this. Especially at the end with all of his trademark runs and nuances.

I didn't see him at this show, but I did see the Pittsburgh show that was before this, I think.
He was 44 at this time and made it a point in the show, when he lowered down his tux jacket, to talk about "all of the people who say you've lost your voice". I think he was proud of and content with his voice at the time and liked how he sounded.

Some have said they heard him sound not this good on other shows on this tour and I'm just trying to get general thoughts on why you think he would have gone out on tour with his voice sounding less than good, when we all know he's a self-called perfectionist? I was supposed to go see him in Wheeling, WV and that show was one of the ones that got canceled when he got sick.

Is the theory that he really didn't get sick, but got out on the road and did some good shows at the start of the tour and, as the tour progressed, his voice started to not hold up and he claimed to have bronchitis, thus ending the tour? Hmm..... maybe that happened, but I only know that in Pittsburgh that night, he sounded excellent. Again, some songs lowered 1/2-1 steps and some not lowered at all.

I'm betting that if the new music is coming, he'll be able to do some spread out performances without doing a full-fledged "tour". We see amny older artists that play a lot of shows a year, but spread them out over more time. Maybe he'll be able to do that.

Anyway, just wanted to get overall thoughts on this performance and say that I really believe that there will be new music from SP within the next year and I think he'll be able to play live, at least some.

We can only hope.

madsplash wrote: I really believe that there will be new music from SP within the next year and I think he'll be able to play live.

Wish in one hand...Shit in the other. Let me know which one appears first


John from Boston

I was at both of these beacon shows. They were spectacular...

Enigma869 wrote:

madsplash wrote: I really believe that there will be new music from SP within the next year and I think he'll be able to play live.

Wish in one hand...Shit in the other. Let me know which one appears first

Consider the difference between "be able to" vs. "wants to".
I'm pretty sure he's ABLE to (by which I mean vocally...).
Maybe he can't or won't for other reasons. Or maybe he's just done with that mayhem.

I HOPE he does because I want just ONE chance to see this mofo perform, but I'm not gonna fall over and die if he doesn't.

Wait, I take that back. Steve - it would KILL me. Dude, you want that on your head?!

Anyone else find it ironic that he preformed at the Beacon? BJG...? Frank...? Beuller?

Rhiannon wrote:Anyone else find it ironic that he preformed at the Beacon? BJG...? Frank...? Beuller?

Beakon

bluejeangirl76 wrote:

Rhiannon wrote:Anyone else find it ironic that he preformed at the Beacon? BJG...? Frank...? Beuller?

Beakon

LOL, definitely one of your best AVs.

strangegrey wrote:I was at both of these beacon shows. They were spectacular...

I am always so happy to hear positive things about this tour!!!
I missed this one and have always heard such negative remarks!!!

madsplash wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8imszU1JSA


Just checking this out again, and wondering why some think this isn't a great performance?

Now, I know it's been dropped a half-step, but you can't tell me he isn't singing the hell out of this. Especially at the end with all of his trademark runs and nuances.

I didn't see him at this show, but I did see the Pittsburgh show that was before this, I think.
He was 44 at this time and made it a point in the show, when he lowered down his tux jacket, to talk about "all of the people who say you've lost your voice". I think he was proud of and content with his voice at the time and liked how he sounded.

Some have said they heard him sound not this good on other shows on this tour and I'm just trying to get general thoughts on why you think he would have gone out on tour with his voice sounding less than good, when we all know he's a self-called perfectionist? I was supposed to go see him in Wheeling, WV and that show was one of the ones that got canceled when he got sick.

Is the theory that he really didn't get sick, but got out on the road and did some good shows at the start of the tour and, as the tour progressed, his voice started to not hold up and he claimed to have bronchitis, thus ending the tour? Hmm..... maybe that happened, but I only know that in Pittsburgh that night, he sounded excellent. Again, some songs lowered 1/2-1 steps and some not lowered at all.

The Beacon show sounds great--no doubt about it. Probably one of the best shows on the tour. I really can't see why ANYONE would complain about his voice on that show. He sounds better there than some of the ROR shows.

Pittsburgh, on the other hand....sounded dreadful. I have the recording. I wish I didn't. Maybe there was a little more reverb on the vocals live that didn't capture to tape, but that show should have never happened.

Deb wrote:

bluejeangirl76 wrote:
Beakon

LOL, definitely one of your best AVs.

Muy bien. Pretty proud of that one to be honest. For the record, and esp. with newbie loonies running around here, it is NOT meant to make fun.

Rhiannon wrote:Anyone else find it ironic that he preformed at the Beacon? BJG...? Frank...? Beuller?

You know...it took me a very long time to 'get' that. I'm embarrassed.

On a serious note, that was probably the only venue in NYC at that time that could adequately handle his tour....every other venue was either too big or too small....

madsplash wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8imszU1JSA


Just checking this out again, and wondering why some think this isn't a great performance?

Now, I know it's been dropped a half-step, but you can't tell me he isn't singing the hell out of this. Especially at the end with all of his trademark runs and nuances.

I didn't see him at this show, but I did see the Pittsburgh show that was before this, I think.
He was 44 at this time and made it a point in the show, when he lowered down his tux jacket, to talk about "all of the people who say you've lost your voice". I think he was proud of and content with his voice at the time and liked how he sounded.

Some have said they heard him sound not this good on other shows on this tour and I'm just trying to get general thoughts on why you think he would have gone out on tour with his voice sounding less than good, when we all know he's a self-called perfectionist? I was supposed to go see him in Wheeling, WV and that show was one of the ones that got canceled when he got sick.

Is the theory that he really didn't get sick, but got out on the road and did some good shows at the start of the tour and, as the tour progressed, his voice started to not hold up and he claimed to have bronchitis, thus ending the tour? Hmm..... maybe that happened, but I only know that in Pittsburgh that night, he sounded excellent. Again, some songs lowered 1/2-1 steps and some not lowered at all.

I'm betting that if the new music is coming, he'll be able to do some spread out performances without doing a full-fledged "tour". We see amny older artists that play a lot of shows a year, but spread them out over more time. Maybe he'll be able to do that.

Anyway, just wanted to get overall thoughts on this performance and say that I really believe that there will be new music from SP within the next year and I think he'll be able to play live, at least some.

We can only hope.

This performance is good. Listen to "Only the Young" from the same show (I think). He ducks all the high notes and his voice cracks in some other tunes from the show- still a decent performance, but nowhere near the caliber of Journey pre-83. I think there'll be new music from Steve SOMEDAY but at this point, you have to wonder if that stuff will come out after he's gone. Scary thought, but while time is moving on, Steve's "Someday I'll do something" keeps moving out further and further.

Come on Steve- Time's a waistin'!

brywool wrote:This performance is good. Listen to "Only the Young" from the same show (I think). He ducks all the high notes and his voice cracks in some other tunes from the show- still a decent performance, but nowhere near the caliber of Journey pre-83. I think there'll be new music from Steve SOMEDAY but at this point, you have to wonder if that stuff will come out after he's gone. Scary thought, but while time is moving on, Steve's "Someday I'll do something" keeps moving out further and further.

Come on Steve- Time's a waistin'!

Only the Young was the opening song, and it always took a song or two for Steve's voice to warm up on this tour. Honestly, I don't think OTY ever sounded all that good on this tour until he drastically rearranged the melody lines somewhere near the end of the tour. Give him a song or two to warm up, and I would find it hard-pressed to find anything to complain about his voice on the Beacon show. He wasn't 30, and you can't hold him to that.

brywool wrote:Listen to "Only the Young" from the same show (I think). He ducks all the high notes and his voice cracks in some other tunes from the show- still a decent performance, but nowhere near the caliber of Journey pre-83.

Didn't "Only The Young" come out around 1985 or 1986? That tells me that Perry still had the pipes, post 1983, in spite of what many would have you believe!


John from Boston

kgdjpubs wrote:

brywool wrote:This performance is good. Listen to "Only the Young" from the same show (I think). He ducks all the high notes and his voice cracks in some other tunes from the show- still a decent performance, but nowhere near the caliber of Journey pre-83. I think there'll be new music from Steve SOMEDAY but at this point, you have to wonder if that stuff will come out after he's gone. Scary thought, but while time is moving on, Steve's "Someday I'll do something" keeps moving out further and further.

Come on Steve- Time's a waistin'!

Only the Young was the opening song, and it always took a song or two for Steve's voice to warm up on this tour. Honestly, I don't think OTY ever sounded all that good on this tour until he drastically rearranged the melody lines somewhere near the end of the tour. Give him a song or two to warm up, and I would find it hard-pressed to find anything to complain about his voice on the Beacon show. He wasn't 30, and you can't hold him to that.

If this was Kevin crappy Cronin, I'd agree. But it's Steve MutherFu**in' Perry. He's the Pavarotti of Rock and to hear him crack at all shouldn't happen. It was the first song, but it was in Db instead of D and it's not that hard of a song in the first place.

Enigma869 wrote:

brywool wrote:Listen to "Only the Young" from the same show (I think). He ducks all the high notes and his voice cracks in some other tunes from the show- still a decent performance, but nowhere near the caliber of Journey pre-83.

Didn't "Only The Young" come out around 1985 or 1986? That tells me that Perry still had the pipes, post 1983, in spite of what many would have you believe!


John from Boston

No, came out in 83 and Perry kept it off of Frontiers (DOH!)

brywool wrote:No, came out in 83 and Perry kept it off of Frontiers (DOH!)

Ah, yes. I had forgotten about that, because as we all know, it never saw the light of day, until the "Vision Quest" soundtrack.


John from Boston

brywool wrote: He ducks all the high notes and his voice cracks in some other tunes from the show- still a decent performance, but nowhere near the caliber of Journey pre-83.

This is something I think I need explained to me. And this isn't directed at you, Brywool... just at this type of thought process that a LOT of peole have brought into play on this board....

Why is it that these performances are always compared to pre-83 and why does it always fall back to criticism that he can't hit the notes or isn't up to par with his 30 year old self? Doesn't logic come into play at all? He was 44, ffs. So what if didn't incorporate the same range.... and of course he isn't going to sound like he did in '78. No one would. I mean, look at the Evolution tour schedule alone - look at May through July... something like 2 days off over a 3 month span?! I'm surprised he made it to '86 with any fucking voice at all.

brywool wrote:No, came out in 83 and Perry kept it off of Frontiers (DOH!)

I'm pretty sure that Only The Young wasn't even recorded until after Frontiers was released. It was Ask The Lonely that was left off (so I thought?). I don't claim 100% certainty here though so if anyone can validate it one way or another, by all means go ahead.

Awesomes performance, They only dropped it down 1/2 step. Is the Deen playing keys?? Lincoln Brewster kicks ass on Guitar

stevew2 wrote:Awesomes performance, They only dropped it down 1/2 step. Is the Deen playing keys?? Lincoln Brewster kicks ass on Guitar

Nope, it's Paul Taylor (Winger). www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzuAKBu366k

Can't help but giggle at some of these old vids. They look so different now. Kip's aged well.

Deb wrote:

stevew2 wrote:Awesomes performance, They only dropped it down 1/2 step. Is the Deen playing keys?? Lincoln Brewster kicks ass on Guitar

Nope, it's Paul Taylor (Winger). www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzuAKBu366k

Can't help but giggle at some of these old vids. They look so different now. Kip's aged well.

Thats better the Friga playing "air keyboards"on Separate Ways

bluejeangirl76 wrote:

brywool wrote: He ducks all the high notes and his voice cracks in some other tunes from the show- still a decent performance, but nowhere near the caliber of Journey pre-83.

This is something I think I need explained to me. And this isn't directed at you, Brywool... just at this type of thought process that a LOT of peole have brought into play on this board....

Why is it that these performances are always compared to pre-83 and why does it always fall back to criticism that he can't hit the notes or isn't up to par with his 30 year old self? Doesn't logic come into play at all? He was 44, ffs. So what if didn't incorporate the same range.... and of course he isn't going to sound like he did in '78. No one would. I mean, look at the Evolution tour schedule alone - look at May through July... something like 2 days off over a 3 month span?! I'm surprised he made it to '86 with any fucking voice at all.

I'm 46 (today!) and I hit notes now I couldn't hit when I was younger. Look at Paul McCartney- While his voice has lost the warmth that it once had, he still hits really high notes and he's 64+ or something. Granted, his high notes are not Steve's but for him, they're the top of his range. Where Guns n Roses had to lower Live and Let Die so Axl could hit the money note ("You gotta give the other fellow Hell______!"), Paul still does it in the original key and hits that money note pretty much every night. Also sang the crap out of Helter Skelter. His shows are also long shows.

With Steve, he's the consummate singer. A complete Pro with a God given instrument. If ANYBODY is going to take care of his voice and know what NOT to do to it, it's going to be Steve Mutherfu**ing Perry, is it not? Look at Aretha Franklin. She can still sing the paint off the walls. Christ, look at Arnel, the guy's sung in bars (these are long, smoke filled shows) for most of his life and he's still got his range (though he lost it all at one point). There are a ton of singers you could name out there that still have their voices. Hagar is one, DeYoung and Shaw are others. Jesus, Tommy Shaw is singing better now than I've EVER heard him sing.

I agree with you about the grueling tour schedule. But if you think about it, Journey shows were like, what an hour and a half? I would think that he'd be able to do shows that short on a fairly regular basis. Steve wasn't a belting singer. He was smooth and approached his high notes gracefully and properly. He wasn't a screamer and was just SMOOOOOTH- that is up until 83. In 83, it appears he changed his vocal approach and it messed him up. OR he changed his vocal approach due to wear and tear. I'd be curious if maybe Steve got sick during the time between the Escape tour and the recording of Frontiers and he never fully recovered, then sang and did some actual damage. Having said that, his voice was great on the Frontiers tour, though not as clear. It was during the ROR tour that it was evident that something was wrong. Still an amazing singer, but he was cracking a lot. That was something that I'd never heard from him before. He also seemed to be pushing his voice differently rather than singing as quiet as he once did. Listen to the note he sings on Street Talks "Strung Out". That note in the middle.... not one of his better performances there (though I love the tune).

Look at Infinity. He did that album and tour and came back and did Evolution, Departure, and the Escape tours FLAWLESSLY. Yet, SOMETHING happened either during the Frontiers tour or at the end of the Escape tour and it took it's tool on his voice. The songs on Infinity, Evolution, Departure, and Escape are higher tunes than Frontiers and most definitely ROR.

There's NO reason that a singer has to lose his voice when he gets older, if they're singing correctly and practicing healthy vocal habits. Any singing teacher will tell ya that. Somehow, something went wrong for Perry. Also, you gotta wonder if he just lost the "drive" to maintain his voice. Think of it: it's a 24-hour job. Can't smoke (didn't he smoke?), can't drink alchohol, spicey foods, shout, talk excessively, etc. etc. That gets old and sometimes you just want to live like everyone else. Maybe he just kind of gave up on that part of things.

My perspective here. I just think a guy like that with that voice would do ANYTHING to maintain it. At the first sign of trouble, Journey shoulda re-examined their tour schedule and done everything possible for Steve to maintain his pipes. In fact, I would bet that happened. I would also bet, because the longterm affects were still unknown, that Steve overdid the steroids for his voice. I don't know if that's true, but I remember a showtime special on Journey that I still have where Steve's in the back of a limo, describing how a singer can ruin his voice. He also said "I provide myself with preventative medicine". Maybe he did more 'roids than he should've. It fits right in with the hip replacement deal. Hip degeneration is a side effect of steroid use.

I dunno. It's a mystery how the guy with THAT voice could watch it go away.

Anybody know this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNZZgg7KvrE&feature=related

Deb wrote:

stevew2 wrote:Awesomes performance, They only dropped it down 1/2 step. Is the Deen playing keys?? Lincoln Brewster kicks ass on Guitar

Nope, it's Paul Taylor (Winger). :lol: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzuAKBu366k

Can't help but giggle at some of these old vids. They look so different now. Kip's aged well.

Yeah...Duh!

brywool wrote:I'm 46 (today!) and I hit notes now I couldn't hit when I was younger. Look at Paul McCartney- While his voice has lost the warmth that it once had, he still hits really high notes and he's 64+ or something. Granted, his high notes are not Steve's but for him, they're the top of his range. Where Guns n Roses had to lower Live and Let Die so Axl could hit the money note ("You gotta give the other fellow Hell______!"), Paul still does it in the original key and hits that money note pretty much every night. Also sang the crap out of Helter Skelter. His shows are also long shows.

With Steve, he's the consummate singer. A complete Pro with a God given instrument. If ANYBODY is going to take care of his voice and know what NOT to do to it, it's going to be Steve Mutherfu**ing Perry, is it not? Look at Aretha Franklin. She can still sing the paint off the walls. Christ, look at Arnel, the guy's sung in bars (these are long, smoke filled shows) for most of his life and he's still got his range (though he lost it all at one point). There are a ton of singers you could name out there that still have their voices. Hagar is one, DeYoung and Shaw are others. Jesus, Tommy Shaw is singing better now than I've EVER heard him sing.

I agree with you about the grueling tour schedule. But if you think about it, Journey shows were like, what an hour and a half? I would think that he'd be able to do shows that short on a fairly regular basis. Steve wasn't a belting singer. He was smooth and approached his high notes gracefully and properly. He wasn't a screamer and was just SMOOOOOTH- that is up until 83. In 83, it appears he changed his vocal approach and it messed him up. OR he changed his vocal approach due to wear and tear. I'd be curious if maybe Steve got sick during the time between the Escape tour and the recording of Frontiers and he never fully recovered, then sang and did some actual damage. Having said that, his voice was great on the Frontiers tour, though not as clear. It was during the ROR tour that it was evident that something was wrong. Still an amazing singer, but he was cracking a lot. That was something that I'd never heard from him before. He also seemed to be pushing his voice differently rather than singing as quiet as he once did. Listen to the note he sings on Street Talks "Strung Out". That note in the middle.... not one of his better performances there (though I love the tune).

Look at Infinity. He did that album and tour and came back and did Evolution, Departure, and the Escape tours FLAWLESSLY. Yet, SOMETHING happened either during the Frontiers tour or at the end of the Escape tour and it took it's tool on his voice. The songs on Infinity, Evolution, Departure, and Escape are higher tunes than Frontiers and most definitely ROR.

There's NO reason that a singer has to lose his voice when he gets older, if they're singing correctly and practicing healthy vocal habits. Any singing teacher will tell ya that. Somehow, something went wrong for Perry. Also, you gotta wonder if he just lost the "drive" to maintain his voice. Think of it: it's a 24-hour job. Can't smoke (didn't he smoke?), can't drink alchohol, spicey foods, shout, talk excessively, etc. etc. That gets old and sometimes you just want to live like everyone else. Maybe he just kind of gave up on that part of things.

My perspective here. I just think a guy like that with that voice would do ANYTHING to maintain it. At the first sign of trouble, Journey shoulda re-examined their tour schedule and done everything possible for Steve to maintain his pipes. In fact, I would bet that happened. I would also bet, because the longterm affects were still unknown, that Steve overdid the steroids for his voice. I don't know if that's true, but I remember a showtime special on Journey that I still have where Steve's in the back of a limo, describing how a singer can ruin his voice. He also said "I provide myself with preventative medicine". Maybe he did more 'roids than he should've. It fits right in with the hip replacement deal. Hip degeneration is a side effect of steroid use.

I dunno. It's a mystery how the guy with THAT voice could watch it go away.

Awesome insights, Bry. Thanks. I agree that something happened to his voice between Escape and Frontiers. My guess is alcohol. And then especially during the ROR era. He even appeared drunk in an interview or two. If that's the case I guess I can see why he harbors some animosity toward other members. While they were all probably doing the same thing he's the only guy that had his "instrument" damaged. That said, I thought he did a lot of obnoxious and unnecessary screaming during a lot of the ROR shows. You literally hear him shredding his voice. To this day I don't understand why he felt the need to do that.

brywool wrote:There are a ton of singers you could name out there that still have their voices. Hagar is one, DeYoung and Shaw are others. Jesus, Tommy Shaw is singing better now than I've EVER heard him sing.

You're right. but that's them. We're not talking about them.

brywool wrote: Look at Infinity. He did that album and tour and came back and did Evolution, Departure, and the Escape tours FLAWLESSLY. Yet, SOMETHING happened either during the Frontiers tour or at the end of the Escape tour and it took it's toll on his voice.

I bet he tangled with the wrong kitten.

Saint John wrote:

Awesome insights, Bry. Thanks. I agree that something happened to his voice between Escape and Frontiers. My guess is alcohol. And then especially during the ROR era. He even appeared drunk in an interview or two. If that's the case I guess I can see why he harbors some animosity toward other members. While they were all probably doing the same thing he's the only guy that had his "instrument" damaged. That said, I thought he did a lot of obnoxious and unnecessary screaming during a lot of the ROR shows. You literally hear him shredding his voice. To this day I don't understand why he felt the need to do that.

Was Perry a heavy drinker? I'd never heard that. I DID hear from some sources that he really liked Coke. Not sure if that's true or not. The alcohol would explain the weight gain during the Street Talk days. I think some of the screaming was just to hit the notes. Then there were songs like Back Talk that they were doing on tour as well. Geez, on the recording of BT, you can hear the shredding going on and why they felt the need to play that song live... the song was one of their worst. I do remember him screaming other stuff though too and it was unnecessary. However, I don't think that stuff would leave him with permanent damage, but he does have damage to his chords.

bluejeangirl76 wrote:

brywool wrote:There are a ton of singers you could name out there that still have their voices. Hagar is one, DeYoung and Shaw are others. Jesus, Tommy Shaw is singing better now than I've EVER heard him sing.

You're right. but that's them. We're not talking about them.

Right, but they're way older guys now and their voices have improved (though DeYoung's choice of toupe's appears to be getting worse...)

Saint John wrote: I agree that something happened to his voice between Escape and Frontiers. My guess is alcohol. And then especially during the ROR era. He even appeared drunk in an interview or two.

Yeah, that must be it. As far as I know, Perry is probably the only singer of a rock band, in the history of music, to booze it up! Listen, for all I know, Perry was hammered every night he took the stage. I don't have a medical degree, so am not qualified to comment as to whether or not alcohol would damage his voice. What I do know is that I can't think of a single rock band who were choir boys. Most of them drank heavily, and participated in drug use. To take the leap and say this is how Perry "damaged his instrument" is ridiculous, irresponsible, and nothing more than complete speculation!


John from Boston