FULL Raleigh Review from MR Notice Board

[junky]

Author: Kevin
Date: 07-05-06 16:12

Note: This is approaching the length of an epitaph. Condensing it much more would be a crime however, as the full story needs to be told.


Journey & Def Leppard – Raleigh, NC – July 4, 2006

Simply put, this show is why I go to live concerts. For me, the sign of a good concert is some lasting memory that stays in your mind long after the night is over—something that the people who saw the show before you didn’t see, and neither will the people after you. Sometimes, magic can be made for those lucky enough to witness it. I don’t know if anyone really realized at it at the time, but Journey history was made in Raleigh, North Carolina tonight.

A little background before I get to tonight’s show and what it very special… I have seen quite a few Journey concerts with Steve Augeri singing, starting with the first tour in 1998, and basically every time they came around NC since then. Counting tonight, it is roughly the 7th show I have seen them perform. In that path, there have been a lot of highs---such as the first time the new lineup played in NC in the fall of 1998 after hearing the shock and astonishment that Perry was not with Journey anymore and the complaints of people who didn’t know before they arrived at the concert, then watching everyone’s jaws drop listening to the soundcheck when Augeri nailed Separate Ways. There was also maybe a random low when the audience for the 9-11 benefit in Atlanta Georgia in November 2001 totally misunderstood the lyrics and meaning behind the song “World Gone Wild”. Needless to say, the song was dropped for the 2nd benefit show in Texas a few days later. There were plenty of fun moments also, such as the 1999 show in Charlotte where Augeri was running and jumping on the speakers near the end of the show, and almost fell off one into the audience. Through all the shows, I have watched Steve Augeri grow as a frontman for the band and have seen the progress made through every show. I have seen shows where he was ON and sounded absolutely incredible, and the rare show where he struggled a bit. Nothing would compare to tonight however.

For tonight’s show, I managed to score front row seats. That in itself is usually a very rare thing. Tonight, it made all the difference in the world, because I could see what was happening on stage—and on the wings on the stage that are generally hidden from view.

Over the last month or two, Journey has come under a great deal of debate that has been played out in a large part on the melodicrock.com noticeboard. For a refresher—if anyone really needs one—the claims stem from the European festival shows at the beginning of June and accuse Steve Augeri of overdubbing his vocals with a pre-recorded tape. I’ve stayed out of the arguments simply because I was not at those shows. Everything that I had seen had live lead vocals with no backing tape. That, I was convinced of. The show tonight in Raleigh should lay to rest the remainder of the doubts.

For any doubters out there, the show in Raleigh was LIVE. There are roughly about 30,000 other people who were in attendance who would back up my claims. If there was ever a show where a backing tape for the lead vocals was needed, this was the show. If there was a backing tape in existence, it would have been heard tonight. It wasn’t. Steve Augeri was better for it. Journey was better for it. The people in attendance tonight got something they weren’t planning on as a result.


THE CONCERT…

For anyone that has been in North Carolina in the summer knows the weather is not the best. Temperatures today were around 90 degrees Fahrenheit with over 70% humidity. Welcome to the south. By the time the concert started, the weather had not improved, and dark clouds beckoned on the horizon. Fortunately, they never came to visit.



JOURNEY

Journey hit the stage first with Faith in the Heartland and it was immediately clear that something was wrong. Augeri showed up in Raleigh---his voice did not. To say he was having a difficult time would be putting it mildly. He was struggling. The extent would not be totally realized for a few songs though. Explanations would come later, but there was a problem.
Be Good To Yourself started and the after the first line of the song, Augeri signaled to Deen Castronovo to take over and Augeri went backstage. I have heard Deen sing a few times, and he was on tonight. Augeri returned after a little while and he and Deen went back and forth on lead vocals for the remainder of the song while Augeri tried to coax his voice into action.
Ask the Lonely came next and was somewhat of a breather with it’s lower-pitched vocal. Augeri did better on this song, but he was still having major problems. Throughout the song, Deen supplied backup and occasionally doubled Augeri’s voice. Only the Young came next with Deen singing lead. It didn’t look as if it was planned for Deen to sing on this, but after the problems Augeri was having, it wasn’t a surprise. Journey has been changing the songs Deen would sing in a show, so anything is possible. Augeri needed a breather anyway.
As the song ended, Neal Schon started up his guitar solo. With his choice of playing the Star Spangled Banner at concerts over the past few years, it wasn’t hard to guess what was coming. Tonight’s version was inspired with Ross Vallory and Deen giving the “we’re not worthy” bows towards the end. Stone in Love was next and Steve Augeri was back, but Deen took over shortly in to the song singing the majority of the lead vocals from there on. Wheel in the Sky followed, and Augeri took the lead in this, but Deen was still doing a lot of doubling parts and singing the high parts leaving Augeri for the lower notes.
By now, everyone was fully aware there was something serious going on, but the show continued. Lights was next, and Augeri signaled for Deen. They went back and forth on lead vocals throughout the song. Near the end of the song, Augeri went back to the drums, signaled to Deen and the two of them went offstage. It was plainly obvious there was a problem. Augeri’s voice was not getting any better and he was really struggling. You could feel the tension in the air. Augeri said something and Deen’s reaction had to be seen to believed. Basically, it was “you have got to be kidding me!”. What was said would be revealed very soon. Augeri disappeared into the wings of the stage and the stage was set.
For anyone who is not aware, Deen Castronovo has been doing lead vocals for several years now, but had always been behind the drum seat, playing the drums and singing. Tonight, that changed. A drum tech came out and got in the drummers seat and Deen made his way out to the front of the stage as Open Arms had started. Open Arms isn’t a very drum-intensive song, and there are no drums until the end of the song. Ross Vallory was near the drum kit trying to help the new guy on drums as Deen was out front with just a microphone singing the song. Anyone could tell that Deen was extremely nervous being alone out front, but the crowd loved it. The applause at the end was geniune.
Every Generation started up next, and Augeri was back, this time with guitar in tow. Jonathan Cain took lead vocals, and Augeri did some backup on the chorus. Chain Reaction followed with Augeri singing lead, but he was still having problems. He was giving his all, but the voice just wasn’t there. His voice was improved from the start of the show, but he was still struggling.
As the song ended, Augeri addressed the crowd and informed them of the situation that was occurring on stage. What follows isn’t exactly verbatim, but was written down immediately after he said it, so it is VERY close. “You might have noticed I haven’t been myself. I’ve been a little under the weather lately, so here comes Deen Castronovo to save the day. Give him a lot of love”. That was the intro to Faithfully, and once again, Deen was center stage, and the tech was on the drums. Deen was less nervous this time, trying to get the audience to sing, but still far from comfortable. Ross was at the drums once again helping the tech through the song.
Don’t Stop Believin’ was next and Augeri was back once again. His voice had improved, but he was still signaling for Deen to take the high parts. Separate Ways followed and Augeri’s voice was on the rebound. He was far from perfect, but was still giving 110%. He would nail one note, then his voice would die on the next, but he didn’t give up. Any Way You Want It was next, and the voice continued to improve. Deen continued helping, but Augeri’s voice was finally starting to come around. By this point, he was hitting about 70-80% of the high notes. Early in the show would have been maybe 15-20%. Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin closed the show out with Augeri finally in command.
As the band left the stage, Augeri and Deen embraced for probably the 5th time that night. It was obvious how much Augeri appreciated it. Without Deen being able to sing lead vocals, everyone knew the concert probably would have been cancelled. Augeri knew that better than anyone else.
They say that heroes arise in the time of need. Journey encountered that tonight, and Deen Castronovo stepped up. If there was ever a case for Journey to need a backing tape for Augeri, tonight was the case. There was no backing tape used, and everyone was better for the result.
I don’t know what will happen for the rest of the tour. Journey has a major problem if Augeri has another night like this one, but for those in the right time and place, they saw history being made. Tonight’s show wasn’t what anyone was expecting, but I’ll take this over a pre-recorded experience any day. After seeing the reaction of the crowd when Deen finished Open Arms at center stage, I don’t think I’m alone in that thought.

Setlist…
Faith in the Heartland
Be Good To Yourself (Steve & Deen)
Ask the Lonely (Deen on backup)
Guitar Solo (Star Spangled Banner)
Stone in Love (Steve and Deen)
Wheel in the Sky (Deen on a lot of backing vocals)
Lights (Steve and Deen)
Open Arms (Deen)
Every Generation
Chain Reaction
Faithfully (Deen)
Don’t Stop Believin’ (Deen on high notes)
Separate Ways
Any Way You Want It
Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’



DEF LEPPARD

I’ll keep this part relatively short, as nothing extraordinary happened here. Def Leppard came and they rocked. It wasn’t the best performance I have seen from them, but they were perfectly fine tonight. Due to the troubles in the Journey show, the audience never really got into the show, and the Leps solved that. They went over really well and the audience loved them. Joe’s voice wasn’t perfect, but you don’t expect that in the middle of a long tour. From where I was, there wasn’t a problem vocally and the band was tight. After the tension of the Journey set, it was party time.

Setlist…
Let It Go
Let’s Get Rocked
No Matter What
20th Century Boy
Bass Solo
Rock On
Rocket (with a very extended middle section)
Photograph
Armageddon It
Animal
Rock of Ages

ENCORE
Love Bites
Pour Some Sugar on Me

Fireworks closed out the night. Not bad for Independence Day 2006.
Kevin

[whocares]

thanks for posting the full review.

Though I don't think that it's fair to say the weather could have anything to do with it. Many bands go out in the summer knowing they'll be playing the "sheds", the outdoor amphitheaters, and weather in much of the midwest is as bad or worse than the south at times, often reaching high 90's with 100% humidty. I agree weather affects your voice, but the problems are more than just one night in the hot and humid south.

Not knowing you or the person who wrote it, if it wasn't you, just pointing this out.

[jrnyman28]

With 80 minutes to play, how the hell does DL fit in a BASS SOLO!?!?

[whocares]

I was wondering that too, they seem to be going more than Journey, but I don't care much to get into that argument.

[junky]

thanks for posting the full review.

Though I don't think that it's fair to say the weather could have anything to do with it. Many bands go out in the summer knowing they'll be playing the "sheds", the outdoor amphitheaters, and weather in much of the midwest is as bad or worse than the south at times, often reaching high 90's with 100% humidty. I agree weather affects your voice, but the problems are more than just one night in the hot and humid south.

Not knowing you or the person who wrote it, if it wasn't you, just pointing this out.

It wasn't me who wrote it. The preface seemed to be pretty important to the guy who wrote it, so I posted it.

But I do agree with you that the problems are more than the weather.

[WalrusOct9]

Also, tour buses and backstage areas at these venues are all climate controlled and air-conditioned, or whatnot. So you really can't blame the weather since the only time a singer is faced with it is the time they're onstage...in theory they should be able to come out of the dressing room just fine since it's air conditioned and whatnot.

[NealIsGod]

Also, tour buses and backstage areas at these venues are all climate controlled and air-conditioned, or whatnot. So you really can't blame the weather since the only time a singer is faced with it is the time they're onstage...in theory they should be able to come out of the dressing room just fine since it's air conditioned and whatnot.

Well, I am sure drastic changes in temp can have an effect on singers.

[Liz22562]

Interesting how the connotation of the review changes when you post the 'whole' thing.

[junky]

Also, tour buses and backstage areas at these venues are all climate controlled and air-conditioned, or whatnot. So you really can't blame the weather since the only time a singer is faced with it is the time they're onstage...in theory they should be able to come out of the dressing room just fine since it's air conditioned and whatnot.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought humidy was good for your voice.

I'm sure I read that one of the Steve's kept the hot shower on in his hotel rooms for his voice. I think the guys dubbed it "The Jungle."

[KittyKat]

oops

[whocares]

true that was supposed to have been said abotu Steve a's room being a jungle.

The change from air-conditioning to the other stuff isn't good for you, but you can't blame that for all the troubles.

[Liz22562]

Interesting you should mention the weather NIG. Tommy Shaw consistantly posts how humidity/heat vs non humidity and/or changes in the weather affects him.

(And before anyone starts protesting - I do not mean this is the only reason Augeri's voice is affected).

Zan - you out there?

[junky]

A long tour that just started If your whole point is to say because they didn't use a tape last night proves they never used tapes tells me you haven't been paying attention. This isn't one bad off night. I'm sorry but what you heard is the state of the mans voice and why they were using tapes and the same reason that his microphone was turned down and not Deens so the music masked the vocals. The audience singing complete verses, etc. They've just started to go live and this is the result.

Who are you directing you post to?

The person who wrote this doesn't post here.

[KittyKat]

A long tour that just started If your whole point is to say because they didn't use a tape last night proves they never used tapes tells me you haven't been paying attention. This isn't one bad off night. I'm sorry but what you heard is the state of the mans voice and why they were using tapes and the same reason that his microphone was turned down and not Deens so the music masked the vocals. The audience singing complete verses, etc. They've just started to go live and this is the result.

Who are you directing you post to?

The person who wrote this doesn't post here.[/qu

Oh I see, my bad

[Zan]

Interesting you should mention the weather NIG. Tommy Shaw consistantly posts how humidity/heat vs non humidity and/or changes in the weather affects him.

(And before anyone starts protesting - I do not mean this is the only reason Augeri's voice is affected).

Zan - you out there?

Zan here. Unfortunately, I don't have much experience with NON HUMIDITY, as I live and perform in SOUTH FLORIDA (lol), but I can say that clubs with dry A/C pumping - like you'd have in local malls, where you find yourself gasping for saliva and buying sodas every 20 minutes havea much more detrimental effect on my voice than clubs that are higher humidity. Last night, we played for HUGE crowd (God love it) for the City of Plantation's 4th of July bash, and it was HUMID!!!!! I felt pretty good and comfortable vocally, but I did crack a few times unexpectedly. I say unexpectedly because usually I know or can foresee problems before I actually have them, whereas last night, I didn't. Everything "felt" fine.

I can say this - for the last 2 months I have been gigging at least 3 nights a week, singing an average of 16-20 songs a night - all in smoky bars, and I have to say that it took me a solid month to gain the majority of my voice again. That was brutal. And once my voice started getting weaker, straining to hit higher notes only weakened it further, hence, making the next time even more difficult. I don't envy what this poor guy is going through. When Tommy Shaw had larygitis, they postponed their shows. What's the problem with a little time off until he gets it back in full form?

So, to make a short story long (haha), I believe humidity is better for your throat than dryness - but extremes of ANYTHING could be a problem. Too humid, too dry, too hot, too cold...you know what I'm sayin'.

[junky]

A long tour that just started If your whole point is to say because they didn't use a tape last night proves they never used tapes tells me you haven't been paying attention. This isn't one bad off night. I'm sorry but what you heard is the state of the mans voice and why they were using tapes and the same reason that his microphone was turned down and not Deens so the music masked the vocals. The audience singing complete verses, etc. They've just started to go live and this is the result.

Who are you directing you post to?

The person who wrote this doesn't post here.[/qu

Oh I see, my bad

Easy mistake.

I just got back from a long weekend and there's a lot of posts to go thru.

[lights1961]

Author: Kevin
Date: 07-05-06 16:12

Note: This is approaching the length of an epitaph. Condensing it much more would be a crime however, as the full story needs to be told.


Journey & Def Leppard – Raleigh, NC – July 4, 2006

Simply put, this show is why I go to live concerts. For me, the sign of a good concert is some lasting memory that stays in your mind long after the night is over—something that the people who saw the show before you didn’t see, and neither will the people after you. Sometimes, magic can be made for those lucky enough to witness it. I don’t know if anyone really realized at it at the time, but Journey history was made in Raleigh, North Carolina tonight.

A little background before I get to tonight’s show and what it very special… I have seen quite a few Journey concerts with Steve Augeri singing, starting with the first tour in 1998, and basically every time they came around NC since then. Counting tonight, it is roughly the 7th show I have seen them perform. In that path, there have been a lot of highs---such as the first time the new lineup played in NC in the fall of 1998 after hearing the shock and astonishment that Perry was not with Journey anymore and the complaints of people who didn’t know before they arrived at the concert, then watching everyone’s jaws drop listening to the soundcheck when Augeri nailed Separate Ways. There was also maybe a random low when the audience for the 9-11 benefit in Atlanta Georgia in November 2001 totally misunderstood the lyrics and meaning behind the song “World Gone Wild”. Needless to say, the song was dropped for the 2nd benefit show in Texas a few days later. There were plenty of fun moments also, such as the 1999 show in Charlotte where Augeri was running and jumping on the speakers near the end of the show, and almost fell off one into the audience. Through all the shows, I have watched Steve Augeri grow as a frontman for the band and have seen the progress made through every show. I have seen shows where he was ON and sounded absolutely incredible, and the rare show where he struggled a bit. Nothing would compare to tonight however.

For tonight’s show, I managed to score front row seats. That in itself is usually a very rare thing. Tonight, it made all the difference in the world, because I could see what was happening on stage—and on the wings on the stage that are generally hidden from view.

Over the last month or two, Journey has come under a great deal of debate that has been played out in a large part on the melodicrock.com noticeboard. For a refresher—if anyone really needs one—the claims stem from the European festival shows at the beginning of June and accuse Steve Augeri of overdubbing his vocals with a pre-recorded tape. I’ve stayed out of the arguments simply because I was not at those shows. Everything that I had seen had live lead vocals with no backing tape. That, I was convinced of. The show tonight in Raleigh should lay to rest the remainder of the doubts.

For any doubters out there, the show in Raleigh was LIVE. There are roughly about 30,000 other people who were in attendance who would back up my claims. If there was ever a show where a backing tape for the lead vocals was needed, this was the show. If there was a backing tape in existence, it would have been heard tonight. It wasn’t. Steve Augeri was better for it. Journey was better for it. The people in attendance tonight got something they weren’t planning on as a result.


THE CONCERT…

For anyone that has been in North Carolina in the summer knows the weather is not the best. Temperatures today were around 90 degrees Fahrenheit with over 70% humidity. Welcome to the south. By the time the concert started, the weather had not improved, and dark clouds beckoned on the horizon. Fortunately, they never came to visit.



JOURNEY

Journey hit the stage first with Faith in the Heartland and it was immediately clear that something was wrong. Augeri showed up in Raleigh---his voice did not. To say he was having a difficult time would be putting it mildly. He was struggling. The extent would not be totally realized for a few songs though. Explanations would come later, but there was a problem.
Be Good To Yourself started and the after the first line of the song, Augeri signaled to Deen Castronovo to take over and Augeri went backstage. I have heard Deen sing a few times, and he was on tonight. Augeri returned after a little while and he and Deen went back and forth on lead vocals for the remainder of the song while Augeri tried to coax his voice into action.
Ask the Lonely came next and was somewhat of a breather with it’s lower-pitched vocal. Augeri did better on this song, but he was still having major problems. Throughout the song, Deen supplied backup and occasionally doubled Augeri’s voice. Only the Young came next with Deen singing lead. It didn’t look as if it was planned for Deen to sing on this, but after the problems Augeri was having, it wasn’t a surprise. Journey has been changing the songs Deen would sing in a show, so anything is possible. Augeri needed a breather anyway.
As the song ended, Neal Schon started up his guitar solo. With his choice of playing the Star Spangled Banner at concerts over the past few years, it wasn’t hard to guess what was coming. Tonight’s version was inspired with Ross Vallory and Deen giving the “we’re not worthy” bows towards the end. Stone in Love was next and Steve Augeri was back, but Deen took over shortly in to the song singing the majority of the lead vocals from there on. Wheel in the Sky followed, and Augeri took the lead in this, but Deen was still doing a lot of doubling parts and singing the high parts leaving Augeri for the lower notes.
By now, everyone was fully aware there was something serious going on, but the show continued. Lights was next, and Augeri signaled for Deen. They went back and forth on lead vocals throughout the song. Near the end of the song, Augeri went back to the drums, signaled to Deen and the two of them went offstage. It was plainly obvious there was a problem. Augeri’s voice was not getting any better and he was really struggling. You could feel the tension in the air. Augeri said something and Deen’s reaction had to be seen to believed. Basically, it was “you have got to be kidding me!”. What was said would be revealed very soon. Augeri disappeared into the wings of the stage and the stage was set.
For anyone who is not aware, Deen Castronovo has been doing lead vocals for several years now, but had always been behind the drum seat, playing the drums and singing. Tonight, that changed. A drum tech came out and got in the drummers seat and Deen made his way out to the front of the stage as Open Arms had started. Open Arms isn’t a very drum-intensive song, and there are no drums until the end of the song. Ross Vallory was near the drum kit trying to help the new guy on drums as Deen was out front with just a microphone singing the song. Anyone could tell that Deen was extremely nervous being alone out front, but the crowd loved it. The applause at the end was geniune.
Every Generation started up next, and Augeri was back, this time with guitar in tow. Jonathan Cain took lead vocals, and Augeri did some backup on the chorus. Chain Reaction followed with Augeri singing lead, but he was still having problems. He was giving his all, but the voice just wasn’t there. His voice was improved from the start of the show, but he was still struggling.
As the song ended, Augeri addressed the crowd and informed them of the situation that was occurring on stage. What follows isn’t exactly verbatim, but was written down immediately after he said it, so it is VERY close. “You might have noticed I haven’t been myself. I’ve been a little under the weather lately, so here comes Deen Castronovo to save the day. Give him a lot of love”. That was the intro to Faithfully, and once again, Deen was center stage, and the tech was on the drums. Deen was less nervous this time, trying to get the audience to sing, but still far from comfortable. Ross was at the drums once again helping the tech through the song.
Don’t Stop Believin’ was next and Augeri was back once again. His voice had improved, but he was still signaling for Deen to take the high parts. Separate Ways followed and Augeri’s voice was on the rebound. He was far from perfect, but was still giving 110%. He would nail one note, then his voice would die on the next, but he didn’t give up. Any Way You Want It was next, and the voice continued to improve. Deen continued helping, but Augeri’s voice was finally starting to come around. By this point, he was hitting about 70-80% of the high notes. Early in the show would have been maybe 15-20%. Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin closed the show out with Augeri finally in command.
As the band left the stage, Augeri and Deen embraced for probably the 5th time that night. It was obvious how much Augeri appreciated it. Without Deen being able to sing lead vocals, everyone knew the concert probably would have been cancelled. Augeri knew that better than anyone else.
They say that heroes arise in the time of need. Journey encountered that tonight, and Deen Castronovo stepped up. If there was ever a case for Journey to need a backing tape for Augeri, tonight was the case. There was no backing tape used, and everyone was better for the result.
I don’t know what will happen for the rest of the tour. Journey has a major problem if Augeri has another night like this one, but for those in the right time and place, they saw history being made. Tonight’s show wasn’t what anyone was expecting, but I’ll take this over a pre-recorded experience any day. After seeing the reaction of the crowd when Deen finished Open Arms at center stage, I don’t think I’m alone in that thought.

Setlist…
Faith in the Heartland
Be Good To Yourself (Steve & Deen)
Ask the Lonely (Deen on backup)
Guitar Solo (Star Spangled Banner)
Stone in Love (Steve and Deen)
Wheel in the Sky (Deen on a lot of backing vocals)
Lights (Steve and Deen)
Open Arms (Deen)
Every Generation
Chain Reaction
Faithfully (Deen)
Don’t Stop Believin’ (Deen on high notes)
Separate Ways
Any Way You Want It
Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’



DEF LEPPARD

I’ll keep this part relatively short, as nothing extraordinary happened here. Def Leppard came and they rocked. It wasn’t the best performance I have seen from them, but they were perfectly fine tonight. Due to the troubles in the Journey show, the audience never really got into the show, and the Leps solved that. They went over really well and the audience loved them. Joe’s voice wasn’t perfect, but you don’t expect that in the middle of a long tour. From where I was, there wasn’t a problem vocally and the band was tight. After the tension of the Journey set, it was party time.

Setlist…
Let It Go
Let’s Get Rocked
No Matter What
20th Century Boy
Bass Solo
Rock On
Rocket (with a very extended middle section)
Photograph
Armageddon It
Animal
Rock of Ages

ENCORE
Love Bites
Pour Some Sugar on Me

Fireworks closed out the night. Not bad for Independence Day 2006.
Kevin

Great review...thanks for posting it...

Rick

[brywool]

Hey, this is like my third post or something, but if it's really hot there and there's air conditioners or fans being used, it WILL wreck a singer's voice. I'm a singer and up where I live a few weeks ago it was 95. I used a fan in my room all night to get some sleep and it totally thrashed my voice and I contracted Bronchitus.
I know that a lot of singers have "no air conditioning" stated in their riders. In fact, I think Aretha told VH1 at the Divas show "no air conditioners". They used them and she walked off stage and basically said "I told you so". I think Madona (yeah I know) also was recently playing a show in Vegas where it was sweltering because she told the arena no airconditioners. There are a lot of things that affect a singer:
no sleep
crappy food
air conditioning
fans
heaters
humidity
stress (GEE, THERE'S ONE THAT FITS!)
not properly trained to handle the road
too many shows in a row

to name a few. It's a physical job subject to outside influences. Too bad it's hitting the guy this hard.

[conversationpc]

I know that a lot of singers have "no air conditioning" stated in their riders. In fact, I think Aretha told VH1 at the Divas show "no air conditioners". They used them and she walked off stage and basically said "I told you so". I think Madona (yeah I know) also was recently playing a show in Vegas where it was sweltering because she told the arena no airconditioners.

If the weather is extremely hot outside, I don't see how any singer could DEMAND that an indoor arena not use air conditioning. It may not be as good for the voice but the person should just live with it and make the best of the situation. Better to have a singer have some vocal problems than to have people pass out from heat exhaustion or worse.

[brywool]

A singer can lose his voice in minutes with air conditioners and zero humidity. I've experienced it for years.

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/TheFee ... ption.html

[JrnySuxBalls]

There are a lot of things that affect a singer:
no sleep
crappy food
air conditioning
fans
heaters
humidity
stress (GEE, THERE'S ONE THAT FITS!)
not properly trained to handle the road
too many shows in a row

Not singing correctly....

[brywool]

YUP- (not singing correctly)
That's what I meant by not being able to handle the road.

[TRAGChick]

You see the "performance" pic below?

That was taken BEFORE a local Baseball game - the "Bridgeport Bluefish" here in CT.

I had to sing an almost 2 hour show - and THEN go into the Field and perform the "National Anthem".

Note what I'm wearing - in 95 degree heat - AND 90% humidity!!

Yes, I was dressed "inappropriately" - but even though I had EVERY OPPORTUNITY to have AC - I said "NO".

Notice how my hair is pulled back in a bun? THANK GOD I had hair-elastics in my purse! LOL

[cudaclan]

Can we also add atmosphere (elevation)?

[AR]

tragchk do you put any sound samples on your site? I see song lyrics but get no audio.[/quote]

[TRAGChick]

tragchk do you put any sound samples on your site? I see song lyrics but get no audio.

Really.....?

When you hit the triangle for the "11th House" CD, "On The Edge" SHOULD play automatically.

Then, you hit the other links, and they all play approx. 30 seconds.

Be right back...

OK - I opened another window and went to our site - yeah, they all play.

[knox]

Regardless, the weather didn't seem to affect Deen.