Originally Posted by Gregsynthbootlegs

Hi guys. I've been a lurker here for months - seeing lots of great discussions about the band, music, set-lists, and Jon's voice over the years. I hope you don't mind another voice thread - but it's something that's been nagging me for awhile - maybe you guys can help out.

I saw this post which inspired this thread:

http://www.drycounty.com/jovitalk/bo...ost785396.html

I know Jon's voice has changed over the years - but what caused that shift in quality after 1998? I know he smoked back in the day (does he still?), but there had to be other factors as well. I was listening to him sing on some 1998 clips and he still had power, range, and he was still able to sing higher parts without needing to force his chest voice upwards (he was using mixed voice). Here's a couple of the clips:

Jon Bon Jovi - These days (live) - 28-08-1998 - YouTube

He lets the crowd sing much of the song - but the parts he sings still have his old voice and he gets some great notes (especially at the end where he nails the higher part). I can't find any version after this year where it sounds anything like this (although Bremen 2000 was a good effort).

Bon Jovi - Keep the Faith (Miami 199 - YouTube

This one surprised me as he sings most of the chorus lines with the original record phrasing without doing the conservative drop phrasing (he sustains the notes on "rain", "hate", "late," etc). He also gets clean C#5s at 2:37 and 4:28. Again - there's been some versions after this that are good efforts - but sounds nothing like the 1998 one.

I don't know what caused the dip in the quality after 1998 (I can only guess a mix of smoking, technique, not using the voice, etc). Maybe people here can help!