My theory on Jons Voice Problems

No need to apologize... I'm not arguing with you. If I came across that way, I'm sorry. I just think this topic has been beaten to death. Jon is a great singer. He sounds awesome during concerts. I've seen him hit the high notes in Say It Isn't So and, yet, people pick apart that he doesn't always sing the high notes in Prayer. No one in their right mind would do that to their voice night after night. He sings lower to perserve his voice for the sake of the shows. On the SWW tour, his vocal chords were bleeding and he was getting cortizone shots right in his throat to keep the swelling down. If you've ever had a cortizone shot, you know how painful that is. Can you imagine having them often and in a sensitive area like that? Why would he want to risk damaging his voice or going through that again? If he stood perfectly still during shows, his vocal performances would be more parrallel with recorded vocals. But does anyone really want to go to a show where Jon is joined to the microphone stand? Part of the reason he's a great frontman is that he moves in broad and energetic motions that captivate the audience's attention. I would challenge anyone on this board to do the kind of atheletic performance Jon gives night after night WHILE singing. If you work out and you sing, you know those are different types of breathing and different types of workouts, so you know he has an amazing physical task to give the kind of shows he gives. I can't always sing along while walking on a treadmill! He's doing much more than that and carrying a tune at the same time and battling the allergies induced by climate changes! There's a hurricane moving through the area this morning, so with the drop in temperature, my allergies have me coughing. Can you imagine the effect travelling as much as he does has on him? There's a lot more to consider than just the notes he hits and I doubt anyone who's nitpicking over his performances could keep up with him.

Becky

Becky - great job of writing.

I have nothing more to add that "Always" from Live In London is indeed the best rock ballad performance I have ever seen as well.

k this is coming from a musician who;s gigging back to back and recording right now. smoking joints burns away fibres in the back of your throat and vocal chords which never grow back and will also happen from smoking so if jons been smoking for 6 years his voice will have weakened.

u can hear on the new album some bits where it doersnt necesarilly fail but could have went a little further etc....

Jon almost ruined his voice in the 80s cos he was pushing too hard. u cant go out night after night singing stuff like livin on a prayer and not expect ur voice to go. thats y the band play tuned down half a key live now. its only a semitone down but it makes a shitload of difference to a singer.

as for 1995-2000 or wotever. its alot easier for someone to pick up a guitar and strum some songs or batter into a drum kit that it is for a singer to constantly sing. i doubt he did proper stretches and vocal excercises during those years so his voice will have got weaker. its not necesarilly his fault as i said to play a guitar u can do it while watching the TV or something but to practice singing u need time and somewhere private to do it properly i dont mean walking around the house singing along to the radio.

even if he had been constantly practiciing and doing vocal excercises i doubt he'd be singing bon jovi songs since most bands will very rarely play any of there own material apart from at gigs.


this isn't dissing anyone or saying your wrong and i'm right but froma musicians point of view this is wot's happened and how his voice will ave been affected.

Jo n has said that he continually has vocal coaching, most singers do.

A singers voice is at its peak between the ages of 30 and 45. So he should be at his best now!!!!!

I have only been able to listen to Bounce once unfortuantely, I did find in my first impressions of the album, that Jon seems to be screaming in a few songs, as if he has to push the chords out. He did do this also in New Jersey.

I have to say this !!!!! My mother over heard the new album and said what is that wailing!!!!!!! She does like some Jovi songs.

Dawn

I agree with Becky that this picking apart every little thing about Jon's voice or Richie's guitar playing...has been done already a million times!!! I am not aiming this post anyone in particular, so please don't get offended.

Fact is, Jon is 40 years old and smokes. You have to realize how much those two factors affect your performance. I am a vocalist. I am only 29, I don't smoke and I have noticed changes in my voice over the last 8-10 years.

I'm not saying that just because you are a fan, you can't criticize, but it seems like some people are so critical of the band. (No one on this thread as of yet ) I personally would rather see Jon change his style of singing as he gets older and have the band around longer than have him try to squeeze out notes that he can't hit anymore and cause damage that forces the band to retire earlier than they should.

I totally agree with track 7 but things are better on Bounce than on Crush and SBE gig was awesome. It's not about hitting the high notes. Why are the people who say his voice is the same defending their opinion by stating he doesn't want to hit the high notes. It's how he sings the songs not the high notes. His voice used to have more power back in the These Days era. Sometimes it feels like he is out of breath and sometimes like his voice is weak. I don't know what caused it but it did get a lot better between the Crush and the OWN tour. Maybe his strength will be back for this tour.

Yep - the sins of singing - smoking, lack of sleep both apply to JBJ. Saying that, his vocals were the strongest i'd ever heard at Wembley - very fresh and strong and handling the top notes better than on all the videos/dvds/concerts i've heard. I guess this was at the start of the promo stuff and BJ's determination to play all those tv shows etc live WILL take it's toll...