Was Jon's voice really THAT bad in '05-'06?
 

Let's face it: JBJ hasn't been able to hit basically any note above a B (while singing) since 2004, minus the surprisingly strong, raspy C# he belted out during KTF in Singapore '15. However, as I've been watching/listening to some bootlegs from the HAND tour, I've noticed that back in '05-'06 Jon's voice was still pretty damn good.

He was still belting out the (relatively) high notes from his chest instead of his throat/nose.

He still screamed and/or sang with rasp on songs like KTF, Saturday Night, Just Older and BTBMB.

He struggled majorly on Dry County and These Days, but apart from those two songs, he still sounded like himself and basically the same he had always done since 2000 (e.g. a lot less nasal than in '08-'13).

He still moved like a maniac throughout every single show and still didn't get out of breath like he always seems to do now.

What happened to Jon Bon f***ing Jovi, the badass rock 'n' roll star, after 2006?

He got older, he was singing like a beast for 20 years and he didn't protect his voice all these years. Also, add smoking and drugs and bad luck (on the other hand GnR's Axl and Aerosmith's Tyler can still sing). It's not suprising, just the natural flow of events...

As far as I know, Jon has never done drugs. Apparently he smoked pot a few times as a teenager, but nothing more.

However, let's get back to the topic. My theory is that the HAND tour was the last one that saw JBJ firing on all cylinders - improvising during certain songs, going for difficult notes (with his old, chesty/raspy vocal technique instead of the more polished '08-'11 one), changing the setlist on a nightly basis, screaming during KTF and Saturday Night, moving on stage the way he did in the old days... From the LH tour onwards, for me it looks like THAT Jon - the f***ing ROCK STAR - seems to have disappeared and replaced by a (much) less exciting clone. Just take a look at this version of Saturday Night (from 1:46:33 onwards):

https://youtu.be/g-2JoQoSQd4

He struggles a bit with the first two choruses, but then he gets to the breakdown... and BOOM, every single bum note is immediately forgiven and forgotten.

Suddenly, John Francis Bongiovi Jr. finds his old stage persona - and voice. When he goes completely apeshit near the last chorus and screams his lungs out as the band brings on the build-up behind him, I (ashamedly) burst out a few brief tears.

Holy shit, I miss 2005... the summer was great (at least here in Finland), I started pre-school and Jon could still sing.

Good times.

He sang well by today's standards, obviously, but that was his worst period vocally up until 2013. It's no coincidence that all big ballads got dropped ant the TLFR versions got played instead.

One could easily watch videos today from that time period and say "so what, he couldn't sing Always, big deal! He could still sing Bad Medicine, Bad Medicine, HAND, etc. which he can't today", but since he managed to up his range in 2008, it added to the negative perception to 2003-2006.

You know what's the saddest thing? If Jon keeps going for another decade or so (God I hope he doesn't) under the Bon Jovi name, there will be people on this board that will say "was he really that bad in mid 2010s? he still sounded OK-ish on electric Saturday Night and Who Says was decent".

Agreed on all points!
His vocal rebirth of 2008-2011 was what kept me being excited about the band. His stage persona was somewhat different but still very enjoyable and the songs sounded much better vocally. Some of the band's best improvations on Saturday Night stem from 2010/11.

You mean "he could still sing Bad Name, Bad Medicine, HAND, etc."?

I'm sure Jon would have sung tracks like Always (original version), Bed Of Roses (original version), I'll Be There For You (original version), Hey God and This Ain't A Love Song much better on the HAND tour than he did on the BWC tour.

Or do you really still think he would (or even could) have sounded this bad in '05-'06?

https://youtu.be/62706sxBWXY

In '13, Jon still looked like a rock star, but sounded like a cat whose balls had gotten stuck in a milkshake blender. In '05, he still both looked and sounded like a rock star... and in '17 he looks like my grandpa while sounding like a castrated goat:

https://youtu.be/-ixPjmh4PdE

Just look at the way his whole body shakes during the choruses while he grabs the mic stand like it would prevent him from exploding at any moment. The poor guy literally looks like he's about to die from straining to hit the notes. That last chorus is plain and simply sad to hear - it sounds like Jon's trying to give it everything he has left of his voice, but it's not enough. The "I'll be there 'til the stars don't shine..." part about makes me cry, as it sounds like Jon realizes his tank is empty and ends up swallowing his own tears of disappointment.

And he used to be one of the best vocalists in the business...

Heartbreaking, isn't it?

In terms of hitting the notes - yes. His tone would've been different, less whiney and nasal (and overall probably more pleasant), but his singing style of 05/06 was his old one and he couldn't hit those high notes that way anymore. So he couldn't have done those original versions either. Just look at how much he struggled during These Days at Giants Stadium in 2006.

It truly is heartbreaking. I know he pushes on no matter what but I would think since he's not at 100% and he should know it, then he would realize it's time to stop touring when he sounds that bad which I really dislike saying.

JBJ says he's not an applause junkie but why is he still performing like this???


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Unfortunately, JBJ often says things which are simply not 100% true. Like not having played an entire album live before (LH The Concert, anyone? ;-)) And I don't believe him for a second when he says that he's not in it for the applause (at all)...

I think Jon loves to record albums and go on tour, and that's why he does not stop, the problem is that everything starts to sound the same. Yes, THINFS is nothing new under the sun, sorry guys, but it is.

I think Jon should get away from the stages for a long time, 4 or 5 years would be enough, and come back with a new sound and with some closed scars. In that period where the band is off, Jon could do a solo album or make some soundtracks, but unfortunately it's not going to happen, because Jon loves to make albums and go on tour, even if it sounds boring and sick for us.

It's quite hard to be obejctive about an era like 05-06, now in 2017.

Back then, starting with the Bounce Tour, Jon really seemed to have lost a great portion of his voice. He struggled quite a bit on the tougher songs, the big ballads were exchanged to the TLFR versions, which was a very obvious attempt to hide the fact Jon didn't feel confident enough to sing them. The HAND album was also the first time you really could hear that Jon's voice went through a lot of studio tricks on the harder parts. We know the rest, Jon managed to regain his vocals and confidence in 2008 and up to 2011 there were some stunning moments.

Looking back now, when we have the awful 2015 tour as well as the ongoing THINFS Tour 2005-06 seems like miles away. Jon still had a strong tone, sounded great on songs like Bad Medicine, LOAP, HAND and even Who Says - songs that are plain out painful to hear now. So from this side of the coin, no, Jon's voice wasn't bad by any means in 05-06 and I would personally pay a high price for Jon to sing like he did on the HAND Tour again.

This!!! Perfectly stated!!!

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I don't think Jon loves either anymore! I think what he loves is the big fat paycheck associated with them... His passion now is giving back to charities... music is now secondary...

As far as the break goes, it's too late and he's too old.. It's also not going to change anything this late in the game... 6 months or 5 years won't change anything...

Personally, I really like THINFS... it's a nice attempt for a solo album featuring Dave and Tico... what Jon really needs is a new producer... Shanks is more on a band member now and it's not just his production but more of his musical influence... he's just not a fit for this band...



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Nah, actually he never used to be that.
He did a pretty good job for most of the time. But I wouldn't call him to the top vocalists even during BJ's prime.

Totally disagree.

If we consider early-to-mid 90s to be his prime, very few male singers in popular music at the time were able to match Jon's vocal range and charisma.

In the mid-90's I definitely would've considered him one of the top vocalists in the rock business, also in terms of quality performance during live shows. Sure, there were others who've always had a much more powerful voice for starters or a bigger range, but he knew how to deliver a song really spot on and was great in varying his phrasing on certain lines.

Considering the whole package as a live band - absolutely.
But picking only Jon's voice - not at all.
He struggled during the Slippery tour, he struggled for parts of the New Jersey tour, he struggled for parts of the Keep The Faith tour.
1995/96 might have been his prime but even then he wasn't able to deliver a good vocal performance on These Days in Wembley.
And with the beginning of the 2000s his nasal singing began.

Don't get me wrong, I love this band and up to their 2015 Asia tour I had no problems with Jon's voice (for the most part). But that doesn't qualify him to me as a top vocalist.

I think Jon is an underrated vocalist... He's not a George Michael type vocalist but he's got the chops for a Rock and Roll band... I don't think many people realize how hard his songs are to sing until they actually try singing them... He's had some issues due to inexperienced overhaul but that shouldn't dethrone his talents... Jon's had a range, tone, and delivery like no other... not to mention that signature scream... He was definitely the real deal at one point...

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Yeah, totally agree! I've tried singing some of BJ songs and they are bloody difficult and I'm a girl, mind you! The guy is definitely very talented, even if his technique hasn't helped him show the full potential. Richie's an unschooled musician as well as see how this natural and raw talent shines through the man! There are some very lucky folks out there who could witness our boys in their full glory over the years. And yeah, the screams are out of this world!

This bothers me quite a bit and it's exactly why I argue that Jon belongs in those "best singer" conversations. Because you used George Michael as an example who is constantly in those conversation (rightfully so) and yet, I believe Jon had a better range in his prime! As amazing as George Michael was, I've seen several of his live performances and I don't think he would be capable of doing this live, for example:
https://youtu.be/64W62ZXgEQU?t=5m14s

But hey, that's partly Jon's fault as well. If he ever learnt to sing in a sustainable way, he could've maintained most of his range and perhaps the history books (and all those media ratings of all time vocalists, etc.) would've been much kinder to him, because longevity contributes a lot when it comes to perception. And as a prime time vocalist, Jon had very little of it, despite great longevity as a performer in general.

I absolute love the "An Evening With Bon Jovi" concert. In my opinion, Jon has never sounded better. I can't believe how great his voice is after the Slippery/New Jersey era where he really abused it.

I wonder how he was able to sound so good in 1992? Did he do something special or did he recover naturally because of his youth?


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He had a healthier singing technique and was getting coached from Katie Agresta. It's a shame he didn't maintain his early 90s voice - that's when he could sing anything and make it sound good!

What's to blame? When he turned from an infrequent smoker into a habitual smoker. It reduced his vocal stamina and caused him to develop unsafe singing technique/habits. Combining all of those really caused his voice to wain.