Which do you consider to be Jon's latest honestly GOOD vocal performance?
 

For me (rather surprisingly), this:

https://youtu.be/BU8s9k0kKRs

Yeah, the verses are a bit choppy and he's shortening notes here and there, but on the choruses his tone is strong and he manages to hit the high notes without having to seemingly push the veins out of his head.

Which song/performance do you think has been Jon's latest real vocal highlight?

Or:

I don't consider the BOR performance posted above to be good as it is mostly a shoutfest.

Aloha !

If you've got to disect a song into pieces in order to find a vocal highlight it's not really a highlight now, is it? It's a bit of a stretch to say his tone is great in the chorus when he's still singing tanaijujujujt instead of tonight. What's next, pointing out syllables and say he's pronouncing the second half of a word really well? Sure, this sounds better than most of the shit from last year but it's still really awful and at times he sounds like a pub singer doing this for karaoke night.

He's "lucky" he's singing this in arena's with loads of echo and crowd noises. Would he do this song in theaters he'd be a lot more exposed and a lot more people would realize his voice is shot to bits. I really don't understand why people on this board think this stuff is acceptable, it's as if they've got no proper benchmark and/or no musical ear at all.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

Jon just can't sing anymore.

It's been many years since he had a good vocal performance live.

Are you thinking about this, maybe?

https://youtu.be/mViZ2Rx-gIk

If some of you think like Seb does and put it as Jon having completely lost his singing ability right after Lisbon 2011, it's alright - I'm not trying to make anyone change one's opinion. But still, in my opinion, Jon delivered his last (quoting Walleris) "vintage vocal performance" in Hyde Park 2013:

https://youtu.be/VNtLjw1DKsM (These Days)

Say what you want, but he's actually singing here instead of shouting - and even hitting the notes.

And Dave, that Prayer performance from Vegas '18 is absolutely horrible compared to any pre-mid-'13 version of the song, so it's not a good one in any way for me.

Somewhere back in 2011.

This one?

https://youtu.be/uSQu4efKIvY

Or maybe this?

https://youtu.be/ygFfdXBYgXo

EDIT: For you, this of course:

https://youtu.be/IX00TId2bHQ

I would say somewhere back in 2007.

Well, if you consider his voice started to sound a bit nasal by 2000/2001... so, I guess this was the last tour he sounded GOOD, like.... REALLY GOOD.

Doesn't mean that his voice was shit in the subsequent tours (well, apart from nowadays and 2013), but yeah... since you used caps in GOOD, then, for me, Crush tour was the last.

Lost Highway-era I guess. Although it depends on what "good" is. Given how great JBJ used to be, "well that's a good performance" can mean many things.

omg, Seb, you're back?!
Also, I agree with you... everytime I see people "wow watch this, Jon's voice is reeeeally good" about the latest concert, I'm like no, man... how can you say that? I don't understand how people can think this is good.
I know it's "good" for what we have nowadays, but... still.

Fortunately for Jon, that sentence describes a vast majority of Bon Jovi fanbase. It's quite a phemomenon.

I remember how Whitney Houston went on her last tour in 2009-2010 and was destroyed by media because of how terribly she sounded. Paul Stanley has been getting killed for the shape of his voice for the past 5 years. Jon isn't in much better shape, but his fanbase is either a lot more clueless or forgiving. Probably, a combination of both. Good for him.


As for the subject in question, it depends on HOW CONSISTENT qualifies as "consistent".

I think the O2 residency (June, 2010) was Jon's post-2002 peak vocally. He wasn't at his best as a frontman and some setlists left a lot to be desired, but vocally he was ON. I don't think he hit a single bum note in those 12 shows, whether it was Always, Something To Believe In, Hey God, you name it.

If you want to be more "liberal", then 2011 was pretty good too. Jon was showing signs of decline (which was at the time perceived as "fatigue"), but still had some great performances, even if there some notes he didn't hit he had in 2010 (STBI or TD are two examples that come to mind).

I think this is pretty spot on. What I had also considered as fatigue at the time and in the years afterwards, might've in fact been the strain his vocal chords had suffered on the leg before where Richie had already been missing. Didn't hit me until I realized how much of an issue that became in 2013.

Hey God in Mannheim might've been my last great favourite performance, though I vaguely remember Vienna having some stunning moments and I think it was after that.
The energy in I Believe was great in Lisbon, but he was sounded very strained by then and had sung the song with much more ease in London 2008.

I really can't argue with anything in this post. I've always thought that Jon's voice sounded a bit better during the O2 run/South America/Australia shows in 2010 than in 2011 (though by the end of the tour in 2011, his voice was pretty solid). Ever since then, he's been so inconsistent.

So I'd probably say this show in particular is one I'd pinpoint as one of his last GREAT performances.

Jon's last great vocal performance is probably TAALS from Lisbon 2011.

Pitchwise this is good, and there's energy here, but why is he so overtly breathy even in the low opening portion?

2008-2011 was great for most parts with some really great performances popping up. First half of 2013 I still think was good but after the Europe leg it just went south completely. Since then no one can honstly say they enjoy a Jon Bon Jovi vocal. It's just not there and there are really no signs it will come back.
When he had his dip in 2003 he still had the tone, that was just a matter of learning how to reach high notes again. It's a different situaton now, he has lost everything that made him great, the power, the register, the rasp.

I know it's acoustic and it's an easy song, but it's undoubtedly a good vocal performance.

But yeah I'd agree that from an objective viewpoint, post 2011 Jon's really good performances were few and far between.

One of the best performances post TC era. This performance shows how Jon really loves this song. Voice was still in a good shape and the passion is still there too. He still pull up some good performances back in 2013 but it is nothing compared to the great performances from the 2007 - 2011 era.


I really hope his critics will criticize his voice after their RNRHOF performance.

Why do you want them to really criticize his voice?

Even though he sounds bad (physical or mental) i want them to pretend like if he didn't sing bad.
Or just not hear that he performed bad.

Jon started out singing and screaming like a 12 year old girl. That’s what the 80s metal, rock and roll required.

No man can continue to do that forever especially into their 40s and 50s on (except Steven Tyler but he’s had surgery and is the exception). Jon’s speaking voice has lowered over the years. I give him credit for still singing the songs that were for a 12 year old girl - it has to be tough as heck.


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These casual fans should know this. Not for them to be disappointed but for them to be finally aware of his voice. Hearing them say that his voice is still good sounds pretty ironic for me.

I'd say 2011.

I think 2011 was the last time he really did sound good.
Early 2013 didn't sound that bad honestly though.

2010 without a doubt.

2011 had great shows but in terms of vocal performance, 2005 and 2010 are the years I keep coming back to when I'm in the mood for some live BJ (post Bounce era, I mean, of course 2002 and part of 2003 were the latest classic performances).

it´s not the same today, but i still enjoy every second of Bon Jovi LIVE 2018 !!!

this is surprisingly very, very strong. Prudential 2nd night, 2018
especially after 1:17 mark

Always from Madrid 2013 was pretty damn good, too:

https://youtu.be/ASu7VtQVEOM

Pretty good indeed. Also, Phil played the solo much better in 2017 (see Los Angeles). Hopefully he gets more chances this tour.


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I saw him 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2019 in Europe.

In 2008 and 2010 I thought he sounded great, letting you go sounded phenomenal. 2013 I was pleasantly surprised - he sounded good. 2019 he was obviously struggling, he's pretty reliant on the roar of the stadium and Shanks, Phil and Dave backing vocals

From all the I Believe performances I can find since HAND tour, they have been full of energy and Jon's vocals have been great. Like nice tone and power house rasp. There is a performance from lost high tour, and after the last chorus he is belting out proper. Parts of it sounds like back in the 90s. First time I heard i i was gobsmacked. 4:20 onwards is a spectacular vocal performance!

https://youtu.be/MuMXku11iIA

What's depressing is that I was there at the concert but too young to know the song or really remember it at all 😂

If we are going for great vocal performance, it has to be 1995. Maybe Tampa or some other highlight show from that year. 1996 was weaker for his voice.

If we are going for good probably 2008 or 2010 stretching it.

For me it is this one:

Not necessarily - at least in my opinion, this whole show from 2000 is easily equal to Jon's '95 standards vocally:

https://youtu.be/ROEd-CM4K80

Cardiff 2001 was great as well (especially Always was probably one of the best versions ever):

https://youtu.be/RNIKm-yPqVs

Oh I love that germany 2000's show. Is there soundboard out there?

From what I'm aware of, unfortunately no :( the 1995 Bremen show was broadcasted on the radio, though:

https://youtu.be/eV0KzWSe1kw

I miss Jon's voice more and more each day :(

I miss Richie's voice too. On that Germany show you can tell he was great still.

Well, Richie's voice has somewhat declined as well, but on a good day he still has the pipes and at least still sounds like a professional singer every time unlike Jon, who sounds like an average karaoke singer even on his best days.

I mean, how do you not call this a beautiful vocal performance?

https://youtu.be/gujjaeaqGXE

I may be a bit based but I din't think Richies voice has declined much. After a few shows his voice imrpoves massively. Even at the end of the 2014 tour he did sound decent.
Same in 2016.
To me that sounds brilliant