1. Zoo tv tour was his best voice ever

  2. Had the Zoo TV outside broadcast(zoo radio) on in the car this week and couldn't agree more.

    But then go and watch rattle and him and listen to Bad - again amazing

    But as others have said his voice does change with each tour and even throughout. London vs. Paris was different inside of 4 weeks.


  3. 2011 Bono could not do this.
  4. Originally posted by LikeASong:360 was his peak after the 1995-2005 abyss. He started recovering in 2006, and 2010-2011 was the best he had sung since the end of Zoo TV tour. I&E was fine but he had already lost some low range, and now he's singing his worst since mid-Vertigo Tour.

    Of course he still has his moments of greatness (A Sort Of Homecoming, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Vertigo, Exit, WOWY, Streets all have been excellent this tour - bar the terrible lyric changes) and he still has the spark sometimes, but overall he's lost a lot of low and mid range, and what's worse, a lot of timing and rhythm. Red Hill Mining Town (although understandable due to the lack of previous performances and the track's own difficulty), sadly One Tree Hill, Bad (particular performances) and particularly Running To Stand Still have suffered a lot from this in the JT30 Tour. RTSS has never sounded worse (and the 2005 performances were pretty bad already!), which makes me wanna cry since it's probably the song I was looking forward to the most

    I think he has been taking classes to adapt his singing style to his loss of throat power. He is getting older just as everyone else, he clearly can't reach these 2009-2011 tones anymore, so he has to adapt his style as he's always done. He did the same in Popmart, changing and adapting a lot of the verses and choruses to his recently-lost range.

    Another point to take into account is his everlasting bad memory for lyrics. Even though it seemed impossible, well, it is indeed getting worse with age (just as everyone's), and it makes the singing issue worse, since he forgets a lot of the verses and he has to make up for it on the go, disrupting the verse's flow and making him lose the plot (and the intonation) too often.


    So, as a singer myself, this issue of course bugs me big big time, but there's nothing to do unless Bono quits smoking and starts listening properly to the band and his own past recordings


    PS. Oh, and there's also that new habit (since 360 Tour) of singing or talking above the guitar solos. SOMEONE WHO MEETS BONO IN THE UPCOMING WEEKS: TELL HIM NOT TO DO THIS ANYMORE, THANKS.


    Amazing analysis thank you for this! It's a big shame he can't match the 360 tones anymore. Is it humanly possible for him to do it though?
  5. Originally posted by Edi:[..]
    Yes, I agree... I remember thinking that in Vertigo his voice was not as good in Europe but then amazingly on 360 it was great, saw it in 2009, 2010 and 2011...the whole of Miss Sarajevo anyone ?!

    I think on this tour (European Leg) it was great in London and still great at the Amsterdam/Brussels.


    I mean come on, the Glastonbury 2011 performance anyone? I'm going to say it and say it confidently. The best vocal performance since the JT era in my opinion, his voice sounded incredible
  6. Originally posted by LikeASong:[..]
    You say "here's the proof" and post 1 song, but when somebody pinpoints you 2 songs from another tour you say it's not valid? Hehe


    The whole of 360 was consistently great, there were very minor blemishes during a few (very few) shows, but his delivery was mostly great all throughout - just as he turned 50, moreover. On the other hand, the I&E tour saw his range diminishing and he started to lose track of the timing and cues in some tracks. He soon went breathless when he moved around the stage (even if he moved less than on the 360, where he jumped, ran and walked around the stage and catwalk more often) and that didn't help him with the timings either.

    You're perfectly entitled to think that Lovetown, Innocence&Experience, Popmart or 11 O'Clock Tick Tock Tour were his best vocal deliveries No heat. But as a singer and a musician myself I know where to look at, and I think it's pretty fair to say that in 2009-2011 he was at his new best since 1994. I tremendously enjoyed the I&E shows I went to, and Bono was "fine", but surely not better than in the 360 Tour.


    Another terrific post, you and I are on exactly the same page regarding this topic!
  7. Originally posted by georgemccauley:[..]


    I mean come on, the Glastonbury 2011 performance anyone? I'm going to say it and say it confidently. The best vocal performance since the JT era in my opinion, his voice sounded incredible
    Since JT era? I think his voice was at its peak during Zoo TV. He's getting older, voices change, he's doing the best he can. Some songs the singing is reserved and not full-on wailing, but I'm happy with that. And yes, at least he's not Jon Bon Jovi LOLOL. IMHO, he seems to definitely hold back more these days compared to I+E
  8. 3:05



  9. For RTSS, the rounded "fl-OAAT-ing outta'ere" vocal move he did in Chicago 2, isn't exactly easy.
    Also, no-one ever mentions how robust his voice had to be, to deliver at least moderate performances of OOTS.