April 9 - Asuncion, Paraguay

[Estranged Reality]

Civil war

Axl looks a little skinny around the face here..maybe a good angle. I have nothing nice to say about the vocals...just a little too clean for me.

Attitude

Axl making Replacement jokes also.

Axl better watch it, or that one guy on this forum will give him shit for stealing his joke.

it's gotta be impossible for axl NOT to notice the huge reaction duff's name gets during that intro.

like i said in another thread, i love tommy and would have loved to see him get his dues with the band in terms of new material etc., but there's something really satisfying about seeing duff playing those old songs again.

Except for the lack of rasp, which many find to be an acquired taste, his singing is good.

I agree. The raspy tone has always been an acquired taste, in general.

Ali

i pretty much agree. it sounds to me - and i've always thought this - that he had vocal coaching in order to preserve his voice. that's why he sang with the full-on mickey in 2002. people complained, so i think he tried to bring the rasp back a bit in '06, with more of a balance. and then in 2010 maybe he got a little too cocky with it and it damaged his voice again.

it sounds like he's singing with more technique, abandoning the rasp, all in an effort to not ruin his voice any further. but on certain songs it just doesn't sound good (to me) because i'm so used to the rasp, and i've always liked axl's voice and its changes over the years, but i have to admit i just prefer that deep rasp he had in his prime. but it's a moot point to complain about it nowadays.

[zepsun]

Civil war

Axl looks a little skinny around the face here..maybe a good angle. I have nothing nice to say about the vocals...just a little too clean for me.

Attitude

Axl making Replacement jokes also.

Axl better watch it, or that one guy on this forum will give him shit for stealing his joke.

it's gotta be impossible for axl NOT to notice the huge reaction duff's name gets during that intro.

like i said in another thread, i love tommy and would have loved to see him get his dues with the band in terms of new material etc., but there's something really satisfying about seeing duff playing those old songs again.

Except for the lack of rasp, which many find to be an acquired taste, his singing is good.

I agree. The raspy tone has always been an acquired taste, in general.

Ali

i pretty much agree. it sounds to me - and i've always thought this - that he had vocal coaching in order to preserve his voice. that's why he sang with the full-on mickey in 2002. people complained, so i think he tried to bring the rasp back a bit in '06, with more of a balance. and then in 2010 maybe he got a little too cocky with it and it damaged his voice again.

it sounds like he's singing with more technique, abandoning the rasp, all in an effort to not ruin his voice any further. but on certain songs it just doesn't sound good (to me) because i'm so used to the rasp, and i've always liked axl's voice and its changes over the years, but i have to admit i just prefer that deep rasp he had in his prime. but it's a moot point to complain about it nowadays.

Duff singing backup starting at the "Peace could last forever..." and until the end... just gave me goosebumps. Even with one member back... it's sooooo much better. Axl has to feel that energy. It would be 100x that if Slash was there.

Also: Not sure if anyone else notices this... when Axl needs to maintain volume and go high, such as the last line "power HUNGRY selling soldiers" in Civil War, he has to go rasp - no choice. I've heard this in a few other songs. He is saving his voice... maybe he would blow it out if he sang his old way every night, or whatever... but for someone reason he is CHOOSING to do this.. I don't think it's laziness.

Edited April 10, 2014 by zepsun

[Pedrolg]

Very shitty vocals from Axl, same shitty voice since 2011 and a little worse in 2014.

I disagree. I think he sounds better than 2013, and better than most of 2012 (there are exceptions, like Philly).

I do think, however, that 2014 signals the definite death of the rasp. He has not gone for it a single time this tour (except screams during songs, Jungle intro etc.).

At this point, I only envision him using drive on his voice on 3 possibilities: a reunion, a new release tour, or retirement shows. Two of them will never happen, and the other will take a while.

[RandallFlagg]

There's many folks who have a raspy quality to their vocals consistently and barely fluctuate with it and have not damaged their voices, so I don't know if he's permanently damaged it or just takes ages to acquire this through a tour. Liam Gallagher used to have quite some gravel in his pipes and overtime he's lost that power and sounds like miss piggy sometimes. Axl went from full on helium in 2002 to half n half in 2006 to starting out mickey mouse then raspy witch in 09/10 then back to mickey with some eventual rasp in 2012 now we have mickey mouse with some rasp in places and then what?

[SoulMonster]

it sounds like he's singing with more technique, abandoning the rasp, all in an effort to not ruin his voice any further. but on certain songs it just doesn't sound good (to me) because i'm so used to the rasp, and i've always liked axl's voice and its changes over the years, but i have to admit i just prefer that deep rasp he had in his prime. but it's a moot point to complain about it nowadays.

I kinda agree with this. The rasp works by masquerading the overly thin voice he has in the upper register, which I don't like that much. By adding rasp it becomes fuller and, of course, more aggressive. But I know plenty of people back in the days who never could get into GN'R because of his signature raspy voice. Perhaps they will enjoy the band more now?

[magisme]

Vince Neil standards.

[Pedrolg]

I think he never had the technique to sing like he used to. He just did and fuck it. He never learned how to do it properly, to this day. That's why there are so many attrocious performances throughout his carrer. Also, if you do some research, there are shitloads of shows cancelled due to throat problems, he had those at every phase of GNR, periodically.

Also, his voice seem to go through cycles in his: career bad - decent - epic - very uncontrolled - shit. It was at the shit stage after 2010, then it became bad. Maybe he decided to stop at the "decent" threshold, and not risk "epic", to avoid going back to "shit" afterwards.

[maynard]

If Axl can't sing with the voice that made him famous, he should quit. Emulating the old days with a thin helium voice is just sad. That's why nuGNR sucks. The band is different and Axl uses a completely different and shitty voice to sing the old songs.

Edited April 10, 2014 by ProstituteComa

[RandallFlagg]

Would Kurt Cobain still have the rasp in 2014?

[Bruno P.]

Except for the lack of rasp, which many find to be an acquired taste, his singing is good.

Not really. Lots of singers didn't use the infamous rasp vocals yet sounded amazingly well. Axl doesn't sound good, simply put.

[DR DOOM]

Nobody told Brian Johnson from ACDC that you can't have "rasp" when you get "old"

[RandallFlagg]

Someone like Thom Yorke has warbling vocals and little rasp, Axl used that rasp a lot, imagine Yesterdays without it, YES-TAH-DAH-EEEY-EEZZZZ just wouldn't sound right. That's why so many of the live performances have some power missing when he isn't hitting it, he used it in so many songs, his lower registers always sound just fine.

[saber_]

Nobody told Brian Johnson from ACDC that you can't have "rasp" when you get "old"

Brian Johnson's rasp sucks. It is unrefined compared to Axl. Anyone can sound like Brian Johnson. Go listen to some Bon Scott, his rasp was more refined and melodic.

[Pedrolg]

Nobody told Brian Johnson from ACDC that you can't have "rasp" when you get "old"

Brian Johnson's rasp sucks. It is unrefined compared to Axl. Anyone can sound like Brian Johnson. Go listen to some Bon Scott, his rasp was more refined and melodic.

This. AC/DC is much, much easier to sing than GNR. It is less melodic, it involves holding less notes, less tonal shifts. It's one thing to sing Hells Bells with drive on your voice, and a whole other to sing You could be mine.

Also, few singers have deteriorated as much as Brian Johnson over the years. Today, all he can do is screech in that high pitched raspy voice (I do find it awesome). He, however, used to be a marvelous singer.

PS: regardless of the discussion, this version ^ of House of the Rising Sun is just awesome.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Pedrolg

[DR DOOM]

When Axl is that age/has released as many albums and toured as much as Brian Johnson...yeah that's enough

[DaneisKing1389]

This. AC/DC is much, much easier to sing than GNR. It is less melodic, it involves holding less notes, less tonal shifts. It's one thing to sing Hells Bells with drive on your voice, and a whole other to sing You could be mine.

Also, few singers have deteriorated as much as Brian Johnson over the years. Today, all he can do is screech in that high pitched raspy voice (I do find it awesome). He, however, used to be a marvelous singer.

PS: regardless of the discussion, this version ^ of House of the Rising Sun is just awesome.

I love that version. The last time I played it for someone, she asked if it was Ceelo at the end. Now I can't hear anything BUT Ceelo and I laugh.

Edited April 10, 2014 by DaneisKing1389

[Guns n' Swedes]

Nobody told Brian Johnson from ACDC that you can't have "rasp" when you get "old"

Brian Johnson's rasp sucks. It is unrefined compared to Axl. Anyone can sound like Brian Johnson. Go listen to some Bon Scott, his rasp was more refined and melodic.

This. AC/DC is much, much easier to sing than GNR. It is less melodic, it involves holding less notes, less tonal shifts. It's one thing to sing Hells Bells with drive on your voice, and a whole other to sing You could be mine.

Also, few singers have deteriorated as much as Brian Johnson over the years. Today, all he can do is screech in that high pitched raspy voice (I do find it awesome). He, however, used to be a marvelous singer.

PS: regardless of the discussion, this version ^ of House of the Rising Sun is just awesome.

Even Axl's voice now is better than Brian Johnson's voice! Sure, his voice suits ACDC songs, but he could never pull off GNR songs.

[IncitingChaos]

The problem is Axl pushes his voice so hard that when he is missing rasp it turns into a really high pitched Mickey voice. When he does have rasp it turns into a unique voice that is classic of only Axl. His voice is hit and miss.

Other artist that use rasp do so in a softer manner and it doesn't force them to push their voice. Axl doesn't push his voice on don't cry until the end, which is why you get such a contrast in voices.

[Philly Guns]

Vince Neil standards.

Exactly. Its what it has come to, I love seeing these comments about how they actually like his voice now and don't think its that bad, like what the hell are these people listening too. I would take 2002 voice over this voice anyday, and thats not saying much.

[Pedrolg]

You know, people have different preferences and opinions on what pleases them acoustically. Yours is not automatically the right one, unless I'm missing something and you became supreme ruler of the world while I was gone.

I don't get how is that so hard to accept. You think it's shit. Other people don't. So what?

[Nosaj Thing]

Vince Neil standards.

Exactly. Its what it has come to, I love seeing these comments about how they actually like his voice now and don't think its that bad, like what the hell are these people listening too. I would take 2002 voice over this voice anyday, and thats not saying much.

Same here. Axl sounds utterly awful in 2014.

[Crash Diet]

Nobody told Brian Johnson from ACDC that you can't have "rasp" when you get "old"

Brian Johnson's rasp sucks. It is unrefined compared to Axl. Anyone can sound like Brian Johnson. Go listen to some Bon Scott, his rasp was more refined and melodic.

This. AC/DC is much, much easier to sing than GNR. It is less melodic, it involves holding less notes, less tonal shifts. It's one thing to sing Hells Bells with drive on your voice, and a whole other to sing You could be mine.

Also, few singers have deteriorated as much as Brian Johnson over the years. Today, all he can do is screech in that high pitched raspy voice (I do find it awesome). He, however, used to be a marvelous singer.

PS: regardless of the discussion, this version ^ of House of the Rising Sun is just awesome.

Even Axl's voice now is better than Brian Johnson's voice! Sure, his voice suits ACDC songs, but he could never pull off GNR songs.

I would rather take Steven Tyler on GNR songs than current Axl

You know, people have different preferences and opinions on what pleases them acoustically. Yours is not automatically the right one, unless I'm missing something and you became supreme ruler of the world while I was gone.

I don't get how is that so hard to accept. You think it's shit. Other people don't. So what?

So they're either dumb or just make an excuse for Axl AGAIN

His voice is gone i think

Which is sad but understandable

But PLEASE don't play this "what pleases them acoustically" card now

It's boring

[Guns n' Swedes]

Is everyone forgetting that media is praising his performances in recent years?

[Pedrolg]

Is everyone forgetting that media is praising his performances in recent years?

That is my point. He is shit for those used to his former voice (I think the old voice is much, much better than this, BTW). But for normal people outside of the GNF fan realm he sings well right now, even very well.

[magisme]

Irony is Axl fans using the media as a defense.