The Bon Jovi Distaster

[SAU3R]

48 minutes ago, EvanG said:

You probably went to a Dutch show then, right? Dutch people are assholes.

But seriously, I just listened to a couple of clips after reading that guy's reaction, and yes, his voice is far from what it used to be, but it wasn't ''unlistenable'' either. The thing is... Bon Jovi songs are not easy vocal wise, and a lot of them have very high notes. Even back in the day when he was a superb singer he would have trouble reaching some of those high notes. I suppose they could decide to stop playing those songs and only play the easier songs, but a lot of the songs people want to hear have those high notes, so they play them and you hear him struggling but still giving everything he has got. I think a lot of people appreciate that and most of them, also reading a few of the youtube comments from people who had been to that show, seem to be positive. When you go there expecting to hear 1995 Jon Bon Jovi you're probably in for a disappointment, though.

I deleted my first post cause I didn't get that "all dutchs are assholes" was meant as a joke 

But still I agree with LOVENESSNL, while the rest of Bob Jovi (even without Richie) sounds very tight, it is an embarrassment what JBJ delivers every night.. And even more so, when you consider that the ticket prices are around 100+€. If I paid my hard earned money to see a good rock show and then I get something like the 2019 Bin Jovi shows, I would be pissed as fuck as well (and yes I still spend hundreds of Euros on GNR concerts but even Axl sounds good these days compared to JBJ) 

And while there are some Bon Jovi songs that are hard to sing (and some of them are the big hits), John struggles on every song in their set, no matter if high range or mid range or whatever, he is constantly a couple of notes flat. And if he doesn't want to ruin the bands legacy he should definitely do some work before the next tour (even though I start thinking, that this won't change anything and nothing can bring his voice back) 

 

 

1 minute ago, EvanG said:

I'm Dutch myself, I was sorta kidding

Didn't get that at first, sorry

[EvanG]

8 minutes ago, SAU3R said:

I deleted my first post cause I didn't get that "all dutchs are assholes" was meant as a joke 

But still I agree with LOVENESSNL, while the rest of Bob Jovi (even without Richie) sounds very tight, it is an embarrassment what JBJ delivers every night.. And even more so, when you consider that the ticket prices are around 100+€. If I paid my hard earned money to see a good rock show and then I get something like the 2019 Bin Jovi shows, I would be pissed as fuck as well (and yes I still spend hundreds of Euros on GNR concerts but even Axl sounds good these days compared to JBJ) 

And while there are some Bon Jovi songs that are hard to sing (and some of them are the big hits), John struggles on every song in their set, no matter if high range or mid range or whatever, he is constantly a couple of notes flat. And if he doesn't want to ruin the bands legacy he should definitely do some work before the next tour (even though I start thinking, that this won't change anything and nothing can bring his voice back) 

 

 

Didn't get that at first, sorry

Yeah... no worries. I never use emoticons and I have a strange sense of humour that doesn't translate well in text, so people usually don't get that I'm joking here... hahaha.

Anyway, maybe if I actually went to a Bon Jovi show I would agree more with you guys, but I'm not fan enough to go see them live. I just listened to several clips and well... I already explained my opinion on this matter in the previous post. The fact that Jon used to be a hell of a singer doesn't help because it's hard for him to reach that level now.

Edited August 21, 2019 by EvanG

[LovelessNL]

On 8/21/2019 at 1:15 PM, EvanG said:

You probably went to a Dutch show then, right? Dutch people are assholes.

But seriously, I just listened to a couple of clips after reading that guy's reaction, and yes, his voice is far from what it used to be, but it wasn't ''unlistenable'' either. The thing is... Bon Jovi songs are not easy vocal wise, and a lot of them have very high notes. Even back in the day when he was a superb singer he would have trouble reaching some of those high notes. I suppose they could decide to stop playing those songs and only play the easier songs, but a lot of the songs people want to hear have those high notes, so they play them and you hear him struggling but still giving everything he has got. I think a lot of people appreciate that and most of them, also reading a few of the youtube comments from people who had been to that show, seem to be positive. When you go there expecting to hear 1995 Jon Bon Jovi you're probably in for a disappointment, though.

Nope, Belgium.

And I dont expect a '1995 JBJ', I expect somebody who charges 90€+ to do more than just 'try'. 

[Lio]

On 20-8-2019 at 3:53 PM, action said:

I second this

the clip looked like a lot of fun, at least he's not sounding like a certain disney character

Is that a dig at Axl? If so, that's funny. If I compare my paper's reviews of GNR last year and BJ this year, Jon's weak vocals are mentioned quite a few times as being a letdown on the whole show, while no mention of weak Axl vocals. Granted, the reviewer was ecstatic about Slash, but if Axl had ruined it all with sounding like a disney character, I'm sure that would have been mentioned. BJ got 3 stars btw, GNR 4. So neither of them were bad reviews.

[EvanG]

4 hours ago, LovelessNL said:

Nope, Belgium.

And I dont expect a '1995 JBJ', I expect somebody who charges 90€+ to do more than just 'try'. 

What else can he do but try his best? Not try? Phone it in like some singers out there?

Listen to this clip, he's struggling so hard but doing the best he can performing a very difficult song, especially in the chorus, and it's not great, there isn't a lot of power left, but he's doing it because he knows the fans want to hear it, being one of their biggest hits and a crowd favourite. And I don't think he's doing a terrible job, meaning that he isn't singing out of tune or phoning it in, especially considering how hard this song is and his voice isn't what it used to be. If this isn't good enough for you, fine, then don't buy a ticket.

 

[DieselDaisy]

As my grandma would say, ''he can't shout coal''. 

[LovelessNL]

1 hour ago, EvanG said:

What else can he do but try his best? Not try? Phone it in like some singers out there?

Listen to this clip, he's struggling so hard but doing the best he can performing a very difficult song, especially in the chorus, and it's not great, there isn't a lot of power left, but he's doing it because he knows the fans want to hear it, being one of their biggest hits and a crowd favourite. And I don't think he's doing a terrible job, meaning that he isn't singing out of tune or phoning it in, especially considering how hard this song is and his voice isn't what it used to be. If this isn't good enough for you, fine, then don't buy a ticket.

 

Well how about quit, or be upfront and say 'hey guys, sorry, I cant do the old songs anymore, so from this tour onwards its just gonna be the newer stuff. K srry love u bai JBJ'.

If you hire a guy to paint your walls, and he does a crappy job, are you gonna have the same attitude? 'Oh well, he did his best'.

People pay top $/€ for this shit, if you're not up to it anymore; quit or be honest about it.

His Werchter performance was UTTERLY CRAPPY. He hasn't once apologized or acknowledged or said 'Hey guys, I'm sorry, I have a bit of a throat infection, how about you sing a bit extra loud today? Together we can do it!'. NOT ONCE.

[EvanG]

1 minute ago, LovelessNL said:

Well how about quit, or be upfront and say 'hey guys, sorry, I cant do the old songs anymore, so from this tour onwards its just gonna be the newer stuff. K srry love u bai JBJ'.

If you hire a guy to paint your walls, and he does a crappy job, are you gonna have the same attitude? 'Oh well, he did his best'.

People pay top $/€ for this shit, if you're not up to it anymore; quit or be honest about it.

His Werchter performance was UTTERLY CRAPPY. He hasn't once apologized or acknowledged or said 'Hey guys, I'm sorry, I have a bit of a throat infection, how about you sing a bit extra loud today? Together we can do it!'. NOT ONCE.

I already explained this in previous posts in this thread... it's about expectations and it's subjective as well. It's not a ''crappy job'' for everyone. I don't think that ''Always'' version is too bad to listen to, and I'm sure many people in that crowd agree with me. I've seen a lot of crappy singers in my life, this wasn't great, but I've seen a lot worse. Like I said, if this isn't good enough for you anymore, that's fair, but just stay home. Apparently there are a lot of people that don't mind his voice, and if they don't mind and the band doesn't mind, then why the fuck should he quit or stop playing those songs?

[action]

at least half of the criticism has to do with it being fashionable, as a GNR fan, to piss on JBJ. 

bon jovi's shows are lots of fun. Axl could learn a thing or two on how to deliver a proper rock show as an ageing rock star. so put that in your pipe, and smoke it

[shotsfired cro]

the only 2 things Axl could learn from JBJ these days are -

 

1) how to change 5-7 songs a NIGHT between the 2 gigs.

2) that a serious band needs at least a half serious drummer.  That drummer is a heart of the band so if you don't like Steve - get Matt.

[RussTCB]

On 8/25/2019 at 7:05 PM, action said:

at least half of the criticism has to do with it being fashionable, as a GNR fan, to piss on JBJ. 

I doubt that's true at all, but if it is, I definitely fall into the first half. 

I'm a big Bon Jovi fan. I saw them at least once per tour from Keep The Faith through the first leg of the Have A Nice Day tour. I saw them several times per tour for a couple of years in there actually. I'm the guy that to this day, defends These Days as an incredibly under rated album. 

Having said all of that, I stopped bothering going to Jovi shows when I went to that show on the Have A Nice Day tour. It was abundantly clear that Jon stopped giving a shit. 

Bon Jovi shows are fun because Bon Jovi makes fun, party music. They're not fun in any way, shape or form because Jon simply doesn't give a shit anymore and hasn't for well over a decade. 

[EvanG]

11 minutes ago, RussTCB said:

Jon simply doesn't give a shit anymore and hasn't for well over a decade. 

How can you tell he doesn't give a shit anymore?

[RussTCB]

22 minutes ago, EvanG said:

How can you tell he doesn't give a shit anymore?

Half assing the show overall. Not caring about how he sounds at all. That type of thing. 

[EvanG]

14 minutes ago, RussTCB said:

Half assing the show overall. Not caring about how he sounds at all. That type of thing. 

I have never seen them live so I can't even comment on that, but I watched a couple of clips from the recent tour because I wanted to hear if his voice is as bad as some say in here, but I see a guy struggling with his voice but still trying really hard to reach those high notes and entertaining the crowd.

I agree with These Days, though. It's the only Bon Jovi record that I own, stole it from my sister back in the day and I still have it. Some really great songs on it and I guess it's a rather dark record for Bon Jovi standards. Plus a lot of Sambora input, which is always good.

[The Dissident]

These days features some of Bon Jovis best deep album cuts however it does have a fair bit of stuff that doesn’t work for me personally. That being said if he broke out either of Something To believe in or My guitar lies bleeding in my arms at a show I might shit myself 

[EvanG]

There is filler on it, but with Keep The Faith and These Days they left that cheesy metal-pop sound of the 80s and started incorporating more bluesy and rock and roll influences in their sound and it worked rather well. Dry County, These Days, Hey God, My Guitar Lies..., I Believe, Damned. Unfortunately it still had the typical cheesy love ballads.

Edited September 4, 2019 by EvanG

[The Dissident]

Jon recently revealed the title of the groups next album to be Bon Jovi 2020 . Says it will be politically conscious album so not to expect songs like You Give Love A Bad Name which frankly I wouldn't expect a song like that based off their past albums...

[Towelie]

On 9/4/2019 at 12:04 AM, RussTCB said:

Half assing the show overall. Not caring about how he sounds at all. That type of thing. 

Could you not say the same for Axl post-2011?

Edited September 12, 2019 by Towelie

[Majestic Beast]

Coverdale can't hit high notes last 15 years,Axl had issues to catch high notes without struggling in some songs years by years,M.Shadows had voice issues back in years,i mean,the main problem is some of the hit songs that require very high notes are difficult to catch them in old age,without help from backing vocals of other members,or some tricks with playbacks or whatever that fans can't notice.BonJovi can't hit Runaway high notes,it's preferable not to sing this song or trying and have a bad/mediocre performance?

[Fourteenbeers]

On 23.8.2019 at 5:13 PM, EvanG said:

What else can he do but try his best? Not try? Phone it in like some singers out there?

Listen to this clip, he's struggling so hard but doing the best he can performing a very difficult song, especially in the chorus, and it's not great, there isn't a lot of power left, but he's doing it because he knows the fans want to hear it, being one of their biggest hits and a crowd favourite. And I don't think he's doing a terrible job, meaning that he isn't singing out of tune or phoning it in, especially considering how hard this song is and his voice isn't what it used to be. If this isn't good enough for you, fine, then don't buy a ticket.

 

Now I can't sing a love song
Like the way it's meant to be
Well, I guess I'm not that good anymore
But baby, that's just me   

yeah, tell me about it, Jon 

I'm not a professional singer, vocal coach or anything like that and I haven't read the whole thread, so this may contain some points that have been said already: 

 IMO in this performance his voice  doesn't sound that terrible.  But because he can't sing like he used to, - maybe the technique he uses (and or because he doesn't have power in his voice anymore) makes him pronounce the words in a weird way that the singing becomes unpleasant and annoyingly nasal to listen to. 

Still, I'd say Axl in 100% Mickey mode is not any better (just because their music is better it doesn't make his voice better)  If Jon gets more criticism than Axl, then this must be one of his "stronger" performances.  

If someone can't sing in higher register anymore, then why not adapt - sing in lower one?  It's been done before. Sounding good or even decent is much better goal for a singer than trying to sound exactly the same as they do on record. 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2019 by Fourteenbeers

[Flake]

lol at people listening to bon jovi

[Majestic Beast]

On 28/9/2019 at 10:00 AM, Flake said:

lol at people listening to bon jovi

What you mean,people still listening to dinosaurs bands,Iggy pop,Billy Idol,Ozzy,bonjovi is not a grandpa yet.

[LovelessNL]

2 songs into this; 

Still behind my earlier opinion; he has no power, its very nasal, there's almost no difference in pitch (high/lows), on the second song he's struggling to keep up and if you look at his face it looks as if it just hurts to sing.

 

Hang it up, JBJ.

[StrangerInThisTown]

On 28.9.2019 at 9:00 AM, Flake said:

lol at people listening to bon jovi

They actually have very good songs buried in their albums that aren't huge singles. But people who only know the hits don't know that. Homebound Train, Hey God, Damned, only hardcore fans know of songs like those.

Edited October 3, 2019 by StrangerInThisTown

[RussTCB]

On 9/28/2019 at 3:00 AM, Flake said:

lol at people listening to bon jovi

Huh? Jovi is a great band.