DLR content... Sad

unix-guy

Master of RTFM
A friend from high school sent me this.

Told me he been could only make it to 1:00... I made it to 1:45.

So sad or embarrassing depending on your view point.

I loved his singing on the original VH stuff and the DLR Band stuff through A Little Ain't Enough.

 
it's hard to be a vocalist and get older. i'm sure he knows how he sounds. but he's still out there doing it. props man. i watched the whole thing (skipped the talking part). i enjoyed what he could provide.

i just saw Earth Wind and Fire at NAMM perform on the Yamaha Stage. Verdine was playing bass, and Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson were singing. now they didn't sound like DLR in that video, but clearly as they've aged, it's doesn't sound like it did when they were 20. but it was great for what they could provide. Kenny Loggins performed too and he didn't sound like he used to either. but i got to see Kenny Loggins perform. i never thought i'd ever see him.

i mean what do you do if you're a singer with a legendary history? just stop? because someone on the internet will say bad things about you?

i actually hate video recordings of concerts on youtube because all people do is judge that they don't sound like the recording. unless the band has prepped for a video/audio recording for release, a live performance is for the people in the room at that moment. there's an energy and experience you can't get from the horrible cell phone video on youtube. people don't sound 100% every performance.

but it's about that moment, connecting with the crowd, performing with what you have that day. THAT is what i enjoy about going to see a concert. i don't care if they don't sound perfect. it's the performance i get to see, and honestly any band that is clearly having a tough time usually mentions if anything is wrong, or sometimes give some sort of extra vibe, dance, or songs to compensate for it. (well some bands...)

if you go to see DLR, you get what you get. and you get to see him in person. if you want the old sound, see a tribute band or listen to an old recording. i just really loathe people judging singers for how they're old and don't sound good. see you in 50 years and i'll listen to you. you better be good and sound perfect.

oh and this isn't a dig to anyone in this thread specifically. people will say what they want to say and that's cool. just in general, i hate negativity toward people's performances. constructive criticism is different, and stating fact is different. i just personally don't like it all.
 
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His abilities have diminished, but on the other hand, he's kinda always been that way. There is a good reason why VH never released a live album during his era. There are bootleg recordings from those days, but they are painful to listen to.
 
I agree 200% with @chris about the NAMM Yamaha All Star Concert. EWF sound great but the band “behind” them was stellar so... and the same for mr. Loggins. Getting older is hard sometimes and you have to know when it’s time to slow down the business or even stop it.
 
agree he could never sing live, watched whole thing, I actually think he is trying more than his last vh tour comeback. The talking part made literally no sense.
 
In 2020, what are we supposed to expect from a vocalist from the 1970’s? For perspective, his heyday was over 40 years ago.
 
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I've known since my high school band days that the portable audio/video recorder somewhere in the audience is the single most brutal witness to a live performance ever. If you can come across well on one of those, you are pretty much shit-hot.

It really kills me these days to see so many people at live performances holding up their cell phones to record video. They're paying too much attention to the device, missing out on what's happening in the moment, and ensuring that the video and audio they do capture has passed through the Maximum Suck Filter.

So sad.

Oh, and I still love DLR-era Van Halen, so choosing not to watch this one.
 
I agree it's not a stellar performance... but he still manages to reach a lot of high notes - might he have had some monitoring issues as well? Anyways, cell phone recordings always degrade what it sounds and feels like in the moment.

i mean what do you do if you're a singer with a legendary history? just stop? because someone on the internet will say bad things about you?

as for this, no..the internet will always be positive and negative. But there is a time to rock, and a time to stop. Especially for vocalists. Some lack that self judgement ability. Maybe they keep at it for the money/still in demand, or because they don't know how to do anything else.

On my last few Dream Theater concerts, James Labrie has ruined the show for me. It was that bad. I can't understand how his degrading live performances isn't embarassing for the rest of the band (who are amazing), when technique and endurance is their trademark. It has resulted in me not going to any more of their shows (and they played here a few days ago)
 
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hehe, well... I think he mostly does ok on their albums (there has always been much debate on wether there could've been a better/different sounding voice for the band), and I remember some shows when his voice was good live as well. But as of late he's missing so many notes...not just the high ones (and there are a lot) - it's not a good performance, its ruining for the rest of the band.
 
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