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Well, that wasn't my intention. I'm not sure how having an opinion on what they're doing is gatekeeping? I'm not trying to tell them not to do it or anyone not to go to the shows. I'm just giving my honest thoughts on the matter.

Gatekeeping? What the hell are you even talking about?

Touring without Neil also feels wrong but they're doing it anyways.

Since I've never heard of this band until now, I'm going with "no"

For real. She's in the same category as Mike Portnoy. What did she do to get voted on over him this year? Most of us had no clue about her before she joined Geddy and Alex.

There was no way all these shows were added after the first set of dates sold out. These are big arenas that have to be reserved for these shows and they no doubt already had these additional dates ready from the start. There's no way to know how Neil would have felt but how it was explained to Geddy and Alex may not have been how they ended up executing it. Don't forget that this is the music business and ticket master and live nation are known for their shady practices. They could have easily told Geddy and Alex one thing and then went and did something else.

Cut To The Chase. Alex has never needed to get the solo exact. He just needs to play something close enough and that would be fine.

This might sound kind of strange since he's a decade older now but perhaps the years off from touring have helped his voice to get in better shape. He hasn't worn it out with touring so it's possible that he could have regained some vocal ability. I hope he's seeing a vocal coach who can help him out. Obviously he will never hit those super high notes again but I don't think he would agree to tour again if he wasn't doing the right things to keep his voice in decent enough shape.

Earl, while we're on the subject of Alice Cooper, have you heard about this?

Nita Strauss is the name of Cooper's guitarist. I think maybe Halford can't sing that older Priest stuff too well anymore and that's why they're not doing anything from those earlier albums. Doing the songs off Painkiller is probably more than enough for his voice these days.

Earl! Where the hell have you been? 🤯

I do expect a decent length set. They mentioned in the video that they have 35 songs rehearsed. Even with rotating some around every show that probably means at least 20 songs a show.

Not really. I don't think they are a really good match musically or image wise. Plus, The Warning doesn't need anymore aging rock fans in the US 😄 They are opening for Yungblud in Europe next year and possibly in the US as well. So they are rightfully focusing on getting a younger rock fan base. I'm sure there are a number of talented younger bands out there who could benefit from such an opportunity.

If they do have an opener, I would prefer that they get a newer band who might be able to benefit from such an opportunity. They took a chance with Annika, so why not do it with a younger band that they like?

Perhaps the decade away from the road has helped to rest up and "heal" his voice and there won't be too big of a drop off. There are vocal coaches who can teach him techniques that can help bring his voice back to life.