andreww Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 After a busy weekend I finally found a few minutes on Monday morning to sit down and see how the new tour was shaping up. As ticket prices in Toronto are pretty steep, I thought I'd check to see that the setlist was to my liking before dropping a ton of cash on tickets. So I anxiously checked out the setlist from Tulsa and wow, I was impressed. Not thrilled with the tree Clockwork Angles songs that opened the show, but it was all uphill from there! Fantastic! Xanadu, Lakeside Park and What You Doin, all songs I haven't heard live since the 80s! Quickly I check out some picks of the gig and love the stage setup, and Ged and Alex are using double necks again!!!! This is starting to look like a no brainer, Ticketmaster here I come! Then I downloaded MP3s from the show and to be quite honest, THE BAND SOUNDS TERRIBLE. I can forgive Alex for being a little sloppy, it was the first show after all. But to be blunt, Geddy's voice is terrible. Not just bad, TERRIBLE. Lakeside Park and Xanadu are painful to listen to as a matter of fact. Maybe he just can't hit those notes anymore, but to me it sounds like he's got some kind of hearing loss and just can't find the notes anymore. I've noticed this on the last few tours, that Ged kind of slurs his words when he sings, sounding like someone with absolutely no hearing would sound, but in Tulsa it was worse and he was off key. Hopefully he gets better as the tour progresses but at this point I think I'll pass on going and simply remember those songs with fondness rather than trying to listen to that mess. Sorry guys, just being honest here. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush85dude Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I figure there must not be anyone willing to sit him down and say he is now yelling patchily... Oh well.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Londonguy1 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I've noticed it too. Some songs are ok, others are just painful to listen to. Even on newer songs he can't seem to find the right key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YYZumbi Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 What? I think he sounded great during Tulsa! Better then he have in a long time. How can you say he sound terrible? 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreww Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 What? I think he sounded great during Tulsa! Better then he have in a long time. How can you say he sound terrible? Listen to Lakeside Park. And take off the rose coloured glasses before you do. But maybe its me. I'm a guitar player and can hear even the slightest mistakes, but to me this is a lot more than missing the odd note. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedRush Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 To me Geddy sounds far better than he did on the recorded versions of the last two tours. Yes, he over-screams many songs, and Red Barchetta and a few other songs have missed notes and subpar vocals. But more often than not he's sounding good to me. And I thought Lakeside Park was pretty good vocally...far better than I expected. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedRush Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 How much better is the TCE in Lincoln than on TMT? 5 times? 10? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReRushed Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 (edited) I believe most of us on this forum aren't fooling ourselves into believing Geddy's vocals don't have unfortunate limitations. I'm not a musician, so I can't pick out the details of why he "sucks" now, but I do think singing the way he has from the beginning of his career did some unfortunate damage. I don't hold it against him. The enthusiasm, the dedication, the preparation Geddy puts into his performances has a positive affect towards me appreciating that Rush is still out on the road. Personally, the positives of Rush performing outweigh the negatives. Also, I saw Paul McCartney on his last two tours. His vocal ability is also nowhere near where it once was. Getting old is a bitch. You don't like it. Stay home. Edited May 12, 2015 by ReRushed 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driventotheedge Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 (edited) I believe most of us on this forum aren't fooling ourselves into believing Geddy's vocals don't have unfortunate limitations. I'm not a musician, so I can't pick out the details of why he "sucks" now, but I do think singing the way he has from the beginning of his career did some unfortunate damage. I don't hold it against him. The enthusiasm, the dedication, the preparation Geddy puts into his performances has a positive affect towards me appreciating that Rush is still out on the road. Personally, the positives of Rush performing outweigh the negatives. Also, I saw Paul McCartney on his last two tours. His vocal ability is also nowhere near where it once was. Getting old is a bitch. You don't like it. Stay home.Well said brother. Only male "old guy" singer I've seen in the last 10 years that hasn't lost anything off his voice is Don Henley. Edited May 12, 2015 by driventotheedge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vital signz Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I thought Ged sounded great in Tulsa...at least thru Lucas's Periscope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GabesCavesOfIce Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 To me Geddy sounds far better than he did on the recorded versions of the last two tours. Yes, he over-screams many songs, and Red Barchetta and a few other songs have missed notes and subpar vocals. But more often than not he's sounding good to me. And I thought Lakeside Park was pretty good vocally...far better than I expected. I never understood the "over singing" of the last ten years or so. I really enjoyed his singing on the CP thru Presto era (reverse chronology). Seemed Ged went for a nice deeper voice in that era. Then TfE thru the modern days, he seemed to want to reach a higher pitch as he progressed thru songs, and was less precise with the notes he was hitting. Anyone have thoughts about his singing early 90s back thru late 80s? One of my favorite vocals sounds post hemi...an engine that drives itself!! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraroc Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 (edited) After a busy weekend I finally found a few minutes on Monday morning to sit down and see how the new tour was shaping up. As ticket prices in Toronto are pretty steep, I thought I'd check to see that the setlist was to my liking before dropping a ton of cash on tickets. So I anxiously checked out the setlist from Tulsa and wow, I was impressed. Not thrilled with the tree Clockwork Angles songs that opened the show, but it was all uphill from there! Fantastic! Xanadu, Lakeside Park and What You Doin, all songs I haven't heard live since the 80s! Quickly I check out some picks of the gig and love the stage setup, and Ged and Alex are using double necks again!!!! This is starting to look like a no brainer, Ticketmaster here I come! Then I downloaded MP3s from the show and to be quite honest, THE BAND SOUNDS TERRIBLE. I can forgive Alex for being a little sloppy, it was the first show after all. But to be blunt, Geddy's voice is terrible. Not just bad, TERRIBLE. Lakeside Park and Xanadu are painful to listen to as a matter of fact. Maybe he just can't hit those notes anymore, but to me it sounds like he's got some kind of hearing loss and just can't find the notes anymore. I've noticed this on the last few tours, that Ged kind of slurs his words when he sings, sounding like someone with absolutely no hearing would sound, but in Tulsa it was worse and he was off key. Hopefully he gets better as the tour progresses but at this point I think I'll pass on going and simply remember those songs with fondness rather than trying to listen to that mess. Sorry guys, just being honest here. Solid advice for everyone like you. NOW FOLLOW IT. Edited May 12, 2015 by fraroc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tombstone Mountain Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I believe most of us on this forum aren't fooling ourselves into believing Geddy's vocals don't have unfortunate limitations. I'm not a musician, so I can't pick out the details of why he "sucks" now, but I do think singing the way he has from the beginning of his career did some unfortunate damage. I don't hold it against him. The enthusiasm, the dedication, the preparation Geddy puts into his performances has a positive affect towards me appreciating that Rush is still out on the road. Personally, the positives of Rush performing outweigh the negatives. Also, I saw Paul McCartney on his last two tours. His vocal ability is also nowhere near where it once was. Getting old is a bitch. You don't like it. Stay home.Well said brother. Only male "old guy" singer I've seen in the last 10 years that hasn't lost anything off his voice is Don Henley.Leonard Cohen still sounds awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReRushed Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I believe most of us on this forum aren't fooling ourselves into believing Geddy's vocals don't have unfortunate limitations. I'm not a musician, so I can't pick out the details of why he "sucks" now, but I do think singing the way he has from the beginning of his career did some unfortunate damage. I don't hold it against him. The enthusiasm, the dedication, the preparation Geddy puts into his performances has a positive affect towards me appreciating that Rush is still out on the road. Personally, the positives of Rush performing outweigh the negatives. Also, I saw Paul McCartney on his last two tours. His vocal ability is also nowhere near where it once was. Getting old is a bitch. You don't like it. Stay home.Well said brother. Only male "old guy" singer I've seen in the last 10 years that hasn't lost anything off his voice is Don Henley.Also, way back in the 1970s Don Henley wasn't singing songs like "Anthem" night after night. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReRushed Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I believe most of us on this forum aren't fooling ourselves into believing Geddy's vocals don't have unfortunate limitations. I'm not a musician, so I can't pick out the details of why he "sucks" now, but I do think singing the way he has from the beginning of his career did some unfortunate damage. I don't hold it against him. The enthusiasm, the dedication, the preparation Geddy puts into his performances has a positive affect towards me appreciating that Rush is still out on the road. Personally, the positives of Rush performing outweigh the negatives. Also, I saw Paul McCartney on his last two tours. His vocal ability is also nowhere near where it once was. Getting old is a bitch. You don't like it. Stay home.Well said brother. Only male "old guy" singer I've seen in the last 10 years that hasn't lost anything off his voice is Don Henley.Leonard Cohen still sounds awesomeAnother "singer" who never seemed to expand or test his range. Did he ever really "sing". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefox4000 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I'll say it again. i can't say enough good things about Tulsa. Best ged Has sounded in a while. and i've listened about 4 times. Lincoln however was pretty darn bad. Ged was all over the place. bum notes, yodeling. Now i know they were having problems that night but still what a night and day thing. Mick 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReRushed Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 (edited) I'll say it again. i can't say enough good things about Tulsa. Best ged Has sounded in a while. and i've listened about 4 times. Lincoln however was pretty darn bad. Ged was all over the place. bum notes, yodeling. Now i know they were having problems that night but still what a night and day thing. MickIt's impossible for performers to be 100% consistent. I also think Geddy's limitations have a lot to do with Rush saying this could be the last tour of this magnitude. If Geddy can't reach his standards on this short tour it's almost certainly the last go round. Edited May 12, 2015 by ReRushed 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del_Duio Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I thought his voice sounded the best during the ASOH era.That was my first RUSH album and was totally blown away by #1 how good a singer he was and #2 THAT BASS!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del_Duio Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I'll say it again. i can't say enough good things about Tulsa. Best ged Has sounded in a while. and i've listened about 4 times. Lincoln however was pretty darn bad. Ged was all over the place. bum notes, yodeling. Now i know they were having problems that night but still what a night and day thing. Mick I heard there were problems with their in ear monitors and etc. That would make a lot of sense. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefox4000 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I'll say it again. i can't say enough good things about Tulsa. Best ged Has sounded in a while. and i've listened about 4 times. Lincoln however was pretty darn bad. Ged was all over the place. bum notes, yodeling. Now i know they were having problems that night but still what a night and day thing. Mick I heard there were problems with their in ear monitors and etc. That would make a lot of sense. Cause ged was unnaturally off just 1 night after a great showing....so yea it does make sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khan Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I believe most of us on this forum aren't fooling ourselves into believing Geddy's vocals don't have unfortunate limitations. I'm not a musician, so I can't pick out the details of why he "sucks" now, but I do think singing the way he has from the beginning of his career did some unfortunate damage. I don't hold it against him. The enthusiasm, the dedication, the preparation Geddy puts into his performances has a positive affect towards me appreciating that Rush is still out on the road. Personally, the positives of Rush performing outweigh the negatives. Also, I saw Paul McCartney on his last two tours. His vocal ability is also nowhere near where it once was. Getting old is a bitch. You don't like it. Stay home.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v423/KublaKhan/LOL-Monty_Python_Applause.gif 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaminbenb Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I believe most of us on this forum aren't fooling ourselves into believing Geddy's vocals don't have unfortunate limitations. I'm not a musician, so I can't pick out the details of why he "sucks" now, but I do think singing the way he has from the beginning of his career did some unfortunate damage. I don't hold it against him. The enthusiasm, the dedication, the preparation Geddy puts into his performances has a positive affect towards me appreciating that Rush is still out on the road. Personally, the positives of Rush performing outweigh the negatives. Also, I saw Paul McCartney on his last two tours. His vocal ability is also nowhere near where it once was. Getting old is a bitch. You don't like it. Stay home. They're playing their respective a$$es off, so I'm not going to complain...I give them credit for setting an "end date" rather than try to keep going and making fools of themselves...Geddy isn't and never was Steve Perry or <insert your"reference standard" vocalist> so whatever.... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhawk2112 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Hopefully he gets better as the tour progresses but at this point I think I'll pass on going and simply remember those songs with fondness rather than trying to listen to that mess. Sorry guys, just being honest here. Not going is certainly your choice. All of us hear things differently and with different motivations and expectations. A year from now, you'll be able to say "I just couldn't go see them on R40, I didn't want to remember them that way." To which most will reply, "Oh, ok." I've seen every tour since GUP, I was 13. I'll be just short of 44 when I see them in July, and I have only two things left on my Rush bucket list...hear Jacob's Ladder live and see Xanadu live with the doublenecks. However Geddy sings them is immaterial to me. Then I'll be able to say, "I saw Rush on every tour since I was 13 and saw and heard everything I wanted to see and hear." To which most will reply, Oh, ok." No one is going to deny that he doesn't sound as good as he used to. How much one wants to hold that against him might be put in better perspective by looking in the nearest mirror and asking that guy what he does now as well as he did even ten years ago, let alone 30 or more. Then, while one is at it, when placing in perspective what they are or aren't playing in the first set, tell that guy in the mirror that everything he's done in the last 20 years is worthless compared to what he did prior. How would that feel? 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUSHandOSU Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Okay yeah we all knew ged's voice is gonna struggle. With his age and what he did early in his career there is definitely gonna be limitations. However with that said..this is my opinion only..i believe the guys have never played their instruments better..i know some dont like CA but man the way they played on that album and tour was just amazing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReRushed Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 (edited) Okay yeah we all knew ged's voice is gonna struggle. With his age and what he did early in his career there is definitely gonna be limitations. However with that said..this is my opinion only..i believe the guys have never played their instruments better..i know some dont like CA but man the way they played on that album and tour was just amazing.Instrumentally, they still kick ass. I remember being blown away when I saw them during the Time Machine Tour. Alex absolutely shredded during Working Man. One of my all-time favorite Rush memories. Edited May 12, 2015 by ReRushed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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