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Older Songs_Vocals a bit off?


tripdad
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I have seen the the show three times this tour so far. When I first heard Lakeside Park and Anthem at the Columbus show I was very disappointed. While I really like these particular songs I just don't feel they played them very well. Geddy seemed to be always trying to catch up on the vocals throughout the songs. I was hoping I just saw an off night for these two songs, but after seeing them in Chicago and Toronto the songs didn't get any better.

 

I'm not looking for an argument here. There is no right or wrong, just an opinion. Curious if anyone shared it.

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I have seen the the show three times this tour so far. When I first heard Lakeside Park and Anthem at the Columbus show I was very disappointed. While I really like these particular songs I just don't feel they played them very well. Geddy seemed to be always trying to catch up on the vocals throughout the songs. I was hoping I just saw an off night for these two songs, but after seeing them in Chicago and Toronto the songs didn't get any better.

 

I'm not looking for an argument here. There is no right or wrong, just an opinion. Curious if anyone shared it.

 

I sort of agree with you here. When I hear those songs live they are of time and a place and this isn't the time and this isn't the place. I realize that they wanted to do this for the fans this time, but i'm not sure if they are being true to themselves. Only they can answer that. Obviously there are some major extenuating circumstances regarding this tour, but to me the passion and inspiration that is there during the first set is on life support by the end of the second.

 

It may have all been worth it for that version of Losing it. There is so much joy and sadness that it actually happened. In a way, I hope it's the only time they ever play it.

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Lakeside Park is up in his range, so I get that he may have some tough nights with it. However, I think if they changed the key then there would be griping about that. I do think he is singing Anthem better now than he did in 1991-1992.
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I have seen the the show three times this tour so far. When I first heard Lakeside Park and Anthem at the Columbus show I was very disappointed. While I really like these particular songs I just don't feel they played them very well. Geddy seemed to be always trying to catch up on the vocals throughout the songs. I was hoping I just saw an off night for these two songs, but after seeing them in Chicago and Toronto the songs didn't get any better.

 

I'm not looking for an argument here. There is no right or wrong, just an opinion. Curious if anyone shared it.

 

I sort of agree with you here. When I hear those songs live they are of time and a place and this isn't the time and this isn't the place. I realize that they wanted to do this for the fans this time, but i'm not sure if they are being true to themselves. Only they can answer that. Obviously there are some major extenuating circumstances regarding this tour, but to me the passion and inspiration that is there during the first set is on life support by the end of the second.

 

It may have all been worth it for that version of Losing it. There is so much joy and sadness that it actually happened. In a way, I hope it's the only time they ever play it.

 

Take back part of what I said here after the magic that happened in Newark. The consistency that we've all come to know and love may not be there, but when they're on, They're ON.

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I think he's doing as well as could be expected, especially for someone over 60. That he's even attempting them is a plus in my book.
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I think he's doing as well as could be expected, especially for someone over 60. That he's even attempting them is a plus in my book.

He really did sound good in Newark. Again, the earlier material was probably a strain for him when he was young!

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I think he's doing as well as could be expected, especially for someone over 60. That he's even attempting them is a plus in my book.

He really did sound good in Newark. Again, the earlier material was probably a strain for him when he was young!

 

But his range was more up there. Even his speaking voice was a bit higher years ago. :)

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all sounded great or good enough for me, my only disappointment was the show ended
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Pretty imopressive he can pull them off at all. A lot happens to a body after decades of aging, much less aging while living out of a suitcase. I thought 'Ol Dirk did pretty well. Certainly better than I could!
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It really depends on your perspective. If you expect to hear Geddy's voice circa 1977, you will almost certainly be disappointed. But if you are realistic and expect the 2015 version of Geddy's voice, then you have to give him credit for as well as he does with those songs.
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I feel like with the really old stuff, the tessitura is so high up there that he could just do it down the octave comfortably and it would be in normal human range. Maybe it wouldn't work (some notes would be too low) with most of the late 70s-80s material, but with stuff from the very early albums, even the low notes are pretty high.

 

But I'm sure he's thought of that, and decided against it for whatever reason. Maybe it's a sort of, "Well, I could do it down and if I don't sound good, that will be really awful. But if I go for the high notes and don't make it, hell, at least I tried!" Which is very much in the ethos of the band.

 

What has deteriorated most with age is his articulation. If you don't already know the lyrics... good luck. But the vocal power is still there. He may have trouble reaching some notes, but the ones he can get to, he can hold them. There's a sense of time-defying fearlessness to it that makes it work when you're seeing him arch those eyebrows live. :)

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I feel like with the really old stuff, the tessitura is so high up there that he could just do it down the octave comfortably and it would be in normal human range. Maybe it wouldn't work (some notes would be too low) with most of the late 70s-80s material, but with stuff from the very early albums, even the low notes are pretty high.

 

But I'm sure he's thought of that, and decided against it for whatever reason. Maybe it's a sort of, "Well, I could do it down and if I don't sound good, that will be really awful. But if I go for the high notes and don't make it, hell, at least I tried!" Which is very much in the ethos of the band.

 

What has deteriorated most with age is his articulation. If you don't already know the lyrics... good luck. But the vocal power is still there. He may have trouble reaching some notes, but the ones he can get to, he can hold them. There's a sense of time-defying fearlessness to it that makes it work when you're seeing him arch those eyebrows live. :)

 

Quoted for truth!

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I feel like with the really old stuff, the tessitura is so high up there that he could just do it down the octave comfortably and it would be in normal human range. Maybe it wouldn't work (some notes would be too low) with most of the late 70s-80s material, but with stuff from the very early albums, even the low notes are pretty high.

 

But I'm sure he's thought of that, and decided against it for whatever reason. Maybe it's a sort of, "Well, I could do it down and if I don't sound good, that will be really awful. But if I go for the high notes and don't make it, hell, at least I tried!" Which is very much in the ethos of the band.

 

What has deteriorated most with age is his articulation. If you don't already know the lyrics... good luck. But the vocal power is still there. He may have trouble reaching some notes, but the ones he can get to, he can hold them. There's a sense of time-defying fearlessness to it that makes it work when you're seeing him arch those eyebrows live. :)

 

Or as I affectionately call it... "Evil Geddy."

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Gotta say, after the NYC show, I thought Geddy sounded better than he has the last three tours. Just in terms of sheer going-for-it ferocity... moments like the Hemi Prelude, 2112 Presentation, and Lakeside blew my GD mind. He may not be in peak form vocally, but in sheer rock and roll attitude... the man cannot be beat.
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Thanks for the responses. Interesting perspectives. For the record, I do not have anything to "get over". I was just posing a discussion point. I apologize for the original title of this thread, but I thought since I was in the R40 Tour Spoiler Forum that the title would not matter as all these posts contain potential spoilers. MSG was an awesome show as usual. Anthem being one of my favorite songs has grown on me with Geddy's current vocals. Lakeside Park though could be dropped and I wouldn't be upset. I guess i want to hang on to my All the World's a Stage memories. ;-
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