Think of "howling wind" from BTBS Rattle and Hum. It's a nasal falsetto that's trying to sound like a full voice.
Exactly. In fact, the first time I watched R&H and heard Bono sing like that, I laughed!
It was like a "fake opera" voice.
So that Bono did have more power and could hit high notes. I fully agree and I also feel that's my favorite Bono voice. But it came at a price.
Today's Bono seems to have overcome the horridness of the mid-90's and the airiness of the early 00's. Bono can actually scream again (!) - something he hasn't done consistently on tour since the LoveTown days. I feel his "off" nights now are similar to back then, when he resorted to fake opera voices to hit notes. When he's on, he has the power he did then.
But again, it's not fair to compare a 50 year old Bono to one in his 20's. Age, decades of singing, years of singing improperly, smoking, etc., have taken a toll. For a man soon to be 50, he sounds great and far, far better than those young'uns in their 20's. I watched Adam Lambert, last year's runner-up on "American Idol", perform this week. He screeched out this song, screaming more than singing. The crowd went wild and all I thought was, "In five years, that kid won't be able to sing a lick." Bono's technique is better now and perhaps that did come at the expense of some power. But for all of you young'uns, see how well you perform at 50 and then talk. In today's society, 50 isn't "old" by any means, but one still has to accept that 50 is not 25.
Same as it ever was, Peterrrrrrrr.
He has hit that note in his sleep his entire career. It's an A.
In this live clip you've let your ears fool you into thinking that echo originates from Bono's lungs but who am I to rain on your parade? Think what you want.
All I know is this: Peterrrr just claimed that it would be impossible for "80s Bono" to sustain that A. Now, rather than post a litany of youtube links and bore people with so-called "analysis", let me just tell you this: It would not be impossible for
any Bono to hit that note. My guess is Bono could hold an A when he was 16 years old.
If you want an example of something
two steps above an A, listen to Pride on the album, where Bono farts out B's throughout. Impossible, I tells ya.
Just trying to help out.
LOL! I know my farts are usually a B flat, so I believe it.
Peterrr may be a bit extreme, but his point stands. As I wrote above, I feel Bono's best was during the UF through R&H era. It was because of Bono's passionate vocals that I became a fan. However, after his mid-90's scratchiness followed by his very weak, breathy voice in the early 00's, it seems that Bono has recovered considerably - so much so that I feel this is Bono's second best period! And Peterrrr is trying to showcase this be giving examples from many shows. So while Bono may still have his off nights, there are plenty of great ones too.
Also, before we give more praise to the 80's era Bono, find the CD single version of "Pride". It contains an extra chorus verse in it - but this time, it wasn't run through the studio magic. Bono's power on the song, partially created in the studio, is stripped down. And we hear him strain.
What this really means is that Bono is a good singer, not a great one. Being good is, well, good enough for me, but I think some on both sides of this argument are a bit extreme.
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with photos.
