Bono's voice at Cannes

[Peterrrrr]

It was 1 am there, I'd imagine he was tired

It just hit me also.

 

[rihannsu]

I think that the biggest reason is that he has been talking his ass off leading up to the G8 meetings. What we see in the press is just a small portion of what he does. He is probably talking on the phone or in meetings for most of the day every day leading up to the G8 in June and that does affect his singing. I remember during Elevation one of the biggest concerns about all the political work he was doing was the amount of talking he was doing which he is not supposed to do when they are touring. Even without that they always had trouble getting him to shut up enough to rest his voice between shows. On the JT tour when he was having trouble a doctor told him to shut up and rest his voice and Edge joked that Bono had to pay a LOT of money for a specialist to tell him to shut up when they had been telling him that for years. So endless talking combined with probably at least some studio vocal work since he joked in Dublin about Edge chaining him in the studio makes for a very tired voice. It was also mentioned that they were supposed to talk to the press Saturday but their plane was delayed, so if they flew in right before the gig the flight itself could have messed with his voice.

Dana

 

[Peterrrrr]

I think that the biggest reason is that he has been talking his ass off leading up to the G8 meetings. What we see in the press is just a small portion of what he does. He is probably talking on the phone or in meetings for most of the day every day leading up to the G8 in June and that does affect his singing. I remember during Elevation one of the biggest concerns about all the political work he was doing was the amount of talking he was doing which he is not supposed to do when they are touring. Even without that they always had trouble getting him to shut up enough to rest his voice between shows. On the JT tour when he was having trouble a doctor told him to shut up and rest his voice and Edge joked that Bono had to pay a LOT of money for a specialist to tell him to shut up when they had been telling him that for years. So endless talking combined with probably at least some studio vocal work since he joked in Dublin about Edge chaining him in the studio makes for a very tired voice. It was also mentioned that they were supposed to talk to the press Saturday but their plane was delayed, so if they flew in right before the gig the flight itself could have messed with his voice.

Dana

I remember on Popmart, Bono breath in something from a mask(under the traveling). The band was happy when he had that mask on his face, because he had to quiet then .

 

[last unicorn]

Yeah, no one tells Bono to shut up.

 

[U2lunatic]

I remember on Popmart, Bono breath in something from a mask(under the traveling). The band was happy when he had that mask on his face, because he had to quiet then .

I Think it was during Elevation tour

 

[JCOSTER]

Bono supposedly has really bad allergies. People who suffer from allergies can have various problems from joint pain to migraine. When my allergies are very bad I loose my voice and sound like froggy from the little rascals....between that and medication for them it can really screw your system up.

 

[DevilsShoes]

I Think it was during Elevation tour

Yes, I'm pretty sure it was Elevation, but I'm not sure how much it helped, as he seemed to struggle throughout that tour. He was much better on Vertigo, but I'm not sure whether he used the mask at all then, they never mentioned it. I don't recall seeing any pictures. If he didn't use it at all for the last tour then its strange how his voice was so much better.

 

[vaz02]

Yeah his vocals wasnt up to much IMO but larry's drumming impressed me.

 

[doctorwho]

I Think it was during Elevation tour

Maybe it was both, but there is a famous picture of Bono with this mask on and it's cleary the PopMart era (also, I saw the picture during that era).

 

[bonocomet]

If you mean that famous photo of him wearing the mask on the jet, that was April 2001 between shows.

 

[JCOSTER]

In U2 by U2 there is quite a nice piece on that whole mask thing. Also on how he was seeing doctors and no one knew not even Ali. He was afraid he had troat cancer.

 

[Chizip]

In U2 by U2 there is quite a nice piece on that whole mask thing. Also on how he was seeing doctors and no one knew not even Ali. He was afraid he had troat cancer.

so he had a throat cancer scare and yet he still smokes?

 

[bonocomet]

well.... that's a whole other thing isn't it? My dad had a heart attack and was told to quit, Dr.'s orders, and was able to quit for about 6 mos but he went back to smoking. Not everyone can quit, even when they know they are being stupid. I don't know why.

 

[JCOSTER]

so he had a throat cancer scare and yet he still smokes?

My sentiments exactly. Plus his father died of what I think it was lung cancer.

He is such an intelligent man, but yet its a hard habit to quit.

 

[last unicorn]

Okay, here we go again, Bono and the smoking.
I don't know if he really smokes much these days, except some of his cigars, but you don't really see him smoking publicly now.

But for the allergies, I can understand that. It really affects your whole system. Plus his eyes looked somewhat puffy yesterday, they did not look like that when he was photographed without his shades in NY some weeks ago. Could be that he was so tired or that his allergies were bugging him again.

I have allergies myself, especially now, since I have quite strong allergic "phases" in spring/early summer, I am allergic to certain plants and grasses. It sucks!!!! And there is nothing that can really help. Some things can make it better, but it still affects you and you have to be treated permanently, because the allergy just cannot be "cured" and doesn't go away.

However, it's much better now that I am living in the city. When I was still living in the country, it was very bad. During weeks, I couldn't breathe properly.

 

[corianderstem]

It was 1 am there, I'd imagine he was tired

Ding ding ding! He was probably talking all day and all night, schmoozing.

He sounded hoarse. Considering those things, no one should be surprised, and no one should be thinking that this is THE END of Bono's voice.

 

[bonocomet]

I'd say your sig pretty much sums this one up

 

[Blue Room]

Read through some of this thread. Alot of people have touched on Bono's vocals. One off shows, Bono rarely sings well. So it not surprising.

Here are the factors involved. They are in the studio, so he is using if vocal chords just about everyday they are there. Technical problems, which was obvious also, didnt help the situation. But this is probaby the main reason. It was an event. Other celeb's, people Bono knows, etc. Bono LOVES to talk. Guess what he was probably doing all day long. Its similiar to what happened to him for the Sarajevo show on Popmart. He did interview after interview and met with all kinds of people the day before and the day of that show. His voice just gave out from being tired and stressed all day. I dont think there is anything wrong with his voice though. The Vertigo tour was the strongest his voice has sounded since 1987 IMO.

 

[JCOSTER]

From the POP era:

Bono:
We wanted to make a sexy, groovey song. And we nearly did. The truth is, I was in a bit of trouble. At first, I thought it might have been the smokes. Rather stupidly in my early thirties, I'd gone from smoking cigars on ZOOTV into smoking camel cigarettes. But I don't think it was just that. I think I had damaged my voice.

Bono:
You've been fighting with all kinds of fears just to get on stage sometimes. You just don't think you have it in you to hit those hight notes, to visit the places you need to for the songs to come alive.

Elevation Era:
Bono:
My voice problems hadn't gotten any better. There was swelling on my vocal cords, which was not a nodule, and wouldn't go away. I had been seeing specialists but there was some uncertainty about what it was. It was suggested that it was my lifestyle, the smokes, drinking too much, on the phone all the time, never going to bed. I was trying to make changes but it was difficult.............But my voice was not strong, and I knew it. Dr.????? a very gifted ear, nose, throat surgeon, said, "Look, we're going to have to take this seriously. I want to put you out. And when I get down and can really have a good look at this, if I am worried, I need your permission to do the biopsy. I said, biopsy? Isn't that what you give people when you think they have cancer?

I said no way, I can't do it. He said, I just want to go in and have a look with a microscope, I will know within 90 % certainty if it is a cancer. But if I see that, you have to let me operate. So I finally agreed. I didn't tell anyone, not Ali, didn't tell the band, I just went through it on my own. .......................So, I went in to the operating theatre, lay down and they put me out. Next thing I know, I'm half conscious, groggy, and the good doctor comes into view and says, I'll be back in an hurry when you wake up. I just grabbed his arm and shook it, he said your ok your fine!

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

Read through some of this thread. Alot of people have touched on Bono's vocals. One off shows, Bono rarely sings well. So it not surprising.

Here are the factors involved. They are in the studio, so he is using if vocal chords just about everyday they are there. Technical problems, which was obvious also, didnt help the situation. But this is probaby the main reason. It was an event. Other celeb's, people Bono knows, etc. Bono LOVES to talk. Guess what he was probably doing all day long. Its similiar to what happened to him for the Sarajevo show on Popmart. He did interview after interview and met with all kinds of people the day before and the day of that show. His voice just gave out from being tired and stressed all day. I dont think there is anything wrong with his voice though. The Vertigo tour was the strongest his voice has sounded since 1987 IMO.

Blue Room,
My sentiments exactly. IT's a one off show for god's sake we can 't expect his voice to sound pitch perfect considering the circumstances....jeez And as u mentioned he's a TALKER thats for sure. The man is all over the place/jetting across countries and talking his arse off.

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

From the POP era:

Bono:
We wanted to make a sexy, groovey song. And we nearly did. The truth is, I was in a bit of trouble. At first, I thought it might have been the smokes. Rather stupidly in my early thirties, I'd gone from smoking cigars on ZOOTV into smoking camel cigarettes. But I don't think it was just that. I think I had damaged my voice.

Bono:
You've been fighting with all kinds of fears just to get on stage sometimes. You just don't think you have it in you to hit those hight notes, to visit the places you need to for the songs to come alive.

Elevation Era:
Bono:
My voice problems hadn't gotten any better. There was swelling on my vocal cords, which was not a nodule, and wouldn't go away. I had been seeing specialists but there was some uncertainty about what it was. It was suggested that it was my lifestyle, the smokes, drinking too much, on the phone all the time, never going to bed. I was trying to make changes but it was difficult.............But my voice was not strong, and I knew it. Dr.????? a very gifted ear, nose, throat surgeon, said, "Look, we're going to have to take this seriously. I want to put you out. And when I get down and can really have a good look at this, if I am worried, I need your permission to do the biopsy. I said, biopsy? Isn't that what you give people when you think they have cancer?

I said no way, I can't do it. He said, I just want to go in and have a look with a microscope, I will know within 90 % certainty if it is a cancer. But if I see that, you have to let me operate. So I finally agreed. I didn't tell anyone, not Ali, didn't tell the band, I just went through it on my own. .......................So, I went in to the operating theatre, lay down and they put me out. Next thing I know, I'm half conscious, groggy, and the good doctor comes into view and says, I'll be back in an hurry when you wake up. I just grabbed his arm and shook it, he said your ok your fine!

wow JC! where did you get this from?

 

[The_Edge89]

100% live

I'm sorry to say so, but it wasn't a 100% live performance, I couldn't judge from the quality of the youtube clip but it seemed like Larry banged on his drumkit pretty hard while Bono sang over a tape and maybe that's about it.

I don't think there's a way to replicate the "twang" of a Telecaster (the regular Vertigo guitar) on a Les Paul, the same goes for the sound of Streets, but that wasn't part of the question.
I mean, why would Edge take more than thirty different guitars on tour if they sounded (almost) the same anyway?

Compared to the TV Asashi version ( I'm sure that was playback) I'd say they used the same tape here for Vertigo.

So let's say at most 75% live (if Adam did play his bass live)

 

[LemonMelon]

I'm sorry to say so, but it wasn't a 100% live performance, I couldn't judge from the quality of the youtube clip but it seemed like Larry banged on his drumkit pretty hard while Bono sang over a tape and maybe that's about it.

I don't think there's a way to replicate the "twang" of a Telecaster (the regular Vertigo guitar) on a Les Paul, the same goes for the sound of Streets, but that wasn't part of the question.
I mean, why would Edge take more than thirty different guitars on tour if they sounded (almost) the same anyway?

Compared to the TV Asashi version ( I'm sure that was playback) I'd say they used the same tape here for Vertigo.

So let's say at most 75% live (if Adam did play his bass live)

The outro for Vertigo was completely different, Bono's vocals were completely different, and Larry's drumming was also different. Unless they used a tape to fill out the sound, I'm pretty sure it was live. Plus, Adam was really high in the mix during Streets and you could hear him, good and bad, quite clearly. Edge played some different riffs in Streets as well.

Besides, why would they rehearse for an hour if they were just going to lipsynch it?

 

[JCOSTER]

wow JC! where did you get this from?

U2 by U2!!!

 

[silvrlvr]

It was also well past midnight.

 

[U2girl]

Vertigo wasn't all live, hence the different sounding ending on Edge's guitar. Several people on other U2 forums also posted you can hear two guitars in the solo.

 

[ntalwar]

There was probably an extra guitar track at some points, but Edge wasn't playing air guitar during the songs. And how about the guitar check and stray guitar note at the start of Vertigo? The tones sound slightly different from the Fender tones anyway. Snowy White does a pretty good job on a Les Paul of replicating David Gilmour's Fender sound live(on Roger Waters' tour).

 

[Jeannieco]

I totally think his allergies were bothering him. Either that or all the flying around has given him a cold. Flying and travel stress out your immune system.
I think he has a cold or is coming down with one, but whatever.
The sound system wasn't great so it didn't really matter how his voiced sounded now did it?
Overall they did great! It was fun to see Edge jumping up and down during Streets and dodging the camera rigging thing. Did you see that?
It looked like he almost got smacked in the head! ( could have been the angle but it looked pretty close to me) Good reflexes Edge!

 

[riderka]

well, Bono's voice was quite weak and broke, but I think it was because the busy week that he had.. Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, Cannes... all those flights and airconditions in the planes are not good for singers at all. I believe it was because of that.

Or maybe because he was drinking too much the night before...

 

[The_Edge89]

The outro for Vertigo was completely different, Bono's vocals were completely different, and Larry's drumming was also different.

1) I know that, but that outro part is audible on the album too, however not as prominent as in the Tarragona-video for example.
Besides, I can't see Edge's floorboard that controls his sound? It is possible that Dallas took care of that though.
You can see it briefly on the Milan DVD as well as on the Live8 performance.
On the Buenos Aires gig you can clearly see Edge walk back to his floorboard between the "Swinging to the music" part and the 2nd chorus.

Also the very ending with Edge sliding up the guitar neck is on the album version too it doesn't sound like that live.

2) I wasn't saying that Bono lip-synched, read my post again.
Same thing about Larrym he almost made his drumkit fall apart. I'd say that it's hard to fake that don't you think?

Unless they used a tape to fill out the sound, I'm pretty sure it was live.
Plus, Adam was really high in the mix during Streets and you could hear him, good and bad, quite clearly.
Edge played some different riffs in Streets as well.

Besides, why would they rehearse for an hour if they were just going to lipsynch it?

I'm going to take another listen to Streets before I discuss this further, hope you don't mind.
You could very well be right about this.

EDIT: Would you mind pointing out the different parts to me please?
I can't hear any to be honest.