pretty sure he quit smoking. His vocal cords aren't 'shot' people. I know it sucks to listen to him struggling and whining but he's a remarkable singer with a remarkable voice. He's a better singer than he was 20 years ago, well, technically. Thing is, we don't want a singing coach onstage, we want the good ol' John Francis Bongiovi with long hair and earrings singing These Days like a rock god. It ain't gonna happen. He's probably the only one to blame for losing his old vocal abilities but what d'you wanna do now ? Blame the shit of out him ? Old(er) age has come to pass and even though he looks younger than a regular 52 year old, his voice shows signs of abuse. Not everyone can be like Macca or Bruce.

He could, however, perform certain songs in a different key (other than a half step down).

You can't really believe he's a better singer today than he was in 1994. I just...that has to be a trollbait remark right?

The I'm with Youuuuuuuu part after the chorus. He sings the high melody on the record and then gives himself the lower one live. I really like the lower one, it gives the song such a moodier feel.

Well, the way the recording sounds makes you wonder if he's only ever sung the low version and the high melody was constructed in the studio by using Melodyne or some other tool. Sounds way too artificial to me...

I actually agree with everything stated in that post. He actually sings the right way on a technical level but his range is shot and tone is limited.

Smoking is not a factor at all. It's years and years of vocal abuse combined with age. It finally caught up with him. It's like playing football with a damaged knee for 30 years and then expecting it to be perfect when you're 50

Smoking definitely played a big role in him losing his "original" voice as well. Yeah, age is a major factor, no doubt about that. But we all know from various interviews that were done during that era that he started smoking heavily on the set of The Leading Man - out of boredom! Sure he had been enjoying the occasional cigarette before, but it became a true addiction at that time. And you noticed it in 1996. Sure he still hit the high notes, but it became obvious how much thinner his voice had gotten in comparison to 1995. Age couldn't have done that in a few months - smoking did. Just listen to Always from Wembley or Pittsburgh and then search for a 1996 performance.

I also don't agree about his technique improving. It's just different. Since he had pretty much use of his full vocal range 20 years ago his way of approaching certain notes and songs wasn't the same - but he took a lot of vocal lessons back then and certainly had acquired a solid technique to master those long live shows. Keep in mind that the set 20 years ago contained a lot more songs that were vocally demanding than they do nowadays. As soon as he realized that he couldn't go for the notes anymore (around the HAND tour) he adapted a different singing style (by e.g. using his "fish mouth technique") to push the maximum out of what was left of his range. He had a good ride with it for about 3 years, but I think it demanded even more of his chords than before (since he seemed to be "pushing" the notes more and more) and killed the rest of what he had left vocally.

I don't know who Macca is but as far as Bruce goes, he does not have the same vocals that he once did either. His tone has changed and his songs were never as vocally demanding as Jons.

If Jon had more back songs like Sleep and Sat Night, we probably wouldn't be as hard on him as we are now.

I still think Jon has enough left in him for another 10 to 12 years.

We'll get more acoustic type of shows like the most recent fan club event.

Ever heard of the Beatles?

And yes, Springsteens voice has changed, but he can still sing everything he's ever recorded and sound good. And he can do over 4 hour gigs and sound great up until the end. And scream like he used to. Jon can't.

Huh? Saturday Night is one of the most demanding songs to sing that Bon Jovi play these days. Sleep also has pretty high notes for Jon's today-voice. It's right up there where he can pull it off on a good day, but he needs to concentrate.

Ice

Yes

Let's not get carried away. He doesn't do 4 hour gigs. He has but not regularly. He's a raspy singer so that's why he could still sing his songs. I've heard Jon do wonders to Bruce songs but did you ever hear Bruce sing a Jovi song? The few that's he tried were a complete mess. He can't even come close to hitting those notes. Bruce will play it off like he don't know the song but in reality, he's just using that as an excuse.

No Way! That song don't even compare to a Prayer, Always, Bad Name, etc on a vocal level. Not even close. If so, which parts?