hear, hear DF

Regarding that, they just ought to switch the setlist to songs Rob CAN still nail. All the Painkiller fans, I'm sorry, but I'd rather have the Metal God shining in a lower range than seeing him doubled over, killing himself to give us a raspy, barely held screeched Painkiller. Bring in Victim of Changes! Beyond the Realms of Death! They are more suited to his voice now, and have only the occasional scream to which I think he is still capable of adapting. Island of Domination would rock on stage, imo. There are just so MANY good Priest songs that would be killer on stage that Rob can still pull off, why insist on ruining his voice further for the sake of ONE song?


Personally I'd be even more radical and utterly BAN the Painkiller album (for the same reasons as mentioned above) and have him bet on the pre '88 (Ram it Down for all you 100% fans with the albums on your hard drives taken from some crappy spanish blog)

		Deep Freeze wrote:
		I find the discussion regarding Rob's voice most interesting. Everyone here that really knows me is well aware that I am a huge fan and love Rob. He is a master at his craft. Having said this, I have to be very honest about something that I see mentioned more often than not; the "high" notes. Rob Halford is THE Metal God. But Rob is NOT the Rob of twenty years ago, period. I have been to many shows, seen the DVDs and bootlegs and heard the outakes and I am telling you, he does not hit the same note on Painkiller that he did in '90 or '91. It may be loud. It may be piercing. It may be FAR better than me or nearly anyone on the planet will ever be able to do but it is NOT the same note he used on the album or managed to hit many years ago. It's just not. I have read countless posts regarding the "great" shows many of us have seen recently and I see the constant assertions that Rob "hit every note" or was "just like he used to be".... Baloney. He cannot hit that note anymore. He cannot. Further, he has not for MANY years. I fear most of us are simply hearing him through the ears of the devoted fan.  And there is nothing wrong with that. Priest gigs are still awesome. The songs are incredible and the guys are fantastic. I love them all and I believe I am as true a fan as there is on earth but there are things that Rob just cannot do in the same way anymore. Singing Painkiller is clearly one of them. He can sing the song, but it is NOT the same as the album. All the wishful thinking and  glowing commentary on earth cannot change nature. We age. We ALL age. And with that age comes the deterioration of some of our natural talents. Sports figures, singers, dancers...all things physical. That is part of life. In all honesty, Rob still knows his craft well and performs better than most in the field, including those younger than he. He is true genius. However, he is not what he was.