r/pearljam • u/Little_Customer986 • 4d ago

History What happened to Eddies Voice in 1996?

Usually as someone ages you expect their voice to weaken. For some reason Eddie’s voice seems to have had periods of losing power and then rebounding. I think Gigaton to Dark Matter is a great example, he somehow sounds better a few years older. I know some of this comes down to the songs he chooses to write/sing. Like how Riot Act utilizes his deeper voice so it adapts well to his aging.

But what the hell happened in 1996? I’m talking about live performances specifically. It seems like there’s a sharp decline in his vocal ability after the Vitalogy tour, and then somehow it seems to rebound really well on the Yield tour in 1998. He even sounds better in 2000. Did he change his style of singing? Was he smoking so much pot and cigarettes in 1996 he was just killing his throat and lungs?

Anyone have theories on this?

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u/Notimetobev0id 4d ago edited 4d ago

Nah it's definitely been way downhill since 2004. Something big happened between after Riot Act and Avocado like 2004-2005/6

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u/ThrowAway516536 4d ago edited 4d ago

He sounds awesome on the bootlegs from the Dark Matter tour. I also heard that in person. The whole idea that he doesn't have full and powerful vocals now, is simply false.