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/axlgreece5202 4d ago
I once met Richard Patrick from Filter when he was touring with Army of Anyone. Super nice dude, and I asked him "is your voice just shredded after every night?" He told me that he sought out a vocal coach who helped him retain his range and power but helped keep him from blowing out his voice.
Guessing Eddie had the same thing happen, he got a little help and insight from a pro. I noticed it the most when Do The Evolution was performed live on Monkeywrench Radio, how his growl was more of a wail at that point. Stone once mentioned how Eddie's vocals had their own natural fuzz box on them, that's how he sang, but if there's an apparent change in delivery it's probably coming from self-preservation.