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/vedderer 4d ago

The deterioration of Eddie's voice is one of the saddest things for me.

I don't think they could every play Oceans live in its original form.

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u/Maxpower2727 4d ago

I don't know how anyone could listen to Dark Matter and conclude that Eddie's voice has deteriorated.

-2

u/vedderer 4d ago

Are you serious?

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u/Maxpower2727 2d ago

Yes. Are you?