Learning to Live High Note: Can James Hit It?

Thanks everyone for getting this video to 3000 views! Hey everyone this is my new series that is going to take place of James Labrie High Notes 3. I hope you all enjoy the video. Sorry for not having something in between 2004 and 2011 I couldn't find any in those seven years, haha!
Music by Kevin Macleod

[@BroodingPeeps]

Press F# to pay respects

[@PETSOKOFTIS]

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[@abrahamrodrigues1049]

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[@deepenwadhwa4027]

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[@pramanishsharmabordoloi4784]

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[@martyfriedman1881]

F#

[@TheOvermaster]

Honestly? I respect when he knows enough about his singing to not go for the note on a particular night. Shit is hard.

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

Totally! James knows what feels right and overall that's really what matters the most.

[@qwantinmoe6215]

Is it just me who squeals internally in pleasure every time he hits it?

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

Qwantin Moe You are most certainly NOT the only one that does that, haha!

[@ejdisavowed4856]

Yeaaaaahhhh

[@BM-uf4pp]

That's what she said

[@piacomispl2023]

If I could hit a note like that I would feel immense pleasure every time

[@mishashtender9836]

BRO SAME

[@AJPMUSIC_OFFICIAL]

F#5 is a high note and in a chest voice its superhuman! In some shows he out performs the studio version. To perform it after 3 hours of show and 40 shows of tour is amazing. Respect for being humble enough to change it when it isnt there. I think James said the early 2000s is when he had the most trouble with his voice so makes sense he was struggling then. They could always tune a step down or two to make it easier live these days.

[@anzekos429]

its not chest but mix, but still very impressive

[@somberone8259]

He's just a human, so he doesnt hit it perfectly everytime, but he tries hard and does it very well often :)

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

Very True!

[@raichu7187]

Especially with the food poisoning

[@amali9044]

@@raichu7187 it was mostly because of the cortisone injections he would use in order to keep performing well when his voice was in distraught. He admits to doing this many times in his early career. and when he had food poisoning it wasn’t the throwing up that hurt his voice, it was the fact that he went on tour days later when he needed to let his voice recover from all the acidity from the vomit.

[@joefraser3380]

It usually depends on what kind of shape a Vocalist's voice is on that particular show. Unfortunately, unlike Guitar, Bass, Drums and other instruments, a Singers voice is a part of their body, therefore is affected more by fatigue, illness, age and over use. If you're playing a 3 hour set of insanely difficult songs every night of a tour then it's going to take it's toll on your body, especially for Singers. Remember, you only have one set of vocal chords, so if you damage them too much on tour the consequence could be dire. The fact that LaBrie recovered as well as he did after rupturing his vocals is something that should be commended, because thats something could've ended his career.

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

Indeed! I think people are waaaay too hard on him.

[@MB-wv6sg]

There’s a bit of a hate campaign against James which I think is unfair.

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

I absolutely agree. With everything that he's gone through, I think he's remarkable.

[@zedddddful]

I don't understand it fair enough if you don't like his voice but nobody is forcing them to listen to dream theater plenty of other bands out there.

[@ZeFrenchiestFry69420]

Man, I dont know anything about a hate campaign. These were fuckin' awesome. Sure, maybe hes gone downhill, but in '93 he was the greatest vocalist EVER. I'd like to see anyone tour with DT for 30 years, singing like that, and come out the other end still able to even speak.

[@maurihaara1821]

Last year here in Finland he was struggling a lot with the show in overall, but he managed to hit this note and that was the highlight of the night!

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

Yeah he still seems to manage to hit THAT note, but he's definitely been struggling live.

[@feralkitty9378]

Yeah im sure James would be alright not playing anything from Images and Words for a show.

[@zedddddful]

I like how he always paces in a circle before hitting that part working himself up to it.

[@crzyskater123]

I feel he can as long as he takes care of his voice. Legendary vocalist!

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

Totally agree!!

[@ARxXXxAR]

In 1994 he ruptured his vocal cords and according to him, he only started to feel like his voice is back to normal in 2002, hence why in the video from 1993 he sang it perfectly, in 2000 and 2002 he couldn't sing the highest notes and in 2004 you can see that he got much better.

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

Yeah that is true! I have heard that he actually ruined his vocal cords a second time in 2000 after the extensive touring of "Scenes From A Memory." The three hour shows really messed his vocal cords up for a SECOND TIME! Thanks for the comment!

[@911copcar]

He did the F#5 in '95 and '97

[@911copcar]

And also 2003

[@911copcar]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYK3kKiOasyAn9k kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqS5qYSumJh0ebc kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJS9Xpd-bLRmhLs

[@woodenhoe]

+911copcar video removed :( edit: i found a video where he hits the f# in 1995 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGKTqKqEpcabn8kh13m57s

[@Docksidestudio1]

Interesting that he was substituting the high notes around 2000-2002. It was just prior to the Train of Thought album (2003) that James was given an ultimatum by JP and MP... shape up or ship out. He started going to the gym, losing weight and really looking after his voice again. it paid off as by 2005 he was screaming the ending of Octavarium!

[@ianpringle630]

He can still go there when he needs to. He missed it in the Scenes From New York show because I think that was the encore of a 4-hour set and his voice was basically done for the night, but he's hit it many times since then, including when they played Images & Words live for its anniversary.

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

+Ian Pringle Yeah he can definitely still do it! I believe you're right about Scenes From New York. I'll have to check the Images & Words live anniversary. Thanks for letting me know about it!

[@squidwardstesticles5914]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t they downtune their instruments to help him out for that tour?

[@crzyskater123]

@@squidwardstesticles5914 yeah I believe they tuned down a half step

[@zedddddful]

4 hours holy shit that's brutal.

[@julioluiz]

James is an absolute legend. '93 clip gives me instant goosepimples!

[@malawigw]

agree, best DT show ever! legendary

[@T1hitsTheHighestNote]

In these examples, when he wants to hit that F#, he nails it. Depending on the night, the place of the song in the setlist, where on the tour, he is entitled to ad lib that vocal line to fit his current shape of that particular performance.

[@JohnMusicSon]

I think, the times that he doesnt hit the hight F#, he atleast knows that in the moment he wont be able to hit it, so resorts to a lower key. A smart vocalist will test their voice before they shoot for the high, to gauge whether or not they can hit the high ones! All in all, anytime he kits it, it gives me the chills!

[@jaspergillgannon4991]

Interesting how he went from nailing it, to copping out, to nailing it again

[@jodupher5925]

Damn! I didn't expect the later ones after 2002. Respect.

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

For sure! I was shocked myself when he actually did it!

[@BoundInChains]

Would cheer/applaud like crazy if I were to witness it.

[@thalesprotazio]

Early 90’s labrie was a beast

[@FirebrandVOCALS]

Only vocalist that sing live will understand that there are days when the voice will Smoke on all cylinders and days when it will smoke on only a few cylinders. The voice is a fickle instrument - Steve Perry -

[@DonovanMusicant]

seen him live this year and he hit the f instead of the F# cuz they did the show a half step lower, but still amazing

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

Sweet, gonna have to check it out on YT!

[@queencrimson9604]

Can someone tell me what‘s the difference? 🙈

[@julioluiz]

@@queencrimson9604 They drop the tuning to make it more comfortable for the vocalist to sing, but since it was just half step down, it is still insanely high and difficult, so not much difference.

[@queencrimson9604]

Júlio Luiz thank you 😊

[@asukalangleysoryu6695]

@@queencrimson9604 Learn music

[@RecentlyDiscovered]

He switched a while back to hitting the F# in head voice, so he's able to do it pretty consistently. The C# (last note of the second phrase) is usually more dicey since he does that in full chest voice (though perhaps he's switched that recently too)

[@cantputmyrealname5195]

The first one is just chilling

[@HalenShredder]

THAT ALLENTOWN ONE.

[@u.v.s.5583]

This is like watching Shaq O'Neal hitting freethrows. He hits some, he misses some.

[@peterstar2023]

Sounds good to me.

[@lopolik]

He can hit it, and he did many times. But there were also times that he did not hit it (Live in New York he didn't quite hit it, and I also heard a version from the booklet Old Bridge, New Jersey 12/14/96, which is probably the worst, James didn't even try to hit it, and John just played the guitar solo) .. but that being said James is still my most favorite vocalist!! I do love his best years (1991-1995) where he hit the high notes a lot :) But nowadays he is getting better and can still hit the high notes.

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

+Joseph Machon I totally agree! I've seen some recent performances and he has improved immensely since just a few years ago. I don't think I've ever heard the Old Bridge 96' performance but I've seen other performances from 96' and almost all of them are pretty rough. But while searching for the performance that you mentioned I happened to find a performance that was from 98', I believe it was from the 5 Years In A Livetime DVD. Even though he didn't do the F#, he did do some other really powerful notes that weren't there in the original. The video also had the "Crimson Sunset" section from A Change of Seasons and it was INSANE! Thanks for commenting, I really appreciate it! Learning To Live/A Change of Seasons performance: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5DEZaeZja-Miqs

[@lopolik]

+mrphillipbuzz Thanks for this video from 5 years in a lifetime.. It's great. I only heard the similar version from the live album Once in a livetime (maybe its the same). And I have to say that James Labrie's best performances for me are in 'New York City 3/4/93' , Tokyo, Japan 10/28/95, and of course live at the marquee.. Basically his early years, but I love his singing in the Happy Holidays live album, and the recent ones. The only album where James sounded weak was the booklet Los Angeles, California 5/18/98.

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

Yeah, all those performances you listed are killer! He was definitely in his prime around 93' but he has definitely put on some awesome performances recently such as Score, Live at Luna Park, and Breaking the Fourth Wall! I've heard some of the Happy Holidays live album and it is awesome!

[@lopolik]

+mrphillipbuzz Oh yes.. Especially As I Am from happy holidays, James really screams there! :)

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

Sweet, i'll have to check out As I Am!

[@nobdydoh4263]

Bucharest in 2002, same copout he used in "Live Scenes..." 😐 Seems to me, it comes and goes. Monterrey two years later, not too bad.

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

庭わたなべ Yeah I can't stand it when he doesn't even try.

[@krzysieksalapa]

Yes, He fucking Can!!! And if He can't, it's just because he feel that he can screw and decide not to take as risk It's fucking HIGH!!

[@AlexVerdugoOFICIAL]

Yes he could. We can say it, its a Hard one note.

[@markobighead3173]

I think the reason he didn't hit it for Metropolis Live is precisely because they knew it was being recorded for an album. It would've soured a commercial release if he had gone for it and missed, so he played it safe. As this video shows, he hit the note plenty of times over the following 10 years.

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

Definitely. He probably just wasnt feeling it when he was building up to it that night

[@SummerboyMusic]

Great post! I've been wondering about this...

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

+SummerboyMusic Thanks Man!

[@chrisklecker]

Yeah... he hit them. Not as strong as the first one, but he hit them.

[@matheusfernandes5690]

Damn you food poisoning

[@Pedro-rj1ie]

Yes!!!!!

[@kerimcabbar7159]

yes he can. sometimes at least...

[@gabrielbarblay8120]

What happened to him on the early 2000’s? Is like his voice got tired so fast

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

He blew his voice out again in 1999 after the extensive touring and long shows, I assume that's why

[@lfeercorrea]

he probably does, but i think that's too much expensive to his voice at 54 years old (i think) after some nights in a row

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

Yeah for sure. With his age, I think they need to slow down on the amount of shows they do 😂

[@Barteraddy]

Fuck yes he hit it…several times.

[@jacobsl3499]

Do I think he can hit the notes? It's fairly simple, he obviously can. Sometimes he does, and sometimes he doesn't´t. Just listen to the video and see for yourself!

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

He definitely can! It is always a matter of if he's having a good day or not!

[@halotv4842]

This girl is a good singer. Who is she??

[@roccofrancescovasile6609]

James labrie è in numero 1 in ogni caso... ❤️😍

[@rayman7766]

Monterrey 2004 is correct.

[@BrianGreeneRAD]

Germany ‘93 was better than studio version

[@noeraccoustic7947]

How much does octave sound?

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

What do you mean?

[@noeraccoustic7947]

You know what '? How high is the vote of James labrie?

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

@@noeraccoustic7947 In the original, it's an F#5. I'm not sure if he's actually hitting that note in every clip tho

[@noeraccoustic7947]

Waw it's cool man 🤩

[@bjornleifeld9023]

why complaining? try it first

[@AkiSterling]

NO xD

[@PLATOON72]

Ordinary notes for Helloween's Kieske.

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

This video isn't debating whether or not James is "the best vocalist on the planet" or not. It is simply to compare how his voice has changed over the years.

[@felipperodrigues8448]

U must be joking. Kiske just did falsetto at his better ages,never did some drive n never did a F# ,never. I just don't have to say that he's fat n can't sing nothing nowadays .😂😂😂💩💩

[@elculiaodelosjudaspriest]

@@felipperodrigues8448 calla cagada

[@GeneralMiller92FIN]

Nowadays he can't even hit the first note.

[@FirstLast-cd6vv]

Pre-recorded F# and Pro Tools live.

[@MrPhillipBuzz]

Sorry it took me so long to respond, I didn't get a notification about your comment. But anyways, whaddaya mean?

[@jaspergillgannon4991]

Dude that Allentown version is as real as ever. You can hear it, that ain't fake

[@frankv.6050]

Well, now we know he lip syncs, so no, he cant hit it.