Jon Bon Jovi is getting ripped over his vocals on his band's current tour by critics and fans alike.
Ross Raihala of the Pioneer Press said his vocals were "shockingly poor" on April 3rd at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, adding that he "struggled throughout the two-plus-hour show. He wasn't just butchering the older stuff, which the band now plays in a lower key, but the fresh material as well… Quite frankly, it felt like he had forgotten how to sing."
Théoden Janes of the Charlotte Observer on the April 8th show at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina: "Throughout the band's rendition of 2004 promo single 'The Radio Saved My Life Tonight,' it felt like [Jon] was searching for the right note and only finding it 60 to 70% of the time. During every chorus of mega-hit 'You Give Love a Bad Name', he seemed to unintentionally be singing a little behind the beat, and on top of that, there wasn't much punch to his vocals -- yet he inexplicably seemed somewhat out of breath in spots. On another big anthem -- 'It's My Life' -- he once again was quite clearly veering into and out of key. And those were just three out of the first five songs."
Kevin Coffey for the Omaha World-Herald wrote, "[Jon's] voice's heft, which carried choruses of songs like 'Livin' on a Prayer' and 'It's My Life' is now reedy. He sounds thin. There's not a lot of tone in his voice. He can't quite hit the notes… Luckily for Jon Bon Jovi, he had the help of six additional musicians and their considerable vocal abilities to keep him afloat."
And some fans have also chimed in: