I'm not sure it's entirely down to age. I think a lot of it is on Lindsey, and his need for trying to recreate studio perfection on stage.
There's a meaningful difference between recording in a studio and performing live. He's always been partial to the studio experience. Not to say he never enjoyed performing because I'd have to assume he did or he wouldn't have made a career of it, but in my opinion he didn't really come into his own as a performer until several albums into his solo career. His performances for his first two solo albums were a bit shaky when compared to his comfort now with being the center of attention onstage. In the early early days with BN clearly she was more comfortable in the spotlight and knew how to "entertain" whereas he was better at producing. Now he's become a tremendous entertainer and performer in his own right. But he still seems to bring a studio mentality to the stage. I've never understood FM's need for such elaborate rehearsals before every tour, especially as the years, no--the DECADES wore on, and they were still doing the same songs. Why so much rehearsal? I think it comes down to him, and wanting it to sound closer to the recordings. Surely the 3 Brits,coming from a blues background, are more comfortable playing more loosely.
Now that they're older I think the worn out voices and not being able to hit all the high notes of one's youth are just another layer on top of that.
The concerning thing isn't so much that they are relying on some tweaks here and there, it's that it has become SOOOOOO obvious on this tour, and where will it end as they get even older??
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