Christine on the new tour... a back up singer?

[Feather Blade]

Did Christine ever stop smoking? It always mystifies me when people who make their living with their voices still smoke.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by Feather Blade

Did Christine ever stop smoking? It always mystifies me when people who make their living with their voices still smoke.

Christine and Stevie made a pact to stop smoking together right before the Dance tour. Stevie hired a voice coach and their pact worked.

[DownOnRodeo]

You know what would have made much more sense (while being equally ridiculous)?

If Stevie had plonked out those five notes on the keyboard, instead of Mike Campbell.

It's her song, and she's a bona fide plonker.
They could even put sticky dots on the keys she had to press.

Actually, how about a xylophone?

[David]

Originally Posted by DownOnRodeo

Actually, how about a xylophone?

How about triggering the part on a workstation module? It's kind of weird to see the grizzly old guitarist saunter over to the board and play a short part every so often. It's like watching Thomas Dolby, surrounded by instrumentation, playing with both hands and feet.

A - C - D - F
D - C - A - G
A - C - D - F
D - C - A - G - A

[DownOnRodeo]

Or replace Mike Campbell with Mike Oldfield.

#tubular_bells

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by DownOnRodeo

Or replace Mike Campbell with Mike Oldfield.

#tubular_bells

Hahahaha!!!

[David]

Christine's suppleness and ability to articulate and navigate the keyboard are compromised by age (it could be chronic pain, too, like arthritis). A gal can't play deftly forever. But she was definitely playing still-fantastic piano in 1997: she played hard triplets in E major with blues grace notes on the "Don't Stop" outro and velvety Fender Rhodes funk on "You Make Loving Fun" with no loss of earlier dynamics or muscle memory. But the years of piano neglect (she admitted she stayed away from the piano after retiring in 1998) coupled with age seem to have eroded her keyboard ability, and it's sadly obvious now.

Songbird last year

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Christine and Stevie made a pact to stop smoking together right before the Dance tour. Stevie hired a voice coach and their pact worked.

Whoa didn’t know that! Cool, thanks.

[AncientQueen]

Maybe Christine did not play during the Ellen Show because she was too nervous. She has a long history with stage fright and she always seemed especially nervous in TV settings, because she can't stay in the shadows. And - unlike some members of the band, she is down-to-earth and probably knows that FM has a lot to prove in the current situation - she certainly does not want to be the one who makes a crucial mistake. I highly doubt that the band is democratic and forgiving right now, espcecially towards the parea who toured solo with LB just last summer.

Of course I do not know how Christine feels in the band nowadays, I'm just speculating.