Vegas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Little Nicki]

Originally Posted by The Tower

"Landslide" is still played in its original key of E flat. On the Tusk tour, she raised the key to G, because her voice was so thrashed she couldn't hit the low notes.

Ya got me there. I don't actually own the white album, so I was going by old (probably tusk tour!) bootlegs I had heard that were much higher, assuming that was the original key.

Originally Posted by The Tower

"Beautiful Child" was played live in its original key of C.

Incorrect! For all I know she may have done in in C at some point, but on Live in Boston and with the orchestra it was a half step down. Lindsey was playing a guitar that was tuned down, so he was playing what looked like a C chord, but he was fooling you!

Originally Posted by The Tower

Changing keys isn't as easy as it sounds (no pun intended). Changing keys to odd intervals can make the song sound completely different, even if it's just a half step. Oddly enough, changing the key of a song by a half step in a lot of cases drastically alters the way the song "sounds".

I think that artists should always avoid changing keys, unless it is for a complete change of the artistic landscape of the song (like when Joni Mitchell reworked her tunes for an orchestra). If one is just changing the key because they can't (or don't want to) sing the higher (or lower) notes, then don't bother.

Hence my "preserving the music the way it was and should be" comment. Though it's not at all hard to do, it just makes it sound different. Anybody can push the transpose button on a keyboard or tune the guitar down. And since you didn't even notice that Beautiful Child was tuned down, it goes to show it can be done quite successfully!

[ontheEdgeof17]

Well, I wonder how the show went last night?

[The Tower]

Originally Posted by Little Nicki

Incorrect! For all I know she may have done in in C at some point, but on Live in Boston and with the orchestra it was a half step down. Lindsey was playing a guitar that was tuned down, so he was playing what looked like a C chord, but he was fooling you!

I'm gonna take another listen. If I am wrong, I will admit it!

Hence my "preserving the music the way it was and should be" comment. Though it's not at all hard to do, it just makes it sound different. Anybody can push the transpose button on a keyboard or tune the guitar down.

I always hated having to transpose a key where it required tuning down my guitar strings (much prefer capoing).

And since you didn't even notice that Beautiful Child was tuned down, it goes to show it can be done quite successfully!

We shall see, my dear! Sometimes key changes "click" and other times they don't.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by Little Nicki

Incorrect! For all I know she may have done in in C at some point, but on Live in Boston and with the orchestra it was a half step down. Lindsey was playing a guitar that was tuned down, so he was playing what looked like a C chord, but he was fooling you!

I suspect that much of the SYW setlist was played a half-step lower. "The Chain" tuning is E-flat (instead of E), so I would imagine that much of the rest of the set was lowered accordingly. However, oddly enough, on the last leg of the tour "Say You Will" was bumped up by at least a whole step, as was "Destiny Rules" on the first leg. Surprisingly, one of the hardest songs to sing, "Don't Stop," was not lowered in key; however, Stevie does take the lower harmony on the "yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone" part of the chorus.

Anyway, after looking at the tour dates, 19 shows in 31 days, I would say this is the most hectic solo touring schedule that Mama has ever been on. And there is that three-nights-in-a-row stretch toward the end. This leads me to believe that Mama will be holding back a lot more than usual just so that she will have a voice for the next night and the night after that, etc.

[Rickypt]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

No offense, but the major flaw in that argument is... if Stevie isn't worried about the fact that she's lowered the key on every other song she sings on stage, why would she worry about lowering it on any of the others? It's not like she's desperately hiding the fact that her voice has changed over the years. All she has to do is open her mouth, and anyone who isn't completely deaf can hear that.
Hell, by that logic, she'd be better off sticking only to songs she's recorded over the past 15 years, since they're already in her lower register and the difference between the live performance and the studio recording wouldn't be so noticeable.

Here's a question for everyone... since the point was made about how low she sings "Stop Draggin'" now... would you rather she sing your favorite rarely-played/never-before-played song in a markedly lower key or not at all?

That's not asked in a snarky way, it's an honest question.

For example, if she sings "Storms" but has to lower it to a range that's not as demanding on her voice night after night, would it still be cool to hear, or would it diminish enjoyment of the song? How about "I Can't Wait" slowed down a little and sung deeper?

Yes, I would rather she sing rarely/never played songs even if she has to totally rework them or even if she butchers them.

[Little Nicki]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

"The Chain" tuning is E-flat (instead of E)

Actually it was in D, as it has been since at least 1997.

[Rickypt]

Originally Posted by ontheEdgeof17

Well, I wonder how the show went last night?

I don't think they're going to tell us because they know we will all erupt in Stevie setlist bashing all over again.

[BlackWidow]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

There are songs that she can still sing in the original key. Beautiful Child and BATB are two examples. I think she could still pull off Storms in the original key. There are a whole list of them. She could still sing Bella Donna, Angel and pretty much anything from Street Angel. We can pretty much forget about hearing anything from Rock A Little with the exception of HAEWAFY. She could still sing Desert Angel, I think. So there you go.

^^^^^
TRUE DAT!

[sodascouts]

Well, I'll be brave and go ahead and say that the show last night was also great, although I think it wasn't quite as good as Tuesday night vocally. She did dance more, though - a couple additional kicks. She did a very sexy, extended sway/dance during How Still My Love, and I thought Edge of Seventeen last night was even better than the night before. She's got her howl back in full swing, for that and GDW, which delighted the audience.

Gold Dust Woman and Dreams switched places in the setlist. I think it worked well. Dreams is the Mac's biggest hit and, while GDW is also famous, it takes it a bit longer to pick up speed. Having Dreams second after Stand Back keeps the energy up for longer.

[BlackWidow]

Originally Posted by estranged4life

I felt the need to laugh today, so I think it's time to rename Stevie's song in the Vegas setlist:

New Intro ("Earache My Eye"-Alice Bowie)
Stand Back (Same ol setlist alert)
Goldust Vegas Casino Woman
If Anyone Falls for Me Changing Up the Setlist
Stop Dragging this Song Around In a Different Key
Dreams of a Different Setlist Nightly
Enchanted with the Same ol' Same ol'
Rhiannon (Birds of a Feather Flock Together)
I Need to Know If I Can Do a Different Song
Landslide of the Apparent Hits
Sorcerer Make those Ledgies Gimme their $$$$
Fall From Originality
How Still My Love for the same ol' Setlist
Edge of Seventeen Songs Played on tour since 1983
-------------------------------
(Encore break to change Depends and count how much $$$ I made from the Vegas rubes)
Rock and Roll (Led Zep My Band Aint)
Beauty and the Tired ol' Beast

There, mission accomplished - Yet another thread killed

[Rickypt]

Originally Posted by sodascouts

Well, I'll be brave and go ahead and say that the show last night was also great, although I think it wasn't quite as good as Tuesday night vocally. She did dance more, though - a couple additional kicks. She did a very sexy, extended sway/dance during How Still My Love, and I thought Edge of Seventeen last night was even better than the night before. She's got her howl back in full swing, for that and GDW, which delighted the audience.

Gold Dust Woman and Dreams switched places in the setlist. I think it worked well. Dreams is the Mac's biggest hit and, while GDW is also famous, it takes it a bit longer to pick up speed. Having Dreams second after Stand Back keeps the energy up for longer.

How does the SB opener work? Is there a long percussion intro before she comes on stage?

[BlackWidow]

Originally Posted by Rickypt

How does the SB opener work? Is there a long percussion intro before she comes on stage?

A good kick off song..I am STILL in SHOCK she is doing it as an opener!!!
It takes her sooooo long to warm up..I can't imagine any spining at the top of her show..I suspect that is why she did that too.

[GODDESS6]

Originally Posted by sodascouts

Well, I'll be brave and go ahead and say that the show last night was also great, although I think it wasn't quite as good as Tuesday night vocally. She did dance more, though - a couple additional kicks. She did a very sexy, extended sway/dance during How Still My Love, and I thought Edge of Seventeen last night was even better than the night before. She's got her howl back in full swing, for that and GDW, which delighted the audience.

Gold Dust Woman and Dreams switched places in the setlist. I think it worked well. Dreams is the Mac's biggest hit and, while GDW is also famous, it takes it a bit longer to pick up speed. Having Dreams second after Stand Back keeps the energy up for longer.

glad you had fun again nancy & let me welcome you back, i have misssed ya!!!~

[strandinthewind]

Thanks for the post Nancy!!!!!

[Beachwood Mac]

Originally Posted by Rickypt

How does the SB opener work? Is there a long percussion intro before she comes on stage?

Not sure about last night but Tuesday's was not as long as the regular Standback intro when it's later in the set. And she does it without her shawl. But she did her twirls with her boots on.

And another added observation from Tuesday. The Stevie look alikes are getting too old to dress like Stevie. WAY TOO OLD! And to the lady Tuesday night with the flowing skirt just like Stevie's... I don't think the back is supposed to be tucked in to your pantyhose showing your ass to everyone behind you. Just a suggestion