Why does Don Dokken continue to tour when his voice is 100% shot? Does he need the money?  

He looks awfully bored up on stage. I can't imagine being even more bored sitting at home, but who knows.

@@thebaldshredder He just doesn’t take care of himself. Or his voice. He hasn’t for years. look at Mickey Thomas. He’s in his early 70s, and he still sounds amazing. It’s because he takes care of himself. Vince Neil is 61, and he doesn’t take care of myself, he sounds like shit too. Tony Harnell, takes care of them self and he still sounds great. So does Michael Sweet, Even recently, Geoff Tate has been sounding really good!

@@TarynnElizabeth619 sammy hagar

@@jeffdubuque3755 His voice is OK. But it’s not as good as it was. Definitely a lot better than some guys his age, about the same as David Coverdale . Mickey Thomas still has the best voice of the guys in the 70’s.

@@TarynnElizabeth619 a lot better then coverdale/

Yes, very sadly.

Don's voice has been done for more than 20 years, folks hearing is blinded.

@@danielfair4675 Agree you can hear his vocal decline as far back as 1999 on "Erase the Slate" with Reb Beach on guitar ! But it was 100 times better then now ...

All that screaming has a price. Bon Jovi and Paul McCartney are good evidence.

@@lionheartroar3104 That's true, combined with getting older, etc. The thing is if singers can hit those high notes and cool screams, they're going to do it. Gotta go for the brass ring when you are young and capable of certain things.

Same! Saw him in jersey! Mick was still in the band

Same, its hard when he tries so hard to get that range he once had, but still much respect for him and his life, well he is a legend! I sing these songs every time i get asked to and people like it, still will never be a Don Dokken, much respect to this great legend.

I think people still go see him because they know they will have to sing for him and people like that part.

80s Dokken was top notch.

@@thebaldshredder dude , this isn't necessary, everyone knows he's a cancer survivor and got messed up bad from a back surgery. He's a hero and you are a nobody. Your overdramatization is pure cheeze and disrespectful. If you really loved rock you wouldn't be trying to capitalize on Mr. DOKKEN's misfortune. We can all see for ourselfs what is going on and we don't need some drama queen to tell us in exxaggerated style. The real story is that MR. DOKKEN is a total hero, legend and warrior to go out in the midst of these struggles and I don't care if he's doing it for financial or personal reasons. Mr. DOKKEN IMO is one of the coolest guys in rock, ever that wrote some of the greatest rock songs and that worked hard to make it in a tough industry and was robbed by cirsumstannces of the fame he really deserved. I know there a lot of G. Lynch fawns out there and I respect his playing but, though he has matured was a total premadona ego freak to the point it broke Don's will to continue with him at the cusp of massive acceptance. The stories are all out there. Fronting a band well is the hardest job. Don's voice what great and original and wasn't a typical R.Plant copycat and he wrote great songs that people still want to hear and new people are picking up every day. G.Lynch probably would have gone nowhere if it wasn't for Don (in spite of his great skills) Don, the fact is, he is still around and that in itself is a blessing and shows the enduring qualityh of his music and his love for the business. On top of that I have seen some improvement in a more recent video. The fact is, you don't have to listen or go to his shows and making a video on this topic is fine but show some respect for a rock and roll legend that neverr got his full squeeze and is doing what he wants---- and BTW, DON said all the people on the net talking shit on him can "kiss my ass" and I agree. Please take this video down - it really makes me sick. From an OG DOKKEN fan from their first LP on vinyl.

What does that even mean?????

​@@randalclarke5487exactly what they said he's a legend

@@randalclarke5487it’s copium. I like Dokken and I think they should play gigs as long as they want to and there are still people who will buy a ticket, but legends they are not lol. The term is overused to the point of being meaningless. Did dokken even have a top 10 single or top 10 album? Good band… was an opening act even at the peak of their popularity.

True. And if you go to see one of your favorite bands from your youth, and expect the same performance from back in the day, your the problem, Pinot the band members.

He was a producer before he was a singer. He should consider going back to producing or perhaps he could write songs for other groups. Music history is loaded with artists who wrote songs for others, even while they were still popular themselves. I'm saddened by the decline in his voice but one thing he should stop doing, and it MAY HELP him get his voice back, is to quit smoking especially since he battled cancer. Either way, I'm praying for him and wish him the best. 🤲

I totally agree 👍 with you maybe he is not the singer he used to be but their is still alot of fans that would love to see them me included

Feel the same way. Seen then twice in the last year. The new band, although certainly not Lynch & Co. held their own and were awesome to say the least. And their melodies made up for the loss of Don’s voice. I will say I admire him for still getting up there, despite all the flack, and giving it his best shot. Can’t say that I blame him…

Clear Lake IA IS where music died right?

Regardless Don should feel blessed he is still able to do so .

Don has zero stage presence..

Tickets should be free. This old, fat, cantankerous, apathetic, non singing buffoon is an embarrassment to himself and all that have and will witness the horse shite. I don't expect him to sing like he used to, but I damn sure don't expect him to mumble his way through a set like a drunk crooner wannabe. Damn this dude was good.......a while ago.

I 100 percent agree I would go also

@@Remco96187 Steven Tyler sounds the same

Steven Tyler sounds the same

The bass player does a LOT of singing in the live shows. He's singing all the high parts.

Yeah he’s got some serious talent

I was at that show, Don left to piss lol

Agreed... Chris McCarvill kills it on backing vocals. He's got the chops.

Well like I said, I think it's a different experience when you are in the crowd, music blasting, adrenaline pumping, etc. For sure that's going to be more enjoyable than watching on RU-vid, and you're less likely to notice if his singing is not great. Anyway, I'm glad you had a blast. I've met Don a couple of times and he was super cool.

I had the same experience as you. Band were on fire, the music was great, Don was clearly enjoying himself... Had a great time... can't wait to see them again.

Weird, I heard him live last year and his voice was fine, and what do you mean George hasn't lost a beat? Have you seen side by sides of him in his prime and trying to play his solos now? They've both lost a beat but they can both still do what they do

@@spartansquid5931 are YOU the same as when you were in your "prime", whenever that was......

@@stratrat57 No one stays the same as in their prime, you went out of your way to talk about George as if he still is though.

It's also called retiring, which most people his age have done.

@@thebaldshredder I think you should retire. you look 20 years older.

Exactly, its called RETIREMENT

Don was already a bit older than his contemporaries when they were at their peak (as were George and Mick, Jeff is a bit younger than them). So he went in with 10 fewer good years left to begin with.

Then again, Ronnie James Dio was 11 years older than Don, and sounded great up until he died.

why did he play professional sports?? uhm no

@@clovismeaux9532 you sound like a Brokie

oh dam that sux! hope he can recover from the surgery that def sux

Some people don't seem to mind. I wouldn't want to see it live, but to each their own.

Yeah it's not shameful to lose your voice it's shameful pretending

Yes, absolutely. I love Don, I really do. I'm younger than him, and I can already feel the affects of age. It sucks. And I'm sure it is VERY hard to step away from that spotlight, but there comes a point where it needs to end. I guess only Don can decide when that time is here.

@@thebaldshredder excatly In his time...absolutely 💯 Ya gotta give him credit at least he's still out there. Awesome

Yep, that exactly what I'm saying. Thanks.

@@thebaldshredder It's a sad thing to see such a decline, but I can't afford to pay to see a concert that I know from the outset I'll be disappointed with. I have to think more about day to day living than a night on the town seeing an inferior Dokken, Whitesnake or Crue.

Richard Ive not checked the tunings but I know youre on top of that stuff- are they tuning super low? George did in Souls of We

In the recent live clips they're tuned a half step down.

Dokken is and was a really CLEAN vocalist with a lot of volume. Don hitting a Bb is not the same as Ozzy hitting Bb with a lot of brightness and buzz. it is really amazing how Oz still has a voice and Don has less range . What is the world coming to? First Global Warming now this! I think Global Warming has effected Don's Voice.

Yes it does

Of course. If Don wants to do live shows, he can. If people want to buy tickets to see it, they can. That's not my point. He can't sing anymore. At all. So why does he still do it?

@@thebaldshredder I just listen to Two latest performances. I All Honesty . I Really don't think he sounds that bad . Compared to Other singers and the Biggest problem I hear is In the tech / Monitor / Volume/ And It sounds to me like he's using 0% of Effects whatsoever . There is no rules against singers using some effects. I remember in the day Don used Echo as well as his voice was always loud enough to cut through the rest of band . I think the techs or someone has totally drop the ball with doing anything to help the sound of Don's Performance . And I will note yes he is singing at lowered register . But I still hear he's unique vocal character that I sincerely think the sound tech has done nothing to bring out in the mix .

He is not even singing..it is flat vocal monotone.

@@barbaradascalos4411 He's singing . I would still rather hear him . Than any pop singer out there.

There is no melody cause he is speaking the lyrics..it's just not singing.

Pretty sad. Don doesn't seem worried about his dignity or legacy.

Chain smoking and chain drinking does that to your voice You don’t just talk your way bullshit all the way through to the pay check No you can’t I can sing like I used to bullshit. I can I can prove it. One lie to cross ref. I’m singing like a bird again guys let me get a dokken deal and pay you all 100 bucks. And I’ll buy the house. Get Kelly to sing on the whole thing write play guitar do the harmonies 🎏🎏🎏🪞🎈🎈🎈🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩 he makes me so mad

The 80s ruled. So glad I lived through it.

He bought a mountain? How do you buy a mountain? Anyway, not trying to be rough on Don. I really like him, honestly. It just pains me to see his performances now. And I'm not sure what magic he still has.

He moved to New Mexico.

@@thebaldshredder Lol..."magic" LOL...🤣👍Yeah, I'm NOT sure either!

How am I being a hypocrite? I'm not overweight or out of shape. I play guitar just as well as I ever have. I don't record myself playing a sloppy solo and then upload it and expect people to just like it anyway. I don't smoke or drink and I live a healthy lifestyle. Don should do the same. You missed a lot of my points. It's not about hitting the high notes. If he has to sing lower, that's fine. But even that sounds terrible because there is no melody, soul, or life in his voice anymore. He doesn't take care of himself and he's never taken care of his voice.

@ Al You make a long list of great points. I'm with you on everything (limiting to that pertaining to Don) in your post.

@@thebaldshredder As you acknowledged in your video, Don did have some significant medical issues which affected his voice. It's not all strictly a neglect of himself, though the decadence was there. Smoking and drinking in particular. People critique Geoff Tate (63) for his inability to carry notes as he once used to while honoring Todd La Torre (48), who's many years younger, though still smokes. Age catches up if one is smoking. It will happen to Todd.

And it’s guys like you that go out, buy the tickets and still go to these shows. I personally don’t get it, but it’s people like you that keep these guys going.

Oh yeah, there is definitely still some demand. People are still buying tickets.

Thanks man! Glad you found me.

Was it an official Dokken show? I am surprised to hear that Don & George would even be in the same room together if there was no big money involved to give them motivation.

"If he enjoys doing it" as you say. And I really hope he does. If he enjoys and the audience likes it, then that's ok.

@ Mikal Yes, in 2012, Don had overcome stomach cancer, radiation treatments and vocal-cord surgery, and had lasting physical health limitations. Then he had to have neck and spinal surgery in early November 2019. There were some complications; Don's right arm and hand were partially paralyzed as well as overall weakness in his body. It's a wonder that he can perform at all.

@@c2jones Given all these limitations, I applaud him for even TRYING, let alone doing.

Some singers can maintain their vocal abilities later in life, while others like Don can't.

Robin is 90% falsetto. That helps a lot.

Zander doesn't sing 12 octaves above his normal voice or scream.

You can have the best, safest technique in the world but if you get injured during a surgery for your back, there’s not much you can do about it. Sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw.

Don is a smoker

Yeah I really hope it's that he WANTS to do it and doesn't have to. And I've met Mick a couple of times. Super nice.

metal bands are dying off, won't see a big surge ever again and thats fine by me, metal is an 80's and 90's thing, some 70's too, but the 80's was the height of it from crue to possessed to watch tower to candlemass and all in between.

Yes he's a singer and always will be. But he sounds terrible now.

That was a great band!

This is a must have record for any dokken fan. In ways, it is far superior to any of the other dokken records. Norum is a beast, and dokkens voice was smooth as glass. a perfect record.

That Up From The Ashes album is probably my favorite of all Don's material, followed by Under Lock & Key and Back For The Attack.

I haven't been to a show Dokken has done since 2005. He has been abysmal since then.

Forgot Peter Baltes played with him!

I saw that same tour. Dokken was awesome.

Sammy still sounds great

Yeah it's really bad. And for a huge fan like me, it's hard to watch.

Thank god for that backing band. They make the songs sound great. Jon is awesome on guitar. When you are there, live and in person, music blasting, having a good time, I think it's definitely a different experience than watching on RU-vid. Glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks for posting. I think I'll take a look.

Yeah, pretty sad. Lifeless. I thought it was Vince Meal, straight from catering until I heard the voice.

Very cool my friend. 🤘

I have to say that live CD with Reb Beach was the best LIVE Dokken recording [and guitar solos] I've ever heard. No disrespect meant to George, I know he likes to mix it up. But those studio solos take me back to times when I was with the hottest girls I could get.

😄

Yes it is sad for fans to witness.

Kudos? no. Don needs to stop. when your son is a commercial pilot for Delta (formerly with jet Blue), it's time to retire. looks like Don too. can you imagine saying yeah, my dad is Don Dokken. its time to stop.. Lynch sounds great. even that was a mistake, out of greed, to not let Lynch play HIS shit. and Lynch said so, he said its a financial issue for Don, so i just come on stage and do these 3 songs and leave and they're playing all my stuff? *Don owns the rights to Dokken

That's cool Jason. If you can buy a ticket, go to the show, and walk away feeling happy and satisfied, then that's all that matters. Keep rockin' with Dokken.

Ha ha, I bet he hit all the high notes, right?

I just hope it's because he loves it and wants to keep doing it.

@@thebaldshredder Me too. Your and my era was the best ever for music. Kids today even think so. That's why the resurgence in 80's and 90's metal. Hell, Rage Against the Machine is even on tour tearing it up.

@ Fulton Or, "it's better to burn out than fade away." But Don can remain relevant in the industry by continuing to produce and develop other bands and projects.

It is unfortunate. Don as well as a lot of fans are in some serious denial.

I think my comments are warranted based on his recent performances. However, if people go to a show and they feel happy with it, then it's all good.

Don has overstayed by a long shot

His voice is just gone. It's not just the high notes. He can't even carry the melody with the beat even when he's singing lower. And I also question how accurate those Google searches are for net worth.

I haven't been to a Dokken show in many years. I don't want to hear Don like that. So disappointing.

Yes he was talking about using the leftover songs from Broken Bones.

@@thebaldshredder Broken Bones never got its due. Burning Tears my personal favorite. If there's more tracks in that arsenal, would love to hear them.

I've met both Don and John a couple of times and they were both very nice.

I met Don during his Up from the Ashes solo tour. His voice was immaculate then. I spoke with him and Mikkey Dee. Don signed a photo I had of him driving a racecar at Lime Rock Park, CT.

In 2012, Don had overcome stomach cancer, radiation treatments and vocal-cord surgery, and had lasting physical health limitations. Then he had to have neck and spinal surgery in early November 2019. There were some complications; Don's right arm and hand were partially paralyzed as well as overall weakness in his body. It's a wonder that he can perform at all. I hold utmost respect for him. But it's just not there enough to persist with it. He was my favorite vocalist for many years and he has a great mind.

I saw Dokken with Reb on the Poison tour in 2001 I think. Good show.

@@thebaldshredder Same here. In S Florida.

well @ Terry....he must have had a good day....I've sen him couple times the past couple years and he's horrible

No one 70 years old is going to sound "as they used to" 40 years ago in their prime, especially as vocal cords are biological organs, unlike instruments which are not. When your voice IS the instrument, few hold up well, close to four decades later. Don has had multiple medical matters and surgeries. He's lucky to be able to do this at all. I share utmost respect for Don and the Dokken legacy as you have mentioned and am equally concerned with Don's intentions with all this. I'm sure he sees Geoff Tate who has made a bit of a resurgence as well as Rob Halford and Sammy Hagar who have held up, though much more limited and says why not. But Don's voice just isn't there. He's a great producer and band developer. That's where he should be.

When all is said and mentioned, Don is of course a legend anyway, because he's brought a great band together, and they excelled in popularity in the '80s. He should be recognized as such. Right now, I just feel badly for him, even though on stage, he tries hard to make the fans happy. That's one thing I like about Don, he's a "people's" person.

@@Dan.d649 Exceptional post. Perfectly stated. 🙌

Time for Don to ride off into the sunset.

Yes this is true, but I still prefer the sound of Don's voice back then. But with both of them, and Mick singing too, wow! Killer harmonies that put them a step above most other bands.

Check out 'One Live Night'. Semi-acoustic show in '95. Jeff and Mick sing.

Yep. I got the CD as soon as it was released. It was actually an import when it first came out. And, I have the cover signed by all 4 guys.

Indeed

His voice is just beyond shot at this point. He can't even hold a simple melody in a lower register. If he can't afford to retire, I feel bad for him.

Don has always been a melodic singer, he’s even said it himself in interviews that he’s never been a screamer or a growler.. just wasn’t his style. Plus I never looked at him as the weak link in that band, he’s one of the main reasons why I love Dokken. I love how his voice was smooth & melodic but still had some attitude. I think his voice was a lot more unique compared to Snider & Bach, and most of the other singers at that time. Unfortunately it was the chain-smoking and bourbon that killed Don’s voice, too much of that will eventually strip your vocal chords apart.

Yep, smoking and drinking and not taking care of his voice.

@@thebaldshredder Absolutely

While I liked Snider and Bach, I cannot see how either of them could be compared to Don in his prime. Indeed Don's voice sounded much better in studio tracks than live, but that's far from unique.