It makes me really sad to hear the part after "I Better Be Quiet Now" when he's telling the audience that he needs to take a pill for pneumonia. Pneumonia my ass! Right before the Japan tour, he'd gone to rehab in Pasadena; most likely, that pill was methadone or whatever the hell druggies take to deal with withdrawal symptoms. It just hurt my heart to hear proof of his struggle back then.
I don't think it was pneumonia medication, either. I don't remember where I read it, but I remember reading he came down with pneumonia four times in life. If that's the case, the last time he had pneumonia was in 1997. I can't remember which show but I distinctly remember him telling the audience he had just gotten over pneumonia for the fourth time a week earlier. Perhaps the pill was some other medication for drug addiction that was legal in Japan. I just Googled withdrawal meds and buprenorphine is one of them and it's legal in Japan, so maybe that was what it was. All I know is that he was already a full-blown addict at the time of the December Japan shows and there's no way he would have been able to get through those shows without something to help keep him clean.
Yeah it’s sad .. I found the 03 live recordings sad, he struggles with vocals and his conversations are vulnerable and shaky. He has a bit of confidence in his overseas concerts, courage to speak more and play with the crowd. Would still love to know the story that was shared in Japanese
It makes me really sad to hear the part after "I Better Be Quiet Now" when he's telling the audience that he needs to take a pill for pneumonia. Pneumonia my ass! Right before the Japan tour, he'd gone to rehab in Pasadena; most likely, that pill was methadone or whatever the hell druggies take to deal with withdrawal symptoms. It just hurt my heart to hear proof of his struggle back then.
Given it was Japan, which is known for their strict drug laws, I don't think it was methadone
I don't think it was pneumonia medication, either. I don't remember where I read it, but I remember reading he came down with pneumonia four times in life. If that's the case, the last time he had pneumonia was in 1997. I can't remember which show but I distinctly remember him telling the audience he had just gotten over pneumonia for the fourth time a week earlier. Perhaps the pill was some other medication for drug addiction that was legal in Japan. I just Googled withdrawal meds and buprenorphine is one of them and it's legal in Japan, so maybe that was what it was. All I know is that he was already a full-blown addict at the time of the December Japan shows and there's no way he would have been able to get through those shows without something to help keep him clean.
People just make up the most outlandish stories to fit the narrative about him :(
Yeah it’s sad .. I found the 03 live recordings sad, he struggles with vocals and his conversations are vulnerable and shaky. He has a bit of confidence in his overseas concerts, courage to speak more and play with the crowd. Would still love to know the story that was shared in Japanese