*****1.22.08 Oklahoma City, OK**** - Page 2

Metal Marc · 01.23.08, 06:02 PM

Nothing new to add but my opinions. What a great show...one of the best VH-with-Roth shows I've ever seen. The band was smokin'! The only song I don't think goes over well in the live arena setting is "(Oh) Pretty Woman". Great song...it lacks a little something. 21-for-22...that's a killer ratio! And who plays 22 songs anymore?!? I'm so glad Van Halen's still around.

The crowd was great, too. Lots of nuttiness and good will in the joint. I also got to run into vhdon and his lovely wife, who now live only a few miles away from us.

Here's a little bit about the fellas:
Diamond Dave - Roth was great. He sang a lot, which was nice. I thought we'd get a lot more talking through the lyrics than we got last night; he still did that quite a bit, but that's Dave. When this tour was initially announced, I cringed because my last concert memories of Dave were from the [i]DD[i] & 1984 tours in which he sang very little (I thought he was terrible). This was a total redemption in my mind. Dave was in top form. I loved the story he told before "Ice Cream Man" ("That was a Saturday night in 1972"). You can tell that deep down he's very sentimental. Dave's missing someone else up there to play off of. A-

Ed - Ed was great, but not flawless. Something - perhaps arthritis brought on by years of abuse - is catching up with him. He appears to struggle a bit - "Eruption" was a little sketchy - but that's what will happen to us all. Ed was still great. Looked good, played good, jumped around like a guy with something to prove. Long live the king, even if he has Lead Guitarist's Disease. A-

Wolf - The kid did fine. Great playing, great vocs. It coulda been any studio musician up there, though. Shit, it coulda been me. B-.

Al - Al is a friggin' rock, and that which is understood need not be discussed. A

Mike - oh, yeah...he wasn't there. Mike's missing. I can hear it now: "Get over it." Sorry. Mike's too big a part of the Van Halen legacy - especially the live show - to EVER forget what he brought to the table. Incomplete.

Like I stated in the beginning, one of the best Roth-era VH shows I've ever seen. It would have been perfect if ol' Cannonmouth was there with the rest of the gang, but such is life.

After the concert, we were in the halls. I'd just start whooping it up and pretty soon it seemed the hall was filled with folks going nuts. Same thing was happening outside the Ford Center. Lots of high 5's and stuff after the show...from complete strangers, even! What a great time!

Overall Grade: A-

Afterthought: so, what's to happen now with Van Halen's music from 1985 through 2004? I thought about this right after the house lights came on and I was disheartened by that thought. The thought quickly disappeared as some dude ran up to me, screamed "VAN HALEN!!!", and gave me a high-5 (thanks, bro).

5150Sooner · 01.23.08, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VanRoth07

I forogt to add that the shirts still had 2007 tour on them, except for one new longsleeve t shirt, that said, 2007-08 on it, and none of the second leg cities were on the shirts as far as i could tell, but im not positive,

They did have the eagle logo which I didn't see in Kansas City...and all they did was change the date on the front and then drop VAN HALEN 2007 on the back...no dates.

Kinda cheap....oh yeah I bought one!

5150Sooner · 01.23.08, 07:14 PM

One of the best lines Roth had all night was when he was talking about riding his bike around OKC in '77 with a big smile...he then stopped playing the guitar and said if you didn't notice I have a smile that goes around my whole fucking head.
Classic....

OLO · 01.24.08, 10:56 AM

REVIEWS People!!! Reviews only, we say it at the start of each tour, we say it at the start of every review thread.

OLO · 01.24.08, 10:56 AM

Why is it so hard??

Metal Marc · 01.24.08, 02:09 PM

Unexpected Kick-Ass Song Of The Night: "I'll Wait" - I love this song, but I didn't like this song live back in 1984. It was just massive when they played it here. The lighting changed when the keys first came in, which really changed the mood. Al laid down a solid beat that was, dare I say, a little slower than the album, which made for a monstrous groove. Great vocal performance from Dave, too.

News I Was Happy To Hear: No alcohol sighted backstage before the show - This morning I spoke with a guy who worked security on Tuesday; lots of local Air Force & Army dudes work events at the Ford Center. He said he worked there from 2:30 until the end of the concert. I asked him about various things, including if he saw Eddie drinking before the show. He said he didn't Eddie with anything but a big bottle of water. That doesn't mean it wasn't there, but that's good news.