Originally Posted by Raoul Duke

I was excited and nervous as we drove to Rexall last night.

Excited about seeing this show that's been receiving increasingly positive reviws.
Nervous because i had my 9 year old son with me and i wasn't exactly sure what kind of seat we had, and nervous because i felt like i was taking my kid to see some really important old friends, and hoping those friends coulds live up to all the hype i've given them over the years. This was to be his first "real" concert, and a great bonding trip for he and I.
There was much to gain, or lose.

So, first things first, we get to Rexall and grab a bite (thanks to Chef for the eats on the way down) , and then go for a walk to check out the stage. He's getting excited, so we go find our seats, which were, quite literally, the best seats in the house. 3 rows up, in the first section next to the stage on Eddie's side, with a perfect view of everything on stage, and an eye level view of everything going on Ed's side of backstage. I was twenty feet from those of you who in the ILAA seats, and you probably paid 4 times the price. I was eye level with the band, while you craned your neck upward all night.

Kymani Marley yada yada yada.

By this time the kid thinks i'm the greatest because of the seats, and then the lights went out, the music started and i saw the best VH show i've ever seen.

I wont go through the whole set, you already know it by now, but it was 2 and a bit hours of full throttle VH, and we never sat down. The smile on my son's face, switching to awe every time EVH ripped into a solo was something i'll never forget.
And then, the his huge brute of a guy, i suspect Eddie's bodyguard or whatever walks over and motions for me to come talk to him. As i go over he reaches out his hand, and gives me two of Ed's guitar picks and says "Give these to your boy".

So as i return to my seat, my kid says "what was that about?"
I told him to stick his hand out and said "Eddie said to give you these".

And that, my friends, sealed the deal.

And that is the beauty part of this band, they are the soundtrack to many lives,through the good parts and bad parts in your life and theirs. But last night really turned into one of the great nights of my life, and VH was their again.

Dave's great, although the boy said the way he smiles all the time was a little creepy!

Wolfgang doesn't replace MA, but in the same way that SH didn't replace DLR.
Two different bands.
He can play, and he can sing, and he fits right in, and i suspect it's him i owe for getting this thing going, so i'm all for the Wolfman.

Alex Van Halen gets better everytime i see him, and i think gets overlooked beacuse of his little brother.

And lastly Edward, who is the reason i came to the party in the first place. His playing is second to none, he looks healthier than he's looked in a long while, though a steak or two wouldn't kill him. And most important, he looks happy. He has always been a hero of mine, we share the same name, and we've shared several of the same vices, with varying success.

At the end of the show, Eddie came to the mike and said "Sorry this took so long" and my kid asked what he meant by that.
I told him that it could mean several things.
I know what it means to me, you can decide what it maens to you.

Last night one of my heroes made me look like a hero, and we both gained a lifelong fan.

Long live Van Halen.

Originally Posted by James in New York

Awesome review!

Originally Posted by Wolfgang_'99

Any word of a bootleg anyone?

There never seems to be any boots from Edmonton ever.

Originally Posted by Raoul Duke

Last night one of my heroes made me look like a hero, and we both gained a lifelong fan.

Long live Van Halen.

Originally Posted by JimmyG

I really enjoyed your post. I'll be taking my 14 year old son to his first concert on the night of his birthday at Atlantic City. This will be my third show for the tour. I look forward to wataching my son react to the magic of VH. My son, along with his two sisters know how much their Dad loves VH and have been through the years introducing VH to them ... VH is on all their IPod's ... should be a great father-son evening. I can't wait.

Originally Posted by Raoul Duke

I was excited and nervous as we drove to Rexall last night.

Excited about seeing this show that's been receiving increasingly positive reviws.
Nervous because i had my 9 year old son with me and i wasn't exactly sure what kind of seat we had, and nervous because i felt like i was taking my kid to see some really important old friends, and hoping those friends coulds live up to all the hype i've given them over the years. This was to be his first "real" concert, and a great bonding trip for he and I.
There was much to gain, or lose.

So, first things first, we get to Rexall and grab a bite (thanks to Chef for the eats on the way down) , and then go for a walk to check out the stage. He's getting excited, so we go find our seats, which were, quite literally, the best seats in the house. 3 rows up, in the first section next to the stage on Eddie's side, with a perfect view of everything on stage, and an eye level view of everything going on Ed's side of backstage. I was twenty feet from those of you who in the ILAA seats, and you probably paid 4 times the price. I was eye level with the band, while you craned your neck upward all night.

Kymani Marley yada yada yada.

By this time the kid thinks i'm the greatest because of the seats, and then the lights went out, the music started and i saw the best VH show i've ever seen.

I wont go through the whole set, you already know it by now, but it was 2 and a bit hours of full throttle VH, and we never sat down. The smile on my son's face, switching to awe every time EVH ripped into a solo was something i'll never forget.
And then, the his huge brute of a guy, i suspect Eddie's bodyguard or whatever walks over and motions for me to come talk to him. As i go over he reaches out his hand, and gives me two of Ed's guitar picks and says "Give these to your boy".

So as i return to my seat, my kid says "what was that about?"
I told him to stick his hand out and said "Eddie said to give you these".

And that, my friends, sealed the deal.

And that is the beauty part of this band, they are the soundtrack to many lives,through the good parts and bad parts in your life and theirs. But last night really turned into one of the great nights of my life, and VH was their again.

Dave's great, although the boy said the way he smiles all the time was a little creepy!

Wolfgang doesn't replace MA, but in the same way that SH didn't replace DLR.
Two different bands.
He can play, and he can sing, and he fits right in, and i suspect it's him i owe for getting this thing going, so i'm all for the Wolfman.

Alex Van Halen gets better everytime i see him, and i think gets overlooked beacuse of his little brother.

And lastly Edward, who is the reason i came to the party in the first place. His playing is second to none, he looks healthier than he's looked in a long while, though a steak or two wouldn't kill him. And most important, he looks happy. He has always been a hero of mine, we share the same name, and we've shared several of the same vices, with varying success.

At the end of the show, Eddie came to the mike and said "Sorry this took so long" and my kid asked what he meant by that.
I told him that it could mean several things.
I know what it means to me, you can decide what it maens to you.

Last night one of my heroes made me look like a hero, and we both gained a lifelong fan.

Long live Van Halen.

Originally Posted by Raoul Duke

Thanks,
Three days later and we're still hyped.
I may have to find a way to get to another show on this tour.

Originally Posted by colink

Here's some pics I took Raoul! Enjoy!

http://s248.photobucket.com/albums/gg169/colink_album/

Originally Posted by VH51504

how come no review stickies for the recent Canada shows? Wuz up?

Originally Posted by bsbll4

Well...uh...I hate to break it to you...but you're Canada. No one cares

Seriously though, I think it's because a few of the mods were unable to do anything for like a week. No mods=no sticky. That sounds kind of dirty.