5150Tulsa

Actually, Dave was out on the runway three times. Just sayin'

__________________
"Who tha' F@*$ is Eddie Van Halen?"...scratch that..
"WHERE tha' Fuck is Eddie Van Halen?"

5150Sooner

Yeah...unfortunately I had to drvie 5 and it was murder! Kansas has to be the most desolate state I have ever driven through....

I just hope....really hope for the band and the individuals involved that this is not the start of something bad...I could care less about a new album. We would hate it or love it....we would expect so much and the original line up magic can NEVER be captured again so I just hope that the tour goes on and then they decide where to go from here...

And the opening act HAS TO GO. Plain and simple....

5150Sooner

What does the 4 represent on the black guitar last night? Any clues?

LtBennett

There were a few issues for sure. I saw them two nights prior in Minneapolis and it was a bit different than KC. As others have said, the show seemed a bit rushed, and there were some tech issues that concerned me. The whole "you asshole" thing had me worried for a bit, then it was explained to me why (probable). Someone said earlier that Ed sang the chorus into DLR's mic and it threw DLR off... that is exactly it, too. Ed howled into the mic for a few seconds then marched off. DLR obviously didnt like that. Also, there were two times I saw DLR about ready to do a high kick and stop himself because Ed was right there behind him. That obviously threw his rythem off as well. The 2 songs tht DLR missed his cue on he made painfully obvious. Instead of just moving on, he grimmaced and I could see it plain as day from 11 rows out from the runway (the runway is a HUGE waste of space, IMO).

Wolfy will mature and improve for sure. He lacks the energy or showmanship that MA has provided all these years. But, Wolfy can play and sing quite well.

Alex was as always: rock solid.

EVH's solo was great, minus the tech issues.

I THINK THE VOLUME COULD BE REDUCED A BIT!!!

Did the concert suck as some have said??? No, not at all. That is a huge overstatement. DLR still have rock solid vocals, he hit the high notes well. "Show Your Love" sounded awesome, as did Panama, HFT, and most of the others. I wish they would NOT close with Jump, though. DLR's voice (and body) seems to be too tired to make that song just ring like it should. They should close with something else. Dunno what, though.

I will go again for sure if I can get tickets. We'll see where the tour takes them in the upcoming months.

DO NOT HESITATE TO GO!!!!

allhours

Absolutely!
I do hope it was a one time thing and all of the boots I have seen and heard and everything I have read indicate it was.

5150Sooner

Oh by all means you are right....EVERYONE should still go and do what you have to in order to see it....

Dave's voice has gotten better over the shows I have seen....trust me....his voice is insane! I was saying to my wife about how he sounded better than he did 10 days ago in Chicago.

I hope that since the St. Louis show was delayed that they will work out whatever they need to and get back on track....this may have been an off night...but something was not right with Eddie.

Still....you gotta see it! And Wolfie has gotten 110% better! He seems to actually start realizing I think how big this is and to soak it in as much as he can....first date jitters are over and I bet after about 6 more shows he will be much better....he's got it down that's for sure....

At0micPunk

I could be wrong but I think it represents the 4th version of Van Halen. Other people have suggested that too, it kinda makes sense.

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chucker5150

This was my 7th Van Halen show, and my second time to see DLR with the band (the last time was in 1984.) And, this was my wife's first VH show!

As some have said, the show did seem rushed. It was just song after song and I was expecting a little more interaction with the crowd from Dave, but it just wasn't there. That was probably the low point for me, and it's one thing that Dave does very well, so I was disapointed with that. As for the volume, we were wearing earplugs, so it sounded good to me. I thought the background vocals were outstanding!

Wolfgang was solid on bass, and I thought his highpoint of the show was the groove during Mean Street when Ed plays solo.

Al was Al, always on time and ready to go. He got a little goofy with the cameras during his solo, which was fun to watch.

It was great to see Dave fronting Van Halen again. I love all things Van Halen, doesn't matter who's singing, I love it all. But there's something about DLR and VH that make a great combination - maybe it's the memories of my younger years. He's a great showman. And it did bring back a lot of memories for me.

Edward was a pleasure to watch after memories of the '04 tour. He did noodle with the songs a little more than what I have seen on the YouTube videos of other shows, but it was the Ed we know and love. However, the solo just didn't do it for me. I guess once you have seen the 5150 tour, you get spoiled. Instead of what he did last night, I would have preferred he just play Eruption straight through and end it there. Guess I'll have to pull out the LWAN DVD to show the wife. ;-) Plus he had tech problems during Catherdal-ish, where the volume pot seemed dirty and scratchy.

Overall, we really enjoyed the show and had a good time rockin' to the tunes we have not heard live in years.

Highlights of the night for me:
Romeo Delight
Little Guitars
Little Dreamer (great backing vocals on this one!)

Chucker

__________________
"Edward is playing like a motherfucker tonight!" - DLR 10/03/2007

"Now remember, these are youtube video clips so don't expect it to look like "Star Wars" on your 70 inch plasma tv." - Hain23x

"If you want to be a true artist, then make your music and don't even release it." - EVH 1995

"Forward Movement. Not to accomplish anything in particular because that would suggest an end. It's the doing I crave." - DLR 1981

"Panty-Bra! Panty-Bra-ha, oh, oh, oh, oh!" - A friend's childhood interpretation of "Panama."

famac@nuveen.com

A more balanced review than some of the stuff posted here from people whos screen names imply Sammy fan.

http://backtorockville.typepad.com/b...ticipatio.html

5150Sooner

What makes me upset for myself and the Kansas City audience is that they weren't treated to the shows we have all seen already....I wish they were like coaches and had to have a press conference afterwords so we could get the story of what the hell happened that night!!!

Big Ed 5150

Kc to me was not a disappointment, i was on cloud 9 as Diamond Dave came out with the boys. Yeah for sure there were several tech issues and that definitely messed a few things up but i thought dave did a great job on the tunes for sure. I saw dave in 84 and the show sucked i thought but 23 years later it jams for sure. My girlfriend had never seen these guys before and she totally loved it. Romeo's delight and Hot for teacher were awesome.
One thing i did notice is that Ed seemed to be real aggressive on his solo like he was going to break the damn guitar, it was different that's for sure but either way i was so friggin happy to see them all on stage together and wolfie has a great future ahead of him if he stays in music, this kid will be great.
Go see them if you can, show not miss.

__________________
Big Ed

"what you think the teachers gonna look like this year...oooooooooo uh!"

VanRoth07

ok, I just got home, so heres my review, made the trip from Dallas and picked my buddy, got to KC late Thursday night, met up Friday evening with some cool Vh links folks, thanks guys, had a great time, anywho, had great seats, section 106, Wolfies side, I thought they sounded great!! My buddy is just a casual fan and he was impresed also, the crowd was great!! I talked to quite a few of em,lots of folks from out of town, the stage I thought was cool, I dont understand why some people are so nit picky, LOL, anyway, ive seen VH with DLR now 7 times!! 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, twice in 1984, and once this tour so far, I loved it!! The only complaint i have is that it was a little rushed and Dave hardly ever talked to the crowd, not a hi, bye, kiss my ass or nothin!! LOL, i just figured they were trying to play as many songs as possible, the sound in the new Sprint Center is good, i took earplugs but quickly took them out, didnt need them, Eds solo rocked, as did Alex drum solo!! Dave was great, sing most of the lyrics, the inflatable microphone was hilarious!! I dont know, they seemed happy to me, i didnt notice anyone calling anyone asshole, guess I missed that, but I felt like I died and went to heaven for a little while, not its over, and that sucks, I only hope they get to Dallas at some point, I dont think I will make an effort to go on any more road trips to see em, unless its Santonio, or Oklahoma City, setlist rocked!! Again thanks to all the great folks I got to meet!!

Vince G.

Okay, here we go.

Yes, the show was somewhat of a letdown for me. After having never seen VH with DLR at the helm, hearing all the latest bootlegs from this tour, and viewing what few videos have been made available from this tour, I was really psyched to this show. What I saw on Friday night was, more or less, a disappointment, though not totally. There were some hi-lights, but if I had to use any term to describe the show as a whole, it would be "rushed". Everything I have heard/seen on every '07 tour bootleg to date was NOT present Friday evening. It was as though they were obviously there just to collect that night's fee for playing, and then be on their way.

There was very little, if any, between-song banter from Dave. I missed that because it's what makes Dave who he is, even if the banter is canned. No "impromptu" blues jamming from Dave & Ed. No "back in the day" story telling from Dave before "Ice Cream Man". Wolfie's "give 'em a break" speech during "Unchained" was rushed as well. Each song pretty much flowed from one to the next. I really can't say that Ed's playing totally sucked. I'm not a musician, and I don't have "perfect pitch", so all I can say is that while some songs appeared to sound fine, I did hear Ed hitting a few clunker notes now and then. Maybe he was trying to overcompensate, I don't know. Dave's voice was much better than what I heard back in '03 when I saw him on a solo tour. I was, however, scrutinizing the shit out of Wolfgang. After all the crap I've been reading online about his supposed bass playing, my eyes and binoculars were fixed on him during certain songs where I knew the bass would be prominent. I'd say that, based on what I saw, Wolf was playing, but it also did look and sound as though he had some "offstage assistance". He did look as though he has loosened up a bit since the tour started, and he was having some real fun, especially when he was anywhere near dear ol' dad. His one hi-light was when he climbed to the top of the ramp behind Alex and picked out the intro to "RWTD". The spotlight was on him alone, and everyone in the crowd just went nuts. He had a lot of people giving him thumbs-up and trying to high-five him when he was on his side of the stage, so it's obvious some people have accepted him in place of Mikey. Alex, however, proved that while Dave might be the frontman, it's he who is actually leading this band. Period. I don't think I have ever seen him smile this much at any VH concert I have attended. He was on top of his game, and, while his solo was the same tired one he's been doing since '95, he still proved why he is an excellent drummer.

Ed's solo was a complete disaster. It started off with an abbreviated "316", and just went downhill from there. The camera was zoomed in on his face multiple times during this time, and the expression I saw was pained. Not sure if he was tired, because he looked it, or if he was a little drunk. I say that because, right before "Cathedral", he did the most idiotic thing I have ever seen anyone do with an electric guitar (other than smash it)...he unplugged his guitar, licked the plug's lead-in quickly several times, and placed it back into the guitar! When he started "Cathedral", the sound that came from his guitar was horrendous. It sounded as though someone had placed a mic next to a bowl of Rice Krispies for all the SNAP! CRACKLE! & POP! that was coming out of the PA. Of course, all the drunks in the crowd thought this was "cool". I don't know of any guitarist, short of being drunk or stoned, that would do something as stupid as that. Then, he actually had the audacity to turn to his tech and look at him as though it was his fault, not Ed's. I have a feeling his tech is enduring LOTS of abuse this tour, and I really would not blame the man if he told Ed "Fuck you very much!" after this tour is done. Ed was also changing out guitars after nearly every song, but the one constant seemed to be a black Wolfgang with "#4" spray-painted in red across its face. Listening to the show now, I don't hear "Eruption" in its entirety, if at all. He did play the intro to "Women In Love", but, as hammered off his ass as he was last tour, it sounded better when he played it their first night in L.A. back in '04 than on Friday night in KC. Wolfie actually played a red, black & white style bass in addition to his usual blue, black & white bass. He also played what appeared to be a Gibson bass, the kind I've seen Rick Savage from Def Leppard play back in their early days.

We had, in my opinion, great seats, until we were moved to another section. I wanted absolutely nothing to do with floor seats, and the section we were in originally was the exact section I was hoping to get when the tickets went on sale. My wife broke her ankle a few weeks ago, so we were moved one section over to an enclosed area meant for disabled people, which made for nice recording. I had the PA's pointed directly at me, nobody standing behind me, or next to me, and the people in front of us were located about 5 steps down with a glass partition that ran up to my waist separating us, so you don't hear any of the usual drunk-talk bullshit. Basically, other than the odd person who strolled in for a few minutes, then was eventually escorted out by security (who did an outstanding job that night) my wife & I had our own little private section. I had my mic strapped to my chest, thus I was able to get a nice, clear recording. Funny side-note: at one point, right before the show started, the security supervisor for that section walked up to us to see that we were okay, and, I still had my gear affixed to my chest while we were seated. He was kneeling down, talking to me, and didn't even notice what was plainly staring him in the face! The acoustics in the venue were a bit better than I expected, seeing as how it's primarily a sports venue and it just opened up a few weeks ago. I really do feel this was the best recording I have ever done at an indoor venue. It really is damn near flawless.

Hi-lights of the show for me were "Everybody Wants Some!", when Ed just came apart at the seams. He was at his most animated the entire evening during that song. I've been kicking myself all weekend for not videotaping that song on my digital camera. Instead, I taped all of "Mean Street", and was only able to get a 1:25 clip of "Panama". The clips I'll post later in the YouTube section looks like we're in nose-bleeders, but we weren't. Funny how cameras always make it look as though you're much further away than you actually are/were. "Hot For Teacher"...geez, I thought the place was going to come apart at its newly built seams! I just don't see how a band of this magnitude, coming back with the lead singer that every fan has always wanted back, could start off like they did on what looked to be a promising night, and have it just slowly deteriorate. Maybe, as die-hard fans of the band as we all are, we're just expecting a lot after far too much time and being too overly critical. I don't know. All I know is that I was really expecting a hell of a lot that night after having never seeing this version of the band (sans Mike, of course), and I was pretty much let down. The only point during that show where it all nearly came together for me, after having waited so many years, was "Dance The Night Away". That was the first song I ever heard by them, and I'll admit it was a pretty emotional point for me. At that point, I closed my eyes and remembered exactly where I was the first time I heard it, and for a brief second I was back in that exact time.

I'm not saying I feel completely ripped off, but, having listened to people talk about the show as everyone left the building, as it though it was the greatest thing they've ever seen, I couldn't help but feel that I know this band was, and is, completely capable of being infinitely better than they were that night.

__________________
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."

"This is a lttle prayer dedicated to the separation of church and state. I guess if they are going to force those kids to pray in schools they might as well have a nice prayer like this: Our Father who art in heaven, and to the republic for which it stands, thy kingdom come, one nation indivisible as in heaven, give us this day as we forgive those who so proudly we hail. Crown thy good into temptation but deliver us from the twilight's last gleaming. Amen and Awomen. ."

"I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."

-George Carlin 1937 - 2008

Vince G.

"Secrets" was not played that night.

__________________
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."

"This is a lttle prayer dedicated to the separation of church and state. I guess if they are going to force those kids to pray in schools they might as well have a nice prayer like this: Our Father who art in heaven, and to the republic for which it stands, thy kingdom come, one nation indivisible as in heaven, give us this day as we forgive those who so proudly we hail. Crown thy good into temptation but deliver us from the twilight's last gleaming. Amen and Awomen. ."

"I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."

-George Carlin 1937 - 2008

mawVHfan

I drove up 8 hours from Dallas area to see this show. Can't believe they're not doing any dates in Texas (as of now).

samhalen's review probably is the one I agree with the most, for the most part. I happened to have my binoculars on Dave and Ed when Dave yelled, "You asshole," and I told a friend (who was there but didn't notice it) about it afterward. Not sure he believed me, but then he read your review here (and sent it to me).

We sat at the opposite end, a few rows from under the upper deck's overhang, a little right of center. Recalling how loud the 2004 show was at Alltel arena in North Little Rock, I had earplugs ready.

I didn't need the earplugs for the loudness, but putting them in helped clear up some muddiness in the sound. I could distinguish lots of Eddie's playing better with them in. That said, I too noticed all the sound problems. Dave's mic not working a few words into many of the lines, and Eddie's guitar would sound fine for one song, too quiet for the next, or a mix of good/bad in the same song. I had to take out the earplugs a few times just to hear Eddie at all.

Eddie's licking his guitar lead plug was weird, but I just laughed and figured he was trying to make light of himself after making it come unplugged in the first place. Eddie walked over to the side of the stage a lot to talk to a tech. I do wish that Eddie would have stayed with at least a little of what was familiar to fans when he riffed and solo'ed.

I missed Eddie's harmonics. He used them very little, if any. Panama lost much of its appeal due to the missing "hits" he does right before the chorus.

Wolfgang sounded good on every song where I could hear the bass. The interactions between him and Eddie were major highlights for me, a dad of one boy myself.

Alex's playing was solid the whole way through, as pretty much every review here indicated.

Obviously, they did "Little Dreamer" to give Dave a chance to shine. He had to take so many notes down during other songs, that it was nice to hear him sing this one pretty much as it was recorded.

Overall, I had a great time and it was great to see them with DLR again.

1984 Tour - Little Rock
Live Without a Net (5150) Tour - Little Rock
Monsters of Rock Tour - Memphis
2004 Tour (did it have a name?) - North Little Rock
Dave's Back Tour - Kansas City