Scotty

Reviews of the Boston show only. All other posts will be deleted.

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While many rock bands tried to lay claim to
the title of 'the next Led Zeppelin,' Van Halen
is the only group to come close — Rolling Stone

Psalm 118:8
DF2

Bostonian

Just riding back on the T. What a great show. All the classic Dave lines were back, ice cream man's intro too. Not any noticable tension between dave and ed with the exception at the end with dave trying to dry fuck the inflatable mic. Eddie motioned to dave to come on. Best of all was the many nods to the redsox!

Eddie's playing was spot on... MUCH better then in worcester in 04. Alex is the human time machine. He hasn't missed a beat. Dave's voice sounded VERY good compared to when I saw him in 02. Last but not least wolfy can play and his bass lines were coming through loud and clear. any question I had of his playing was answered. His mix was low at times but he is the real deal.

All in all a great show!

DoHalen5150

great show. 1st time I have seen Ed and Dave perform together. I'd get rid of Ed and Al's solo, and add a few more classic songs. I took a piss during al's solo, and I almost fell asleep during Ed's solo. Both of them need to spice things up and add something new to their solos.

Dave was great, Wolf was great, Ed and Al were spot on, and I guess the only thing I missed was the 2007 trophy. I thought for sure that someone from the Redsox organizatin would have been a vh van and would have dropped by to show it off....nope.

great to see ed and dave finally together. My final thoughts are that they guys will not do another tour together

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Money can't buy you happiness, but it can buy you a yacht big enough to pull up right alongside it. DLR

VF5150

I just got back, all I can say is the show rocked. I couldnt hear much, but eddies playing sounded great, didnt make any major mistakes. The mean street intro was spot on, better than I've heard in any bootleg from the tour so far. Wolfie had a red sock on his headstock and a bunch or red sox stickers on the body of his bass. They made a lot of interaction with the crowd as well, with all the red sox talk, and the one liners. They looked like they were getting along great from my perspective. Awesome show, it beat my expectations by a lot!

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"out of the seven threads he's started here, four have been closed for being cluelessly ponderous as well as outright insipid"
-chefcraig on me

empyre44

show was good....wolfie had a bunch of red sox stickers and stuff on his bass as well as a red sock on the end...as did Dave hanging from the mic stand. Lots of New England references in lyrics since you guys asked.

show was good and a lot like the St Louis DVD I got from the always great Jamtothis.com!

One point Dave went into a kick and Eddie was coming across and almost got caught and there was a nice play between the two.

Real solid show...so great to hear those songs live. I wonder why so loud though...is it to hide Dave's vocal problems of hitting high notes? Really enjoyed the show though. Agreed it was better than I expected. Only low point was "hot for teacher" which I thought sounded way too loud and really messy...couldnt really hear much of the song

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http://www.empyrelounge.com

allhours

NOT A REVIEW!!!

Double Down

Just in from the show......well worth it!! I thought it was killer. The best surprise for me was actually how well Dave sounded. Other than the Oakland videos, I really think this is the best I've ever heard him sing the songs. His voice sounded great and he sang like he really gave a shit and he did the songs justice. Major props to Dave for coming through.

Eddie sounded right on. There is NO comparison to his shitty '04 performance I saw in New Jersey. This time around he played the songs spot on. I agree that his solo is too played out....either revamp the whole thing or do away with it. There was a time when this was THE highlight of the show but not anymore. But that's no reflection of how he attacked the songs. I'm The One and Romeo Delight really stand out for me. He was awesome.

Wolfie was great. Any of that nonsense that he's not playing or only "sorta" playing is just that....nonsense. He did his best to be entertaining and I thought he did an outstanding job on backing vocals. The kid has balls and I have all the respect in the world for how he stepped up to the challenge.

Just an overall great night with a stellar setlist. Couldn't be happier that I took in this show.

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For the record:
Van Halen with Dave - The best years.
Van Halen with Sammy - Damn good, glad we had it.
Van Halen with Cherone - Hated it, it sucked, and you ain't changing my mind.

CHICKENFOOT - Jonesing for another album.

mannyroth

Incredible. Many chill-inducing moments. Felt like it was 1979 all over again.(the first time I saw VH)

DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW!!!!!

Dave and Ed were on top of their game!!!!

Alex was Alex.

Wolfie was great! I'm no expert, but I play in a band, and I know that he played every note that I heard when I watched him.

A lot of smiles- no tension. No yelling at techs, getting caught up in cords, licking of any equipment.

Sound was clear, and not ridiculously loud. Way better than the old Garden. I brought earplugs, but never used them.

They knew how good they were. Ed picked up Dave in a bear hug near the end, and said something like "nice job" to him.

Would have been cool to see Mikey there, but please do not let that stand in the way of seeing this tour. This is probably the only REAL ROCK BAND you will see in your lifetime.

I can't wait for Worcester!

sphill

Another non review.

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The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
Mahatma Gandhi

scorpio

The tickets were expensive, the food was expensive the shirt was expensive seeing Van Halen with Dave Priceless!!!!!! was in loge 20,sec 21 seat 23 and these were the best seats in the house great show great view great people I loved it.

cutter

Link for a review from the Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/ae/music/artic..._to_the_party/

panache

So THAT'S what a Van Halen show is like.

This was my 5th VH concert, but it felt like I got to know the band for the first time. The whole night had a different feel with Dave at the helm - from the flying blimps to the costume changes, top hats and on-stage antics. This was the concert I've wanted to see since I was 11.

As for the rest of the band - Ed was more animated than I've ever seen him. Dancing around, jumping like crazy, laughing and smiling. He was all over the stage (despite that ridiculous cord). In Worcester 2004, he pretty much stood behind his mic and ignored Sammy and Mikey. Last night, he interacted with Dave, mugged for the crowd, shared his son's mic...

Speaking of Wolfgang, I've got bad news for Mikey fans...Wolf is here to say. I was as suspicious of this move as anyone before seeing the show, but I can tell you that he plays well (he was strumming chords at one point, and played the intro to Romeo Delight on this bass), sings well (his young voice lets him hit the high harmonies naturally) and interjects a real energy to the band. He doesn't move around a whole lot, as some have mentioned, but Ed and Dave had fun playing off of him. At one point, Dave said, motioning to the crowd, "Wolf, this is everyone. Everyone, this is Wolf. Say hello!" I miss Mikey, too, but Wolf is a nice addition to the band.

Dave was great. As someone else said - It was obvious that he wanted to do a great job. He sang great, worked the crowd, pranced the stage and played "Diamond Dave" very well. No, he isn't doing flying splits from the drum riser anymore, but he's smiling, kicking, twirling, chatting, changing costumes and singing like he actually gives a damn. He made a real effort - maybe to please Ed, maybe to reward the crowd, maybe to prove something to himself...probably all three. It wasn't like 1983, but he was very much Diamond Dave and I loved it.

What can be said about Alex? The guy shows up to the gig and plays every note perfectly. He's one of the world's top rock drummers. Mr. Reliable. Some have dissed his solo, but I enjoyed it (I'm a drummer, though, so I'm pre-disposed to like it). It was shorter than previous tours.

Now the music. What a dream to finally, after all these years, hear I'm The One, Romeo Delight (a real highlight), Everybody Wants Some, Ice Cream Man and so many more. Yeah, it was pretty darn loud. Highlights included the bluesy breaks arranged into a few of the songs, Everybody Wants Some (I enjoyed this more than I thought I would), Little Guitars, Women in Love during Ed's solo and the Jaimie's Cryin sing-along.

Low points were I'll Wait (never my favorite tune, and Dave seemed to really work hard in that song) and, surprisingly, Hot For Teacher. I think they ramped up the volume for that song, as it was damn loud - so much so that the sound muddled. I think Ed changed the solo, too, which is a bummer as that's my favorite of all his recorded solos. However, Dave's "I heard you missed us, we're baaaack!" was great.

I loved this show. The band was in high spirits, Dave brought just the right amount of camp without making the show silly, the playing was great, Wolf enhanced the experience and Ed seemed happy. Worth the $150 I paid for my killer seat (Sec. 109, row BB, Ed's side)? Absolutely. I sincerely hope VH is back in this incarnation. I love Sam and Mike, but Van Hagar really is an entirely different bad.

I prefer Van Halen.

J3FST1

A+ Show was great. DLR during running said somthing like " i fucking love the red sox and every mutha fucking one of the bases they steal"

dont know if he says it every show but he at one point said this is a real good show tonight. Dave also said its great to be home this might of been to his couple years growing up in MA.

EVH was on top of his game used the black 4 wolfgang most off the show when he used the 2 ebay guitars the tone was not as good. after ill wait there was a jump in volume overall and it took a few songs to mix it back down. ( i think it was the switch of guitars and the keyboard backing track)

EVH solo was good but nothing new I think we forget sometimes that he invented this shit and we want more. to us who play and if were on this board we all know the eruption tapping bits so it gets stale, but if you listen with freash ears you know he is the MF'n guitar god.
wolf was great alex great etc. best vh show I have seen and I have seen alot. props to wolf if he keeps the sox stickers on the blue bass.** at NY

best live guitar tone I ever heard and im a nitpicky bastard when it comes to that. EVH also didnt use the new wah much and sounded like he used the flanger more than the phazer. I have been in a band for 15 years and have seen alot of top production shows u2, Maiden, metallica ,stones and if not at a show I have been put on detail for shows and this vh sound was almost perfect if not for the mentioned volume increase with the ebay guitars.

shirts are small a xxl is like a xl the xxxl is like a big reebok xl not even a xxl.
wristbands are a cool keepsake for $10.
the I can barley see the road sticker is great but not for 10.

J

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23:58 Dad E'O Doom 23:58

mike zack

I'll post a longer review later but I've been to 12 VH shows now since 93. Saw them earlier this month in CT. Last night may have been the best show of any of them!

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VH RULES!

James in New York

Eddie, Dave team up for VH reunion in harmony
By Jed Gottlieb

It wasn’t what many expected from the David Lee Roth/Van Halen reunion tour, but last night’s sold-out TD Banknorth Garden got to see Diamond Dave and Eddie Van Halen rocking with the bliss of joyous honeymooners.

The band’s nasty 1985 split was a distant memory as Roth, Eddie, Alex and young Wolfgang Van Halen, who has replaced founding bassist Michael Anthony on bass guitar, smiled ear-to-ear, high fived and hugged through a set of standards from the first six Halen records.

During the two-hour set, the formerly acrimonious frontman extraordinaire and guitar god couldn’t stop joking around and trading sincere grins. Whatever problems they once had, or still have, Dave and Eddie are keeping them off the stage.

While the band played a lot of classic rock radio staples, including “You Really Got Me,” “Running With the Devil” and a searing “Panama,” the quartet isn’t purely a nostalgia act.

Except for Eddie’s 16-year-old son, Wolfgang, the baby boomers were in tip-top shape - a chest-baring Roth could have passed for a Navy SEAL, and Eddie bounced around like a Godzilla energizer bunny. While Roth’s voice has lost some range, his ability to frame Eddie’s guitar is intact.

On the histrionic “Atomic Punks,” “Everybody Wants Some!!” and “Mean Streets,” Eddie confirmed he’s the pinnacle post-Jimi-Hendrix hard-rock guitarist. Apologies to Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Steve Vai, but it’s been Eddie who’s reimagined and reinvented the six string since Jimi.

And it wasn’t just last night’s lighting-quick hammer-ons and tremolo dive bombs that shook the 15,000 fans. He pulled out Clapton-like blues licks and feedback echo effects that would have made Tom Morello wet himself.

Wolfgang played his role well. His bass thumped and his harmony vocals worked, even on tough numbers such as “Dance the Night Away” and “Beautiful Girls.”

History tells us this lineup won’t last, so Halen junkies should know the treat they got last night. A few kung fu kicks from Dave, a not-half-bad Alex drum solo and Eddie on fire. It’s almost like Sammy never happened.

Ky-Mani Marley opened the show with some originals and a couple of father Bob’s standards. But he was basically ignored by the few who showed up for his short set.

Van Halen, with Ky-Mani Marley At TD Banknorth Garden, last night.jgottlieb@bostonherald.com