noraa

Wow! Worth every day of the 23 years of waiting....sweet! If I had to come up with a complaint it would have been that they did not do the bridge in I'm the One, it seems like it would've been perfect. Several hours of pure pleasure! My deepest thanks to all of them swallowing their pride and having fun

dart93

I think it was during Dave's intro to "Ice Cream Man," he smiled and said almost with relief, "This is a good show." That was an understatement. The show was great, albeit performed at a somewhat alarmingly breakneck pace.

Too many highlights to mention: Ed's guitar work in "I'm The One"--he nailed it. Ed's inspired improvisation in "Atomic Punk," showing he still has some fire in his belly. Ed's solo, where he played "316," the intro to "Pleasure Dome," the latter half of "Spanish Fly," "Cathedral," and "Eruption" all with proficiency and feeling. I can't say enough about Ed's performance. He played terrifically and was nonstop movement, running all over the stage despite the cord, leaping in the air, and grinning nonstop.

DLR was impressive as well. He's still a showman, but he is focused like a laser on singing the songs well. As others have mentioned, he shines on "I'll Wait" and "Little Dreamer." He only had difficulty with "Hot for Teacher," which was one of the rare misfires of the evening, degenerating into confusion during the verses such that if I had walked in during a verse, I'm not sure I would have known what song they were playing.

Alex was his consistent powerhouse self.

Frankly, I didn't pay much attention to Wolf. My friend did watch him and his fingering and made the comment after the show that he didn't seem to be doing much. But the main job of the bass player in VH, as Ted Templeman reportedly said, is to stay out of Ed's way. No one got in Ed's way last night, not even himself.

Wish I could go to Worcester, but I spent an arm and a leg to be in the pit last night (less than ILAA, though, I might add). I think if you love this music you have to see this show, with your fingers crossed that they bring it the way they brought it for Boston.

jrk5150

Holy shit.

Seen them 9 or 10 times before this, never with Dave. This is a different band than the Hagar years, for sure. Powerful, entertaining, professional presentation - well done. Although there was something about it that was missing for me - maybe no new songs? Anyway, that doesn't take away from the fact this was a GREAT show, one of the best I've ever seen, but not THE best. I'll still take the Balance show in Worcester I saw. But this was much better than 2004, not even close.

I agree with some other posters from prior shows that the order of songs isn't totally right. IMO Jump shouldn't be the encore (Panama should), and they should do I'll Wait and Little Dreamer together, better flow and chance to come down a bit before revving back up.

Ed's solo was generic for Ed, but he was on. And he put a couple of little new twists in. I was far more entertained during this one than I've been in years past. I'd still like him to come up with a brand new riff for it though, especially with a tour of oldies, but that's nitpicking.

Great show, worth every penny...oops, my tix were free. Looking forward to the floor at Worcester. THOSE suckers I paid for.

I'd like to make a stylistic complaint that has nothing to do with the quality of the show - I hate singers that rephrase and mess with the timing of their lyrics live - you can't really sing along to the tune, to yourself or out loud. Lou Gramm was always like that with Foreigner, and it drove me nuts. Dave does that, which I never realized since 2002 was the only other time I'd seen him, and it wasn't a great performance then. Couldn't really hear the singing anyway. Not this time, he sounded great. Just a minor little bitch, he was awesome, but to me it's just not an inclusive party when you can't really follow along. But fuck it, they're his songs, and he can do what he wants with them.

I saw no evidence of acrimony in the band, in fact Dave and Ed were interacting frequently, and seemingly spontaneously. I guess I'll know more next week to see if it seems spontaneous the second time I see it.

__________________
The poster formerly known as IED


There are chunks of pineapple clogging my toilet.
Never mind why.
Fuckin Mondays. Duke, asking "Why Can't I Put Drano in the Toilet??"

M.C.

This was my second date of the tour, Philly being the first, first level on Eddie’s side.

For Boston, I was dead center, on the outside of the ramp.

Most likely due to the location, the sound seemed so much better this time around. In Philly itr got pretty loud at points, ear piercing even, but last night seemed at an even keel. The tensions from K.C. – if they existed at all, were gone.

During *I think* “Panama”, and I’m surprised no one brought this up, Dave threw a kick which came within inches of Eddie’s head. Eddie made that classic “Whoa!” face, and stepped back. Dave stopped in his tracks and pointed at Eddie and said “You almost got knocked out motherfucker!” Now, before the usuals start making it into something it’s not, or worse, deny it happened: this was said into the mic – and not mouthed or anything like that. My friends and I, at that point, thought we were about to witness tensions boiling over and thought the proverbial shit was going to hit the fan.

But it didn’t!! In fact, minutes later, Dave and Eddie were back commiserating with one another, hi-fiving, and the aforementioned bearhug.

Another thing of note – since Philly, Wolfgang has really started to come into his own – and it even seems like he is messing around with Dave a little bit on-stage. Two points: one, Dave said how good it was to be home in Boston (where he lived for a few years when he was younger), and said “Say hello to Boston Wolf – this is your first time here – isn’t it?” Wolfgang shook his head no, and started to tell Dave (off mic) when he was here last. It might’ve involved the words “Sammy” and “2004”, and Dave just kind of blew it off and moved on.

Second time, was during Mean Street, When he was supposed to lay out the “Come on’ Dave – give me a break” line, he got right up next to Dave and said “Hey Dave…” and there was a pause while Dave waited for the line, and then mischievously said “Have you seen my bass?” Which totally threw Dave for a loop, catching him completely off guard. Eddie laughed, Dave let out a laugh, and a smiling Wolfie then delivered the “Gimme a break” line.

It was soon after that when Dave said “You really are seeing an unbelievable show tonight.”

And it was.

Oh yeah - quick edit: Ed's solo is way too late in the set - but he more than made up for it by putting "Girl Gone Bad" in there. But - sorry Dart93 - there wasn't one note of "Pleasure Dome" in the solo. Maybe GGB had you confused?

BigRock

What an unbelievable show! This tour has had a lot of build up / hype but I was still extremely impressed...I can't believe these guys can go that non-stop for over 2 hours. The Garden was packed and rocking out!

Highlights were "Jaime's Cryin"...they changed around the bass and drum lines a little and almost gave it a funky sound, by far the highlight of the show for me..."Hot for Teacher" absolutely cooked and "Romeo Delight" totally kicked ass.

Another highlight was Wolfgang, I was so impressed with this kid. I can't imagine as a 16 year old being up there and doing what he did. I was expecting him to stand still and be wooden based on past reviews - completely the opposite. Worked the stage but appropriately gave up the spotlight to Dad and Dave. He also knew how to play to the croud - the red sox on his headstock and the sox stickers all over his bass, talk about instantly winning us over! His playing and vocals were spot on and he looked like he was having a good time.

I'm going to Worcester next week - can't freaking wait!!

DON'T MISS THIS SHOW

cooldrewb

Wow, this was a great show. I am thinking about going to the Worcester show. I hope someone recorded this show, it would be nice to have a copy of it to remember it by. Especially, considering all the Red Sox stuff added in. That just makes it a little more personal.

jrk5150

If anyone is thinking of heading to Worcester, I've got a single ticket I'm willing to let go for best offer. Section 124 row D (Ed's side). Just blast me a PM. Paid $170 through TM, will take what I can get.

__________________
The poster formerly known as IED


There are chunks of pineapple clogging my toilet.
Never mind why.
Fuckin Mondays. Duke, asking "Why Can't I Put Drano in the Toilet??"

Panama Dog

Couldn't agree with this statement more. I was there last night and aside from the volume hike about midway through the show this was really the only complaint I had.

What a great show! There was so much energy in the Garden last night. For a tuesday night it felt like a friday night show. I definately think a few people went to the Sox rally and then topped it off with a little VH last night. The only other concert that I have seen at the Garden that had the energy of last nights show was AC/DC back on the Stiff Upper Lip tour and that is saying something.

Like so many people before me have stated the first part of the show is just blistering. YRGM, I'm the One, RWTD, Romeo. Eddie is playing so much better than 2004. He looks fantastic(absolutely ripped and so is Dave) and is in much better spirits with his son by his side. I missed Mike's energy but, as far as I could tell, Wolfie was good and he definately won over the crowd by showing his alliance to the Red Sox with the stickers and the big Red Sock on his bass. Dave and Eddie also mentioned the Sox which got huge ovations from everyone.

Alex was solid as usual. He is one of the best and he showed it last night. His solo is good, but I have just seen Rush this year twice and when you compare the two solos Alex's is not even close. Neil's solo is always the highlight of a Rush show for me. Alex's was good but it wasn't necessarily a highlight. Not dissing Al here just making a comparison.

This was my first time seeing Dave on stage with VH and he didn't dissappoint. Aside from the improvising on the lyrics Dave was great. A real showman up there playing to the crowd doing what great frontmen do. The kicks and martial arts routine might be a little played out to some but I enjoyed it. I was trying to look at the interaction between Eddie and Dave all night and, although I still think there is a little bit of a power struggle there, overall they seemed to be getting along. I was on the floor and had one of the tallest people in the arena directly in front of me so I was struggling all night to get a good view of things but for the most part Ed and Dave looked to be o.k. with each other.

This show was a last minute thing for me. I have tickets to Worcester next week so I wasn't planning on going to this show. I can't express in words how glad I am that I went. For those of you that are on the fence about going I would definately reccommend that you go. Ed is not the Ed of 1986 but if you can put it in perspective that he is 52 and maybe can't do some of the things he used to be able to do, for whatever reason, he gets enough of it right to make it worthwhile.

__________________
We go out in the world and take our chances
Fate is just the weight of circumstances
That's the way that lady luck dances
Roll the bones

DirtyWaterDoggie

Second show (Mohegan Sun), and it seems to be getting better. I agree with most of the comments already posted, I only add that I thought DLR was exponentially better. He was more classic Diamond Dave, more animated and more physical. And although his rap is streamlined, it was more playful. I cannot wait for the Worcester.


This costing me a fortune, but it is woth it.

jeffbug

Nothing will ever top the Monsters of Rock show in '88 in my mind, but this show was fantastic. I think the band having the three previous nights off did them really good. I don't have any complaints. There is no such thing as a perfect show, I don't care who the band is. This was as close to perfect as it gets. Sure, I could mention a few little mistakes that I saw, but they were so minimal I won't even mention them. I was impressed by Wolfie. I thought about boycotting the tour when Mike was dumped, but I came to my senses and I am over it now. Highlights: You Really Got Me, Mean Street, I'll Wait, Little Dreamer, Alex's solo, and Little Guitars. Lowlights: None.

One interesting thing happened that no one has mentioned yet. During Everbody Wants Some, someone threw something on stage that looked like a wool winter hat or maybe even a t-shirt. The object came kind of close to Dave and he spotted it right away. He was standing on stage right and while he was singing he kept turning around and glaring at the person who threw it. After three or four dirty looks, Dave yelled "fuck off" at the person. He didn't say it into the mic. He then just continued on with the song. I don't get why Dave was so bothered by this. At the end of the song Eddie picked up the object and tossed it off the side of the stage. I must admit I couldn't take my eyes off Dave. (No, I'm not a pickle smootcher) This guy was just born to be on a stage. I like both Sammy and Dave. I prefer Sammy, because I think he is more talented, but Dave was awesome last night.

DirtyWaterDoggie

[QUOTE=jeffbug;891892] ...One interesting thing happened that no one has mentioned yet. During Everbody Wants Some, someone threw something on stage that looked like a wool winter hat or maybe even a t-shirt. The object came kind of close to Dave and he spotted it right away. He was standing on stage right and while he was singing he kept turning around and glaring at the person who threw it. After three or four dirty looks, Dave yelled "fuck off" at the person. He didn't say it into the mic. He then just continued on with the song. I don't get why Dave was so bothered by this. At the end of the song Eddie picked up the object and tossed it off the side of the stage. I must admit I couldn't take my eyes off Dave. ... QUOTE]




We were sitting way up on Eddie's side and saw the same thing. I barely saw where they came from and I then saw Dave kick the two objects under Al's riser (I could not see Dave's face). At the end of the tune Ed's tech threw what must have been another towel up and Eddie wiped something off the stage where he was standing (he must have spilled something). So maybe the items where towels for Ed.

EUX4Life

Easily the best concert I've ever been to. First time I've seen Dave with VAN HALEN, and it was completely worth it. I went the 5 star route and I would've paid double for the package. It was that damn good. Every rock fan needs to see this show.

Here are my pics from the concert if anyone's interested:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...kzYuvg&notag=1

__________________
"You gotta do me a favor and let these (people) have a good time, alright? A little bit of (vulgar term for breast) and their hands in the air ain't gonna hurt anybody" - Nikki Sixx

"Van Halen is 'Get the fuck off the sidewalk if ya don't like our drivin' kinda music!" - David Lee Roth

"We get to the hotel, there's people partyin' in the parking lot, people gettin' down in the elevator, wow! I swear to God I had this one chick, this chick was poundin' on my door, she was kickin' and screamin' at my door 'til about 6:30 this morning. Finally, I just said, 'Fuck it!' and let her out of my room!" - David Lee Roth

Hack

I'm jealous. We took 107 pics, 6th row Kansas City - yours look way better. Good stuff.

__________________
...AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY, GOD CREATED VAN HALEN

VAN HALEN IS A LIFESTYLE

Hack

Sorry about that last post mods, I thought I was in Official Boston thread, not reviews. My bad.

__________________
...AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY, GOD CREATED VAN HALEN

VAN HALEN IS A LIFESTYLE

mike zack

Ok finally I got some time to post my full review. Like I said earlier my 12th VH show overall. Seen Sammy, Gary, and now Dave twice. 24 hours later Im officially ranking this one at #1.

The only negative thing I can say is that from where I was sitting (Loge 12, Wolfgang's side) during the song's with Keyboards I could barely hear Ed's guitar. It looked like the first verse of Cradle he was playing I'll Wait but again I could barely hear him.

After the first 2 songs as they ripped into RWTD I said to my self this has the potential of being a truly memorable night if they can keep it up and boy did they ever. Eddie was fucking fire the whole night The best ive seen him live or on bootlegs since 98. He nailed everything and when he imporved it totally fit the song. Al and Wolfie for grooving the whole night. Unreal how they were so locked in together. Wolfie was very impressive. A lot more anamated then when I saw him in CT. The Red Sox stickers and the Red Sock on his bass was awesome. During Unchained in the breakdown he stepped the mic and sad something a long the lines of "Dave do like my bass with my Red Sox stickers" the crowd went nuts!! The kid can f'n play point blank!

Every song kicked ass one after another. Loud as hell! My ears are still ringing. Dave sang his ass off. I still can't believe how impresive he has been all tour. All 4 are really giving there all into every show and I think the crowds are appreciating it.

I must admit I shed a couple tears during the begining of Eddie's solo. As he was sitting on the steps of the ramp I closed my eyes and just took it all in. While he was playing 316 I pictured Live Without a Net, him sitting on the edge of the stage, 95 when he would solo over it, and 2004 when Wolfie came out to play it with him, and even the stories of him when he was a teenager and would sit on the edge of his bed and play all night long. I kind of just yelled out Thank You. Thank You for providing all the years of music, Thank You for 12 great concerts I've seen, Thanks most of all for getting healthy and overcoming all your deamons to play for us again.

Couple of random obseravtions. About 5 or 6 songs in Matt Bruck came right up the stairs in my section with a flash light trying find someone or something. He then pulls a couple of hot brunette's out of the crowd and brings them down to the pit. I saw them on the video screen during I'll wait.

No problem taking photo's or getting a camera in.

Eddie looks really healthy. I really hope he stays on this path. Only good things can come from it.

Eddies mic stand seem further back and closer to Alex then I have seen before not sure why.

Eddies's Yellow and Black guitar from I'll wait had Boston written on the curve on the bottom. He played mostly the black 4 Wolfie all night.

Magic Bus and Spoonful were in Romeo, and Doctor respectivly.

All in all and unbeleivable performence. I think 4 days off leading into the show did theym some good and they were chomping at the bit to come out and kick ass.

Can't wait for Saturday in NJ and Tuesday in Worcester! Yep I get to do this 2 more times!!!

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VH RULES!