Scotty

Reviews for the Worcester show go here. 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

okrw

Tonight was absolutely fuckin' awesome. Everbody can relax about Eddie's recent meltdown. He kicked ass tonight, as did the rest of the band. It was the exact same show as Boston last week. I think us Massachusetts fans have seen the best two shows of the tour so far. My god, Alex is fuckin' good. He just vaulted past Neil Peart in my book. I hope they come back to the Boston area in 2008. I can't get enough of this shit.

Double Down

Fuckin' A, baby, what a show!! My house is only 10 minutes from the venue so I figured I'd be the first to review. Without a doubt Eddie stole the fuckin' show tonight. Yes, I know his solo is pretty weak this tour, and yes I know Hot For Teacher for some reason is weak, but overall he was on fire!!!!!! Same setlist as usual, same show I saw last week in Boston, but for some reason this one just seemed to kick ass even more. I loved the Boston show, not a single complaint, but tonight was even more special. Maybe it has to do with me having better seats (Eddies side, real close to the stage) or maybe it has to do with the multiple shots of Cuervo I did, but for whatever reason I had the greatest fucking time tonight! I'll tell ya, these old school fans around here that are passing on this tour are missing the boat. I know they have their reasons, I don't blame them for having their reasons, but I just know they'd have a fucking blast if they saw these guys in person. Fuck the downloads, fuck the video clips on youtube, you gotta see the show in person. There is no freaking way you couldn't have a great time.

My personal highlights:

1. Beautiful Girls - Background vocals are stellar, Wolfie!!
2. Little Guitars - Seeing the mini Frankie and hearing this tune in person is just epic.
3. Running With The Devil - Never one of my favorites growing up but for some reason I've enjoyed the hell out of this in Boston and tonight in Worcester. So fucking good this tour!!
4. I'll Wait - Yes, I'll Wait. Don't give me this shit about keyboards, this song was fantastic.
5. Panama - It's fucking Panama, man. How could it not kick ass?


So glad I grabbed tickets the other day for this one. What a great fucking night!

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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.

voivod

HOLY SHIT!!! Fucking flawless night tonight!!!

"I forgot the fucking words", DLR - Mean Street

This show BLEW away Mohegan Sun last month... AMAZING...

Section 109, Row MM and no ear plugs...

Wolfie kicked ass on bass, Dave was excellent, and he screams were/are coming back... Something he didn't do much of at Mohegan... His delivery was more rock and roll, and less lounge like he did for a few tunes at Mohegan... I'll Wait, damn it! I take back what I said about that song... Tonight it worked...

Eddie was On Fiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre tonight as well... NO stupid technical issues, meltdowns, monitor pissyness - NOTHING - Just Eddie, like I saw him in 86, 91, 98!!!

Eddie and Wolfie were spot on...

Piss break during Alex's solo - sorry Alex!!

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Remember when Ronald Reagan was President!? We also had Bob Hope and Johnny Cash still with us. Now we have Obama and no hope and no cash...

Steely

Just got back. Wow! What a show! I don't know if they were just on or what, but they sounded great. I had AWESOME seats...floor center near the edge of the loop walkway (floor 2, row s).

Highlights:
-Dave sounded great, better than I've ever heard him on bootlegs and youtube clips.
-great setlist of old tunes
-tunes were played at a really rockin pace/tempo
-sounded the hardest (in a very good way) that I've ever heard them (possibly due to setlist)

I'll report back tomorrow with a more in depth review.

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"If at first you don't understand Van Halen's music, crank up the volume."
-Washington Post, April, 1980

Double Down

Sorry, something I forgot to add to my review:

1. Dave did give us the classic, "I forgot the fucking words!" line tonight. Gotta admit, that was cool as hell. I don't believe that's been part of the schtick this year.

2. Ed came out in a black shirt and wore it most of the show. I believe this was the first time he wasn't shirtless, right?

__________________
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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.

voivod

YES...

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Remember when Ronald Reagan was President!? We also had Bob Hope and Johnny Cash still with us. Now we have Obama and no hope and no cash...

EUX4Life

Tonight's show was great. I enjoyed Boston a lot more (thought they were tighter last week), but I was also front row 5-star for that show, and this time I was in the front row balcony on Eddie's side (with people walking in front of me all goddam night). Not as much Eddie & Dave banter as Boston, it looked like to me.

What did Eddie say at the end of the concert? It sounded like "David Lee is back" or something like that. Couldn't hear most of the talking due to the ringing in my ears

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"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

mannyroth

Snippet of "Crossroads" during You Really Got Me.

A Cappella part back in I'm The One.

EDDIE WORE A SHIRT!!! He had it on for the majority of the night, and I don't know if I was imagining it, but he seemed to play better when wearing it.

Dave was A+++++!!! Like someone else mentioned, the "Scream" is back in a big way. He seemed a little cautious with it as recently as last week in Boston, but he liberally peppered the show with his banshee yelps.

Al never ceases to amaze- really seems like he's having a great time.

Ed also seems to be having a blast- constantly jumping, dancing, etc.

Wolfie solid again.

DaveB

I was there tonight, too-Great show!

Sounded like "Thanks for having us back."

oldfan77

Great show, better than Mohegan I agree. Had great seats, paid half of what I did for the Mohegan show and got WAY better seats to boot. As was stated by others, I too thought Ed was on fire and the band overall seemed extremely tight with very few misses anywhere. Yep, I cannot get enough of this shit either and hope they come back around in 2008, what an excellent time.... still didn't wear earplugs, ears are still ringing and cannot speak as my throat is shot, same as Mohegan.That's all part of a VH show tho, and it's cool with me. Can't wait for a new album or an extended tour, keep this party a rollin!

sickman

What a show. Just like all the posts before me. A++++ show. The guys rolled through Worcester like a freight train. Ed had not a single guitar issue. He was drinking Snapple all night. I scored 4th row center seats inside the pit the day of the show from Ticketmaster so the seats were incredible. It was the best birthday I had by far. Took 300 pictures, security didn't care. They told me prior to the show if you got it in the gate you can use it.

Van Halen is back baby and they aren't takin' prisoners.

1984 unchained

BEST SHOW OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!! This show was fantastic, I went to the Mohegan Sun show, and this one blew that one away. I absolutely loved their covers of crossroads, smoke on the water, magic bus included in the songs, and the band really jammed!!!! To me, some shows can seem very scripted, but not this one. My seats were incredible, (right next to Wolfgang) and even Ed said, "Are you having a good time tonight? Cause I sure am......" WOW JUST WOW!! FLAWLESS!!!

Double Down

Here's the review from the Worcester T&G. The guy loved the show and even threw a jab at the Sam era that I'm sure some around here will enjoy.




ROCKIN' LIKE IT'S 1984


WORCESTER— Van Halen’s return to the concert stage with singer David Lee Roth back in the lineup after a 22-year separation proved to be not so much a reunion show, but rather a redemption show.

In a crisp two-hour performance last night at the DCU Center, Van Halen reclaimed and restored a catalog of arena-rocking gems perilously close to being lost to bad blood, infighting and the arrival of Sammy Hagar. The Van Halen of 2007— which also swapped out original bassist Michael Anthony for guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s 16-year-old son Wolfgang — revived not just the hits but the fan-beloved deep-album cuts from the six records Roth sang on between 1978 and 1984. Sure the fans expected big things from the hits, but when songs such as “I’m the One,” “Romeo Delight” and “Little Dreamer” ably contributed to the pop-metal pounding, there was little room for debate as to which era of Van Halen has more fire power. In one fell swoop, the Hagar era from 1986 to 2004 seemed like little more than an annoyance.

The band appeared in top shape as it delivered the two dozen songs and assorted solos that made up the concert. Roth kept a lid on his infamous gift for banal gab, preferring instead to simply grin and preen away the night as Eddie Van Halen uncorked one mind-snapping guitar part after another. Make no mistake: Whoever sings for Van Halen has to understand who runs this band and it is the guitar god. Brother Alex Van Halen was likewise monstrous behind the kit, and young Wolfgang more than held his own (and the teen had the sold-out crowd in his pocket once the video cameras homed in on the “Red Sox World Champions” sticker plastered to his bass and broadcast the image on the huge video screen behind the stage).


Van Halen opened with “You Really Got Me,” The Kinks cover it claimed as its own on one of rock’s classic debut albums. The band would play seven more songs from that album before the night was over, including a version of the acoustic blues “Ice Cream Man” that allowed Roth his one shot at spinning a yarn as he explained the way he would play the song for a girlfriend back in the early days of the band.

Beyond that, Eddie Van Halen’s guitar did much of the talking. Snippets of “Crossroads,” “Smoke on the Water” and “Magic Bus” popped up in the guitar frenzy, but Van Halen’s original work made the case that it, too, belongs in the canon of classic guitar bits. Whether giving a clinic on his patented tap-style of soloing or simply unfurling sheets of blistering riffs, Eddie van Halen played with a precision and passion absent from the display he put on when last in town with Hagar in tow back in 2004.

The band employed all the trappings of rock spectacle, yet its spirited rips through the mindlessly joyous “Hot For Teacher,” “…And the Cradle Will Rock,” “Panama,” “Unchained, “ “Atomic Punk,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love” and “Everybody Wants Some” would have been just as successful had the band been playing upon a bare stage.




http://www.telegram.com/article/2007.../-1/eworcester

__________________
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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.

5150ro

My fourth show of the tour (Philly 1, Moheagan, Izod and last night). This show was the best of the four. Fourth row on Ed's side. The sound was perfect, not so loud that the sound was muddy, but loud enough that my ears are still ringing. Ed played well, and was in a great mood. The band messed up a few times, but there were no theatrics. Dave forgot the words to Mean Streets (I think), and came in early on the chorus on Little Guitars. It was cool to see Ed and Dave talking between songs. Also funny to see Ed lying down on the giant inflatable microphone at the end of Jump. Looked like he was sitting on a beanbag.

To top off the night, on the drive home on 290 west I saw a Durango with CT plates that said "VANHLN."

Good to meet you, Paul, if you're on the board. What a show.