*** Reviews 11/6 Worcester, MA *** - Page 2

5150ro · 11.07.07, 05:15 AM

One other thing comparing last night to Saturday at the Meadowlands: at the end of the show last night Ed handed his guitar to his tech who said something like "good job" to Ed. After ATBL at Izod Ed chucked his guitar 30 feet to his tech at the side of the stage. Much different mood and feel overall. Both shows were still great, but I think the crowd responded to the band having a good time last night.

EVHWolf · 11.07.07, 05:22 AM

This was my second show (Boston last week). I was a little worried with all the negative posts from NJ, but those worries quickly went away. Ed was having as much fun as I've seen him have. He really seems happy...we got a lot of heartfelt "thank yous" from him during the show. Right before he broke into Eruption and the final part of his solo (right after an extended Cathedral) he stepped up to the mic and said" Thanks for listening, I was just fucking off." Just for everyone who is complaining that Ed chucked his guitar at his tech at NJ, he did it at Boston as well at the end...I think it was part of the show. Wolfie is really starting to come out of his shell and move around even more. Al...was Al...kicking ass all night long. I am one who actually enjoys his solo (it could be shorter) but I love watching him go nuts. Dave was awesome. I think the "i forgot the fucking words" was planned, but it came off and the crowd went nuts. Dave clearly loves the spotlight (as always) but he seems to be wanting to share it with the whole band this time. As I mentioned I just saw them last week in Boston, and even though the setlist was the same, last night was like seeing it again for the first time. Great show...I'd see it again, no question. I am damn proud to be a Van Halen fan right now...and before this tour it'd been a long time since I said that.

sickman · 11.07.07, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

Hey man that was me. It was quite a night.

Grateful Ed · 11.07.07, 05:36 AM

This was the first time I've seen a DLR-fronted VH, and it was great to finally hear some of those old tunes live. Overall, I thought it was a good show. Not great, but good. The best part was the overall energy level was really high, the band gave off a good vibe, and genuinely seemed to be having fun (especially Eddie, especially compared to '04 when he didn't want to interact with anyone on stage - least of all Sammy). That part was great to see, and it felt like Ed was happy on stage with Dave. The set list was awesome, and the show just kept rolling from one awesome song to the next (with the exception of I'll Wait, which should have been skipped, although it worked out ok since the line at the restroom was so long I had to wait for all of Al's solo and still hadn't pee'd!) On the minus side, I thought the band was sloppy at times. To some extent, that's ok - I mean, its rock and roll. But I thought Ed's playing overall was not great (don't kill me for that!), the band wasn't as tight as I expected, and at times the vocal harmonies were just off, although its hard to say whether that was Dave or Ed and Wolf.

Dave was as expected. He's not the best singer, but he's a good frontman, and he's a pro. He was clearly pissed during the part where he did his little harmonica/megaphone song intro (I forget which song) and got huge feedback, but he dealt with it, and the show went on. I really was glad I had the chance to see him front the band.

Could have done without either solo, which is sad for me since Ed's solo has long been the highlight of the show for me. Last night it was just not good though. Its almost as if he knows he's expected to do certain things, and is trying to breath new life into them, but can't quite figure out how. Ed was clearly having volume/sound issues during the beginning of his solo as well.

I was impressed with Wolf, who seemed to be spot on all night. His stage presence is not good, but hell he's a baby! Seems like he's aware that he hasn't really "earned" the right to be up on a stage in front of so many people just yet.

I'd give this show a solid "B".

Danimal · 11.07.07, 06:12 AM

Awesome show!!! Band was awesome. Dave forgetting words is classic! FYI, he did miss some words/lines in other songs, but played through. His line on Mean Street was awesome. Glad I finally got to see them with Dave.

I noticed most of the fans in or near the runway on the floor were pretty lame. I think the people where I was and up (Wolfie side, lower level of 109)were really into it, but not most in the 4-5 star floor seats! Damn agents and scalpers!

5150ro · 11.07.07, 06:38 AM

Dave's megaphone feedback came at the beginning of SGMAD. He cut short the megaphone thing at the beginning of the song. After he handed the megaphone to a roadie, I saw Dave mouth "feedback". But no matter what, Dave never stops smiling the whole show.

sickman · 11.07.07, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danimal

Awesome show!!! Band was awesome. Dave forgetting words is classic! FYI, he did miss some words/lines in other songs, but played through. His line on Mean Street was awesome. Glad I finally got to see them with Dave.

I noticed most of the fans in or near the runway on the floor were pretty lame. I think the people where I was and up (Wolfie side, lower level of 109)were really into it, but not most in the 4-5 star floor seats! Damn agents and scalpers!

Yeah you are right, all were on their feet but I was the only one rockin out through the whole show. There was a guy in the front row havin a hell of a time, not bothering anyone but took his shirt off and the 2 big security guys that VH has, you know the ones that follow Dave around when he is on the catwalk, well they told the guy to put the shirt on and calm down. There was also a girl in front doing the same thing although she left her shirt on and they told her to cool it too. Pretty fuckin lame if you ask me.

BigRock · 11.07.07, 07:35 AM

Unbelievable....I thought Boston kicked ass but this just completely blew me away. I didn't think it was possible but the band was tighter, had more energy and just completed pounded the croud into submission. Also, the Worcester crowd had significantly more energy than Boston - the place was jumping from start to finish!

Highlights:
- Jaime's Cryin - again, like Boston, just torched it!
- Everybody Wants Some - it seems like Ed and Dave were fucking w/ Alex a little bit. He started the intro and Ed and Dave were standing off to his side in the dark...Alex kept waiting for them and the camera showed his face like 'what the fuck??? let's go!!!"...finally about 10 seconds after Ed was supposed to come in, him and Wolfgang did and Alex started laughing!!!
- Pretty Women - classic moment of Wolfgang mouthing the line "Mercy..." with this really sarcastic look on his face as Dave stood next to him.
- Romeo Delight - felt like they never wanted to stop playing the song, energy level just kept on going up and up

I'm exhausted....thank christ they decided to make this tour work - IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS TOUR TAKE ANY CHANCE YOU CAN - YOU WILL REGRET IT IF YOU MISS IT!!!!!!

Danimal · 11.07.07, 09:37 AM

Newspaper review: Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/artic...s_fun_for_all/

jasonbogen · 11.07.07, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grateful Ed

This was the first time I've seen a DLR-fronted VH, and it was great to finally hear some of those old tunes live. Overall, I thought it was a good show. Not great, but good. The best part was the overall energy level was really high, the band gave off a good vibe, and genuinely seemed to be having fun (especially Eddie, especially compared to '04 when he didn't want to interact with anyone on stage - least of all Sammy). That part was great to see, and it felt like Ed was happy on stage with Dave. The set list was awesome, and the show just kept rolling from one awesome song to the next (with the exception of I'll Wait, which should have been skipped, although it worked out ok since the line at the restroom was so long I had to wait for all of Al's solo and still hadn't pee'd!) On the minus side, I thought the band was sloppy at times. To some extent, that's ok - I mean, its rock and roll. But I thought Ed's playing overall was not great (don't kill me for that!), the band wasn't as tight as I expected, and at times the vocal harmonies were just off, although its hard to say whether that was Dave or Ed and Wolf.

Dave was as expected. He's not the best singer, but he's a good frontman, and he's a pro. He was clearly pissed during the part where he did his little harmonica/megaphone song intro (I forget which song) and got huge feedback, but he dealt with it, and the show went on. I really was glad I had the chance to see him front the band.

Could have done without either solo, which is sad for me since Ed's solo has long been the highlight of the show for me. Last night it was just not good though. Its almost as if he knows he's expected to do certain things, and is trying to breath new life into them, but can't quite figure out how. Ed was clearly having volume/sound issues during the beginning of his solo as well.

I was impressed with Wolf, who seemed to be spot on all night. His stage presence is not good, but hell he's a baby! Seems like he's aware that he hasn't really "earned" the right to be up on a stage in front of so many people just yet.

I'd give this show a solid "B".

OK, I was starting to think I was in an alternate universe. I happen to completely agree with you about Ed. In fact my buddy recorded it and we listened to the entire thing back at the hotel just to make sure. Ed was very sloppy towards the end of the show. Especially during Little Guitars and his solo, which sounded like a kid in a music store trying to do an EV impersonation and not pulling it off. Sadly it seemed as though he had fallen off the wagon. I don't know what was more shocking, seeing the way he played last night or coming here and seeing nobody commenting on it. Don't get me wrong, the show still rocked to hell, the mood was fantastic, I loved the chemistry between Ed/Dave and Ed/Wolfie, the setlist, etc. This was worth every penny (all 16000 of them), but Ed really worried me that he may be headed back to rehab. He was really laboring during the cathedral part of the solo. No way a sober Ed screws that up. Hopefully my buddy will get some of it up soon so you can go back and listen again. Anyway, I am a Sammy over Dave kind of guy though I love them both, but I have to say: Dave stole the show and was more professional then I could ever have imagined. Just enough ego to be the monster frontman he should be, but not over the top to where it was distracting. The voice was way better than I could have imagined. I saw him solo 15 years ago and he was an embarrassment. This was polar opposite...Big Kudos!

shermdawg74 · 11.07.07, 09:55 AM

I am glad someone else commented on Ed's playing too. During his solo, I was cringing, and kinda embarrased for him. The first 5 to 7 minutes of the solo were just downright awful. I said to my friend "What is he doing?" There were a few other mishaps as well -- such as the bridge during "Mean Street", and some of the solos of certain songs. Roth impressed me a LOT! He definitely put a lot of work into getting his voice in top shape. He was in great form! Wolfie impressed me as well -- solid as all hell. Alex is Alex - always good! Really cool show, but it just seemed to miss something from the old days (even with Sammy in the band). They were a MACHINE back then, and now it seems everything is too loose and sloppy a bit. Again, it still rocked for sure, but something seemed to be missing. Part of that something was definitely Michael Anthony!

jasonbogen · 11.07.07, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shermdawg74

I am glad someone else commented on Ed's playing too. During his solo, I was cringing, and kinda embarrased for him. The first 5 to 7 minutes of the solo were just downright awful. I said to my friend "What is he doing?" There were a few other mishaps as well -- such as the bridge during "Mean Street", and some of the solos of certain songs. Roth impressed me a LOT! He definitely put a lot of work into getting his voice in top shape. He was in great form! Wolfie impressed me as well -- solid as all hell. Alex is Alex - always good! Really cool show, but it just seemed to miss something from the old days (even with Sammy in the band). They were a MACHINE back then, and now it seems everything is too loose and sloppy a bit. Again, it still rocked for sure, but something seemed to be missing. Part of that something was definitely Michael Anthony!

I got the same impression from DLR. He really sounded like he worked hard to put on a great show and keep his ego in check. It reminded me of the comment Ed made back in '88 on the MTV Monsters Of Rock special where he said before the party was before and after the show, but now the party is the show. Ironically at that time he was referring negatively to DLR and complimenting Sammy. Also, while I thought Wolfie did a solid job, there is no question MA was missed. Not so much for his playing, but he is a character in the VH cartoon so to speak. He was a part of the show. Wolfie was more of a novelty because of his age and last name, but performance wise (not talking about his playing), still a ways away from being on the level of these guys. Not saying it ruined the show by ANY MEANS, just agreeing that a little something was missing. Once again, I still loved the show.

Jason

Panama Dog · 11.07.07, 10:38 AM

Another great show last night although overall for me I thought Boston was better last week. The overall sound quality I thought was better last night but I definately think Boston had more energy from the crowd. Maybe that was due to the fact that I had a pretty good floor seat in Boston and last night I was up in one of the corners of the arena.

Eddie was stellar for most part last night although his solo was terrible compared to last week. I don't know if it was because of where I was sitting but for a large part of his solo you couldn't even make out what he was trying to play. The last quarter of the solo he seemed, or his tech seemed, to figure out the problem and he saved face. Also, he is not hitting his solos during the songs with the precision that he used to. The ones I was listening hard to try and hear were for Unchained, Hot for Teacher and Ice Cream Man. On all three he improvised and just kind of rushed through them it seemed like to me. I don't know if this is by choice or if he simply cannot play them anymore but it is definately noticeable. I don't want to seem like I'm bashing Ed. Like I said overall he was grrrrrreat! But when you've watched LWAN like a thousand times and old youtube clips from the DLR days and compare them to now you can see the decline. I try to remember that he is 52 and he did have to battle cancer for a while. When you bring that into consideration he is still pretty fuckin' good.

Alex was, well, Alex. Solid as usual.

Wolfie was solid as well but he wasn't as animated last night as he was in Boston. To me he just doesn't seem to happy to be up there. Like Ed, I try to remember that this kid is just that a 16 year old kid. I think about what I was doing when I was 16 and it blows me away that he can hold his own up there with one of the greatest bands of all time. Still, I don't know if this is right for him. If this truly is what he wants to be doing then great he will only get better but if he is doing this because his father wants him to do it then I fear that this could end up going bad. Tonight was the first time I really missed having Michael Anthony up on stage with VH.

Dave was good. Pretty much the same as in Boston although, to me, like Wolfie he didn't seem as into it as he was last week at the Garden. During Mean Street after he said "I forgot the fucking words" there was an uncomfortable period where he seemed to be lost and Ed, Al, and Wolfie just kind of took over and braught the song home. He still sings some parts of the songs differently which fucks everyone up, who are trying to sing along, and I think it fucks up Ed, Al and Wolfie sometimes as well. With all that being said Dave is still a professional and he did not dissappoint last night.

The highlights of the show for me were RWTD, Cradle, Everybody Wants Some, Dance The Night Away and Unchained.

Lowlights: I'll Wait, Little Dreamer, Ed's solo, Little Guitars and Jump as the encore.

Despite the criticism I had a fantastic time last night and it was worth every penny spent. Definately go see the show if you get the chance.

sickman · 11.07.07, 10:48 AM

Trust me when he said I forgot the Fuckin words it was on purpose. Everyone in the crowd screamed with approval after he did it. At that time he was standing right in front of me and the smile on his face was ear to ear. He didn't lose anything.

DirtyWaterDoggie · 11.07.07, 12:08 PM

Third show (Mohegan / Boston) great energy to start the show.

I loved Crossroads in YRGM, Wolfie's extended intro to So this is Love, and the audience response to Al's solo was incredible (long time since I had witness that!!).

On the Wolf front I think he is getting better every night. I think the knocks are in comparing his stage presence to Mikey. Maybe he is going to be more like Entwhistle and Wyman, and less like the pint sized whiskey drinkin’ crazy motherfucker.

It was an awesome night (although Boston seemed tighter to me), and Dave continues to impress each night (loved the “forgot the words” part). But I have to agree with a lot of other posts, Ed started to get lost from Little Dreamer until Catherdral. He finished the solo and the night on a high note. I do not want to think bad thoughts about his state of mental/physical health, but sometimes you have to wonder.

P.S. He really fought through Women In Love intro.