Reviews - Charlotte, NC 9-27-07 - Page 2

MF5150 · 09.27.07, 10:47 PM

I was wondering about what has been mentioned: Does Dave talk AT ALL during the show...or is this going to be like Eric Clapton...."Thank YOU!"...."THANKS YOU VERY MUCH!"......

I hope later in the tour Dave starts to actually talk in between songs like he has done before...

vhrocks2006 · 09.27.07, 10:48 PM

GO SEE VAN HALEN!!!!

Im 28.. never seen a VH show before; WOW.. This review comes from the nosebleed section. (227 w, bobcats arena)

All I can say is. Ed was AWESOME, Al was AWESOME+, Dave kicked ass, and Wolf rocked face.

I watched the entire show through binoculars.. I couldnt stop smiling.. the energy and chemistry was definitely there (thanks Wolf). Dave's stories were there, everyone performed better than largo and US. Im telling you, Ive seen every VH show on youtube, and this was 10x better. I would buy the DVD tomorrow. As far as Im concerned, this is no joke people, VAN HALEN is back.. DONT MISS IT!!

Pacfanweb · 09.28.07, 12:45 AM

Random honest observations:

First of all, if you like Van Halen at all, GO SEE THIS TOUR.

Now,
Dave...is Dave. That's mostly good.
He does try and sing most of the time now. He's dropped the "I forgot the fuckin' words" routine.
He DOES forget and mix up lyrics. He reversed the order of the first two verses of Pretty Woman. Sang all sorts of other lyrics out of order or mixed up.
But at least he was singing something.
He's still the man. Nobody works the crowd like Dave.
Spent a good portion of the show over near Eddie.

Eddie....played great during the songs. Still moves pretty well. He would be able to move even better if HE'D GET RID OF THE DAMN WIRES. Come on, even Wolfgang was using wireless.
His solo, to me, was pretty boring. Seemed to be playing kind of slow. His solos during songs seemed spot-on, though. I did like hearing the intro to Women in Love, though.
Eddie is a much bigger part of the backing vocal sound then he's generally given credit for.
Dude looked like he got a new lease on life up there tonight.

Wolf....the kid can play. End of discussion. He'll get more and more comfortable as the tour goes on, I'd think.
He can sing....and either his voice hasn't changed yet, or it's not going to. He spoke several times and it's a pretty high voice.
With him and Eddie singing, the backing vocals sounded good. You can definitely tell Mikey isn't there, though. Wolf can hit a lot of the same notes, but not with the same power...and let's face it, lots of people can hit the same notes, but everyone has their own tone.
The backing vocals are just fine.

Alex...is still Alex. Not much to report...he played great, and his solo didn't bore me to death...it was good, actually, as far as drum solos go. I usually prefer to sandpaper a tiger's ass than hear a drum solo, if that tells you anything.

Again...go see this tour. You won't be disappointed.

I'm going to be in Greensboro, too. Can't wait.

Edit: They did have some feedback problems throughout the show. At one point Dave went to the side of the stage and had a talk with someone right after some feedback happened.
I'm sure that'll get fixed.

BTW, the video screen is BIG, and the picture isn't very good. From the rehearsal pics and video, I expected the picture quality to be much better.

raleighpackfan · 09.28.07, 01:07 AM

HEy Buster, here's my email addy if you really want Greensboro tickets.....I have 16th row floor and 20th row floor, right in front of Eddie.

raleighpackfan@yahoo.com

MF5150 · 09.28.07, 05:34 AM

One question for people on the floors? Did anybody here have around Row 10 on Eddie's side? If so how were those seats?

Bullwinkle · 09.28.07, 05:42 AM

Here's the review from the Charlotte Observer

CONCERT REVIEW
Seems like old times: Van Halen rocks arena
COURTNEY DEVORES
cdevores@charlotteobserver.com
TODD SUMLIN/Observer StaffDavid Lee Roth (left) and Eddie Van Halen perform at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, Thursday, September 27, 2007. Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Wolfgang Van Halen and David Lee Roth came together for the national tour's first stop.

Opening night of Van Halen's long-awaited reunion with David Lee Roth literally kicked off with several of Roth's highflying kicks at Charlotte Bobcats Arena on Thursday, although Eddie Van Halen was the first to appear on stage with one of his own signature hurky-style jumps.

The last time Van Halen performed in Charlotte with Roth as its frontman, he had just turned 30, gas was $1.21 a gallon and tickets to the show at the old Charlotte Coliseum were $12.50.

Twenty-three years later, the band's original members are all over 50 and guitarist Eddie Van Halen's 16-year-old son Wolfgang has replaced original bassist Michael Anthony.

The show sold out in a matter of minutes in August, and the arena was packed when the band hit the stage around 8:30 p.m., following a short but sweet set of pop and reggae-tinged R&B by Kymani Marley.

Fans assumed after well-publicized fighting, ill will and a couple of false starts over the past 11 years that the group would never reunite. But earlier this year the Van Halen brothers announced that Roth would rejoin the fold. If the group can keep egos and tempers in check (sources say the three original members arrived on separate buses for rehearsals), the reunion could be the biggest tour of the decade.

Any animosity wasn't apparent on stage as Roth and Eddie Van Halen saddled up next to each other, smiling, during "Everybody Wants Some" and "Dance the Night Away." Roth and Wolfgang Van Halen even sang "Oh Pretty Woman" side by side.

The younger Van Halen proved to be a showy player and spot-on backing vocalist, although he didn't yet prowl the stage like a seasoned vet.

His post rehab father looked skinny, but cut, as did his brother. In fact, the original members all looked fit, though none ran around the stage like they did 25 years ago.

"You Really Got Me" started things off with the band sticking to the set list that was leaked on the internet last week. Highlights included "Beautiful Girls," "Unchained," and "Hot For Teacher." The group saved its biggest single and only #1 pop song, "Jump," for the encore.

Roth left the band in 1985, scoring several pop hits on his own. His former band outlasted his solo success, topping the mainstream rock charts 11 times without him.

But to many fans it just wasn't the same without the flamboyant, larger-than-life Roth jumping and posing out front like an uber-charismatic game show host. One fan compared him to Liberace strutting in his embroidered jackets and skintight leather striped pants.

What might be overlooked in favor of his over-the-top persona is his voice, which was in peak form Thursday. He easily met and held notes that younger singers like Jon Bon Jovi just can't reach anymore.

Perfect4th · 09.28.07, 05:48 AM

Great Show!

All the best tracks were played, the band was tight, the presentation of the songs were interesting (especially jump!).

I was impressed with Wolf. His vocals (what I could hear through the extreme decibals!) were on and his playing was on. He isn't the showman his dad is, but he's only SIXTEEN!

Dave and Eddie seemed to be happy to be together on stage.

It was all great - The weakest part of the show was Eddie's solo time, not due to his playing(awesome as always), but the length and variety of bits strung together.

Those that hold tickets to future shows have a great time in store!

Peace!

dewlots · 09.28.07, 06:36 AM

I was there.....HOLY CRAP!!! I will admit I was a skeptic. I saw them in Greensboro opening the 2004 tour and...well.....that show was not good. I was afraid I would never see another good Van Halen show. I saw them on the Diver Down tour, The 1984 tour, and several times in the Sammy Era. Saw some great shows. But...I am a believer. I paid to see the High Diving Act and by god I saw the High Diving act. Worth evvery penny. Even the $6 beer was worth it. Eddie was Eddie again. Dave was better than Dave....he actually sang most of the songs. Even in the Day he talked his way through. It was very evident that they put in a ton of prep time to make sure the show was worthwhile.

Thanks to VH for doing it right for the fans. Best damn rock band in the world bar none. End of story. PAY THE MONEY IF YOU ARE A TRUE VH FAN.

One side note about Wolfgang. The dude did a great job under what had to be enormous pressure. From my vantage point.. I could see him backstage watchin his dad on diamondvision during the solo...with Roth beside him. It was a priceless moment. As big a hero as Eddie was to me, to his son I am sure he is bigger. I hope this is Eddies new addiction. Music and family.
I would like to see VH treat M. Anthony w/ more respect from a historical perspective and yes....I missed him in the show. He was part of what made VH great. But I understand Eddie wanting to tour w/ his son.

I hope the rest of the shows are 1/2 as good as what I saw.

smashism · 09.28.07, 06:44 AM

I guess I'm going to be the only jerkface that calls BS on Wolfgang. Family's great - but it's not the rock and roll business. The kid was just plain awkward. And don't give me the "he's only 16 business"... Dave and Eddie weren't that much older when they started out and they had PLENTY of charisma. I'm just hoping this goes well and they decide to do the right thing and bring Mike back.

Having said that and still being a jerkface, let me say GO SEE THIS SHOW - despite my earlier bitchings in this thread, it IS TOTALLY WORTH IT.

Thanks Dave and Eddie.

vhfan428yrs · 09.28.07, 06:53 AM

A long wait & well worth it! I'm a die hard fan of the original members!! It was great being at the first show reuniting David Lee Roth with the Van Halen brothers it was everything I expected it to be.

I peeked at the rehearsal footage on You Tube and was a bit worried about what I was going to see. Last night’s show was nothing like what I saw on You Tube.

The band is tight! What a party!! It was a feel good show, a must see for new fans and old!! Bring the kids, and have them witness rock and roll history in the making!

Dave’s voice was just as crisp as years ago (so he missed a few lyrics…big deal). But I have to say I missed his sex appeal and his signature leaps and kicks during the performance. As he sang, he paced the stage most of the night grinning from ear to ear. He was having a great time & so was the crowd!

Eddie…was the best I have ever seen him, clean, crisp and quick as ever!! He seemed genuinely moved by the crowd’s enthusiasm “Thank you from the bottom of my heart” we felt his sincerity !! I had floor seats and wished that he would have came out on to ramp at least one time. I don’t think the band used the ramp enough!

Being a true fan, I did miss Michael Anthony…it would have been great to see him (he should be kicking himself, he is really missing out!!). The backup vocals were great…they pulled it off without him!

Wolfie….well….it was great to see him & Ed perform together, history in the making. He held is own, he was confident without being cocky, he knew his place and didn’t push it.

Go see this show…the energy is as amazing as the play list! Well worth the money! Cool concert gear too..pricey...but hey....you gotta have a concert shirt!

Welcome Back Guys.......Your Original Fans Missed Ya!!!!! GREAT SHOW!!

DUNN28 · 09.28.07, 06:55 AM

It kicked ass sound was great band was jammin Dave was great Eddie rocked Alex was perfect and Wolfie even shocked me .
I got pictures and Video but have to buy a disc reader will get one later on today off to Greensboro

Van Halen fucking rocks

tornbetween2singers · 09.28.07, 07:11 AM

My son's 10 year old impression of last nights show was "It's the best concert I've ever seen"... that may sound funny because he's 10, but he's an aspireing guitar player and pretty good at it. He has had the opportunity to see four major concerts in the past year, including Aerosmith, RHCP(x2), Nickelback, and Rush.

As for me, I'm a product of late 70's early 80's VH. I hated every minute of Van "Haggar" including that nic-name. HOWEVER, I was converted to a lifelong fan of Sammy during the Sam and Dave tour after seeing both singers. Sammy blew Dave away then. Dave looked old and out of shape and almost silly. This actually saddened me a bit because I am a DLR Van Halen fan. I called myself a "convert" after seeing Sammy, well now, I TAKE IT ALL BACK!

I'm so happy Dave is back and now know he is and always will be the VOICE of VAN HALEN, PERIOD! Eventhough I still love Sammy as just Sammy.

Dave's voice was strong last night (more in the beginning than the end..but hey, he's in his 50's right?) He looked strong, and the rapport between him and Eddie was great! The stage set up was good, the set list perfect, and even the cheezy inflatable microphone was Showman Dave style, so it is forgiven. I'm glad I got to be part of the very first arena show in and I am already looking for tickets to Greenboro tomorrow! History was made here in Charlotte last night.

My 10 year old son who learned to play the main courds from Eruption (at a slow pace) on a 50.00 bet was blown away by Eddie's talent. He even asked me, "why is Jimmy Hendrix the greatest guitar player, not Eddie Van Halen?". My answer,... Of course that is only an opinion...and my opinion is that Eddie is the Greatest ever! (apologies to John Frushanti ...we still love you too).

Fan4Life · 09.28.07, 07:26 AM

Here is a link to a review from a Toronto paper:

http://www.torontosun.com/Entertainm...32758-sun.html

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Their hair is a lot shorter but the undeniable chemistry is still there.

After 22 years apart, Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen and original lead singer David Lee Roth were back on stage together for the L.A. hard rock band's much-anticipated reunion tour, which launched last night at the Charlotte Bobcats arena in front of some 18,000 fans.

Joining the duo, whose long locks used to be as much a part of their identity as their respective showmanship and incredible finger dexterity, was original drummer Alex Van Halen and Eddie's 16-year-old son Wolfgang on bass.

Wolfgang is replacing the band's fourth and final original member, Michael Anthony, who's touring next month with one-time Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar.

And while Wolfgang may be the odd man out, sharing the stage with three fiftysomething musicians, he displayed a confidence and musicianship well beyond his age, even venturing out on the band's S-shaped catwalk by himself to get closer to the crowd.

Eddie, meanwhile, was all smiles all night long, beaming like a proud parent at Wolfgang, hi-fiving Roth -- who grinned right back -- on more than one occasion, and performing scissor kicks while playing his guitar at lightning speed.

He was the undisputed star -- "The Maestro" as Roth called him -- of the night.

For example, when Roth and Eddie had a contest about who could make a better motorcycle sound with their mouth or guitar, Roth easily backed down saying: "I can't do that!"

If anything, it was Roth who was the weakest link of the evening, at least physically.

He still sounds decent enough and loves to tell a good story, like the long-winded but funny one right before he played acoustic guitar on Ice Cream Man, but his legendary limberness isn't what it used to be.

This was a guy who could high kick and jump with the best of them.

These days, the blond-streaked Roth mainly twirls a microphone stand while his clownish attire and "Diamond Dave" behaviour -- he wore tight black leather pants, two different top hats, several gold embossed jackets worthy of Liberace, and alternately twirled a chain during Unchained and a red flag like a gymnast during Jump -- isn't as engaging as it used to be.

Van Halen's two-hour-and-10-minute performance kicked off with a triple-shot of great classic rock -- their cover of The Kinks' You Really Got Me, I'm the One, which the band stopped mid-song to rapturous applause -- "It only took us 20 years to get this far," said Roth -- and Runnin' With the Devil.

In between, there were such classics -- all from the Roth-fronted years of 1978-84 -- as Romeo Delight, Beautiful Girls, Dance the Night Away, Everybody Wants Some, their cover of Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman, I'll Wait, And the Cradle Will Rock, Hot For Teacher, Little Guitars, Jamie's Cryin', Panama, and Ain't Talkin' Bout Love.

Truthfully, it was hard to maintain the energy of that trio of opening songs, but the band definitely aimed to please with a hits-heavy set list and backed by impressive green laser lights, an enormous video backdrop and confetti raining down on the audience by the very end.

"I can't tell you all how excited we are to be here tonight," said Roth.

The unseasonably warm temperatures outside -- in the low 30s Celcius -- did little to dampen the enthusiasm inside the arena as fans held up everything from signs to flags to hand-drawn pictures.

Like most big tours, Van Halen's 29-date road trip started in a relatively small market before travelling to Greensboro, N.C. tomorrow, Philadelphia on Monday and Wednesday and then crossing the border to Toronto for two shows on Oct. 7 and 12.

The other Canadian dates are Vancouver on Dec. 5, Calgary on Dec. 7 and Edmonton on Dec. 9, the latter the final date of the tour.

---

VAN HALEN

Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte, N.C.

Last Night

Sun Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5

Ain't Talkin' Bout' Love · 09.28.07, 07:26 AM

Here's a very objective sounding review of the show, sorry if it was posted

http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/V/...33256-sun.html

tornbetween2singers · 09.28.07, 07:27 AM

I thought I heard voices last night that were not there also, and I know there was a Michael Anthony Bass solo in one song. I can understand covering WG a little bit, he's young, probably scared to death and having a Dad who's probably the greatest guitar player EVER.... must be a lot to live up to. But it does sadden me too, just a little, to know that some of what we heard last night was not live... makes you distrust the rest...

NONE THE LESS... IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY, EVERY MINUTE and I'm looking for tickets to go again Saturday to Greensboro.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smashism

Thoughts on the Van Halen concert.

First I need to say how important it was for me to see this concert. Back in 1984 when I was in 8th grade at Catholic School all of my friends got to see Van Halen on the 1984 tour. I, however, was not ALLOWED to go to concerts by my ridiculously restrictive parents. So I've been waiting 23 years to see this. So, there's that.

23 years is a lot of years and a lot of things can change in that much time. Obviously people get older and slow down a bit.

Having said that, I'll say that for a bunch of old dudes the Mighty Van Halen rocked pretty damn hard. Eddie is on top of his game and Dave sounds better than he's ever sounded in a live setting. I'll chalk this up to the fact that he was probably 100% sober for this show. While being sober makes him a better singer, it makes him a somewhat less of a frontman.

Granted, this is 2007 not 1984. I shouldn't be expecting total decadence and wild abandon from a dude in his 50's. However, I did see Dave in solo performance (with Van Halen tribute-act hot-shot musicians backing him) a couple of years ago at House of Blues and it was fucking phenomenal. Dave was hamming it up and talking serious shit to everyone in the audience. Dave in full Dave mode, as it should be. I felt like tonight Dave was extremely restrained and I wonder how much of that was at Eddie's demand. There was no shit-talking at all. Just a few "how ya doin's" and "is everybody having a good time's". I expected more.

The playing was expectedly top notch and Dave hit all the notes and remembered all the words (which is kind of a new concept for him), but there was sort of a Walmart sheen over the whole thing that didn't sit quite right with me.

Don't read this to mean that I was down on the experience as a whole. The band tore shit up, no doubt. It's just that there was a certain element of craziness missing. There were no midgets in "tour security" t-shirts bringing out bottles of Jack Daniels for anyone, if you catch my drift.

OK. Let's talk about Wolfgang Van Halen. Part of me feels kind of sorry for the kid, but he has absolutely no business being in Van Halen. He had no charisma or stage presence whatsoever. I couldn't really tell if he was a decent bassist or not because his tone was so incredibly awful. You couldn't really make out anything that he was playing. He absolutely RUINED "Unchained" -- which WOULD HAVE BEEN the highlight of the night, except that when it got to the "come on Dave, gimme a break" line Wolfgang stepped to the microphone and in a cracky 16 year old's voice said "Come on Dave, uh, give whoever you're talking to a break." Serious WHAT THE FUCK epic fail moment. It was as if the entire stadium all looked around at each other with a look of "HUH?"

To make things even more what-the-fuck-ier, "Unchained" was followed by "I'll Wait".

Band press releases say that Wolfgang picked out the set list. "I'll Wait" would have been the ABSOLUTELY LAST SONG I would have picked out of 6 albums worth of VH material. What the fuck. "I'll" fucking "Wait" was the song they played after "Unchained".

More on Wolfgang... there was something definitely FUNKY with the backing vocals. Like, they were a little TOO GOOD. There was definitely some trickery going on. I was suspicious the whole night, but I definitely noticed one particular chorus where Eddie wasn't near a mic and Wolfgang was the only one at a mic -- yet there was definitely more than one voice singing backup. I feel like there was a definite cheat going on there. That bums me a little bit. Not sure if they were flying in samples or protoolzizing his vocals or having another singer backstage or what, but something was definitely fishy. Bummer. Or maybe I was just high.

Probably the best thing, for me, about the show was (and I don't know if this was genuine or fake), but seeing the comradery present between DLR and EVH. Every so often Dave would walk over to Eddie and they would goof on each other a bit and smile at each other and it really looked like they meant it and they were having fun. That could have been an act, but if it was I was sold. It was nice to see them with egos put aside and doing what they do best for their fans and seemingly having fun with it.

Nothing can change the fact that my parents kept me from seeing Van Halen in 1984, and there's no way that Van Halen in 2007 is going to live up to my expectations of what Van Halen was in 1984... but it was nonetheless a great show -- perhaps a little "too professional" if that makes sense -- but great nonetheless.

$70 great? I dunno. If I had been able to see them in 1984 it would have only cost me $8. That definitely would have been my money's worth.