bfrank

Actually reading this thread and seeing the youtube vids - this was my main worry - would we get the Dave from that tour............ He was almost like an Elvis impersonator of himself.

All sounds promising. No doubt we will all miss mike but reading the thread I am now actually excited about the show. I will have to wait until they get back home to LA to see it but lets hope for the best!

__________________
Be good humans

extrawack

Charlotte review from NYC hipster blog extrawack!:
http://extrawack.blogspot.com/2007/0...ing-night.html

Paulsitive

Highlights/Lowlights of VH opening night 07

Highlights:
*They were overall pretty fuckin awesome. Dave doesnt fly around as much anymore but all the other shit is still there.
*Beautiful Girls got a crazier reaction than I was expecting
*Romeo Delight, I'm the One, Atomic Punk
*Eddie was on, not the Eddie of 04.
*Alex cant fuck anything up

Lowlights:
*I was in Sec.224 way up top, at the beginning of the show when music was played over the pa the speakers way up top projecting toward us were working. When Marley went on they were off, so I asked someone working there and they told me their supervisor said they're working on it, they'll be back on. They never came back on and we had no sound projecting toward us at all. It was very muddy and at some points I couldn't even hear what was going on, and I could hardly hear the between song banter at all. Basically: Fuck Charlotte Bobcats Arena. That seat was kind of a rip off and the sound made it a total rip off.

*Couldn't stop missin Michael Anthony, he should have been there. Woflie was eeh, he pulled his weight (no pun intended).

Vince G.

From RollingStone.com:

Gods of Rock Deliver the Goods: Van Halen Kick Off Reunion Tour

“You’re going to see some tears when they hit that stage,” said Modesto, California’s Matt Caramella as he waited for Van Halen with David Lee Roth to hit the stage for the first time since 1984 in Charlotte, North Carolina, last night. Sure enough, tears streamed down his face as the lights went down and Eddie Van Halen appeared on the darkened stage, shirtless and wearing faded green Army fatigue shorts and white sneakers, cranking out the first few riffs of the band’s reconstituted Kinks cover “You Really Got Me.” By the time Roth came out, wearing tight black leather pants, a polka-dotted shirt and white sports jacket with gaudy black embroidery, Caramella was in fist-pumping ecstasy. “These guys are my heroes,” he shouted over the din, “the gods of rock & roll.”

And for more than two hours, the gods delivered. From “You Really Got Me” to “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “Dance the Night Away,” “Oh, Pretty Woman,” “Unchained,” “Hot for Teacher,” “Ice Cream Man,” “Panama,” guitar-god solo “Eruption,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” “Jump” and about thirteen more classic Van Halen tunes, the band was in top form for their long-overdue reunion. “I’m not going to waste time BS-ing around tonight,” Roth told the delighted, sold-out crowd of predominantly middle-aged guys in white- and blue-collar work clothes and gals who’d retrieved their Eighties bustiers for a night of original hair-metal nostalgia. But he was lying: Roth was at his BS best.

His hair may be shorter and crow’s feet longer, but Diamond Dave is every bit the Vegas showman that he was two decades ago, when he left Van Halen for an ill-fated solo career that took him from cheesy bad to train-wreck worse. He showed his gift for gab — and flamboyant duds — from the get-go, imitating Mick Jagger and martial arts moves, smiling like a clown, riding a giant microphone. And despite old wounds, his bandmates seemed charmed by their new old lead singer. Eddie Van Halen, switching from his signature Peavey “Wolfgang” guitar to his old, red- and white-striped “Frankenstein,” nuzzled up to Roth several times. And drummer Alex Van Halen, sporting his trademark white headband, pounded his kit with a constant smile. If original bassist Michael Anthony was missed at first, it wasn’t long before Eddie’s sixteen-year-old son, Wolfgang Van Halen, had the crowd in the palm of his hands. The teenaged slap-style bass player held his own with style, grace and grit, throwing out picks to the audience as he walked the catwalk into the crowd, his bass in hand, during “Atomic Punk.” There were some bumps along the way, including a few times when Roth missed his vocal cues, but the audience could not have cared less.

All four members looked healthy and fit, particularly Eddie, who has gone from drug-addict weird to middle-age handsome since the original band’s aborted reunion of 1996. Even young Wolfgang seemed to have lost some of the baby fat he showed in earlier photographs with the band. And then there was Diamond Dave, who has evolved from rock & roll cool to old-Vegas hip with style, grace and his eternally smart sense of flamboyant irony.

“Did this really happen?” Matt Caramella shouted as the house lights went up following the encore, “Jump.” By then, his tears had mingled with the sweat running down his face from his buzz cut. “Man, that was like a fucking dream.”

__________________
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."

"This is a lttle prayer dedicated to the separation of church and state. I guess if they are going to force those kids to pray in schools they might as well have a nice prayer like this: Our Father who art in heaven, and to the republic for which it stands, thy kingdom come, one nation indivisible as in heaven, give us this day as we forgive those who so proudly we hail. Crown thy good into temptation but deliver us from the twilight's last gleaming. Amen and Awomen. ."

"I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."

-George Carlin 1937 - 2008

Vince G.

From the Charlotte Observer:

Seems like old times: Van Halen Rocks Arena

COURTNEY DEVORES
cdevores@charlotteobserver.com

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.

__________________
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."

"This is a lttle prayer dedicated to the separation of church and state. I guess if they are going to force those kids to pray in schools they might as well have a nice prayer like this: Our Father who art in heaven, and to the republic for which it stands, thy kingdom come, one nation indivisible as in heaven, give us this day as we forgive those who so proudly we hail. Crown thy good into temptation but deliver us from the twilight's last gleaming. Amen and Awomen. ."

"I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."

-George Carlin 1937 - 2008

ZORBA5150

Let me preface this by saying I was SOBER for the show. I pre-gamed at my friend's apartment 2 miles from the arena- drinking only 3-4 miller lites. Big deal, I figured, I'd gladly spend the money inside the arena to get drunk. We watched some of the Argentina 1983 dvd I brought with me to get pumped. It worked, we were both ready. But after getting lost on the way (thanks to his wife), we arrived at the arena late - about 8:40pm, in the middle of "Romeo Delight". it was loud as shit, even before we got to our seats. Within minutes it was a like a sweat shop inside.- no AC, hot as balls. My friend immediately went to get us two beers. He went one other time to get beer, before he was told at about 9:30, that alcohol sales were over(Bullshit- This is the fad now, saw this with Pearl Jam last year too- BULLSHIT). So whatever buzz I had was gone very quickly. Whatever- didn't need it, because the energy and the volume was contagious!!! By the way, there were ushers/security people everywhere, so we did not feel comfortable lighting up our joints that we brought- another big downer, but again we didn't need them!

THE SHOW: After SGMAD, my friend said "Already, this is way better than the time we saw them in NJ in 2004. I love Sammy Van Halen, but this is way more intense, better, right off the bat." All it took was one song and a half for him to feel this way! I agreed...whole-heartedly. I sent text messages to several of my friends and I described the concert the same way to all of them- "VAN HALEN is like a BLITZKREIG!!!". They were. Very little post-song BS the band, especially with Dave was known to have done. They came out swinging! Going from one song into the next with such precision and ferocity! Dave was singing and singing very well! Wolfie was really pounding out the basslines sounding great. Backing vocals- were very good on songs like "Unchained" but noticably very full on songs like "Dance the Night Away"- definitely pre-recorded along with live vocals. Didn't matter- sounded great no matter which way you sliced it.

Highlights: Alex's drum solo. Again, BLITZKREIG! He came out on fire, not doing the usual buildup. He was in mid-solo form from the beginning. He was amazingly precise, loud, and dynamic! MY friend said, "I've seen Alex live with you before and on your DVDS, but he is definitely in the top 5 drummers of all time discussion". He was pounding the shit out of his kit. The crowd was loving it too, giving him a loud standing ovation when he finished. Eddie said something like "The greatest fucking drummer on the planet" to which the crowd roaringly agreed.

Hot for Teacher- the best song. The band simply smoked!!! The crowd (which were mostly 30+ age, but some younger) knew all the words and were jumping along, and enthralled by the band's energy!

Eddie's Solo- he was fantastic, but seemed like he was teasing us- he knew he could do more, but didn't.

Wolfie- loosened up after a while, came on the cat-walk and high-fived some fans and threw some picks into the audience. He really played great.


Final Analysis: I give the performance a 10 out of 10. The experience, an 8 out of 10- because of the lack of alcohol, buzz, etc. I will definitely bring airplane bottles or drink more for the next show. Regardless, leaving the arena, my friend and I were pumped up anyway, full of adrenaline. Went to a few bars and after a few scotches, talked the night away between ourselves and other fans about what a great show we just saw. It would have been a PERFECT show if Michael Anthony was there. That would have been icing on the cake. BUt he wasn't there, and you know what, it was damn near perfect anyway. The band is on a mission- kick ass and take names! Drunk or not, Eddie is simply amazing, and no one can challenge him. NO one! And Dave brings an energy and showmanship like no other! I can't wait until I see them again on Monday!

__________________
Wolfie is not Mike, but he's more than ok.
Mike is gone, but not forgotten. They played some amazing shows this tour- some people are in denial about it.


9/27/07- Charlotte
10/1/07- Philadelphia
10/20/07- Detroit
11/3/07- NJ
11/13/07- NYC!

05/13/08- NJ II!!!!!

Roth Van Halen

Maybe it's objective sounding to you because it's not a glowing positive review and she rates it 3.5 out of 5 (although I do not see that rating there anymore). You are implying that all these other reviews in this thread and elsewhere including other media outlets are biased toward Van Halen because they are big "CVH" fans and therefore would say the show was great even if they stunk up the joint. I've read some good/great reviews from people that were skeptical and from people that love "All" Van Halen. Even within some of those positve reviews there have been a few negative comments which apparently did not detract from their overall enjoyment much.

In this day and age of the internet you can find enough blogs and "professional reviews" to suit or support what you want to believe. There are thousands and thousands of opinions out there and who is to say that those who write a negative review are any more or less objective. We are all human and we all have our own bias toward many things. Taking one professional review out of the literary soup can be misleading positively or negatively. How objective are you being?

The bottom line is did you have fun. Was it worth it. The only negative observations for this reviewer (Jane Stevenson) was really David Lee Roth. Others have posted this article and can read it for themselves.

By the way, Jane Stevenson also wrote a story a day or two before this Van Halen show and in it she wrote this about David Lee Roth:

"a strutting, flamboyant, outspoken and opinionated frontman who once asked yours truly if I wanted to go to Paris for the weekend during his lean solo years -- drive guitar virtuoso and recent rehab resident Eddie crazy?"

http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/V/...30067-sun.html

Now, I'm not going to say for sure that she may not be objective. It's possible but I am not going to suggest that every negative or somewhat negative review is written by someone that has an axe to grind. I read as many "in person" reports via this site and others as I can and I read as many "professional" reviews as I can. Ultimately I will find my way toward objectiveness.

AllThaStuff

This is only the first shows and the reviews are especially positive. I was psyched to see the show before: now I'm totally jacked! I'll do it sober -- believe it or not that's a better experience :-).

One thought: with the obvious success after night-1, Warner Brothers are probably watching our heroes very closely. Wouldn't be surprised if they were offered a deal. But why take it? They've shown they can do this on their own. Eddie should start EVH records and release their next album!

Rob

NYCIceCreamMan

I apologize if it's out there already and I missed it but has anyone posted the Greensboro 9-27 set list yet?

jonsey36

First and foremost, Alex can pound those skins...at 54 years of age, I was just mesmerized with how he hits and kicks...he doesn't miss a beat.

First time I saw VH was 1978 New Haven Coliseum, with Black Sabbath and saw them every tour after that.

Eddie was dead on and incredible. Wolfie has enthused new life and vigor into the guitar God. I have seen some sloppy Eddie performances and he was dead on virtuoso.

Diamond Dave... it was sad to me to see Dave almost in a politically correct way, waving and smiling...DLR to me does what he does best when he runs his mouth, incites the crowd and gives that bad boy look and pose.. No posing...no bad boy looks, just music. They cram over 25 songs in which most come from the classic Van Halen, but VH to me will always be dangerous and on the verge of riot inciting rock n' roll... I loved it when Dave and Eddie challenged the 1980 Hartford Civic Center crowd during the "Women and children first" tour... and they were pelted with pennies...both of them got bad boy and told the crowd of 14,000 plus to try it on stage....

Dave hit the notes, without his famous third word annunciation. He was polished and looked great...but there was no BAD BOY swagger...more of a G rated DLR...

The music was perfect the mix Alot of Ed and Al and Wolfie was mixed in the background...Dave's vocals were great he truly kicked the notes..on "Little Dreamer" your hairs stand up...on "Ice Cream Man", he shows why Vegas must have a place for him eventually...

Don't miss this show. It rocks, it kicks ass and oh yeh, VH shows that they can play the tunes in the millenium without the mishaps we all loved and adored them for in the 70's and 80's....

Now I saved this for last. I love Michael Anthony. I am a besotted Anthony worshipper. If Wolfie in this band keeps Eddie happy and straight, then God Bless him. For a 16 year old, the kid's gene pool is obvious. He hit the notes, he didn't make a mistake all night. He isn't Michael Anthony, but you know what? he is a kid whose father and uncle have put him where he is. He had big shoes to fill and I feel he did a great job with the hype, the attention and the obvious skeptics waiting for him to fail. Wolfgang hit the notes and even impressed me with some harmonies on "Beautiful Girls" and "Little Dreamer"...

Now, I loved when they did "Atomic Punk" and Wolf went into the crowd and slapped hands...to see Eddie look at his son and see the adulation and love in his eyes, well..... I guess the second generation of Van Halen is the modern day family concert. Saddened a little? yes, but hell I called my son after the show in California and told him how watching Ed and Wolf on stage bond, made me proud as I always am to be a father... and don't forget that Alex is the most underrated drummer in a platinum selling band...I will say it again, I have loved Alex for a career from slugging beers with him in 1982 in New Haven, Connecticut at the Hilton to seeing him in Vegas in 2004 and chatting for a few minutes.

Don't miss this show... really Eddie is that good, Alex Kills, Dave is on and Wolf brings the VH name respect....

D

__________________
1978 New Haven Coliseum w / Black Sabbath
1979 New Haven Coliseum VH II
1980 Hartford Civic Center Women and Children first
1981 New Haven Coliseum Fair Warning
1982 New Haven Coliseum Diver Down
1984 Hartford Civic Center 1984
1984 New Haven Coliseum 1984
1986 New Haven Coliseum "Live without a Net night 1"
1986 New Haven Coliseum "Live without a Net night 2"
1988 Hartford Civic Center ou812
1988 Providence Civic Center, 1988 San Diego ou812
1991 Irvine, CA, F.U.C.K
1991 San Bernadino, CA, F.U.C.K
1993 San Berandino CA, Right here, right now
1995 Irvine, CA, Balance
2004 Anaheim, CA, reunion tour 5 Star
2004 Los Angeles, CA, reunion tour night 1 5 Star
2004 Los Angeles, CA, reunion tour night 2 5 Star
2004 Las Vegas, CA, reunion tour 5 Star
2007 Charlotte, NC VH REUNION! 5 Star
2007 Greensboro, NC VH Reunion! 5 Star
2007 Los Angeles, CA, VH REUNION! 5 Star
2007 Anaheim, CA, VH REUNION! night 1 5 Star
2007 Anaheim, CA, VH REUNION! night 2 5 Star

metro3454

what do u mean the greensboro set list, greensboro hasnt happened yet

__________________
Dave did the impossible. He got back into VAN HALEN! DEAL WITH IT

Ain't Talkin' Bout' Love

Actually I didn't imply anything at all and me believing a review was objective does absolutely nothing to suggest the notion. Objectivity can be a large number of reviews regardless of whether or not they are positive. An objective review is one that considers every angle, every piece of the performance. I've heard nothing but positive things, and even though Dave is not what he was in 1978, this is what people want. This woman weighed everything she felt was important, and thus created what she felt was an objective review.
For me personally, I don't want a damn thing to do with this tour. I'm happy this woman called it the way she felt it was. However, if you want what could be considered an absolute object opinion, you'll never find it. Like you said, everyone has biases.

hunghigh75

The show is worth seeing. Bigtime.

Nobody's what they were in 1984, but looking out into the arena, I felt like I was in The Song Remains The Same or the early parts of Gimme Shelter (I should probably add that my first LP ever was Diver Down). The energy is fantastic. The set is well rehearsed, but they made a coliseum feel intimate.

Wolfgang was great, not as up in the mix as MA, but very solid. The backing vocals were high and tight (i'm pretty sure they pipe in a track, but what you could hear from wolfgang and eddy was spot-on. If they don't pipe in a track - killer, even more spot-on). His playing was more than good and the interaction he inspired from Eddie was nice. He nails the stops and changes.

Eddie was a fucking monster. Really. Motherfucker was bad. Not only his playing, but his stage presence. He seemed laid back but totally on the ball. His sense of tone and phrasing kills me. Still a total bad-ass, and I'm a drummer.

Alex looked tired on the jumbo-tron, but of course his playing was solid and by most standards outstanding. I didn't get a good read cause he was surrounded by so much hardware and shit (there were four kick-drum heads - at least two were being used, and one just made the kit look symmetrical. I'm not sure about the fourth). They skipped the intro to "Hot For Teacher". Oh well. Still an absolute motherfucker.

Dave is fucking Dave. Best frontman ever. Only two kicks, moderately high but a hell of a lot better than I can do. He still commands the stage, and at times he really reached and held some notes. His energy is infectous.

To see the band and crowd interact on some of the classics is pretty frickin' awesome. They've put together a really good show.

.
If you're on the fense, you should duck out quick and get some tickets. Its worth it.

bsbll4

That's horrible. Seriously. That's like my favorite part of the song and one of the most signature beginnings to ANY VH song. Can anyone else corroborate that??

__________________
"Damn..."--everyone who has ever heard Eruption.

Our king has returned. Long live Edward Van Halen. Edd-ie Edd-ie Edd-ie.

ricster83

Awesome show. Took wife (avid Van Hagar fan) and converted her. Alot of souvenirs ($40 for a T Shirt). Wore my red frankensteined converse.

Eddie - The Great One!!!!! Always the consumate professional. Loving Dad. Need we say more. Used a Peavey Wolfgang w/modified neck mostly, 2 EVH art series Charvels and one new replica I think (did not see writing on the backside of the neck. Did I mention AWESOME sounding.

Alex - Drum solo amazing as usually. Felt the bass drum in my chest.

Dave - Thank you clearing things up and straightening up. Entertainer!!!

Wolfie - Not bad. Alot of pressure. If it looked off, they had him wireles and there is a delay. So give the kid a break, or "that someone you are talking about a break" 16 yrs old and only alittle nervous.

In closing, yes I miss some other pieces to the puzzle, but Eddie and Alex VAN HALEN on tour. Probably see them in San Diego.