rockyvanheineken

Best show I've ever attended. Hello Cleveland!!

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"I am hoping that I can be known as a great writer and actor some day, rather than a sex symbol" -Lord Steven Seagal

NeonKnite

Last night I saw something I was not sure I thought I'd ever witness.... Van Halen led by David Lee Roth! Being a Van Halen fan since 1984, I'd been looking forward to this day for a long time. Somehow, this show lived up and absolutely surpassed my expectations. It was one of the most fun shows I've ever seen... even from the 2nd to last row in the arena.

We rolled into Cleveland around 6:30pm... found a spot in the garage and then proceeded to a local establishment to enjoy a few refreshments before heading over to the venue. Our seats were up in the rafters... not my normal vantage point but for VH I literally just wanted to be in the building figuring that if they come to Pittsburgh I'll invest in something better, but if they don't I sure didn't want to miss this.

A fun atmosphere hung overhead once we got inside as anticipation was high. If this show wasn't technically sold out, it was darn near close at 99% capacity. Excitement filled the air as show time drew near and two Van Halen blimps hovered over the crowd.

The lights dimmed and a spot light hit stage right.... Eddie Van Halen cranked a guitar intro and then the curtain dropped as the band launched into "You Really Got Me"... Roth high up above the drum riser waving a giant red flag.

The band is kicking butt, but from where we're sitting, all the way at the top about half way back on the right side face, the sound is *extremely muddy*... more muddy than I can ever rememember at a show. On top of that, a portion of the huge screen behind the stage is obscured by the large hanging speakers. My veteran concert buddy leaves his seat and when he returns says he's found equivalent seats straight back from the stage that we can move to. Great move by him as the sound was 100 times better from those seats and we could see the entire screen perfectly which was essential when you're 2nd from last row at the top.

The crowd during the first four songs was the loudest crowd I think I've ever heard at a show... it was THAT loud. Especially when the band paused during "I'm The One" before starting up again and during "Romeo Delight".

Eddie was on fire throughout the night... his playing was awesome... in complete control of his instrument. Running all over the stage during the show... smililng... having a great time. Such a far cry from the 2004 tour where the guy was clearly dealing with personal issues. During "Everybody Wants Some" as Eddie was hopping and bouncing around the stage, I turned to my buddy and said "Eddie is having a great time!" Looking back on it, it must be fun for him to play all these great songs again after so many years. These are great, fun, rockin' tunes.

I've only seen Roth once before live, but I've seen and heard some boots over the years. Roth sounded great.... better than he sounded in 2002 when I saw him on the Roth/Hagar tour. There were a few Roth-isms during the show... great stuff... there's only one David Lee Roth! Roth made a few comments about how long he waited for this to happen and how happy he was to be back.

Alex Van Halen was his typical rock solid self... what else can be said... the guy played everything flawlessly behind the kit. He looked like he was having a great time too.

Wolfgang Van Halen was good. I know this is controversial, but the kid seemed to do a good job from what I could tell. Seemed relaxed and enjoying himself. It was fun to watch the interaction between him and his father... they genuinely enjoy playing with each other. Him doing the "c'mon Dave, gimme a break" during "Unchained" was cool too. And Dave pointing to him and saying "Have you seen juniors grades?" during "And The Cradle Will Rock". Cool stuff.

As Roth said towards the end of the show about the new line-up.... "three fourths original... one fourth inevitable".

It's evident they've spent plenty of time rehearsing this show as they're performing at a very high level.

I absolutely hope they add a Pittsburgh show at some point as I'm sure I'll have to drop some serious coin on tickets to see this show again and hopefully up close. It was just a total blast of a show from a band I've loved for a long time.

Finally, a lot of Pittsburgh people drove to this show.... on the drive back... the McDonalds at the first rest plaza was overrun with VH fans heading back to the 'Burgh!

zoso76

Headed over from Pittsburgh. I have seen VH with Roth since the Fair Warning tour, but this one was special. Most notably Roth sang all the songs. He is stating to do his classic bluesy screams again, he was impressive. This band is getting tight. Eddie's chops are really coming around. His solo's were much better than wht I heard from the Charlotte boots. Used less Wah. His Amps really nailed that classic/brown sound. The kid did a great job, still F'd up his line in Unchained, but his playing and vocals were well on the mark. Go check this tour out, it was worth the wait for me. Sure hope they hit Pgh this spring.

ian

Best VH show out of the 4 I have been to BY FAR. Wolfgang makes this band better. The harmonies were all there and the playing was much more interesting than Mike. I really hope they put out an album of new stuff after all of this.

zoso76

One last point, I thought 1984 and Jump were cool for the encore, but one more song after those two was needed. Drop Dead Legs or House of Pain would have really put the icing on the cake. Kind of a downer ending that quality of a show with Jump.

5150Kramerstein

Well the day after, and wow what a show, section 208 row 11 second to last from the top, lol , but was on eddies side of the stage so it was worth it. I do have to agree with a previous post about the sound being muddy way up there. but hey still had a blast. Here are some of the key moments for me from last nights show
-Eddie. Saw him in 04' and yea what a complete turnaround. Thank god the sustainer is gone. I was surprised from the previous shows that I read about that he didnt play the frankenstrat alot. Well tonight he played it for most of the show. His playing was on! Tone was great! the guy is so energetic on stage. my girlfriend came with me and it was the first time she has ever been to a VH concert and she remarked by saying how much eddie moved around for being at his age. There was one thing that I noticed that wasnt mentioned i dont believe, its not that big of deal, but eddie did not smoke on cig tonight. anybody else notice that? But anyways, kick ass by eddie. Lets hope this momentum will carry over and they will do an album after this tour
-Alex. Great job as always. never misses a beat. That little fill right before the break in you really got me through me off a little but hey i pick out the little stuff. still his drum solo was awesome. liked the little jam he did at the end with the overdubs in the background.
-Wolfgang. Yea as mentioned at other shows, still needs to break out of that "stage fright" look. The part that made me smile the most was on the break of Romeo Delight where he does the hammer ons like eddie does at the beginning of the song. That was cool. Liked the Browns Jersey he wore at the encore of the set as well. Running with the devil surprised me becuase all of sudden Wolfie was on top of the ring when the opening bass line came in. The crowd went nuts at that point. I cant imagine being 16 and listening to the crowd feed off that bass intro. He will improve as time goes on in his lifetime. Keep the Van Halen saga alive Wolfie!1
-Dave. Well Dave was well Dave and no complaints at all! The guy was great. Sang the songs like they are supposed to be sung. Loved during the intro to Ice Cream man how he used to know a guy named Kenny who lived in a garage rolling a joint on top of a Pink Floyd cover. He never listened to em just used the cover to roll lol. Cracked everyone up at the place. Now the encore where the huge mic came out was Dave being dave. Noticed at the end that Eddie must of bumped into the mic and grabbed it and through it away from so no one would bump into it lol. But all around Dave was kick ass! Well im out guys. Hopefully they will come around the Burgh area so i can see them again!!

Superbird

2nd time seeing Van Halen ('04 Pitt) and 2nd time seeing Roth ('06 Niles, OH). VAST improvement for both VH and Roth.

Ed was clearly on fire. I was expected a few flubs but I did not notice any at all. He did multiple jumps off the drum riser with Wolfie. Didn't really miss any notes at all. I still hate how he plays around half-way through the main part of Eruption, but it's not that he CAN'T play it, he just chooses to change it. 10/10 for Ed!!!!

David. Like Ed, he sounds a million times better. I didn't mind the antics, because well..its Dave haha. Sang every lyric. His mic gave out for about 3 words on Jamie's Cryin', but I still saw him sing it!!

Alex. The man kicks @$$. Nuff said.

Wolfie. I thought the kid was gonna be ok. This kid rocks though. I'm sorry Michael isn't there, but wow Wolfie is pretty dang good. He was pretty much moving around the whole time that I saw and as I said was jumping off the drum riser with his dad.

Overall the band exceeded my expectations. I had been listening to the Charlotte boot for 2 weeks now and they played a lot better last night than they did opening night.

Highlights:

-Ed played Happy Birthday for Dave during his solo.

-Has anyone noticed the big #4 on Ed's black guitar?

-During one of the early songs, maybe Romeo or I'm The One, Wolfie was playing a different bass line that I didn't recognize and Roth said something like "Oh that's the new one isn't it kid!"

-So This is Love, Romeo Delight, Little Guitars, and Panama have to be my favorites for the night.

I really hope they come to Pittsburgh or Columbus this spring so I can try to get even better tickets.

BEAMISH

Section 133.

It was a good show - but hardly "the best show i've ever seen". If it is the best show you have ever seen then you haven't seen much.

Ed was good. As good as the 5150 tour. But what was with the heavy chorus on the RWTD solo's? He didn't play the intro to Women In Love during his solo either = bummer. He nailed Cathedral though!

Alex was tight. As usual.

Wolfy. Well, the bass was fine. But the background vocals must have been piped. They were too heavy, no way Wolfy/Ed/Alex had that in them.

DLR - his voice sounded good and he didn't do anything stupid until the encoure. During Jump he brought out a huge microphone. WTF!

The hightlight for me was Little Guitars and So This Is Love.

Not a bad show, but $85, probably won't see them again if they return.

and why the fuck didn't they play Drop Dead Legs!?

Nj5150whit

Not a bad show? Please. This was my 16th VH show. I've seen every tour since Diver Down was my first in 83.

This was the best, by far. This was a celebration of an incredible band. This was a celebration of getting through all the EXTREMELY DIFFICULT things the three vets of the band have been through during the course of their lives.

As bands get older, they don't always get better. Van Halen is better. Sure, the raunch and roll of years gone by was great, but this is better. Dave is singing better than ever and Ed and Al are living proof that they are two of the best guitarist/drummers in the history of music.

What took it to a whole different level is what Wolfie now brings to the band. To think I saw him as a little boy kick a soccer ball to his Dad while he was in the middle of a song on the Balace tour just blows my mind.

Let's not downplay what this 16 year old has accomplished. He's awesome. He played bass on stage in front of 18,000 with three hard rock legends and never missed a beat. Sure, his charisma will continue to develop, but he fit in perfectly.

Even better was the way the three men of the band treated him. They treated him like he belonged. They didn't treat him like they wanted him to hurry up and be 25. They treated him like he's an amazingly talented SIXTEEN year old who obviously has an incredible amount of love and respect for the music of Van Halen.

Seeing a father and son up there was just an amazing thing to watch, especially when you consider everything Edward has been through. I thought the way Wolfie handled the "Come on Dave, give me a break" portion of Unchained was classic. Wolfie responded in a tone that was typical of a teenage kid having at it with a parent. It was so perfect.

I love MA, but all good things must come to an end. Thank you Michael for all that you brought Van Halen. However, it's time to move forward. Having Wolfie in the band is the best thing for Edward and the rest of the band.

There were no alcohol references and no booze that could be seen on stage. That's a good sign compared to the Five Star train wreck I watched firsthand in 04.

Who would have thought that a sixteen year old prodigy would be the solution to saving one of the greatest and most volatile rock bands in music history.

Will this new image of the band be to everyone's liking? Probably not. However, if you're into the MUSIC of Van Halen, this is a tour not to be missed. It just doesn't get much better than this.

Here's to the bright future of the almighty VAN HALEN!

ziggysmalls

Sorry but it was for me. First show in my life was 5150 and that was my favorite. I have seen Bruce, U2, Floyd, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Oasis, Black Crowes, Tesla, Winger, Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, Warrant, Material Issue, Pearl Jam, Alice, Helmet, Ministry, Extreme, Bon Jovi, Warrant, Mellancamp, Pumpkins, Marvelous 3, Butch Walker, Queensryche, Hagar, Maiden, Dio, Buddy Guy, Alex Skolnick, Wynton Marsellis, Maynard Fergunson, Pantera, Poison, Ratt, Cooper, Dokken, Dave Matthews, Keith Urban, Rage, Soundgarden, Saigon Kick, Robert Lockwood Jr, REM, Monte Montgomery, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Ozzy, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Green Day, Bad Religon, Slaughter, Mr. Big, The Connells, The Cure, Jamerquie, The Cranberries, The Cult, Malmsteen, Beastie Boys, 311 and Van Halen 6 times.

Anyway I understand if somebody was fortunate to have seen a better show or multiples of better shows. However I just wanted to state the acts I have seen over the years so you know what I am basing my comment on. If people don't feel this is not enough then that is cool.

BTW three casual VH fans I talked to today said the show rocked and was worth every bit of their $135. One of the best shows they have attended as well.

gabby gabbster

The show was great and no amount of detail can express the experience of seeing your favorite band live... and close-up no less. hehe

The only complaint was that the sound was a little muddy. It kinda drowns out Dave's voice and some of the bottom-end drumming. Oh well.

Got some pictures on my phone to upload. One funny thing, there was a "5150" striped car outside one of the bars right next to the arena that we took a picture of. Believe it was an older mustang. (I'm a girl, what the hell do I know about cars).

Whatever you may think about Mike not being there, I think we owe gratitude to Wolfie for discovering his dad's music, and getting his ass back on stage. And Wolfie delivered! I think we'll be seeing a lot more of this kid.

My husdand saw the '04 show with me as well, and he (of all people who knows nothing about this band) knew the energy and comradare was overwhelmingly better this time around. No acting folks. These guys are genuinely happy to be together, so it's not impossible to hope for at least another tour and please please a new album.

Go see this band. Watching 50+ year olds at the top of their game, looking fitter than any of us could hope for ourselves, and with the affection they all seem to have for one another, can't get no better.

A live DVD would put the icing on the cake.

wrazorsharp

I did David Lee Roth Last summer at Eastwood Field Stadium and he was a complete performing machine. He wasnt spoiled and demanding like so many other performers including well past their prime Acts! He never asked for anything the whole time he was here and he delivered like noone else before him!.... and THAT is why I personally attended the Cleveland Van Halen show and had the best time I ever had at a show....and I have done and been to tons! They didnt mess with the songs or do goofy medleys of hits and then try to pound NEW stuff down our throats. They were professional performers and Eddie was off the charts with energy and talent.....The BEST!!!!!!!

MonkeySpunk

It was exactly like Dave said....my mind got a little roasted. What a powerful show.I was on Wolfie's side and the sound was great..in fact Eddie was over there quite a bit.
I have to say that I got a little emotional watching Eddie with his son. Being a musician and knowing that special bond I have with my son and then to be able to share something like that with him would be out of this world. Ed has to keep it together and Wolfie may be the one to do it.
Dave was awesome. Singing instead of rapping all night. Would definitely like to see him run around a little more, but I think Eddie is making up for the lack of that.
Eddie was playing a lot cleaner than the boots I have heard..and the wah was used a lot less which makes me happy..I have been wanting to break that fucking thing for a while now.

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EBEVHMM2005

Well!!!!!!
I have seen blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah one million times so there!

It's about Van Halen you fucking morons! Nobody cares how many bands you have seen Ziggy. Will you ever learn?
It is always so sad to log on in hopes to maybe hear about something new with the band, and all you get is a pissing contest about who THINKS they know most about Van Halen.

I am totally surprised that OU812lax isn't self promoting here in this thread.
But I am sure it's only a matter of time.

DFVH5150

Van Halen in Cleveland 2007, the most I've ever looked forward to anything in my life (next to my wedding and the day I lost my virginity of course)! All the other reviews so far summed it up, but I still have to say some shit for this historical and monumental night, even though I rarely post. I've been a fan/psycho since '91, and never obviously got to see the classic VH line-up. I was 8 in 1984, and my wife was sperm.

We drove from Pittsburgh, but she is from Brook Park by the Hopkins Airport (her family still lives there), so it was extra special for us. Even though we're there every other month, I never went to the R'N'R HOF until this year out of protest. Anyways, we hung out with her family and I did some pre-tailgating, headed to the Rapid station and continued on in the car rockin' and drinkin' in the parking lot illegally (fuck 'em!). Even though this is a dry tour and no Jack Daniels to be seen in the hands of the man, I had to smuggle in one of those mini-J.D. bottles for ceremonial reasons (and to pay my respects to Michael Anthony of course). The anticipation was beyond unbearable at this point walking into the Q!

My alcohol tolerance was that of a Baluchitheriums that day for some strange reason (or that of an young Edward, Alex, or David's for that matter). I made sure I didn't get drunk so I could remember this concert of concerts. After about 11 beers before, buying two more beers in there, I still just had only the cool buzz I wanted. We sat down about seven minutes before showtime, which were some of the weirdest seven minutes of my life as I stood there trying to comprehend what was finally about to happen. H-O-L-Y S-H-I-T. Anyways, get the show on the road:

"Look at all the people heeeeeeere toniiiiiiight!" Wow it was great hearing that at a VH and not a Dave solo show finally! Diamond Dave was the best I've ever seen him vocally. He hasn't sounded this good since the '81 tour, which I believe was the latest tour we he sang all or most of the words. And hardly anything like the "new octave" '94-'06 DLR! Would've loved to have seen one eagle split to open or end the show, but I guess he stopped doing that in '03 for a reason. Lots of spin kicks though! His raps were classic and hilarious, getting the crowd pumped up just like the old days! I could've went for some more inbetween song talk from him, but I'm sure he's tempering it for several reasons (and not just to appease the boys either).

Unlike some people, I thought the props--the top hat, the chains, the huge red flag, and the solo-Dave inflatable microphone parts were awesome and added to the show. The short hair suits him at this age, but I think the '98 and '03 look he had with the semi-mane would've been better (like the present-day Sammy 'do, which suits him at his age also). At least it's blond and not like the past couple of years with the short brown hair, where it would make it harder to capture the moment and really realize what you were seeing (more about that later). I loved the outfits, too. The matador jacket with no shirt and shiny bell-bottoms was flamboyant, but not too much and looked cool and grand, to fit the occasion. Again, his voice was top-notch and he had to have trained harder than he's ever trained for this because it showed! The couple of screams he did weren't like back then of course, but were still cool as fuck! One more thing: this is the most confidence our beloved ego-maniac has ever exuded since he left the band in '85.

And for the king, Eddie sounded obviously nothing like '04 EVH. He shredded like he did back in the Dave Era with the polished, exactness of a '95 or '98 Eddie. Again with the short hair factor and capturing the moment (I'll conclude with what the hell I'm talkin' 'bout now), he did use the striped guitar(s) for a great portion of the show, and with the white pants he looked like '81 Eddie, and that helped! He jumped, danced, and slided--again--just like the old days!

Alex was great and consistent as always. The huge kit was great, and you could barely see his headband over it it was so huge. Hopefully he lights up the ol' gong sometime during the tour!

Finally, Wolfgang. I love Mikey as much as a fan could, but have accepted the fact that this is the way it is (thank God for The Other Half--we have 2 VH's now!), but I have to say Wolfie did an absolutely great job. Not much of stage presence, but who expected him to? His playing was solid, and his background vocals I thought were great, and "kinda" Michael Anthony-ish. The contrasting blue-striped bass was a great touch, also. In conclusion, you could tell it was weird and Mike was missed, but WVH was definitely welcomed with open arms.

The setlist was fucking super (same as the other shows I found out yesterday)! I went out of my way to not see any of the songs when visiting the forums and other sites, but naturally, I accidentally came across a couple here and there. Fortunately they were songs I new they were gonna play anyways. They played every hit aside from "Dancing in the Street" and "MWM"/"CGTSNM." Great choice of rarities, too. They left out some great ones of course, like "On Fire," "Light Up the Sky," "D.O.A.," "In a Simple Rhyme," "'Dirty Movies'," "Sinner's Swing!," "Hear About It Later," "The Full Bug," "Top Jimmy," "House of Pain," and especially "Drop Dead Legs," but hopefully we get to hear some of those.....next tour. Something more to look forward to! But 23 songs--I think that was more than fair.

Because of the songs they did with Gary and especially knowing all the songs Dave has done since '99, there were no real surprises (but there's no way in hell I'm complaining) except "I'll Wait," which was one of my favorite parts, unlike I guess some others here say. He actually sang it better than he did 23 years ago, seriously. "Atomic Punk," "Little Dreamer," and "Little Guitars" were the other semi-surprises. It was weird to actually crave hearing the same four songs they always did with Sammy, because it was the real deal this time! Bring on "Jump," "Panama," "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," and "You Really Got Me!"

Finally hearing Van Halen do one of their all-time Top Five biggest hits (not counting the tidbit without vox in '04), "Hot for Teacher" was the biggest treat for me, since they never did since the tour of the album it supported. Same with the almost-as-big hit, "Everybody Wants Some!!" The drum intro finally didn't lead into "Panama." "Beautiful Girls" and "And the Cradle Will Rock..." were also big treats, since they only did those hits for some weird reason, again, the tours the albums they came from supported in '79 and '80 respectively. "I'm the One" which I missed in all five of my VH3 shows, is one of my all-time favorite non-hits, and was very happy to see that. "Romeo Delight" is high on my list, too.

Hearing Dave play the intro to "Ice Cream Man" and telling one of his stories was much more cool in a packed Van Halen arena rather than a solo gig I must say. And the rest of the songs, "Jamie's Cryin'," "Dance the Night Away," "Somebody Get Me a Doctor," "Mean Street," "So This Is Love?," and "(Oh) Pretty Woman," ruled the world as well. I was very surprised to only hear "Eruption" and "Cathedral" in Eddie's solo, and not "316." Did anyone find that strange? Oh, and hearing the beautiful "1984" was actually probably the biggest surprise of all. Next to "Eruption" it's my favorite instrumental. And I thought, given this the THE reunion tour, "Jump" was the perfect way to end the show right after the usual first set closer, "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". Not just their biggest song, but the only really moving song from that era. All the other songs may inspire you to get laid, party, and kick ass in general, but not to be cunty, but that's their only uplifting song. And yes, I teared up. One encore though, weird. First time they ever did that. Guess they want you to leave begging for more. Makes sense. By the way, if you check one of my earlier posts from a month or two ago (I don't have many), I called "You Really Got Me" as the opener, just for the record.

Prayfully, they add more dates in '08 which given the huge and expected success they've had so far--and the fact that there's no PITTSBURGH dates, or even the states of Florida and Texas among many others--I highly doubt they will not. And at those shows, hopefully they add another song or two in their set. "Drop Dead Legs" and "Me Wise Magic" are my votes! Loved the stage, too. Wow!

(Continued...)

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Dave
VH FOREVER!!!!!!!