Brett

Only show reviews in this thread. All other posts will be deleted.

__________________
Webmaster
VHLinks.com - Your Van Halen Internet Resource Guide
http://www.vhlinks.com

JamToThis.com
Audio/Video Trading Community
Tons of Van Halen!

SLAMMERS

Wow I'm the first review and I had to drive home to Cincinnati!

Great concert!!! My first VH concert ever. Had high hopes from the previous reviews from the earlier shows on this tour and VH did not dissappoint!!

Dave sounded great to me!! I guess his outfits are supposed to be a circus ring leader theme. Cheezy outfits but he was funny during the show. He got choked up I believe during his story telling of Ice Cream Man. Had stop and get his composure.

Eddie played strong. He commented how mind blowing it is to play with his son on stage and told Wolfie that he loves him. (Guys there no way MA is coming back...Wolf is there as long as he wants to be in VH).

Wolf played great and moved around all over the place in this concert. Wasn't just standing there and being stiff. He's coming around as far as loosening up and feeling comfortable.

Alex...well he's strong...can't say more.

You hold outs just need to go and enjoy them while they are playing so well....

Stephen

VHisback

Just got home from the show. Another great performance (I've heard boots from some of the other shows). Same setlist. I noticed Ed is still smoking (reviews from earlier shows said he didn't light up the whole show). That is fine with me as long as he stays off the sauce.

I was surprised at how good my seat was. I had section F-1, row 8. I was thinking it would be 8 rows back from the end of the ramp, but it was actually 8 rows back from the stage, next to the ramp (well, there were guys sitting between me and the ramp). Ed came to the beginning of the ramp during part of his solo, so he was only 15 feet or so away from me.

Wolf seems to be loosening up as the tour goes on. He's still sounds like a little kid when he says "Come on Dave, give me a break".

Dave was talking to this girl and her mom during the show. He asked the daughter how old she was and he remarked that the daughter was born about the same year as the last time Van Halen toured with Roth in Indiana (implying the kid could be his).

As Slammers said, Dave kind of got choked up as he was about to start singing Ice Cream Man (don't know if it was real or not). He talked about being born in Bloomington, Indiana, so maybe it hit him that he was playing before his home crowd.

I've got to go to work in 4 hours, so that's all for now.

5150 from the wait

Just got back from the Indy show. I had the 5 star package and to me it was worth it. We arrived at 4:30 and we could here Ed in the lobby
I guess from the problems in Toronto the 12th. He worked with his tech for about 2 hours on and off before the sound check. As we took our tour I was in the first group which was cool but we missed some cool stuff as well. As we walked around the front of the stage we ran into Wolfie onstage, boys and girls the kid can flat out fuckin play and the vocals were awesome. After that we saw his and Daves guitars and so forth as we finished the tour we ran into Ed coming out of his dressing room. He was super nice said hi to all of us and thanked for being there, then he ducked in as quick as he came out
Since they were runnin behind cause of Eds work the other three groups got to see and hear sound check. the opening act was really good I didnt know what to expect but they didnt disappoint. On to show, set list didnt change the band was tight. Dave was great his vocals strong all night. He did tell a little about his Indiana roots before Ice Cream man so that was kinda cool. I liked unchained alot thought they nailed that pretty well as they did most everything, Ill wait was a pleasant surprise it sounded really good. Ed was on, happy, running, smiling all night, during his solo a little boy waved him over on the outside of the ramp, he was finger tapping with one hand and reached into his pocket with the other and handed the little guy a pick. It was a really cool moment. Wolfie was interacting with Ed and Dave most of the night, looked like he was truly enjoying himself. Al was well Al, awesome as usual. Dave and Ed truly looked like they enjoyed being around each other. Ok Ive rambled enough it was a long day if you have a chance to see the show dont hesitate it was well worth it to me. Sound was loud but crisp heard everything very clearly btw.

__________________
"Once believed,Can't ever loose faith."

snostorm

Just got home from the show...check the time stamp, it's almost 4 am CDT. Long haul from Indy to Bowling Green, KY. It was well worth it though. First off, my seats kinda sucked, I was up in the "200's" which in any other arena in the world is the 300's. The acoustics up there were HORRIBLE without earplugs. I went through the first 4 songs without them and couldnt tell what Dave was saying. After Romeo Delight, I put em in and all was corrected.

Killer setlist, no real surprises other than Dave talkin about being fron Indiana. Dave sang great and showed alot of energy...kinda gave up on Jump, but who cares...it's Jump, plus the huge blow up mic and skipper hat made up for that in my eyes.

Eddie was solid, what a difference 3 years makes, was a treat to watch him play. He seemed really happy, running around and having fun with Dave and Wolfie. Highlight of the solo was after he played 316, he said "I love you Wolfgang", I thought it was cool that lil song still meant something to him.

Wolfie was cool, moved around alot although seemed to be in love with the area where his cabinets are, to the right of Al's riser...may be a musical reason, but he hung out there alot, but did come down the ramp and interacted with the crowd a little.

Al was Al, solid as ever, his solo was cool, I liked the addition of the jungle boogie at the end, maybe that replaced the lawnmower since he's gettin old.

In all it was a great night and completed the trifecta of incarnations of this band for me.

__________________
Shine On.....Shine On.....
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b8...orm/Reagan.jpg

looper_guy

I got a few hours of sleep to digest the evening. 1st off, it was said in the original Indy thread (and snostorm confirms the truth): The acoustics at Conesco SUCK! I was in 221 and it was a echo-chamber up there. I had ear plugs on and it helped a little. Oh well.

1st off, Mr. Marley was impressive. I'll post a review of his set in the appropriate thread. If Ed did choose him to open, it makes sense. Marley did his father's songs/legacy justice.

As for VH, the set list was unaltered but blistering. The pace of the set was fast.

Highlights:

• Alex - I've seen VH many times and he has never taken a night off. The one fundamental truth in a Rock band is that you are only as good as your drummer. That will always be VH's saving grace. Alex is a monster.
• Dave - He was truly doing what he was put on this earth to do: Fronting VH. He was as charismatic as ever but as dignified as Dave could/should be. I thought the bit before Ice Cream Man about his Ind. roots was cool.
• The set list - Hearing "Little Guitars", "So This is Love", and "Romeo Delight" was terrific. I missed those songs, espeically LG.

Lowlights:

• Eddies Solo: I missed the 04 and VH3 tours but I've seen every tour from Diver Down through Balance and this was as bored as I've been with his solo. His playing wasn't as crisp and focused as his younger days.

Wolfgang was very good. He has chops. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that the vocals aren't being piped in and that his background vox are very good.

Seeing Eddie and Wolfgang go up to Alex after the drum solo put it in perspective as to why this line up is so important to Eddie. Seeing the 3 of them high-fiving each other brought to mind, of all people, Sammy Hagar and his words in that recent KNAC interview about how the VH brothers really only have each other. With Wolfie there, the most important people in EVH's life were there doing what they love. I doubt that will put to rest the ill feelings about Mike's firing and the way he's been treated but it makes a little more sense seeing the VH family reunion on stage.

It was impossible to tell how tight the playing was with the shitty acoustics in the cheap seats but all seemed well in that regard.

A memorable evening. My daughter absolute loved it which made me very happy. I was pleased to see other parent/kids as well.

IndyFan

I hit the show last night. Had pretty bad seats, nosebleeds just above Ed. The sound at Conseco was HORRIBLE up there. Wish I would've known that earphones would've helped. I had them in my purse, but didn't feel I needed them way up there. Had a tough time making out some songs for the awful sound. I'm pretty sure jump got butchered by both Ed and Dave, but everything else was pretty cool. I enjoyed the "women in love" intro during Eds solo, and would've liked to hear the whole song.

Admittedly, I am not a Dave fan, but he earned some respect from me last night. I enjoyed his ice cream man solo, was too cool when the band came in on the heavy parts. His on stage antics, were enough to let him be Dave, without annoying those of us who can only take him in small doses. (shoot me).

I thought I'll Wait turned out pretty cool. Maybe because with the synth, you could hear it better where I sat.

My favorite surprise of the night was little Wolfie. I thought he was just a doll. He is getting more comfortable out there, and really worked the stage. He was out on the "follow the yellow brick road" ramps more than anyone. He clearly loves being out there, and is good for Eddie. Lots of working the stage, and showing up back with Uncle Als drums.

There has to be a reason Eddie uses cords, but man, that is so restricting. I thought for sure someone would trip on those cords. Totally keeps him in his corner. There has to be a cordless set up that meets his standards. What up with that?

Even with the horrible sound, the background vocals sound suspiciously awesome. Either they are dead on, or there's something going on behind that stage. Who cares, it sounded great.

The setlist is great. The music really does speak for itself.

I totally had no intentions on hitting this show, but I'm glad I did, bad sound and all. Brought you back to your youth in a big way.

One last comment. Since when do they allow smoking at conseco? It was a potfest up in the balcony, and no one seems to mind.

clrw5150

This was my 12th Van Halen concert, and my second with Dave. The show was awesome; the sound in the venue was terrible.

Eddie played as well as I have ever seen him play. He was spot on! The best part of his solo was the intro to women in love. He seems to have lost interest in his solo. This is a healthy, happy man. I am thrilled to see Ed back at the top of his game.

Dave surprised me. He sang much better than he did when he and Sammy toured together--more at stake here. He was flamboyant, but did not attempt to steal Eddie's or Wolfgang's moments. In the past he would have. Suggestions: drop the top hats, put a VH logo on the flag, and quit wearing the gay cabarea jackets.

Wolfie: great player; no stage presence yet. He did one hell of a job. Not many people get to enter their profession at the top.

Alex: still awesome; looks like a zombie.

Overall: I give the performance an A.

Van Halen lives!

__________________
I've heard it called by different names, all over the world, but it's all the same.

GOTAP00P

What a great show, even without Mike. Wolfie stood his ground and did a great job playing and singing. Sorry so short still in awe.

__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]And somebody said fair warning.....

cutter

Shows review and pics in the Indianapolis Star, www.indystar.com

VanBlu

from the other Indy thread:


It was a great show! I wore my blue Got Mike? shirt, was with wifey (wearing her pink one); about the only person who noticed our shirt was Laura Steele and she laughed about it (which was our intent).
We got there too early and hung out on the corner for awhile waiting for a friend (Meridian and Georgia if anybody walked past us, opposite to Julian's). Saw some guy coming from the Conseco direction being helped by his buddy, clearly drunk and clearly in need of medical attention. Looks like he got smacked pretty hard, had a bad gash above his eyebrow. Wonder who he pissed off?
Finally met up with our friend and walked over. It was a really good show. Seeing how Ed is now kinds makes me upset over the abortion of his playing in 04, but oh well.
Wolfie was great, he looked like he was having fun for sure.
Dave was Dave; glad he's dialed back a bit (maybe just an 8 now instead of a 10 )
Al is the man; loved the end of solo, I always did like it when he plays over himself like that.
Eddie was good. I don't think he's quite as crisp as he was in 95 and 98, but he's getting back into proper form. I'm sure as the tour goes on he'll sharpen up. My only nitpick with the solo is personal choice, I hate it when he splits up Eruption like that, but again, personal bias.
We darted out as they started Jump, wifey started a new job and has to get up early so that little jump (ha) helped beat any crowed and traffic.

All in all, it was a great night. I'd do it again if I had the money.

looper_guy

By the way: The "S" stage is, for the most part, a waste of real estate. Dave and Wolf used it a couple of times but not enough to really justify it.

iZach

My short review...
1. Van Halen: AWESOME!! The guys seemed right on. Very tight set with only seconds between songs (like the other shows so far). Great interaction on stage, and with the crowd. All the guys seem to be bringing their A-game.
2. Sound at Conseco: Not great from my seats. I was one section up from the floor, and it was a lot of echo. I'm sure the sound down on the floor was much better, so I won't write off the entire arena. But I would have enjoyed better acoustics. Then again, I've heard that the sound at Conseco isn't that great, so I went into it with my eyes (and ears) open.
3. Funniest part of the night: Dave taking a cell phone from female fan and shoving it down the front of his pants. He acted like he took a picture down in his crotch, gave it back and said something like "make sure you post that one." Very funny.
4. Overall: Definitely glad I went. Everyone holding tickets for future shows should be ready for some top notch entertainment. So glad Van Halen is back!!!!

Bosox

Ive been waiting for this is the show for almost 23 years and given the band has been around for about 30 years, I couldn't have been happier. I got to see VH at Deercreek back around '93 and I remember almost nothing from that show except that Vince Niel opened for them and I thought he looked funny running around with his fat little arms hanging out of his leather vest. That's not the case with this show, I'll remember it forever! Dave was being Dave and he sounded pretty good doing it and my wife thought Dave looked great. He sang the whole show and goofed off enough to keep it fun. Story time with Dave was cool during Ice Cream Man and seeing Ed doing his little jumps was awesome. I remember my mom yelling at me for doing Eddie Jumps off my bed in jr high. Ed was awesome all night and one drunk in my section nearly cried himself to death during Ed's solo. AL was awesome! Two hours of non stop ass kicking from a dude that old was just awesome. If people are having a problem with Wolfie they need to get over it. It's clear to me after seeing him and Ed on stage together that Wolfie is the only reason the band is doing anything at all, Dave or no Dave! Wolfie did a great job playing and singing and moved around a lot more than I thought he would from what I've been reading. I was in sec. 223 and the sound was not as bad as some others are saying. If you couldn't tell what was being played then it probably had more to do with the fact that you don't know VH's music than bad acoustics. I've seen several shows at Conseco and the sound is better on the lower levels but I imagine that's true for any similar building. People need to quit with the whole piped in back up vocals conspiracy theory. If Little Dreamer (it was bad and the low point of the show besides the kinda of lame crowd. Way to many sitting down like they were at the movies.) didn't prove they were live then I don't know what else to tell ya. Overall we had a great time and thought VH was awesome and but a great show for a band that's been around for soooooo long!

elmers

Well I went open minded and the band was awesome, but Dave just got on my nerves. Daves antics ruined the show for me personally. Even though Ed was drunk during the '04 tour, I had a lot more fun and it felt like there was better energy during that tour as well.