The guy(s) who did the Philly shows filmed this one too.
ObReview: It wasn't as loud as I expected from reviews of other shows. Maybe my ears are just too damaged, but I didn't get that bass in the gut feeling you get from really loud shows.
I thought it was a stellar show. (9 out of 10) Probably the quickest two hours I have experienced in a long time and from where we were (Section 8, dead center) the show was outstanding.
I went with three of my good friends and every one of us left feeling 100%satisfied. Up thru Al's solo the set list was just an assault. Non-stop, one classic after another. Unreal....
Highlights for me:
Romeo Delight, Everybody Wants Some, Ice Cream Man, I'm the One, Atomic Punk, Panama, Dance the Night Away, Little Guitars, Mean Street, So this is Love?, Somebody Get me a Doctor
Downer:
Sound - for the money they have invested in the performance, get the sh*t fixed before you hit the stage. Seeing Eddie get upset for me was more comical than anything. They are ultimately accountable for the crew they hire. Take the time to make sure it's done right. How they keep having these issues night in and night out is unacceptable.
Wolfie - Really impressed with his playing / backing vocals. Seems much more comfortable and it was nice to see him and his father on stage together. Some real genuine moments up there.
Eddie - I actually thought he was on his game all night. Very, very happy with his play. 100 times better than '04. The passion was evident.
Al - Straight up stud.
Dave - Thought he sang well all night and really delivered an "A".
This was my 8th (all Sammy shows prior) and last VH concert. Like many have said before this provided the closure. I heard the songs I love played with fire and intensity. I never thought that would happen and it's all I could have asked for....
PS - I love how the glow from the cell phone display has become the new version of the "lighter" during the show. I looked around and literally saw hundreds of phones hoisted in the air snapping pictures and recording the show. Pretty cool.
I thought the show was solid overall, but I did have higher expectations. Not enough crowd interaction, sound was a bit muddy at times.
I thought the band was damn tight. And let me tell you - I was in the 14th row on Wolf's side - THE KID IS PLAYING, and playing DAMN WELL. He's only 16 and he is more than holding his own with one of the best bands ever. He should be given alot of deserved credit.
Dave was awesome. Sounded great, still can kick like a mother, great energy all around. I just wished for a bit more interaction.
Alex was the man as always. Not much to say because we all now how good he is.
Here is what I don't get about Eddie Van Halen. He plays all the songs damn near perfect- even the solos within the songs. And like most everyone here, I know those solos well, I know how they should sound, and he NAILS it or at least comes real damn close.
Then you get to his highly anticipated solo spot and it's like he forgot how to play "Cathedral," "Eruption," etc. I just don't get it. And it doesn't seem like he's just trying to "mix it up." It seems like he's lost or something. How is it he can nail solos AND rhythm in 20 or more songs every night, and then fuck up ERUPTION? Sort of frustrating.
I did see the "meltdown," but I wouldn't call it that. I just think Ed's a pain in the ass perfectionist and probably a shit to work with/for at times. We all know people like this - it ain't the end of humanity. I just wish he was more of a perfectionist when it came to THE F'N SOUND OF CATHEDRAL! I didn't think it was as nutty as some are making it. Yeah, he tossed the cabinet, but for all we know it may have been hissing in his ear all night and we would've tossed it too.
I'm just not getting what is unfixable about these specific guitar issues. They played some of these songs almost 30 years ago without incident. It's 2007!!!! WHAT IS THE PROBLEM???
One thing I think all should know for perspective - I went with two buddies of mine - one of them is a pretty big VH fan, the other knows some of their music but isn't a nut about them. THEY BOTH SAID IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST CONCERTS THEY'VE EVER SEEN. I think we may expect too much sometimes.
Sorry, meant to add this - this show, although according to some it wasn't the best of this tour - this show still BLOWS AWAY ANYTHING THEY DID IN 2004. And it ain't a Sam/Dave thing. With the exception of his solo spot, Ed is so much better on this tour it ain't even funny.
The guy(s) who did the Philly shows filmed this one too.
ObReview: It wasn't as loud as I expected from reviews of other shows. Maybe my ears are just too damaged, but I didn't get that bass in the gut feeling you get from really loud shows.
So how can we get our hands on this show? Is it filmed professionally?
Hello , I am a first time poster . I am 48 years old. Absolutely thrilled when they announced this tour with Roth. Took my eldest son to the 2nd Toronto show. He was 5 when Jump came out and to attend the show with him was special. I took my 18 old son to the Izod show. He's grown up in the Hagar era so this was a must for him to see. The first half of the show was good; for me though Ed's guitar wasn't loud enough. Wolfie's bass and Alex's drums seem to drown Ed out. We were in section 125 about even with the idiots on the sound board. Perhaps they wanted to show case Wolfie a bit since his Mom is from Delaware and had family up for the show (guess). I thought Romeo Delight was the best song and Everybody Wants Some right up there. I've seen numerous shows in my lifetime; I really don't understand the complete inaction by the roadies/sound guys. The sound problems were evident immediately and I am half deaf. Why was Ed's monitor and rack set up so much closer to the drum riser then other shows ; This is a guy who likes his space , not be restricted. I agree with the other poster about the cord ...go wireless for Christ's sake. But you know ...he is a purist for the sound signal. He had problems with his rack in Toronto and was punching the thing at one point to make it work. The show has a relentless pace , one fan favorite after another ; at that pace you can't have sound equipment malfunctioning and not being immediately attended too. Another Poster mentioned problems during Little Guitars at privious shows . Why is that allowed to continue ? Its a great song and I was pissed it got screwd up . Either Ed is so controlling that staff are afraid to do their jobs properly or the tour manager should be fired. This is a multimillion dollar effort .Yeah technical problems will arise at concerts, that's why you have professionals paid to deal with them. I believe they are managed by Irv Azoff...a ruthless legend in the business. Well Sir make some necessary corrections to this tour; get people in there who know what they are doing , because it really is a historic event for the fans that were there from the start. (1978) . And another thing , be shrewd and produce a top notch DVD with tons of extras so we finally have this for posterity. Yeah it would be nice to have Michael Anthony in this but give your heads a shake. How many people have gone through the Stones, Eagles , Allman Brothers . That's life ...it changes. Young Wolfgang has been super. He is 16 and handles this incredible expectation from longtime fans like me with poise and maturity beyond his years. You see that bass tapping at the Izod show...like his uncle Alex observed " DNA " I hope these problems get worked out quickly ; Ed's a genius on guitar and I sincerely hope he keeps himself together and brings us more great music.
yes...dave rocked...but ed played most of the shit flawlessly...with the exception of his meltdown...
let me be infront of 10,000 people and my sound guy basicly destroys what i am playing (as i am playing my heart out) and see if i don't get upset...esp if it is not fixed for the rest of the concert...
i would of acted just like him
he was smoking through the songs...untill the famed mishap...towards the end you could not here what he was playing, he hit a chord and nothing would come out...esp in jump..it came in a few bars into the solos
__________________
DAVE vs SAMMY
People need to let this go.....it is like comparing an ex wife to your current wife...you can say how things would have be different if she were still here but she left you, so you moved on with your life.....
Same with Van Halen...would they have liked to have Roth stay, yes...but he decided to leave so they moved on.......
I thought it was a stellar show. (9 out of 10) Probably the quickest two hours I have experienced in a long time and from where we were (Section 8, dead center) the show was outstanding.
I went with three of my good friends and every one of us left feeling 100%satisfied. Up thru Al's solo the set list was just an assault. Non-stop, one classic after another. Unreal....
Highlights for me:
Romeo Delight, Everybody Wants Some, Ice Cream Man, I'm the One, Atomic Punk, Panama, Dance the Night Away, Little Guitars, Mean Street, So this is Love?, Somebody Get me a Doctor
Downer:
Sound - for the money they have invested in the performance, get the sh*t fixed before you hit the stage. Seeing Eddie get upset for me was more comical than anything. They are ultimately accountable for the crew they hire. Take the time to make sure it's done right. How they keep having these issues night in and night out is unacceptable.
Wolfie - Really impressed with his playing / backing vocals. Seems much more comfortable and it was nice to see him and his father on stage together. Some real genuine moments up there.
Eddie - I actually thought he was on his game all night. Very, very happy with his play. 100 times better than '04. The passion was evident.
Al - Straight up stud.
Dave - Thought he sang well all night and really delivered an "A".
This was my 8th (all Sammy shows prior) and last VH concert. Like many have said before this provided the closure. I heard the songs I love played with fire and intensity. I never thought that would happen and it's all I could have asked for....
PS - I love how the glow from the cell phone display has become the new version of the "lighter" during the show. I looked around and literally saw hundreds of phones hoisted in the air snapping pictures and recording the show. Pretty cool.
could of not said it better myself, if they do a second leg, my brother and i will go again i was not disapointed in the least..
__________________
DAVE vs SAMMY
People need to let this go.....it is like comparing an ex wife to your current wife...you can say how things would have be different if she were still here but she left you, so you moved on with your life.....
Same with Van Halen...would they have liked to have Roth stay, yes...but he decided to leave so they moved on.......
If you are like me, a Classic Van Halen fan from way back who never had a chance to see David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen on stage together, and if you attended their reunion concert Nov. 3, 2007, in East Rutherford, N.J., then hopefully you had as awesome a time as did I.
Dave and Eddie along with Alex Van Halen and Wolfgang Van Halen came out full-force, performing all their greatest hits including You Really Got Me, Ain't Talking 'Bout Love, Runnin' with the Devil, Beautiful Girls, And the Cradle Will Rock, Everybody Wants Some, Mean Street, Unchained, Pretty Woman, Hot for Teacher, Panama, Jump, and a shitload more.
Really, isn’t that right there worth the price of admission?
I didn’t care for one second that some of the songs were not performed note-for-note perfect, just as they were recorded in the studio. These guys, save for Wolfgang, are in their mid-50s. As far as I could tell, they were 100 percent committed to putting on a good show. And that’s exactly what they did – they put on one hell of a fuckin’ show!
Yes, Eddie did have some technical problems with his equipment at a certain point. I was sitting way in the far back corner, in the upper deck, just below the nosebleeds, and even I could see him yelling at someone off stage. And then it became obvious to all that he was pissed when he dragged an amp – or whatever it was – across stage and just tossed it off the side.
But really, who cares? The band kept on playing, and Dave kept on singing his ass off!
All of the songs were recognizable, and they all sounded awesome, in my book!
And when Eddie came out for his solo, late in the show, my eyes were glued to his image on the huge video screen behind the stage – thank god for that video screen! It really made the difference for those of us not fortunate enough to score ringside seats! Anyway, there was Eddie Fuckin’ Van Halen on the video screen, larger than life, attacking the guitar, doing who knows what.
Did it all make sense to me? I don’t think so.
Could I tell if he was simply fucking around or if he was actually trying to produce something brilliant. I honestly couldn’t tell you.
But did it really make a difference to me? Not at all.
It was Eddie all alone doing whatever the hell he wanted. And really, how many more times in our lives are we going to get to say we saw that?
I did recognize pieces of Eruption and pieces of Cathedral. That was good enough for me!
Dave was The Man at this show! I could not have been more happy with his performance.
I especially loved when he came out and sat down on his stool and sang Ice Cream Man. That song is soo cool!
I think my favorite song from the concert was I’m the One. I always loved it on the album, and to see it live really made the night for me. They didn’t sing the Shooby-Do-Waa part at the end, but it didn’t matter. The song is so much more than that. It really rocks!
Other songs I really enjoyed on this night were And the Cradle Will Rock, Everybody Wants Some, and I’ll Wait. I always liked I’ll Wait, and I was surprised to read other reviews from recent shows that said that they should drop that song, that it didn’t fit.
No way! I’ll Wait worked well, in my opinion.
Lastly, all I can say is if you like Classic Van Halen, and if you have always wanted to see Dave and Eddie together again, and if you have always dreamed of seeing them perform most of their greatest hits, GO SEE THIS SHOW!
PS. I missed seeing and hearing Michael Anthony. But him not being there did not detract from my enjoyment.
Last edited by 95Crash : 11.04.07 at 07:51 PM.
Reason: Oops, I spelled Worth wrong.
Saw VH on Saturday at the IZOD arena. The set list was great, the band played great, but a few technical problems turned a great show into a good show. A few observations:
1) EVH freaked during the show because of a blown monitor and actually threw the monitor off the stage. I was on the floor on Wolfs side and could see the band's faces and the poor kid looked freaked out and embarrassed watching his father go berserk.
2) Why does Eddie not use a wireless? He was getting out of the way of the wire all night and so were Dave and Wolf whenever Eddie was near them. He couldn't go out on the catwalk since the wire wasn't long enough to reach and it's basically a pain in the ass.
3) The sound mixing guy should be fired. The mix had the guitar so low that I couldn't make out an entire solo all night and I was very close to the stage and in front of the stage. This is what hurt the show the most for me.
4) Only one encore was a cop-out and who picked Jump? How about On Fire or Sinner's Swing or something that rocks, not the most commercial pop song in the world. This tour is supposed to be for the early, hard-core VH fans. Not sure why they even play Jump. If they want another song from 1984 to balance out the setlist, why notTop Jimmy or Drop Dead Legs.
5) Seems like the honeymoon is over. Eddie and Dave didn't interact much during the show and at the end, the 3 Van Halens walked off the stage behind the drums and DLR walked off the side of the stage. If they're not getting along at this point, forget an album or another tour.
This could have been the concert of the year if it weren't for the technical glitches and Eddie's meltdown. It's pretty obvious that Eddie is a much more difficult person than Roth. Roth might be annoying, but Ed's just a weird dude that can get really ugly. I wonder if he's drinking or drugging again. His kid is gonna be scarred for life if he has to watch his father getting fucked up every night right in front of him. Watching him toss the monitor down the stairs and seeing Wolfie's reaction was pretty sad. I actually feel sorry for the kid. And Valerie was there. Offstage on Wolf's side. Probably a good idea that she travels with them.
Was excited to see VH.......then disappointment at the iZod
I was sitting way up in section 234, 4 rows from the last. The sound way up there was horrible! Sounds like people down closer to the floor for the most part were happy with the sound. The whole show sounded muddy and unclear. What a disappointment, to wait all this time to see VH and have the sound so horrible. My GF even said the show sucked because of the sound. And at times it was hard to see the screen behind all the equipment hanging down over the stage. They should of had screens for the fans on the sides.
I thought it was a great show except for the sound which is the most important! I sat and listened while some of the people around stood. Even with Eddie's 'problems', be it him being a perfectionist or if there really was a problem with the equipment. It was hard to hear Dave most of the time except for his talk before Ice Cream Man, that was the only time it was clear and I consistently heard what he was saying. It would place most of the blame for my disappointment on the sound team. I don't remember indoor arena's have this poor quality of sound. The Police at Giants Stadium sounded just like on the CD's. Other's at work who have seen them at other shows also said the sound needed some fixing.
The crowd was totally into it, at least from where I was sitting - no one sat down until Alex's drum solo, which like another poster, I thought was great. I saw VH with DLR 23 years ago and thought then that AVH is one of the most underrated drummers in rock, and I felt even more so after the NJ show.
Another revelation - Wolfie isn't half bad! I am bummed that Michael wasn't there, but he was solid, his part in Romeo was nicely done - if you looked at the screen you could see his fingers tapping the notes - you could TELL he was just a child (fingers were pristine and a little baby fat), but I was duly impressed. I also thought he had the right demeanor, given that he was replacing an original IMHO.
The sound was pretty bad. It was way too loud and not clear - someone posted that it sounded like the gain was too high, not sure, but I've never heard something like that. I've seen the Ramones over 20 times, many with my ear close to the Marshalls they used and this was almost as loud and I was not that close to the stage. I saw Eddie's fit too, but while I thought he was pissed, he seemed to calm down as it went on. Remember, the giant screens had close ups, he was still into it and smiling, although not as much early on. Not sure about the METH comment, but I wouldn't doubt bi-polarism. I am a huge Brian Wilson fan, he's known for similar episodes, but they don't manifest themselves as anger, more as depression. No one can disagree that he looked in as good shape as he's been in sometime. If you doubt that, do a Google search or look at the video of him at the NAMM show from earlier this year (pre-rehab stint) - he looked like SH*T - his teeth were black, his eyes were red and his hair looked greasy. He's got his act together, and for any of you that play, you know that when the techinical crap is in disarray, it pisses you off. I had no issue with that tirade whatsoever.
I thought Dave was the "weakest" link musically. His showmanship is without peer, and he did everything to keep the show going. I loved the story he told prior to Ice Cream Man, and his interplay with Wolf was cool (Unchained; some high fives). What bummed me a little was that he spoke the vocals at times, almost losing his breath. I recall he did that the last show I saw back in the 80's, perhaps his style. To his credit, he seemed to be pacing himself, and he did get better as the show culiminated. The mic stand twirling was impressive, and he looked good for a 53 year old man. Loved the kicks and he could still "WHOOOOOOOO" like it was 25 years ago.
Someone commented about thr guitar solo and taking it out of the show - that's nuts....this is EVH, a demigod of guitar playing, at the head of the pantheon of greats I would have been pissed if he didn't do something. And while the sound was weak, I don't think his technique was bad at all - he was solid! It did sound like he effed up the opening of the Cathedral piece, but he got it back on track no worries!
No problems with the set, other than the encore. 1984+Jump left me wanting for more. No real issue with the opening YRGM, but when Dave did the "I heard you missed us ... we're BAAAAACK" from HFT, I thought that would have been perfect to open the show.
All in all, great show, I was in awe. They looked good, sounded tight, and appeared to have fun. Now if they could just fix the sound issue, it would have been phenomenal.
I saw them in 1984 (in Phily and at MSG) and I guess I was expecting too much this time around. I thought the sound was OK, not great. I sat on Ed's side about 25 row up. If you listened to any boots of this tour before the concert you would have known word for word what DLR was going to say during/after every song. This show was way too scripted. Sammy always could sing better than Dave but Dave was always a better showman, that is now clearly gone. I have tix to MSG next week but I'm not going (it's going to be the same exact show again so why bother?). Overall I was disappointed and I actually thought 2004, as bad as it was, was a better show. Just my 2 cents.
Last edited by RightHereRightNow : 11.05.07 at 10:49 AM.
I would have been pissed if he didn't do something. And while the sound was weak, I don't think his technique was bad at all - he was solid! It did sound like he effed up the opening of the Cathedral piece, but he got it back on track no worries!
I thought it was very disappointing
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