I had read all the reviews, going back to the rehearsals, so nothing really surprised me at the show. Except for one thing: Wolfgang.
I'm as pro-Michael Anthony as anyone on here, but I have to say: the kid is amazing. For one thing, he can flat out play. Secondly, contrary to many reviews I've seen on here, I thought he appeared very comfortable on stage and "moved around" quite a bit. Maybe he's becoming more comfortable with each passing show, but tonight, he was all over the stage and not the least bit shy (and to give him even more benefit of the doubt, he's probably aware of the fact that most people are there to see Dave and Ed, and accordingly, cedes most of the "limelight" to them). Thirdly, Wolfgang is SIXTEEN years-old. Most of us weren't comfortable giving a presentation in history class as sixteen year-olds, and this kid is stepping into a key role (a role that was previously held by perhaps the most popular and fan-friendly member of the band) in one of the greatest rock bands in history, in front of 20,000 people every night.
Wolfgang is the shit. Ed warned us, and most of us were skeptical, but damn it if he wasn't right!
Anyway, nothing new to report (as compared to the other shows that have already been reviewed): Ed appeared sober and on fire, Alex killed it, and Dave looks and sounds better than he has in over 20 years. As many have said, it's an incredible night of rock-and-roll, and it's one not to be missed, regardless of your feelings about Michael Anthony.
I have been following this message board for years and have been happy with that. I have never had the urge to post as I do today, after seeing the mighty Van Halen. The youtube videos and amateur audio does this concert no justice. GO SEE THIS BAND ON THIS TOUR! My ears are still ringing!
First things first... Everyone was awesome. Dave's voice and schtick was perfect. Eddie was spot on, Alex was Alex and is always awesome.... As for Wolfgang, he was amazing. As the other post above stated, when I was 16 years old, I didn't want to give a speech in English class, and this kid is rockin it. I have nothing but love for M.A. but there is just something fresh about the sound, the band, and the way things went in Rosemont tonight.
Hopefully this is an okay first post. I am just so damn excited right now after seeing this concert. I hope everyone gets the chance to experience it!
This was my second show. Greensboro was the other. Things are getting more spontaneous and less choreographed I think. By the time they hit CA the show will be crazy. The new this time:
1) Nailed Hot for Teacher
2) Intro to Girl Gone Bad after Women in Love in Guitar Solo
3) More creativity in Guitar solo compared to previous shows
4) Cathedral was better and yep the amps were gained up to 11
5) Ed actually autographed a picture for someone (After Dave signed it and rubbed his ass all over it)
6) Dave bringing out his old lines more.
7) Ed in tears before the guitar solo (I think) with reguards to Wolf
8) Used the gong!!!!!
From my point of view, Michael Anthony is ancient history. I do not miss him in the least. Wolfgang supercedes and dare I say makes the show much more emotional for everyone. Al still looks like he is constantly exhausted. Ed had plenty of new interpretations on old themes. Dave better take it easy on the voice. He was losing it at the end.
Anybody who is a fan of music should be dragged to this show. Get the word out. Headed to the United Center Thurs.
Just got back and my ears are still ringing that familiar ring from concerts of old. The show was AWESOME! I wish I were going back Thursday! High energy though out. The set list never lets up and EVERY song is nailed perfectly
the show exceeded my expectations 10 fold. I'm an Eddie fan first and foremost so to see him play these songs perfectly was a dream come true. I never thought I'd see Eddie play like that again and he shined tonight. I've also never seen him play these songs live so it was just great! His playing is awesome.
Wolfgang brings a new emotion to the band that has been lacking for years. I loved Mike and I don't think it was in anyway his fault he's not with the band but it was obvious in Ed's attitude and playing that he didn't want Mike around anymore. Eddie came back out of his 15 year funk for his son for his brother and oddly enough for David Lee Roth and oh yeah, us the fans! I can't believe it but the king is back. I was blown away by Eddie tonight. His solo was probably better then the previous shows of this tour from the earlier reviews. He nailed eruption and cathedral sounded fresh and killer. It started off slow but man he finished big. The crowd cheered louder than any other times I saw Van Halen for Eddie. It was wonderful! The sound was great tonight. I was in section 113 and everything was clear and crisp. I can't hear now but it's worth it.
David Lee Roth was a great showman tonight. He interacted with Eddie, Wolfgang and the crowd effortlessly. He was ON FIRE! Not too over the top but just enough to blend into the sound the Van Halens were making. He definitely said, "I forgot the fucking words" tonight but I can't remember what song it was but it was hilarious.
Eddie played what looked like the black and white charvel <--- I’m probably wrong but from far away it looked like it said Charvel on the head, a new striped mostly black with big white and red striped strat and the frankenstrat replica along with the new sunburst quilted wolfgang guitar.
Wolfgang’s basses were awesome. The kid lit up the place in a few spots, most notably with running with the devil when he was above AL on the ramp and knocked it out of the park and when he said, c'mon Dave give me a break he did it in a dry hilarious way and not the awkward way he did it earlier from the boots I saw on youtube. I was getting ready to cringe and it actually got a big laugh. Dave also complimented Wolfgang saying, I see you've been practicing Junior! They seem comfortable together on stage. He also got a huge ovation when Dave introduced him. He looked genuinely thrilled with the Chicago style cheers.
All in all I was on the fence in so many ways before I went but now I'm so glad I saw this show. It totally erases 2004 and that sad picture I had of Ed and gives me great hope for the future of this re-invented family called Van Halen.
I hope there is a DVD of this tour and I want to give a shout out to all the Chicago fans that were in full throat tonight singing and screaming every word of every song. It was a perfect night!
__________________ Now comes my favorite part of the show. It's my favorite part of the whole evening. We've been on tour since March and I have no better time anytime then right now because I get to go sit down, have myself a nice cold one and listen to the greatest rock n'roll guitar player in the world. Mr. Eddie Van Halen. - Sammy Hagar
I've been a hardcore VH fan for 27 years and have the VHII logo tattood on my arm to proclaim my passion for what was the greatest rock bank from of an era - 1980 to 1985. I loved every incarnation of the band...even Gary. Those first six albums, though, are something extraordinary.
Through the last 11 years, I've been a critic, a cynic, and was crushed watching them from the 7th row in Champaign in 2004 - where it was clear and obvious Ed and Sam were hating each other during the show. They never even looked at one another. Ed stayed in his 6' x 6' patch of stage and Sammy signed autographs the majority of the show. I, remember actually wincing whenever I heard Dave call Ed 'Eddie Van Heineken' or slam the VH brothers and Sammy - because I knew he was driving nails into the coffin of what would never be again.
Watching them tonight was amazing. From the third row it was obvious that the larger than life egos that worked against them (specifically Dave) in the past disappeared - at least during the show. The friendly glances between Ed to Dave; Ed interacting with Wolfie to work the stage and giving him reassuring smiles afterwards; and the overall mood of the band was priceless. Dave seems to really 'get' the importance of this relationship and shared the stage perfectly with Ed and Wolf. I wish I could figure out if it was just high-quality professional help/counseling, or these guys were able to pull it off and become civil on their own. Any thoughts or information to support this?
I've met Michael Anthony and appreciate him as a cornerstone of what is VH. ......but Wolfie fills the position better than anyone on the planet could. In my opinion, he 'fits' perfectly, and I would be content with him as the permanent replacement..
This band has never ceased to amaze me, so I'm looking forward to them producing a new album in the coming year or two. Who'da thunk Dave and Ed's son would be sharing a mic in front of a packed arena much to delight and screaming of all of us adoring, hardcore, true-blooded fans.
Thanks guys. See ya Thursday, Jackpar. Kiss your bride for me. I owe her big-time for giving up her 3rd row ticket for me.
Was there last night. Here is a one word review: WOW!!!!!!
I am a Sammy fan. I like the DLR stuff, but I grew up on the Sammy era, and I have always listened to that more. That being said, VH last night kicked the shit out of the VH that was here in 2004. Last night Eddie was sober, he really did appear to be enjoying himself, and he had a lot of interaction with Dave and the crowd. In 2004, Eddie was drunk off his ass, kept screwing up, and his guitars kept coming unplugged all night long. You could feel some of the tension between him and Sammy as well.
Eddie and Dave interacted a lot with each other last night and there was no downtime throughout the entire show. It was one song after another with no breaks. Not bad for a bunch of guys who are either in their mid 50s, or who should be at home doing homework. They were really tight last night, and put on one hell of a show. Everyone on stage seemed to be having a great time. Eddie did seem to be crying a little at the start of his solo. He appearred really emotional and appreciative at the crowd (Who was chanting "Eddie! Eddie!"). His voice broke a little bit when he started talking about 316 and how he wrote it for his son before he was born. He did make a funny comment: "I wrote this song for Wolfie before he was born, and now he is in the fucking band. God I am getting old!"
Dave was Dave. He did exactly what you would expect him to do, and he didn't disappoint. His voice was good all night, although he did forget lyrics or mis his cues two times that I noticed. He even openly admitted in the middle of one of the songs "I forgot the fucking lyrics!"
Like Dave, Alex delivered on exactly what you would expect from him. He pounded those skins all night long and was amazing.
Wolfgang can play. No doubt about that at all. He seemed a little uncomfortable throughout the show, especially at the beginning, but he did venture all over the stage and out among the crowd. He seemed to look over at Eddie and Dave a lot throughout the show. Not sure if he was doing that to check on things or what. He had some funny interaction with Dave. I believe it was during Unchained that he asked Dave: "Hey Dave.....Yes?.....Can you give me a grade?"
He also had a couple short bass solos mixed in with songs, which was perfect. They didn't try to ram Wolfie down on everyone, but he made sure that people knew he was there. Wolfgang is no Michael Anthony, but he was very impressive. I look forward to hearing a solo from him on future tours.
The only negative feedback I have I can't believe I am going to say. I must be getting too old. I think they might of actually been a little too loud. Most of the time, the levels were OK, but a few songs, especially Hot for Teacher, they were so loud, you couldn't hear Dave at all.
Overall, it was an amazing show. Next up is Sammy in about 3 weeks!
Oh yeah, Kenmani Marley, or whatever his name is, sucks. We couldn't understand a word he was saying througout his entire set, either when he was singing, or when he was just speaking between songs. Thankfully his set wasn't very long.
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"What we are dealing with here, is a complete lack of respect for the law" - Jackie Gleason, Smokey and the Bandit
This is my Van Halen. I was there at Rosemont Horizon last night (All State Arena) and it was an awesome event. I had nosebleeder seats sec 213 but it was phenomenal. Setlist the same and I loved it. The band got along great the whole night and looked like the VH I remember. They had fun and were putting on an excellent production.
Dave did do the "I forgot the fuckin' words" bit during Dance the Night Away. It worked though, even the band was laughing. I didn't notice his voice going towards the end. I think he held it up and was able to pull this off vocally better than I could have expected. I loved every minute of this show. He even added more kicks to the show and he had some spot on screams like the old days. I didn't see any hint of fatigue in his voice. He carried it through. It was evident that he still had it going strong when he started I'm The One and all the way throug Little Dreamer, Ain't Talkin' Bout Love, and Jump.
Eddie was awesome and his guitar solo was way better than the one I saw him do in 04'. I did like the Girl Gone Bad being thrown into the solo. He jus continued to amaze me and with the group of CVH hits they rolled out he proved he is still to me the King of 10 fingers and six strings.
Alex was a powerhouse. He looks exhausted but nothing stops this guy on the skins. He is a monster. He kept this thing on track the whole night. I was continually amazed at just how great a drummer he is.
wolfgang has to be seen to be believed. He is a bad ass player and he kept up just fine. I did miss Mike, but I will say it didn't detract from my experience. His backgrounds are great as well.
Jump closes the night perfectly as I figured it would. I don't agree with other posts that it is a song out of place. People loved it and were expecting its arrival by default. As it was the only huge (in fact their biggest hit) song not played in the show until that point. People even loved the twirling Mic bit Dave does. I guess what seemed tired before in his solo shows didn't matter to the large Van Halen audience. A lot of people come to embrace and expect this from DLR when they hit a show. Jump should stay right where it is in the set.
People do yourselves a favor. Go see this show. Especially those Chi-town linkers here who won't go!
I hope this is something they can capitalize on and do new music and a new tour. We will have to wait and see. I cannot wait til Thursday at UC!
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Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things.
ED'S A 20THCENTURY MOZART:
Idiot. You are 46 and have a Simpson's character as your avatar. Watch who you call bubblehead.
my friends and I are over at my house today recovering from last night.
first off-the pre party at Shoeless Joe's.. I didn't meet anyone there that had posted messages. I did meet a few people from another board there however. The bartender and waitresses there were pretty hot
where the hell was LeadSynth?
great show--they really look like they are having a blast up there. we even got us a "I fucked up the words" during DTNA
I really think Dave needs to drop the 30million hats or AT LEAST that corny chains carrying thing during Unchained.
I think Eddie started crying right before his solo. he got a real long ovation when he first came out there then he said something like "I don't talk well so I'll just play.. " and then something about loving his kid and it sound like he was crying when he was talking about that.
then back to Shoeless Joe's after the show for more beer and scoping the waitresses
one other thing. there were no "pat downs" or metal detecors or ANYTHING!!! I could have takem my digital SLR and my video camera--pissed about that
__________________ "Hey Eddie, in order to get over with these fans you need speed, you ain't got it
Your hip can't take the pounding so hard jumping is out
Your brother's got arthritis in his neck and you got calcium deposits on most of your joints so jammin' is out.
So what we'll be calling on is good ole' fashion blunt force trauma. Horsepower.
Some heavy duty cast iron pile drivin' riffs that will hurt so much they'll rattle their ancestors.
Everytime you hit em' with a riff it'll feel like they tried kissin' the expressway.
Let's start buildin' some hurtin' bombs"
I do sort of wish I didn't watch so much of the youtube video because I knew everything that was going to happen. But I think Dave is changing up what he says to the audience at each show now which is cool. And yes he did say "Look at all the people here tonight".
The highlight for me was DLR. He sounded great. Maybe I am nuts, but I thought he sounded as good or better as the video boots like largo. He actualy sang all the words. He also eliminated most of the cheese which is cool. The matadore shirt I don't mind but the inflatable microphone needs to go, it is cheesy and brings to your attention that he doesn't do any jumps anymore.
Wolfie was great . The backing vocals sounded great to me and his bass playing was right on. He did not seem nervous to me and blended in fine.
EVH was having a blast interacting with his son and DLR. I see no evidence that this is fake. His playing seemed tight and his tone was right on. His solo just doesn't really hold up to me anymore but thats just my opinion.
As a man who prefers Sammy to DLR, he was my only detractor.
He sounded pretty good for DLr but he forgot the words to a couple of tunes including Dance The Night Away.
Sorry but Daves schtick is old. Those hats are gay, the putting the hat on his cock was gayer. The big microphone My mom likened him to Liberace.
The show was incredible because of the band. Eddie really shined and was the reason the show was so great. Wolfie is great and i now welcome him into the band. Alex was phenominal as well.
And a couple of other things, truly the Van hagar audience has a little less white trash and nasty ass women around. That was the trashiest audience i have ever seen, and the merch was weak and expenisive.
But the show was phenominal and DLR is great for this band, but im still preferring Sammy.
I went with my brother-in-law who is a casual fan. He and I agreed that the show was excellent(A-). The band sounded great and he was most impressed by Wolf. I agreed with him and we both feel that MA is done. For one, who is going to fire their own son. Wolf would have to leave to do his own thing. Anyhow, back to the show. Here is a break down by individual performance. It will help me organize my toughts.
Dave: I think he sounds better than anyone predicted. I was very pleased overall! Vocally, the low was the sour note during Rome D. The high "pleaase" went real bad. The outfits are predictable. We're not gonna see Dave wearing jeans people. He has the Elvis mentality. That is, [I'm a star and I have to be colorful]. Unlike some, I'm not comfortable ripping on his perceived sexuality. I thought the hats were tolerable and the microphone at the end was idiotic. As I've read, he is making up for the lack of movement by twirling the microphone around. But I was happy because he sang well. Grade: B+ (A- if he loses the chains, hats and microphone and figures out something else cool to do)
Eddie: Sounded fantastic. His stage presence was better than Dave's IMHO. Grade: A (A+ if he shortens the solo and tightens it up a bit...has a lack of focus or appears to)
Alex: Sounded awesome. His solo was fun, but I'm not sure I'd prefer it over an extra song. Grade: A
Wolf: Gets an A+ for doing what we'd all love to do and doing it so well at the age of 16 under so much pressure.
I wish I had tix to the United Center, but I have bills to pay. Let's hope there will be a new album and another tour within 2yrs. Oh, one more thing, Allstate Arena needs to get their shit together. The place gets a B for sound, but the facilities get a D. Finding my seat sucked and leaving the place sucked.
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God Bless the USA! The best country on God's green earth. (Yes. I have been to many other places to say so!)
I saw the press conference & honestly didn't know what to expect. I read all the reviews, which only fed the hunger. I saw the show &...
And what?
Unbelievable. I'm telling you, unbelievable.
Read the reviews, believe what they say, but multiply it by 100...1000...1,000,000. For those of us that have been around since the early days, the beginning, this is a MUST see show. This is Van Halen the way it was meant to be. Not to take anything away from Sammy, but DLR VH has always been the cat's ass for me. The music just drives you & let me tell you, it has not lost a step in 22 years.
I'll let the others tell the specifics, because in all honestly, I don't remember them all. The show just took me & drove me back to the day when it was ALL about CVH. Tonight was all about classic Van Halen.
My friends, if you take anything away from this post, let it be this:
See the show. And then go see the show again because once is just not going to be enough. Thursday night can't get here soon enough.
I loved it. I'm glad I went. I missed Mike, but enjoyed Wolfie. Ed was on fire.
Dave has never been my favorite part of a live show, but I give the guy an A+ for effort...he really gave it his all, and I appreciate that...for the money I spent.
Alex was stellar.
Was something wrong with Ed's guitar duing And the Cradle will Rock?
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The Barn Burned Down, Now I can See the Moon
*** Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena REVIEWS ***
Spectacular...
My mom likened him to Liberace. 
Linear Mode
