SHOW REVIEWS >> August 20th - PNC Back Arts Center ( NJ) - Reviews only!

VanEdge · 08.20.02, 08:44 PM

I can't believe Dave came out in a hot pink & black spandex getup. He's in great shape but the bottom line is he's trying to recapture the glory of the old days, and this show falls short on every level. I'd almost rather see the Atomic Punks. He played all VH tunes with the exception of Yankee Rose. He absolutely tried his best, and even though he really cannot sing worth a damn, he did about as good as he could without the real Van Halen playing the music. His on stage antics were really blah. Very old hat. I mean, it was one thing when he was talking to hot young girls in the 80s, but all he has now are 30-something floozies who are totally showing their mileage. Seeing him empty a bottle of Jack Daniels on the first few rows as if he were, um, "finishing" with a girl (or by himself) prompted a big yawn. It was kind of heartbreaking to hear such awesome Van Halen material played by a cover band. My fiancee put it best when she said, "Being here feels like you are cheating on your wife/husband." It was cool to see Dave, but it just wasn't worth it without Van Halen. The PA mix was very muddy, too. On several occasions, Dave had to turn to the monitor mixing engineer and yell at him due to the constant feedback problems he was having. On a positive note, Dave's schtick was held to a minimum as he pumped out classic VH all night long. He did his best, but that's simply not enough. It made me very sad to think of the current state limbo Van Halen is in.

Sammy, on the other hand, puts on a very loose show. It felt like a party and he really looked like he was having fun up there. Sammy doesn't have the same stigma as Dave has - he doesn't have as much to prove. I didn't care much for the Waboritas as a band, but Sammy really can sing. His pipes are a true gift and he can outsing Dave any time, anywhere. His PA mix was far and away much clearer than Dave's. Dave's set sounded like a radio under a pillow in comparison. Because of this, Sammy's set was inherently better. He also wasn't trying to sound like Van Halen, so that made his performance much more natural. Like Dave, his show can't compare to a Van Halen show, but he wasn't trying to recreate Van Halen, and that's exactly why his set worked better.

On the whole, I'm glad I went to check out the show just to say I went. However, it was damned painful to hear so many great songs turned into run-of-the-mill karaoke without the real band up there.

Edeble Ed · 08.20.02, 09:18 PM

Dave:

Voice: B+. Dave was much better then I expected. Maybe thats because most people were singing along. Dave can still do screams, just not prolonged ones like the end of "Everybody Wants Some"

Setlist: Killer. Say what you want about Dave being nostalgic. But he's smart. He knows what songs made him famous. He knows he doesn't have a successful solo career. Who went to the show wanting to hear Slam Dunk? I didn't and Dave knows that.

Band: Very good. I will admit, the songs were kinda muddy, but still good. Most people didn't seem to mind since they rocked.

Crowd Interaction/Response: If Roth didn't have the crowd in the beginning, he completely won them over by the end. I overheard many saying how surprised they were at how good he was. Dave interacted more then I expected. I disagree with VanEdge. Hagar was just as horny as Roth, plus people expect that from Roth. Why would age change that?

Notes: Roth can still do kicks, maybe not as high, but come on, he's 47. He seemed very touched by the applause at the end.

Sammy:

Voice: A+. Bottom line. Sammy sounds just like the records. Dave does on some songs, but not all. I was very impressed by Hagar's voice.

Setlist: People reacted to the VH songs. Not much to his solo stuff. Once he had done most of the VH material, about 10% left. That's not an insult, because had Dave closed it may have been the same.

Band: Vic sounded great, he deserves no bashing. He sounded pretty much like the songs should sound. Clearer then Roth's set

Crowd Response/Interaction: Sammy got an equally good response as Dave, but only when he sang VH stuff. He interacted well, not as much as people say.

Notes: Sammy had a video/interview that kinda dragged on for a little too long, but cool if you're a Hagar fan.

Conclusion: Hagar is the better singer, but he just can't compare to the early classics. As good as Van Hagar was, it just isn't as good as the Roth/VH years. Watching Hagar play is like watching a regular guy give a great performance. Watching Roth is like watching a charismatic guy who presents himself as larger than life. It just boiles down to which you prefer.

astrotrain · 08.20.02, 09:39 PM

I thought Dave ROCKED!!! He blew me away! No BS between songs, just one hit right after another. And he still didn't have enough time to do everything I would want to hear. And the man is still SEXY! He is in shape! All those kicks, the batton twirling, the jumps! I didn't hear any vocal flaws either. I don't understand why people have been down on his vocals. He sounded like the Dave I know and lust. And his guitarist was first rate. No, he's not Eddie, but Zakk Wylde isn't Randy Rhoads either.

Sammy's vocal chops are great but his songs just aren't that strong. And men in yellow capris just don't rock me. I think the coolest part of his band is the female bass player. She is so rock!

Overall, it was SOOO worth it to go to this show! I had a blast! [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]

Onirb · 08.21.02, 03:25 AM

I am so hungover right now. I will do a review at a later date. I also took pictures which I will try to post tonight if I get them back before I leave on vacation if not Monday.
Both kicked ass last night. But DLR came out on top in my book.

Chris C · 08.21.02, 06:40 AM

They were both great, ddi hear some Dave bashing in the bathroom, but I think most people loved Dave for teh early stuff, and were blown away by Sammy and his presence, Sammy is just a better person to see live, he acts with crowd, Dave still tells the same jokes from 1981, but hey they were both great and itw as worth it to see them together, and a helluva lot more people than in Hershey Pa.

SMUDGE NYC · 08.21.02, 06:43 AM

Lets just say this right from the get go; ROTH KICKED FUCKIN' ASS! Anyone who says Roth can't bring it live "anymore" has no fucking idea what they're talking about, point blank! First of all, NEVER expect Dave to sing like he did on the records,... HE NEVER DID IN THE FIRST PLACE! I'm thinking that one of two things come into play when I read a negative review;
1) these people have never seen the VH/Roth showes live
or
2) They just like Sammy better & will say anything to piss off hardcore Roth fans.
David Lee Roth IS the show!
His band was top knotch, great guitarist who I'd say did a pretty great job, and impressed me with his presence. The bass player was kickin' it & the drummer was dead on.
My ONLY complaint; NO UNCHAINED!
We where on the wrather LONG beverage line between sets, so we missed the Sammy interview video. I need to put this out there for you people; Way back when the Monsters Of Rock tour happened I actually LEFT durring the Van Hager performance in disgust. Fast forward to Aug 20th 2002; We worked our way to our seats as he was finishing the first song, I was really only hoping Mikey was showing up, really not all that interested in seeing Sammy... BUT... as the set went on, I really started enjoying him! Lets be honest here, the man CAN SING! & his band flat out ROCKED! Mona is THE SHIT! That chick can kick it out with the best of them! The guitarist was the lead guitarist from the 80's band The Bus Boys (go look at your 48 Hours video, thats the band playing in the night club)& he brought his own flavor to the songs, played some SWEET Paul Reed Smiths!
All in all, I didnt hear a SINGLE person bitch about EITHER performance, but my vote for CHAMP goes hands down to ROTH! Lets face it folks Dave is the little trian that could! Eddie & Alex, your front man is ALL WARMED UP!

[ August 21, 2002, 08:38 AM: Message edited by: SMUDGE NYC ]

bigdaddybf · 08.21.02, 07:17 AM

Man I've seen a lot of back and forth reviews here since this tour started obviously due to some being hardcore Roth fans & hardcore Hagar fans. Well this comes from a all around VH fan yes I like Cherone's stuff too (go ahead laugh) so I will attempt to be unbiased.

Dave was on fire (pun intended) from the opening bell he kicked ass & took names, minimal talking and more tunes for your money just the way it should be. He had one problem I noticed during DTNA when the sound dropped out completely. & seemed to loose some steam during Atomic Punk, Little Dreamer but picked it right back up for DOA til the Jump encore. Highlights were the Jack off where he yelled to security "Hey Homes... I'm talking to her move, YO HOMES I said MOVE" and he did the JD thing during Mean Streets. He also told a small story before So This Is Love about working at a fair when he was a kid and was really hitting on some blonde chick in the front row and did a booty call complete with his hand & her hand by their ears in mock telephone conversation that was hilarious.

The band was as tight as you can be, his voice was better that I ever heard and I'm no ass kisser but some screams he hit we long as hell and still had the power of 80's Roth who ever couldn't tell that he was on last night either is a Dave hater or Sammy lover. Give the man his due respect cause he worked for it last night and he got mine that's for shit sure.

Sammy's video was way too long and sadly not much energy. His voice was great, the whole set had a Jimmy Buffet party vibe which was cool to experience. I felt Sammy's show was missing something though maybe MA could've made it better who knows. The band was really great Mona's got a great voice, as does the keyboard player. Vic wasn't as bad as people say but remember Brian plays Eddie in a band Vic doesn't so that's the difference there.
He had the crowd for a while during the VH stuff but lost them during the ballads and it killed all momentum he had but picked it back up for "55" I was very shocked to see a little reaction for When It's Love I thought that was going to get a roar from the crowd. Half my section cleared out before Mas Tequila I'm assuming to beat traffic and not from Hagar's performance. It's very true what one person who posted said the opener HAS the advantage cause you've get a fresh audience full of energy. By the time the headliner comes on your half spent and ready to go home.

I also took my 55 yr old father to see the show he thought Roth won and Hagar lost a step since I took him to see the Balance tour in 95 and He's a Van Hagar fan but like some Roth tunes.
I also have to agree it was live All Dave All Night Nothin But Yeah!!!

Bob_R · 08.21.02, 08:23 AM

Well to get to the decision right away, Dave won! [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img] And rather handily I might add! [img]smile.gif[/img]

DLR hit the stage just about 8 PM and from that moment on the crowd was on its feet and very loud. Brian Young is a FANATASTIC guitar player! Dave jumped off the drum riser to end the show to the delight of everyone in attendance. The Classic VH that he performed was crisp, loud and very entertaining. It was a great show better than I even could have imagined!

Poor Sammy never even had a chance. His first song, Shock a Doobie (sp?) I enjoyed. When he got to the Eagles Fly solo people started leaving, others sat down never to rise again. His band was good and his voice is great but Dave won big time. Sammy told a story and mentioned howEvh came tohis house one night in '87 with a guitar in one hand and BOOZE in the other. He also held up a FUCK EDDIE shirt. I did not like the way he mentioned EVH and/or VH many timesduring his performance. I think his insecurity about the VH situation is showing and the pressure of playing with Roth who is the obvious choice to rejoin VH! [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]

Diver Down NJ · 08.21.02, 09:53 AM

I'll start my review by stating what should be obvious from my posting history - I am a DLR fan and a classic VH fan first and foremost. I like a few Sam solo songs and some Van Hagar, but that's about it. I would've paid to see DLR perform nothing but his solo songs.

With that out of the way...

The venue - I hadn't been to PNC in about 5-6 years, when I saw Queensryche on the Hear in the Now Frontier tour. It's a great venue. Easy to get to, good accomodations, great sound. And of course you couldn't ask for a better night. Not too hot, clear sky and a bright moon.

The crowd - I don't know what PNC's capacity is, but it looked pretty damn full to me! Sammy kept saying there were 14,000 people but I have no way of knowing for sure. The seats were pretty much full and so was the lawn (which is where I was). The crowd seemed to be into both performers equally. But honestly I can't say how loud they were for Dave because I was screaming most of the time! The vibe the whole night was great.

DAVE - I have to admit that I was a bit worried before he came on. A small part of me thought that all the people saying his voice was great were just DLR fans engaging in wishful thinking. I'm happy to say they were 100% RIGHT! Holy shit, the man was ON last night! Sure, he talked through some parts and flubbed a lyric or two. But on the whole Dave simply kicked ass from the first notes of Hot For Teacher to the last chords of Jump. There was a little bit of strain when he tried to sing some of the higher notes, but all the classic Dave screams and yelps were there. So much so that my girlfriend (who is admittedly not a huge classic VH fan) turned to me and said "I didn't think he could still do that!" She also commented on how ripped he looked, especially considering his age. He was wearing the purple and black pants and vest, which look so much better than that shiny blue suit I've seen in other pictures. He interacted with the crowd more than I thought he would, but kept the pace up the whole time. He did the jerking off bit with the JD bottle too. I could've done without it, but it is more amusing in a live setting than you would think. The kicks were there, and they seemed plenty high to me. I was worried that he wasn't gonna do the drum riser split, but he let us have it at the very end. The sound was pretty good, except that the bass guitar sounded pretty weak. There were a few problems with mic feedback, enough that Dave made a remark about it. But overall the sound was good. He had clips from his video playing on the screens, most of which I've already seen. The opening montage was cool.

THE BAND - Lomenzo did fine, but was unremarkable. The real standouts were Brian and Ray! I read all the reviews of how good Brian was, but I was still really impressed. And by the way, he did NOT do Eruption. What he played was VEEERY loosely based on it, but bore little resemblance to Eddie's original masterpiece. I'm glad he didn't do a note for note. Ray Luzier fucking wailed! I was really impressed.

THE SONGS - What can I say? All a classic VH fan could want. Yeah, a few more solo tunes would've been nice. But Dave knows what his fans want, and he delivered big time. My highlights were I'm the One, Ice Cream Man (that got a huge response) and the excellent groove section they put in the middle of You Really Got Me.

OVERALL - The Diamond One delivered on all counts and I left with a huge smile on my face.

SAM - Sorry, I just can't get into a Sammy Hagar show. I know he still has a lot of fans who can, and that's great. But I was not converted. First off, the man is a walking billboard. It started with that cheesy opening video, with all the plugs for his booze, his bar and his website. Lame. If I had a nickel for every time he mentioned Cabo Wabo or that damn tequila of his I could've paid off my ticket price. We get the point Sam - Cabo Wabo is the best place on earth and you are the ultimate party dude. Fucking get over yourself already! That being said, the man still has an amazing set of pipes. He is definitely a better technical singer than Dave, but it's all a matter of who you prefer. Sam is not my cup of tea.

THE BAND - They were good enough. But man, I couldn't even recognize half the VH songs he played. Sorry, but Vic doesn't have the chops needed to pull them off. You don't have to be an EVH clone, but this wasn't even close. Mona seemed good enough to me, but her bass seemed buried in the mix just like James Lomenzo's. I would love to have seen Mikey make an appearance, but it was not to be. The drummer and the keyboard player were decent, but nothing to write home about. Overall they were good. But they lacked the fire that Dave's band had.

THE SONGS - I dug a few of the solo tunes like 3 Lock Box and Heavy Metal (my favorite Sam song). But most of the VH songs were weak interpretations at best, IMO. He killed what was
otherwise a good rendition of Finish What Ya Started with a really boring, drawn out setup story. I left before the encore so I can't tell you what happened there. I just didn't care by that point. I also missed a few songs while I was taking a leak and scoring some Dave swag. I caught about 80% of his show. It was good, but I just couldn't get into it.

OVERALL - If Sam does get back with Van Halen, I will just stay home.

THE BOTTOM LINE - I would go see Dave again in a heartbeat, based on what I saw from him last night. And I think he would deliver the goods in the unlikely event of a reunion with VH. I wanted to have a good time during Sam's set, but it was too contrived to me. He tries too hard to show you that he is a great guy and is everyone's pal. People here have accused Dave of being in a tribute band. But the difference to me is this - Dave does a great job paying tribute to classic Van Halen. Sam does a great job paying tribute to his merchandise and himself.

CLRWVH · 08.21.02, 10:56 AM

hey smudge you are so brain washed. I saw VH/ wRoth 7 times and 10 times with Hagar. Hagar has always bested Roth on stage. He's a better singer, musician, and performer. The simple fact is the IQ of most VH fans are significantly lower than the person of average intelligence. I have now seen three shows on this tour and realize that Dave is even more pitiful than he was in his so called prime. Roth never sang, he always talked, and now he can barely do that. Also, if you do not like the Van Hagar Era blame Eddie Van Halen--he wrote all the music not Hagar. Eddie changed, period the end.

[ August 21, 2002, 12:27 PM: Message edited by: CLRWVH ]

55starfire · 08.21.02, 11:25 AM

why don't you keep your "sam is better than dave" baby bullshit out of the review thread? post in the opinion section (like we need to argue about this again) dipshit... sorry to respond here- i will delete this before the end of the day...

oops - just realized only moderators can delete- mod- please feel free to remove this if you're bored...

[ August 21, 2002, 12:35 PM: Message edited by: 55starfire ]

SMUDGE NYC · 08.21.02, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CLRWVH:
hey smudge you are so brain washed. I saw VH/ wRoth 7 times and 10 times with Hagar. Hagar has always bested Roth on stage. He's a better singer, musician, and performer. The simple fact is the IQ of most VH fans are significantly lower than the person of average intelligence. I have now seen three shows on this tour and realize that Dave is even more pitiful than he was in his so called prime. Roth never sang, he always talked, and now he can barely do that. Also, if you do not like the Van Hagar Era blame Eddie Van Halen--he wrote all the music not Hagar. Eddie changed, period the end.

Hmm, maybe I should keep this response short & sweet? Yeah, right!
FUCK YOU ASSHOLE! Did I say "Sammy fans are pussy's who only like pathetic love songs"? NO! Eat shit fuckwad! Maybe you enjoy Sam better then Dave. GREAT, but you tell ME when people where sitting DURING Dave's set?!!! SITTING & REMAINED SEATED THROUGHOUT HALF OF SAMMY'S SET! I said I enjoyed Sammy, but Dave flat out rocked the place without stopping! Opinions are like assholes, you should identify with that quote, what with being such a HUGE asshole yourself. NO ONE was making personal attacks on anyone in here until YOU opened your hole... Congratulations, you made a perfectly good thread with valid reviews & opinions on a great all around show into a personal vendetta against people expressing a preference.. Douchebag!

Brett · 08.21.02, 01:05 PM

Ok back on topic please guys...

SMUDGE NYC · 08.21.02, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brett:
Ok back on topic please guys...

Sorry 'bought that cheif, just felt the need for a virtuial bitch-slap [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]

Onirb · 08.21.02, 03:09 PM

Actually I admit I was there to see DLR and not much Sammy, so here is my view on last nights concert. From being a DLR fan and seeing many concert videos and listening to many bootlegs(I was too young to go to 1984 tour

). I am well aware of his singing issues. DLR did way better than I ever anticipated signing wise I was totally in shock. I think Hagar's music selection was too slow for the show and could have been more upbeat.