SHOW REVIEWS » July 25th - Ford Center Arena (Oklahoma City, OK) - Reviews ONLY!

Brett · 07.25.02, 03:48 PM

If you went to the July 25th show, please feel free to add a reply with your review here.

Let's try to keep this thread for REVIEWS ONLY, and not for discussion. That way, it will be easy for people to read them.

If you want to discuss this particular show, just make a new thread for that.

Thanks!

vcooper3 · 07.26.02, 04:54 AM

http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_a...&TP=getarticle

REVIEW: Van Halen's rival frontmen rock 'n' roll at Ford Center
2002-07-26
By Brandy McDonnell
The Oklahoman

The two most famous frontmen for Van Halen brought a battle of the bands to the Ford Center Thursday.
The "Sam and Dave Show" featured Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth with separate bands, backdrops and sets.

The show drew about 6,000, with the format offering a maximum capacity of 7,800.

The coin toss ruled that Diamond Dave open the show, and he kicked it off with the Van Halen classic "Hot for Teacher."

The flamboyant singer showed he could still pull off his signature yelps as he led the crowd through hits such as "Panama," "Cradle Will Rock" and " Unchained."

A cocky grin and an outstretched palm were all he needed to coax screams during "Ice Cream Man."

Roth's set was an all Van Halen show, with the exception of his solo number "Yankee Rose."

Starting out dressed in a shiny blue suit, Roth was shirtless within an hour. He sprayed the front row with liquor and put the microphone down his pants.

Diamond Dave's signature split kick during his encore song "Jump" was the high point for the crowd.

After an intermission, during which Roth's basic rock stage was converted to a California club scene, the Red Rocker blasted onto the stage with his solo theme "Red."

He followed it with the Van Halen hit "Run Around" before performing more of his solo numbers such as "Three Lock Box" and "There's Only One Way to Rock."

A highlight of the show was the appearance of Van Halen bass player Michael Anthony during Hagar's rendition of "Standing on Top of the World."

Hagar donned a wig, threw a hat and T-shirts to the crowd and wailed on his shiny red guitar.

Overall, the Red Rocker proved the better performer as he used his strong voice to power through solo hits such as "I Can't Drive 55" and "Mas Tequila."

MeWiseSooner · 07.26.02, 05:06 AM

Went to last night's show at the
Ford Center. Dave opened the show and pretty much follwed the set list from the first leg on the tour. Big suprise was his version of Ice Cream Man
Dave got some skills on the guitar. His guitar player was freakin awsome tappin and everything!!The crowd really seemed into the entire set but Diamond Dave really had em eatin out of the palm of his hands toward the very end. i don't know if this has been mentioned before but most of the video played on the jumbotron during Dave's set looked to be the DVD stuff that was suppose to come out in earlier this year and it seemed pretty recycled.(They seemed to play the same clips over and over)Dave played for about an hour and half. Sammy did the whole Cabo thing and pulled it off perfectly. A good time was had by all.The place really went nuts when Michael Anthony hit the stage. Most people had know idea it was coming and it took a minute for folks to realize who it was out on stage. During the intermisson between Dave and Sammy they played a 20 minute video piece with Sammy takling about his carrer in the music biz. The thing that suprised me the most was when talking about his Van Halen days he really didn't have a bunch of anger towards Eddie and Co.Nothing but nice things to say no jabs or anything like that. Sammy's version of finished what you started, and Three lock box and Mas tequila seemed to be crowd pleasers. overall i was totally impressed with both guys. They each have their own style and stick to it. The both have their own place in Van Halen history and both realize this.but all night i couldn't help but think we were still getting cheated. It still was not Van Halen and in the end that's what everybody really wants to see.i think Dave would be 10 times better vocally and performancce wise if he could feed off the energy of Eddie,Michael and Alex. Same goes for Sammy the party atmosphere is fun but it's a distraction. So great show it was truly an experience i give it up to both guys for shaking hands putting petty stuff behind them and coming out and rocking your ass off!!!!Hopefully with Mikey around he can convince those other 2 jokers to get off their butts and start the revolution!!!!

dirtymovies · 07.26.02, 08:25 AM

Sounds like the setlist was exactly the same as the 1st leg - Yes? No?

MeWiseSooner · 07.26.02, 09:12 AM

Dave's was exactly the same. Sammy did Eagles Fly instead of Give to Live and played When it's Love instead of PoundCake.

vhordie · 07.26.02, 02:30 PM

This was the second time I've seen the show (I also saw the Dallas show June 15 at the Smirnoff Ampitheater). I thought Dave was better in Dallas as headliner but,in all fairness, I wanted to see Sammy in headlining role also. Last night provided the opportunity as DLR opened and Sammy headlined at the new Ford Center in Oklahoma City.
I was disappointed that the show was not a sellout. Apparently, Korn did not even come close to selling out the night before. Perhaps, there are too many damn hicks in OKC who would rather make out with their sisters on a Thursday night or masturbate on their sucky-ass OU football programs??? To make matter's worse, the leading OKC rock station (no names) was not even at the event since they were covering the Tool concert in Tulsa.

Enough with the complaints.......
If you loved Dave's setlist on first leg, you will love it on the second as it has not changed at all. The only thing Dave has changed was his suit (A different blue suit,less the sequins and suspenders). He opens with Hot for Teacher and finishes with Jump and stays with the same song order as first leg. It took a while before the crowd really got into Dave last night, however, no one sat for the entire show. I think it is the "opening act effect" because the same thing happened to Sammy in Dallas. The crowd really came alive for Runnin' With The Devil and the remaining songs. Of course, I still think DOA just kicks ass and gives me goosebumps just imagining VH fronted by DLR ripping through the "classics". As mentioned earlier, Dave ended with Jump and did his typical baton-twirl and jump from drum riser. All in all, contrary to BS on many review sites, Dave has still got it and my hat goes off to him for giving real VH fans a look back at the greatest era of the greatest rock band in our time. My only complaint about Dave's show is the lack of spontaneity (too rehearsed).

Now for Sammy:
Of course, we were entertained with the same video of Sammy's career. Instead of the "Cabo Wabo" intro prior to the curtain opening on Sammy's show, Bob Dylan played through the speakers as everybody chanted "Everybody must get stoned". He opened with Red and followed with the familiar setlist. The exceptions from the first leg are as follows: Additions-When It's Love and Best of Both Worlds; Deletions-Poundcake and 5150. Sammy may have listened to his critics because he has made a few modifications. First and foremost, he passed on Poundcake last night, [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img] so we were spared the lame-ass Spring Break video that accompanies the song and the blasphemous drill into Eddie's guitar. Also, the band finished up on Eagles Fly, so the song was not entirely acoustic. The song still puts asses in seats and fills the beer halls. Of course, seeing Michael Anthony was the hightlight of Sammy's show as they ripped through 4 or 5 VH songs together including the encore of When It's Love and Dreams. All in all, Sammy still sounds great and puts on a good show. I hate to say it but the crowd was just slighty Sammy-biased.

In my opinion, the performances last night were as good as the Dallas show, even though the OKC crowd was rather weak. I believe that the opening act, no matter if DLR or SH, is doomed with a less vibrant crowd, at least for the first 4 or 5 songs. In my opinion, I think Dave ever- so-slightly edges out Sammy in the cumulative total of both shows.

In the end, I applaud both guys for giving us VH fans something, which, of course is a lot better than nothing. Long live EVH!!!!!!

thinlineokc · 07.26.02, 02:35 PM

Went to the show last night at OKC's brand spankin' new 20,000 seat Ford center. I would have to guess there were about 7 or 8 thousand people there. Tool played in Tulsa the same night so a lot of the youngsters were AWOL. Mostly an older crowd. I expected a lot of thirty somethings like me but there seemed to be a lot of fortyish fans there. I only saw about seven mullets.

Dave opened. The lights went down and they played the stereotypical big buildup and went straight in to "Hot for Teacher" minus the Alex extended drum intro. Dave was center stage and did a couple of roundhouse kicks and we were on our way. Dave sounded very, very good. However, I was expecting a little more energy from him after a three week layoff. He had a huge stage to work the crowd with but he typically stayed near the drum riser and only ventured to the perimeter maybe four times. He never ran across the stage ala "Panama" at all and seemed to be just be content with minimal energy expenditure. I guess it's a catch twenty two with him you can have the energetic Dave as he was a couple of years ago when he played at "InCahoots" with very lacking vocals and great crowd interaction and energy or the Dave of last night with great vocals and minimal energy expenditure and crowd interaction. Maybe he is saving his best game for a reunion or he has an ulterior motive. I really don't know. In a nutshell Vocals- great Performance-dissapointing.
His band was quite good. Luzier really surprised me. That guy is tight and played Alex' fills and beats to a tee. Lomenzo was quite good but overpowering initially but the sound guy finally got him where he needed to be. Brian Young was impressive. He had Ed's early sound down and he and Lomenzo seemed to have really good chemistry and interaction on stage. One thing I noticed that stuck out is that during the beginning of the "Ice Cream Man" solo he didn't play that way extended legatto stretch that Ed does thats such a bitch to play. He cheated. Sometimes there's no substitute for the original.
The sound overall was very mediocre, The bass was overpowering initially and at one point was distorting very bad and I don't mean the good distortion but the bad kind. I believe it was during "So This is Love" that the bass sounded that way thru about 1/3 of the song. The Guitars were up front initially then they would be buried and then halfway thru the song they would be in your face again. I don't know if this was the sound guy Dave threatened to fire or if its a new guy but he seemed to struggle.

Sammy closed. Everybody stuck around. They played his video montage of his history that was a very brief synopsis of his career. He said only good things about Ed and Al and he was proud of the history he made with them. He also mentioned Dave in a positive manner.
He opened with "Red". Which most people didn't seem to recognize. "Runaround" was next and got a much better response. The next significant event was Mikey coming on Stage for some VH tunes. Mike said he hadn't had this much fun in 6 years. Mona stayed on stage and sang backup with Mike so I sensed no anoymosity there. Sammy vocals were excellent and he was all over the stage. He got up into the crowd at the "Cantina" and mingled and sang with the lucky bastards. "Heavy Metal" was excellent with its extended Guitar solo.
The Waboritas were good. Vic seems to play Ed's licks in his own style, especially solos. But I think he makes a consious effort not to sound like Ed. Mona, Jesse and David were all good.
I don't know if the alcohol was a factor but the crowd just seemed to get into Sammy more and seemed to feed off his energy. In a nutshell Sammys vocals- excellent, Performance- great.
All in all it was good show from both guys. But Dave seems to be holding back for some reason and seems distant. Sammy just seems to have more fun. It's all second nature to him.
Sammy's overall sound was much better. The mix was well balanced and his vocals really cut through.

Little Dreamer · 07.27.02, 01:23 AM

I have only one thing to say:
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS?

F*CK YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice setlist change!

DLR'sCock · 07.27.02, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by vhordie:
This was the second time I've seen the show (I also saw the Dallas show June 15 at the Smirnoff Ampitheater). I thought Dave was better in Dallas as headliner but,in all fairness, I wanted to see Sammy in headlining role also. Last night provided the opportunity as DLR opened and Sammy headlined at the new Ford Center in Oklahoma City.
I was disappointed that the show was not a sellout. Apparently, Korn did not even come close to selling out the night before. Perhaps, there are too many damn hicks in OKC who would rather make out with their sisters on a Thursday night or masturbate on their sucky-ass OU football programs??? To make matter's worse, the leading OKC rock station (no names) was not even at the event since they were covering the Tool concert in Tulsa.

Enough with the complaints.......
If you loved Dave's setlist on first leg, you will love it on the second as it has not changed at all. The only thing Dave has changed was his suit (A different blue suit,less the sequins and suspenders). He opens with Hot for Teacher and finishes with Jump and stays with the same song order as first leg. It took a while before the crowd really got into Dave last night, however, no one sat for the entire show. I think it is the "opening act effect" because the same thing happened to Sammy in Dallas. The crowd really came alive for Runnin' With The Devil and the remaining songs. Of course, I still think DOA just kicks ass and gives me goosebumps just imagining VH fronted by DLR ripping through the "classics". As mentioned earlier, Dave ended with Jump and did his typical baton-twirl and jump from drum riser. All in all, contrary to BS on many review sites, Dave has still got it and my hat goes off to him for giving real VH fans a look back at the greatest era of the greatest rock band in our time. My only complaint about Dave's show is the lack of spontaneity (too rehearsed).

Now for Sammy:
Of course, we were entertained with the same video of Sammy's career. Instead of the "Cabo Wabo" intro prior to the curtain opening on Sammy's show, Bob Dylan played through the speakers as everybody chanted "Everybody must get stoned". He opened with Red and followed with the familiar setlist. The exceptions from the first leg are as follows: Additions-When It's Love and Best of Both Worlds; Deletions-Poundcake and 5150. Sammy may have listened to his critics because he has made a few modifications. First and foremost, he passed on Poundcake last night, [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img] so we were spared the lame-ass Spring Break video that accompanies the song and the blasphemous drill into Eddie's guitar. Also, the band finished up on Eagles Fly, so the song was not entirely acoustic. The song still puts asses in seats and fills the beer halls. Of course, seeing Michael Anthony was the hightlight of Sammy's show as they ripped through 4 or 5 VH songs together including the encore of When It's Love and Dreams. All in all, Sammy still sounds great and puts on a good show. I hate to say it but the crowd was just slighty Sammy-biased.

In my opinion, the performances last night were as good as the Dallas show, even though the OKC crowd was rather weak. I believe that the opening act, no matter if DLR or SH, is doomed with a less vibrant crowd, at least for the first 4 or 5 songs. In my opinion, I think Dave ever- so-slightly edges out Sammy in the cumulative total of both shows.

In the end, I applaud both guys for giving us VH fans something, which, of course is a lot better than nothing. Long live EVH!!!!!!

Great review. Probably the most unbiased review I have read yet. Too bad about 5150, that is my FAVORITE Van Hagar tune...I can live without, "When It's Cheese", and "Best of Both Worlds"....I would rather hear Poundcake too...oh well....

cougarcougar · 07.27.02, 11:30 AM

All in all an excellant show. A big Sammy fan here, but Dave suprised me. Best song of the night: " Everbody Wants Some". I'd go watch again just for Dave.

As for security, there was no pat downs. I should have brought in my recorder. So hopefully someone taped it.

Tulsa · 07.30.02, 06:01 PM

In defense of the earlier post, not everyone stayed at home with their sister. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Dave's song list (not in the order he played them):

Runnin' With The Devil
Eruption / You Really Got Me
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
I'm The One
Atomic Punk
Little Dreamer
Ice Cream Man
Dance The Night Away
D.O.A.
Beautiful Girls
Mean Street
Unchained
So This Is Love
And The Cradle Will Rock
Everybody Wants Some
(Oh) Pretty Woman
Jump
Panama
Hot For Teacher
Yankee Rose

Sam's VH songs:

Why Can't This Be Love
Dreams
Best Of Both Worlds
Finish What Ya Started
When It's Love
Runaround
Right Now
Top Of The World

I noticed that they had crowd mics set up around the arena. Sam's version of Finish What Ya Started ruled! I love this song live. Also, Sammy wore an OU hat for a few minutes. At least he knows what's up. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

That's it for my first post.