Scotty

Reviews only, bitches.

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While many rock bands tried to lay claim to
the title of 'the next Led Zeppelin,' Van Halen
is the only group to come close — Rolling Stone

Psalm 118:8
DF2

TAMPA VH

Just got home and my ears are ringing like a mother fucker. I had probably the best seat in the house, first row in the section closest to the stage, EVH side.

I have many thoughts on the show... With all things considered (age, relationships,etc.) the show was above average. I have seen this band at every level (low, middle, sam, high, terrible, and the best that ever walked on stage).

They actually fucking rocked tonight, with no real fuck ups, no sound or mixing issues, and seemed happy for the most part. Ed's solo tonight was inspiring and one of the better one's i have seem from him since the mid-90's.
I was actually pleasantly surprised after reading his solo reviews in this forum, i wasn't really expecting much. The crowd was in a fucking frenzy for most of the night and the place was packed to the rafters, I'm guessing 18,000 people or more.

The only negatives are the obvious.... these guys ain't no spring chickens no more and as much as they tried, the performance just lacked a little energy. I also feel that AVH should have his drum riser higher like back in the day to give it that bigger than life type of feel. I'm really not sure why they have the walkway because Dave only used it three times in the entire show. Although the apple doesn't fall far from the tree with regard to Wolfie (very talented for 16), the band is missing MA in a HUGE way. Also, Ed just noodles and improvises too much for my liking nowadays when he should probably focus more on playing the songs as close to "note for note" as possible.

Ed did not drink during the show and played well. Dave was on cloud nine. Alex was a fucking rock, and Wolfie was Wolfie. The show was fucking AWESOME but i want Mikey back and a new record.

For some reason when leaving the arena, i had an overwhelming feeling that they may take a year or so break after this and then come back with a new record and MA. Call me crazy............??

Ed's World

Man I just got back about 6 hours ago from the show, and all I can say is where have all the good times gone. I have seen VH 6 times now including 5 with Sammy and this had to of been the weakest of them all. I actually felt emberassed as a fan. Ed screwed up so many times tonight that I lost count I know that of the last few shows people had mentioned the same thing but I did not want to believe it but its true. His solo was so lacking like his stuff he would have done in the past, it is more like Ed is now happy with just making noise then adding his own style which he has always done in the past. Alex sounded like he always does solid, but I agree Tampa VH his drum set up was very small and it needed more of a larger prescence than what i saw tonight. When the band came out after 30 secs into the opener they stopped and the crowd went nuts which was probably one of the highlights of the show. But after that the whole thing just lacked energy Dave was alright but he just didnt do anything exciting, and wolfie was so boring to watch I definitley think this band screwed up when they let Michael Anthony go he seemed to always have so much energy that the band feed off of in the past but wolfie was so weak anyone could have played bass for this band tonight and done a better job.

Usually Im not so critical about VH because they are my favorite band ever outside of Floyd I have followed this band since the early 80's and have seem them perform so many times, but I have to say on a scale of 1 to 10 i give this performance a 6.

My seats were in sect 129 row N and had an amazing view of the show, I just feel bad for the others that paid $500 a ticket for the 5 stars, I welcome anyones comments about the show tonight, and look forward to hearingyour reviews on the show as well.

Hopefully in 2009 we will get some new stuff from the band,

mikewails

I think I sat near Tampa VH, I was in 128 row B, I think it was 128, my ticket was for 104, but we snuck over to better seats. I was really close. I heard a few mistakes, but it was great. MA is missed for sure. New material would be cool. Anyone have any pics?

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MTV ruined music!

brownpound

I too was right next to the stage and have seen Van Halen twice before...once with Sammy and "Once" with Gary Cherone...sorry couldnt resist!
First what was good....Dave did a fairly good job...he's not known for his singing ability but he looked fit and put on a fairly good show. 2nd Wolfgang played and sang well and Alex was on point as usual.
Eddie played horrible though....his timing was horrific and the solos in the songs were watered down and slow with him not playing like the guitar god he is. I know it's live and mistakes happen....but this is beyond that. He dive bombed and just bent notes instead of doing cool licks. His "Solo" section was a fucking mess! He absolutely didnt do anything cool and played so sloppy I couldnt believe it....I was embarassed. I stood there in disbelief as he tried to recreate his former glory in a pot-induced state no less I'm sure. Some say he's older....bullshit...he's 52...not old and I know he was on something. I seriously could have played some of his riffs and solos better than him!
Michael Anthiny was missed...Wolfie while not bad had the stage presence of a non confident clown. No energy. Also..Eddie go back to a wireless man! They had a stage that wrapped into the audience and Eddie stayed within 12 feet of his leash the whole night! Where were the pyro technics and cool props that a reunion would had benefited from?? Could have been much better. Dave was good but not the entertainer that Sammy is....and I love Dave era stuff. I will think twice about paying $140 to see Van Halen again.....

dkaiafas

Don't feel sorry for us I did the Five Star and had a blast. Forget the junk they give you and the shitty food they served. We were 4th row dead center and paying the $500 gave me the peace of mind knowing I was gonna see my favorite band with guaranteed great seats that I bought months ago. We (actually my wife) met one of Eddie's stagehands during the backstage tour who have me a EVH pick and told me to find him when my brothers and I do the 5 star in Milwaukee for a private "double secret" backstage tour. He even checked on us during the show to make sure we were having a good time. I asked him about Eddie's sobriety and he said "There's nothing to worry about". It was so cool to also talk with Eddies guitar tech (Chris?) and have him pull out all the guitars. He answered all sorts of questions.

Now for the review:

I have been reading all the reviews so I kinda knew what to expect. I have been listening to the set list a lot recently too to get psyched up. Looking back I wish I did not "prepare" so much for this show by reading reviews/posts and listening to the music so much because it did take some of the excitement out of not knowing what to expect.

That being said, I think i had the bar set a little lower than I may have back in August. Therefore, I had a great time.

The show was LOUD but I tried the hearos and just did not like the sound so I braved it without. My ears are ringing today. I thought the sound was good but i don't think it was great. I am not a musician so I can't criticize with a trained ear. I read in another post someone thought DLR's voice sounded "trebley" and i thought it did sound a little high, almost chipmunkesque at times. It looked like Dave was trying to get his mic turned up a couple of times. I did not perceive any major sound issues.

DLR- Nothing new that has not been said already. Great performance. Biggest fucking smile I've ever seen plastered on his face. I do believe he was into it, but maybe a little forced? Mentioned Tampa a lot during the show (some said he did not mention the cities they were in). Great entertainer. Great shape. My wife thought he was gay! I assured her he's banged more quiff than there are fish in the ocean, but I can kind of see it from her perspective.

Alex- Solid as usual

Wolfie- I thought he played well and was looser than I expected. Remember folks: he is 16 years old!! We were pulling our puds at that age, trying to get chicks and get through high school. He is playing to thousands of people every other night with one of the greatest rock bands of all time! Don't get me wrong: I miss MA, but this reunion wouldn't have happened otherwise. Also, as a father, I thought it was great to see Eddie playing with his kid. It's every father's dream to see their kid excel and be able to share with each other this special talent they both have.

Eddie- My hero. It's great to see him apparently happy and healthy. I truly believe he is sober, but may have had a relapse in Vegas. It's alcoholism; sometimes you relapse and hope the individual quickly gets back into their program of sobriety. He doesn't play like he used to, and it's not due to current drug drugs or alcohol use. I just think it's plain old age related diminution of skills. Those hands have a lot of wear and tear on them! You could see it on the video screen. The knuckles on his right hand looked huge. Again, I am not a guitar virtuoso but it seemed to me he had limited motion in his right wrist. Could this affect the speed and accuracy of his playing?

My feelings are: These guys are not only trying to entertain us and give us a good show which they did), but they are also selling us memories. This is my favorite band of all time, and it was great to see DLR/EVH together again after 24 years. It brought back some great memories of seeing them back at the old Rosemont Horizon in Chicago. I will be doing this again in Milwaukee with my brothers, who I went to that concert with back in 1984, and I'm sure it will be a blast (a reunion of our own sorts).

P.S. Will posts some great pics i took ASAP

atomicpunk5150

Alright...you're crazy .

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Dave Ed Wolf Alex = VH

SLCPUNK

I was first row, on Wolf's side.

My wife and I thought the show was fantastic.

It was exactly what we expected, taking everything into account before hand.

I just like to have fun, and can't be that critical of the playing,perceived enthusiasm or energy of a band. Did I have a helluva time? You bet. Did I try to measure this performance up to those of the past? No. Why bother?

It was well worth the money. I should have taken my camera in as they didn't check at the entrance.

It may have been louder than GnR last year, it was LOUD.



I will agree that Ed's solo was wonderful, and I feel fortunate to have seen it. Thank you Eddie.

dkaiafas

Here is a link to my pics from the show:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2395596...57603950780831

hawk12vanhalen

INCREDIBLE!!

What are they like backstage?

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"We have 70 dollars and a pair of girls underpants. We're safe as kittens, I'm Telliing you!!"

pgaugh5150

Great pic's. I am doing the 5-star in NYC MSG 3-17-08. Had 2hd row In NYC MSG back in November. You can see my pics and video by clicking on myspace or youtube below. thanks again for sharing your pics.

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Van Halen shows
July 28, 1980 Freedom Hall Louisville KY
1981 Freedom Hall Louisville KY
December 7, 1982 Freedom Hall Louisville KY
Febuary 9, 1984 Freedom Hall Louisvile KY
May 22, 1998 Madison Square Garden NYC
August 15, 1998 Jones Beach LI NY
June 19, 2004 Worcester Mass
November 3, 2007 IZOD Center NJ
November 13, 2007 Madison Square Garden NYC
May 23, 2008 Madison Square Garden NYC

www.myspace.com/patvh5150

http://www.youtube.com/patvh5150

hawk12vanhalen

oops- not a review, sorry

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"We have 70 dollars and a pair of girls underpants. We're safe as kittens, I'm Telliing you!!"

z28girl

The sound in Tampa was horrific, but that's par for the course here. When you could hear Dave, he sounded great and did a really good job of connecting with the audience, especially during Ice Cream Man, but they hardly used the catwalk, and Ed never left the stage. Wolfgang is capable and talented, but he's no Michael Anthony when it comes to stage presence. There just wasn't the same magic that Van Halen created back in the day. Edward's solo started out with a promising 316 but turned into a distorted, feedback laden mess, and yes, his hands looked ragged. In fact, they reminded me of my mother's gnarled fingers from arthritis, very painful.

If the sound had been better, the show would have been memorable, but they need to rework it, maybe slow the pace down and try building some chemistry. It was wham-bam thank you ma'am and I need a little more cuddling.

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Could this be magic?

SLCPUNK

I thought Ed's solo was awesome, it had a real buckethead vibe, we loved it.

Thanks for the pictures too!

famac@nuveen.com

There's a clip of this tune on youtube and Eddie is wailing his ass off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz9LOkKpGNY