Van Halen - Philly Oct 1

Atomic Punk

For those of you on the fence with whether or not to check this tour out.....GO!!!! They were fucking excellent last night. I was skeptical...very skeptical going into it. I have been a Van Halen fan since the first album came out and they have been my favorite band since. It was my first time seeing them with DLR. I was 12 when they broke up and not allowed to go to concerts yet. I saw VH 7 times with Sam and once with Gary. I saw DLR solo 6 times. But this was the first time for VH with DLR.

Having seen DLR many times I was a bit worried about how he would sound because let's face it, he is a showman, not a great singer. Well, they must have convinced him to go at it very seriously, learn and REMEMBER the lyrics, and actually use them instead of often going off into tangents and stuff in the middle of songs. He sounded the best I have ever heard him sound. He did the songs for the most part the way they are supposed to be done. You can tell he put a lot of hard work and effort into his preparation.

Eddie is still the master. That guy can fucking play his ass off and make it look so effortless. He is in top form. Physically he looks in good shape, but needs a sammich. Looked very happy all night long.

Alex is as solid as ever.

Wolfgang did an admirable job considering the position he was thrust into by his dad. His backing vocals along with Eddie sounded pretty spot on. It is amazing (and I already knew this) how HUGE the backing vocals are in Van Halen....they did a great job keeping the harmonies and whatnot. Wolf was solid on bass as well. No noticeable flaws that I was aware of.

The setlist was legit. I would have subtracted a couple and added a couple, but heck, we would all probably do that with any show we go to. The only song that sounded 'off' to me was Hot for Teacher. It sounded like they were playing it too fast. Other than that....WOW! The show started at 8:30 on the nose and went a bit over 2 hours. Considering they have 6 albums with Dave, and most of them are about 30 minutes long, I thought it was a nice size show. 25 songs, not counting 1984, Eruption, Cathedral and 316. The last 3 all being part of Eddie's 10 minute solo, with also a bit of the Little Guitars intro.

In any case, do not let the naysayers sway you away if you really want to go, it truly is one hell of a rock and roll show.

PissBottleMan

Great review...glad to hear it from someone who was skeptical going in.

I'm still not sold on MA not being involved, but it sounds like they are trying to put on a great show for the audience.

That's admirable.

PBM

Atomic Punk

Yeah, I think everyone would prefer Mikey. I know I would. But, I guess it is what it is. The kid held his own though, and he is in one tough spot. I'm sure he knows everyone wants Mikey there.

The highlight for me was hearing my favorite song by them and to watch Eddie play the intro...and that, my friends, is Mean Street.

PissBottleMan

So, no stretch pants for Diamond Dave?

PBM

Atomic Punk

haha! No spandex. he had on tight leather pants instead.

Hands bound

But they were good lookin' leather pants

even flow?

Okay, okay, okay. First off............I was a huge fan of VH all my life and what is "316"?

I am off to see them this Sunday and I couldn't have read a better review from a person I knew would be critical of them if they stunk. I'm all giddy now.

If only I still had my Diver Down t-shirt to look the part at a reunion tour. :eek:

Hands bound

even flow? wrote:

Okay, okay, okay. First off............I was a huge fan of VH all my life and what is "316"?

I am off to see them this Sunday and I couldn't have read a better review from a person I knew would be critical of them if they stunk. I'm all giddy now.

If only I still had my Diver Down t-shirt to look the part at a reunion tour. :eek:

316 is a song that Eddie wrote and used to play when Valerie was pregnant with Wolfgang.

I can't remember what album it is on (if it is at all)...Atomic Punk would know better than I would.

Atomic Punk

It's on F.U.C.K.
Eddie has played it for a loooong time during his solos. He just named it for his kid and put it on the album after he was born because he used to play it all the time on an acoustic guitar on Valerie's belly when she was pregnant. I first heard him do it in 1986, so if you have seen them at all since then you will recognize it.
316 is Wolfgang's birthday 3-16-91

Atomic Punk

I know I have an old shirt somewhere from the Fair Warning tour from when my brother went. It kicks ass. One of those old 3/4 sleeve concert tee's with maroon sleeves and a black shirt and it had the Fair Warning cover on the frony and a VH on the back with dates I believe. It is a rag, but I have it somewhere and it is my rag. lol.

Atomic Punk

I'm looking forward to hearing about the Toronto show...hopefully they are just as, if not more impressive there...

even flow?

Atomic Punk wrote:

It's on F.U.C.K.
Eddie has played it for a loooong time during his solos. He just named it for his kid and put it on the album after he was born because he used to play it all the time on an acoustic guitar on Valerie's belly when she was pregnant. I first heard him do it in 1986, so if you have seen them at all since then you will recognize it.
316 is Wolfgang's birthday 3-16-91

Well thank you for that info.

My shirt was one of those 3/4 "baseball" shirts too.

I will give my report in this thread on Tuesday as Monday is a holiday up here and I only post from work.

I am stoked!

Atomic Punk

for the few of you who care...lol...here is Romeo Delight from last night...audience recording...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ6X565eCYM

g under p

Atomic Punk wrote:

for the few of you who care...lol...here is Romeo Delight from last night...audience recording...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ6X565eCYM

Where's my Van Halen 1894 World Tour t-shirt. It won't fit besides it probably buried up in the attic somewhere. Was lasers in this clip?

Peace

fanch75

Great review! Still working on going to see them in Indianapolis.

This is kick ass! Dave is a rock god in this clip and EVH is on fire! Everybody Wants Some! (not sure about DLR making motorcycle sounds with his mouth though around the 3:50 mark)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMm419quo1g

Atomic Punk

as cool as a lot of these clips are on youtube from the 3 shows so far and the rehearsal, they do not do the live experience justice. They fuckin rock!

g under p

g under p wrote:

Where's my Van Halen 1894 World Tour t-shirt. It won't fit besides it probably buried up in the attic somewhere. Was lasers in this clip?

Peace

Incredibly I found my Van Halen 1984 World Tour t-shirt. A bit tattered and smelly and way way too small but I still have it.

Oh did anybody notice I wrote 1894, now if I can hold unto this t-shirt for 113 years that would be incredible!

Peace

Atomic Punk

there are a LOT more clips on you tube from 10/1 now, but here is the link to Dave's intro to Ice Cream Man. If you like when Dave tells stories, you'll enjoy it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeiP9EbGIt8

Atomic Punk

g under p wrote:

Incredibly I found my Van Halen 1984 World Tour t-shirt. A bit tattered and smelly and way way too small but I still have it.

Oh did anybody notice I wrote 1894, now if I can hold unto this t-shirt for 113 years that would be incredible!

Peace

lol, yeah, I caught that....didn't wanna bust balls...

fanch75

Atomic Punk wrote:

there are a LOT more clips on you tube from 10/1 now, but here is the link to Dave's intro to Ice Cream Man. If you like when Dave tells stories, you'll enjoy it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeiP9EbGIt8

What an exciting time this must be for you, as your favorite band has gotten back into classic form....and is kicking ass.

I had this same experience in 1996 when Frehley & Criss re-joined Kiss, and they hit the touring circuit with fire & enthusiasm that has been since lost. I saw six shows on that "Reunion Tour" in 96/97, which cost me a shit load of money with the income I had then (college student).

Enjoy this time, man!

pjhawks

saw the 10/3 show in Philly and thought it was pretty darn good also. 1st time seeing them. Saw Dave twice but never with VH. Only complaint was the mix was a bit loud on some songs and couldn't really hear Dave's vocals all that well - Jump especially. Eddie was amazing and Wolfie fit right in. For the 3rd show of the tour I thought they were very tight. If your into VH definitely go if you get a chance. Well worth it.

Poncier

Atomic Punk wrote:

For those of you on the fence with whether or not to check this tour out.....GO!!!! They were fucking excellent last night. I was skeptical...very skeptical going into it. I have been a Van Halen fan since the first album came out and they have been my favorite band since. It was my first time seeing them with DLR. I was 12 when they broke up and not allowed to go to concerts yet. I saw VH 7 times with Sam and once with Gary. I saw DLR solo 6 times. But this was the first time for VH with DLR.

Having seen DLR many times I was a bit worried about how he would sound because let's face it, he is a showman, not a great singer. Well, they must have convinced him to go at it very seriously, learn and REMEMBER the lyrics, and actually use them instead of often going off into tangents and stuff in the middle of songs. He sounded the best I have ever heard him sound. He did the songs for the most part the way they are supposed to be done. You can tell he put a lot of hard work and effort into his preparation.

Eddie is still the master. That guy can fucking play his ass off and make it look so effortless. He is in top form. Physically he looks in good shape, but needs a sammich. Looked very happy all night long.

Alex is as solid as ever.

Wolfgang did an admirable job considering the position he was thrust into by his dad. His backing vocals along with Eddie sounded pretty spot on. It is amazing (and I already knew this) how HUGE the backing vocals are in Van Halen....they did a great job keeping the harmonies and whatnot. Wolf was solid on bass as well. No noticeable flaws that I was aware of.

The setlist was legit. I would have subtracted a couple and added a couple, but heck, we would all probably do that with any show we go to. The only song that sounded 'off' to me was Hot for Teacher. It sounded like they were playing it too fast. Other than that....WOW! The show started at 8:30 on the nose and went a bit over 2 hours. Considering they have 6 albums with Dave, and most of them are about 30 minutes long, I thought it was a nice size show. 25 songs, not counting 1984, Eruption, Cathedral and 316. The last 3 all being part of Eddie's 10 minute solo, with also a bit of the Little Guitars intro.

In any case, do not let the naysayers sway you away if you really want to go, it truly is one hell of a rock and roll show.

Glad you enjoyed it. I'm going tomorrow night at Mohegan Sun, then again on 10/30 in Boston. I am quite stoked.

Flagg

Still waiting on them to announce an additional leg that include some Texas shows, but excited to read the good reviews.

Never saw them live with Dave, but saw them 11 times with Sammy and once with Gary.

Hopefully they will make it down here.

fanch75

Flagg wrote:

Still waiting on them to announce an additional leg that include some Texas shows, but excited to read the good reviews.

Never saw them live with Dave, but saw them 11 times with Sammy and once with Gary.

Hopefully they will make it down here.

Reason #1 for announcing/selling shows one leg at a time:

An entire 100 date tour sells out in advance, EVH gets cocky and spends it all on blow, hookers, & alcohol. Wolfie fucks something up due to his inexperience, DLR says something smart ass about it in front of 20,000 people, EVH gets pissed, launches his guitar at DLR, fist fight insues, tour cancelled, and then there's no money left to refund to the ticket buyers from future shows because EVH spent it all on blow, hookers, and alcohol.

Hawkshore

fanch75 wrote:

Reason #1 for announcing/selling shows one leg at a time:

An entire 100 date tour sells out in advance, EVH gets cocky and spends it all on blow, hookers, & alcohol.

You say that like it is a bad thing???

Poncier

Wow.

I went into last night with fairly high expectations, and VH exceeded them.

The show was fantastic.

Can't wait to see them again on 10/30.

Had seats right next to the stage on EVH's side. (section 14 at Mohegan Sun Arena) He looked like he was having a blast. And seeing him interact with his son makes me think that Wolfgang is the reason Ed cleaned his act up and got back where he belongs. If Michael Anthony needed to be the sacrificial lamb so this could happen, I'm OK with it after witnessing it last night.

Bathgate66

Poncier wrote:

Wow.

I went into last night with fairly high expectations, and VH exceeded them.

The show was fantastic.

Can't wait to see them again on 10/30.

Had seats right next to the stage on EVH's side. (section 14 at Mohegan Sun Arena) He looked like he was having a blast. And seeing him interact with his son makes me think that Wolfgang is the reason Ed cleaned his act up and got back where he belongs. If Michael Anthony needed to be the sacrificial lamb so this could happen, I'm OK with it after witnessing it last night.

is wolfie using a jack daniels bass, also ? :eek:

what about songs, which ones blew your socks off ?

i want to make it to the garden to see this reunited reformed version of the VH.

Poncier

Bathgate66 wrote:

is wolfie using a jack daniels bass, also ? :eek:

what about songs, which ones blew your socks off ?

i want to make it to the garden to see this reunited reformed version of the VH.

NO JD bass for Wolfie, no Kool-Aid bass either. Couple of variations on the Frankenstrat design, one blue with white stripes, one black with yellow and a couple of standard design basses.

Song highlights for me would be Atomic Punk, Mean Streets, Everybody Wants Some, And the Cradle Wil Rock, Unchained and Little Guitars.

But really not a weak moment in the show.

Bathgate66

Poncier wrote:

NO JD bass for Wolfie, no Kool-Aid bass either. Couple of variations on the Frankenstrat design, one blue with white stripes, one black with yellow and a couple of standard design basses.

Song highlights for me would be Atomic Punk, Mean Streets, Everybody Wants Some, And the Cradle Wil Rock, Unchained and Little Guitars.

But really not a weak moment in the show.

fucking sweet.
so he broke out the little guitars huh
how about it
mean streets is awesome too.
wonder if valerie is far away at any given time.
hopefully ill get to go to msg.

Atomic Punk

Poncier, that is awesome awesome awesome! It makes me feel great to hear others are seeing this like I have and make me feel a little validated. I did not want to be accused of looking at this through rose colored glasses being as though they have been my favorite band since 1978 (I was 6). I want to go again. I got shut out of MSG and Continental, but there is always a way to get in... I did not want to go to two shows close togather either because it is the same setlist every night so far and they probably will not deviate from that.

Nobody rules these streets at night but me! The Atomic Punk! Love that shit. Mean Street is fucking sick. Damn great show.

Poncier

Atomic Punk wrote:

Poncier, that is awesome awesome awesome! It makes me feel great to hear others are seeing this like I have and make me feel a little validated. I did not want to be accused of looking at this through rose colored glasses being as though they have been my favorite band since 1978 (I was 6). I want to go again. I got shut out of MSG and Continental, but there is always a way to get in... I did not want to go to two shows close togather either because it is the same setlist every night so far and they probably will not deviate from that.

Nobody rules these streets at night but me! The Atomic Punk! Love that shit. Mean Street is fucking sick. Damn great show.

Keep on top of Ticketmaster. They have dropped seats for all the shows thus far, thats how I got my Mohegan seats, very good ones too, caught a release just about 2 weeks before show date. They released a few other times leading up to the show after as well.

I know they don't vary the setlists much, if at all. Hoping for maybe one or two changes by month's end when they hit Boston. If not, as long as Eddie's on fire like Friday, I'll be quite happy.