Official 5/19 St. Paul Meetup/Review Thread

[Northern Girl]

He does it during the Downtown Sessions too.

I googled 'singers sucking on lemons' and got the answer.

Try it.

[IceCreamBlondie]

Quick little observation:

From my seat in section 120 I had a clear view behind Al's drum riser and could easily see the band as they would come and go and hang out during solos and other parts of the show. Any suggestion from supposedly credible rock news sources that there is infighting were put to rest by what I saw. The band not only were getting along great in the pit area behind the drums, they were actually being somewhat silly and having fun - lots of smiles (even from Alex!) and kidding around. When Dave left the stage for Al's solo and went down the steps to a small corridor under the big screen, the fans in our section gave him some love with lots of screams and whistles. Dave seemed genuinely appreciative of the gesture. With a huge smile on his face, he bowed deeply and blew us a huge kiss. Cool moment.

You are a lucky man to have witnessed that, Zing. !!! Way to go, Diamond Dave!!! And thanks Zing for cluing us in!

[IceCreamBlondie]

from the St Paul Newspaper

That's a picture for the ages! WOW!

[Angel]

You suck on lemons to clear mucus in the throat. I have post-nasal drip and I always have lemons backstage during plays.

AC really makes it bad too. I've had AC make my sinuses so stuffed that I couldn't even talk.

Wonder if Dave has post-nasal drip? I can't imagine what a bitch that would be for a singer!

[GreenEyedMurder]

Yes! I was wondering what that was at the time. I did see him sip from a water bottle from my angle at least once - but he definitely wasn't chugging the water, which seems odd considering how goddamn hot it was in there!

If he chugged the water, he'd have to take a bathroom break -- probably in the middle of a song.

[SNIPER]

I heard somewhere Big Al had a trash can to piss in behind his drums on the earlier tours. With all the tall beers he drank I am sure he needed that.

[78/84 guy]

Minneapolis is a surprisingly good music town.

Surprise cause not often thought about nationally.

Very true. Lots of great bands around local or a big act. Great clubs to see a blues band or metal almost any night. To bad the reviewers all suck !! John Bream is good. He has been around forever. He did a great Led Zeppelin book a few years ago. Nice guy. The guy that did a good review also had that great photo with it from Pioneer Press. I don't think it was posted.

[FALCO]

Your the one who said you were embarrassed for him last night right ?? Yep Dave singing subpar sometimes is a fact !! He has his great moments every show. Always has. But he also has never been concerned with missing lines and coming into a song late. Ever ! It's who he is. It has nothing to do with his voice being strong at all. In 07 it was strong and that was great. I'm sure he was happy as hell he could sing that good for that tour. This one he can't. So he does what works for him. I think it's the dancing and showmanship this tour. If you feel I was going after you sorry.

This definitely has been an ongoing topic from the first Cafe Wha? gig... for me, it just seems like Dave is singing WAAAY out of the "necessary range" the songs were recorded in, for no apparent reason... the "pay my bills" part of Hear About It Later is perfect example... NO reason to go high when Wolf and Eddie are there... just do the root note (see HAIL Oakland vid) ... but for some reason Dave is overcompensating... as a vocalist, I have felt that there is something a bit off with Dave for a while now... just seems like he lost a bit of something somewhere... also, regardless of what anyone is saying, he is off key alot... don't get me wrong, it's Dave Or Grave for me, but it is what it is... in the "old days" he may have not sang the songs in full, or even correctly, but his "voice" itself sounded very good... and he still has that smokey growl, he just seems to want to strain to go higher (DTNA for example)... when he stays in the actual range and melody the songs were recorded in he is amazing... 07'08 DLR was amazing... I remember watching the videos and seeing them live and being very very impressed with Dave's performance... this tour, while I have worn out the CD, I have to say that Dave for me is the weak link live... the 3 Twins are like an unstoppable freight train, but Dave changing up the songs too much pitch wise can sometimes be a bit trying on the ears...

That being said, it is still David Lee Fucking Roth

\m/ \m/

[Zing!]

You are a lucky man to have witnessed that, Zing. !!! Way to go, Diamond Dave!!! And thanks Zing for cluing us in!

Not sure how old Alex's son Malcolm is, but there was also a kid hanging out with Al behind the drums during the show - I'd guess about 12 or 13 years old - wearing a black concert t-shirt with the train on it. They horsed around quite a bit - and each ate a banana together at one point.

[Northern Girl]

Sure wish we could have hooked up for pints Northern Girl and 78/84. I asked several folks with Roth Army shirts their names, hoping they were you guys - but to no avail. Almost everyone I asked said they were members years ago but hadn't checked in here in ages. Many seemed surprised that the Army was still operational. Had a great conversation with a Canuck and his wife outside of Eagles for about a half an hour. Spotted his DLR t-shirt from the ALAE tour - complimented him on his attire. He had a bitchin VH tat on his shoulder - didn't even think to snap a pic of it. Next time we'll be a little more organized...

I checked this thread before I left in the morning, and there were no plans to meet; so I made my own agenda. And I don't wear T-shirts, especially not that ugly, cheap POS that I got in my swag bag. LOL.

As for the future, I have a feeling this is the last time I will ever see Van Halen...

[ThrillsNSpills]

I feel bad for the critics who bash this magic.
They've never sung for 2 hours a night or played for 2 hours a night, only to do it the next night or every other night in this case.

So , the only question I have is.

How the hell are they qualified? Typing 60 words per minute? ok got it.

I get the chills every time. There's real chemistry here.

[ThrillsNSpills]

Random 45 I came across at a vinyl shop a few blocks from the Xcel. They had a decent condition record of their first album for $4 - seriously considered buying it - but already own that album. Kind of wish I would have now. They also had 45's of Goin' Crazy, and lots of other vintage VH, but none in their original sleeves.

P.S. Also had Spamulus Flatulas live 1980 album in the dollar bin. Heh heh...

noted. meanwhile up here the local Target has the same 2 chickenfoot copies. ADKOT has been a steady seller.

[Von Halen]

As for the future, I have a feeling this is the last time I will ever see Van Halen...

You don't wear t-shirts? What do you wear?

Why will this be the last time you will see Van Halen?

[Northern Girl]

You don't wear t-shirts? What do you wear?

I wear women's clothes! LOL.

The t-shirts available are usually men's and don't fit women very well. If you get one big enough to compensate for the boobage, they are too long to tuck in your jeans without looking ridiculous. Most are crew necks, which I don't care for; prefer an open neck. And if something comes in a women's cut, it's usually in some ugly neon pink or yellow. I just don't bother.

Why will this be the last time you will see Van Halen?

I enjoyed the show on Saturday, but it did not leave me wanting more. I'm satisfied. I love the album. I saw a great show. I'm good!

If they did come back to MPLS next year, I'd probably go again; but it's unlikely they will repeat venues. Green Bay would be the next closest venue for me, but again, I'm just not that moved to do it again.

[Von Halen]

I wear women's clothes! LOL.

The t-shirts available are usually men's and don't fit women very well. If you get one big enough to compensate for the boobage, they are too long to tuck in your jeans without looking ridiculous. Most are crew necks, which I don't care for; prefer an open neck. And if something comes in a women's cut, it's usually in some ugly neon pink or yellow. I just don't bother.




I enjoyed the show on Saturday, but it did not leave me wanting more. I'm satisfied. I love the album. I saw a great show. I'm good!

If they did come back to MPLS next year, I'd probably go again; but it's unlikely they will repeat venues. Green Bay would be the next closest venue for me, but again, I'm just not that moved to do it again.

I am not going to comment on the t-shirt deal...but meet me at a VH show and I will make sure you are moved!