Once again - thanks Light Em Up for all of the updates and tweets! Wish I could hang with you guys - if I was up til 2am I'd get less than 3 hours sleep and that just wouldn't cut it. Can't wait for them to move a little further east so I can join you all again. I promise if you and Sniper are at a show and you are texting me I'll stay up for that one - even if I have to call in sick the next day!
Stay Frosty!
THE DAY IS DONZO LET'S HAVE SOME FUNZO!!
Here's a review from a poster over at Metal Sludge. Keep in mind there's a few folks over there that think VH shouldn't even exist at this point and also a few who think they should have the other singer. So take this review with a grain of salt:
Van Halen Vancouver Concert Review:
Kool and the Gang were a solid warm up act. They hit the stage early. I was at my seat just before 7.30 and they had already started! They played the big hits later in the set and by then the crowd was really into it. It was a little sad to see so few people there for most of their set, but it did fill out near the end.
Van Halen
Unchained is a great song but it was a mess live.
My girlfriend who is a singer and dancer stated DLR had no melody. Not that you need to be a singer to know that! She thought he was entertaining though in a slightly awkward way. And I would have to agree. In his prime there is no doubt he was a great frontman, but stuff that worked when he was in his 20s and 30s just feels contrived now. Plus he did a weird story 3/4s of the way through about his dogs and trucks or something. Also his martial arts moves were impressive at first but they got a little tiring later in the show.
'Runnin with the Devil' really got the show going for me. The big hits went down the best as was to be expected. Songs such as 'The Full Bug' and 'Hear About It Later' did not translate so well live. i love these songs on the record and as a major fan it was great to hear, but the crowd was lackluster to them.
For the new songs, 'She's the women' fits in nicely, and 'Tattoo' is a nice change of pace. The 'Trouble with Never' does nothing for me on record or live. They should drop it for 'You and your blues'. I like 'Chinatown' on record but its weak live.
Alex Van Halen was solid. Good drum solo.
Wolfie is musically very good, but as many have noticed he has very little stage presence. Not that it matters too much because most are there to see DLR and Eddie when it comes down to it. Good backing vocals though.
Eddie Van Halen was on fire. Star of the show for me. I've never seen his solo but I was mesmerized. He looks healthy and seemed to be enjoying himself. At the start of the concert my girlfriend stated that the guitarist really doesn't like the singer and that he was laughing at him for the first few songs. She wasn't aware of the band history and the disputes between Eddie and Dave.
The backing vocals of Eddie and Wolfie really helped Dave a lot. In fact DLR was so low in the mix it was sometimes unclear exactly which song it was at some points!
Even though they are good songs I've never been crazy about 'Women in Love', 'Beautiful Girls' and 'Girl Gone Bad' but they came off really well live.
For people saying drop 'Pretty Women'. Doesn't make sense. Big crowd pleaser and sounds good live.
For me the second half of the show was far better than the first half.
Highlights of the show:
Eddie Van Halen
Everybody Wants Some
Women in Love
Beautiful Girls
Runnin With The Devil
Ain't Talkin About Love
Oh Pretty Women
Panama
Jump
Actually most of the songs were great
Low-lights
DLR vocals on occasion
Sometimes unclear in which song it was (probably because of the previous lowlight!)
Unchained
Chinatown
The Trouble WIth Never
This was my first Van Halen concert and it was great to finally see them (minus Michael Anthony ). Overall I had a good time and I didn't pay anything so it was worth the money for me! In all seriousness I would pay good money to see Van Halen again, especially if Eddie was performing like he did tonight.
8 out of 10
Oh and the attendance was solid. About 90%.
Edited to add another Metal Sludge poster's response to this review:
had the subject read: "Van Halen Vancouver concert review by me and my girlfriend" i never would have bothered clicking in here. it's like sending my 76 y/o neighbor (who lost most of his hearing working in a factory) to a show and asking him what he thought of the concert.
and tell your girlfriend that singing along to Girls Girls Girls while swinging around a brass pole doesnt qualify her as a singer and a dancer.
Last edited by ALMOSTsaved; 05-08-2012 at 06:57 AM.
First Problem....My girlfriend who is a singer and dancer stated DLR had no melody. Not that you need to be a singer to know that! She thought he was entertaining though in a slightly awkward way.
))))))SIDE NOTE((((((
Shooting nickles from ones Va-Jay-Jay does not make you and Dancer......it makes you a human slot machine!
When you turn on your stereo, does it return the favor?
This guy has to be given a golf clap for the effort...but sometimes he seems clueless as Courtney Love at Hole rehearsal. I gotta see UNCHAINED from this gig...how could blow??? It was epic beyond words in the STL. His girlfriend is such a great musician huh??? Maybe somebody needs to school her ass that it ain't all scales, melodies and other bullshit there Celiene Dion. Hope somebody spilled some beer on the both of them,Originally Posted by ALMOSTsaved
Here's a review from a poster over at Metal Sludge. Keep in mind there's a few folks over there that think VH shouldn't even exist at this point and also a few who think they should have the other singer. So take this review with a grain of salt:
Van Halen Vancouver Concert Review:
Kool and the Gang were a solid warm up act. They hit the stage early. I was at my seat just before 7.30 and they had already started! They played the big hits later in the set and by then the crowd was really into it. It was a little sad to see so few people there for most of their set, but it did fill out near the end.
Van Halen
Unchained is a great song but it was a mess live.
My girlfriend who is a singer and dancer stated DLR had no melody. Not that you need to be a singer to know that! She thought he was entertaining though in a slightly awkward way. And I would have to agree. In his prime there is no doubt he was a great frontman, but stuff that worked when he was in his 20s and 30s just feels contrived now. Plus he did a weird story 3/4s of the way through about his dogs and trucks or something. Also his martial arts moves were impressive at first but they got a little tiring later in the show.
'Runnin with the Devil' really got the show going for me. The big hits went down the best as was to be expected. Songs such as 'The Full Bug' and 'Hear About It Later' did not translate so well live. i love these songs on the record and as a major fan it was great to hear, but the crowd was lackluster to them.
For the new songs, 'She's the women' fits in nicely, and 'Tattoo' is a nice change of pace. The 'Trouble with Never' does nothing for me on record or live. They should drop it for 'You and your blues'. I like 'Chinatown' on record but its weak live.
Alex Van Halen was solid. Good drum solo.
Wolfie is musically very good, but as many have noticed he has very little stage presence. Not that it matters too much because most are there to see DLR and Eddie when it comes down to it. Good backing vocals though.
Eddie Van Halen was on fire. Star of the show for me. I've never seen his solo but I was mesmerized. He looks healthy and seemed to be enjoying himself. At the start of the concert my girlfriend stated that the guitarist really doesn't like the singer and that he was laughing at him for the first few songs. She wasn't aware of the band history and the disputes between Eddie and Dave.
The backing vocals of Eddie and Wolfie really helped Dave a lot. In fact DLR was so low in the mix it was sometimes unclear exactly which song it was at some points!
Even though they are good songs I've never been crazy about 'Women in Love', 'Beautiful Girls' and 'Girl Gone Bad' but they came off really well live.
For people saying drop 'Pretty Women'. Doesn't make sense. Big crowd pleaser and sounds good live.
For me the second half of the show was far better than the first half.
Highlights of the show:
Eddie Van Halen
Everybody Wants Some
Women in Love
Beautiful Girls
Runnin With The Devil
Ain't Talkin About Love
Oh Pretty Women
Panama
Jump
Actually most of the songs were great
Low-lights
DLR vocals on occasion
Sometimes unclear in which song it was (probably because of the previous lowlight!)
Unchained
Chinatown
The Trouble WIth Never
This was my first Van Halen concert and it was great to finally see them (minus Michael Anthony ). Overall I had a good time and I didn't pay anything so it was worth the money for me! In all seriousness I would pay good money to see Van Halen again, especially if Eddie was performing like he did tonight.
8 out of 10
Oh and the attendance was solid. About 90%.
Edited to add another Metal Sludge poster's response to this review:
had the subject read: "Van Halen Vancouver concert review by me and my girlfriend" i never would have bothered clicking in here. it's like sending my 76 y/o neighbor (who lost most of his hearing working in a factory) to a show and asking him what he thought of the concert.
and tell your girlfriend that singing along to Girls Girls Girls while swinging around a brass pole doesnt qualify her as a singer and a dancer.
I have a feeling this guy's review will result in a comment or two....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertai...397/story.html
Review: Van Halen--not quite 1984 in Vancouver
Older VH stiff but still kicks out the jams at Rogers Arena
BY FRANCOIS MARCHAND, VANCOUVER SUN MAY 7, 2012
VANCOUVER, B.C.: MAY 07, 2012 - Veteran rockers Van Halen with David Lee Roth on vocals performed at Rogers Arena Monday May 07, 2012 in Vancouver.
VANCOUVER -- As much as everyone despised Van Halen's A Different Kind of Truth's lead-off single Tattoo, there isn't too much to quibble about when it comes to the first album recorded with David Lee Roth since 1984's 1984.
Sure, Tattoo is a spin-off of an old track the band used to play live in the late '70s (Down In Flames), but what could you really expect from A Different Kind of Truth anyway? Depth and re-invention?
No, what Van Halen fans wanted was Van Halen: Young, dumb and full of spunk.
Deep into their 50s, Diamond Dave and Eddie and Alex Van Halen (who turns 60 on May 8) aren't the freshest flowers in the bunch any more, yet they can still kick out the jams.
(The exception of course is Eddie's 21-year-old son Wolfgang, who has replaced Michael Anthony on bass.)
Same goes for the live show: You go to a Van Halen gig expecting Van Halen to show up, and you don't flinch one bit when Diamond Dave wails, "I'm your man in shining pickup truck" during She's The Woman. (Yes, that dumb surface does cover a deeper sense of pop-rock mastery.)
Musically, Van Halen showed they still have gas in the tank and a whole lot of torque at Rogers Arena Monday night.
A clean, sober and apparently illness-free Eddie was, from behind his array of pedals, the main driving force. His guitar skills remain phenomenal: Arpeggiated riffs, whammy bar mind-benders and other six-string tricks were all on the menu, and you got a buffet's worth to please the beer-swillers in the audience.
A common enough gripe with some purist fans, Wolfgang playing bass instead of Anthony (who now provides the low-end with Sammy Haggar's Chickenfoot), wasn't that big of an issue.
The back end, with Alex hammering the skins just as expertly as his brother can play the guitar, was mighty tight.
The illusion was shattered by Diamond Dave and his gaudy leather/sequin/scarf outfit, who despite attempts at showing off his classic swagger isn't so flexible any more, both vocally and physically.
At 57, DLR knows well enough that he's not about to do the split-jumps he used to, though he managed to pull out a good kick during Everybody Wants Some and a couple slide splits during Beautiful Girls, the latter of which were quickly shown in slo-mo replay on screen.
"I was making sex tapes before you were even born," he chirped at a young fan at one point.
Diamond Dave hasn't lost his sense of humour but he was mostly a wax mannequin version of his former self.
Thankfully his apocalyptic braying, which was often hit-and-miss, hasn't completely given out yet.
That being said, Eddie and Wolfgang sang the harmonies right (with the help of some pre-taping?) and the sound mix was mainly focused on the band, which helped keep Unchained, Runnin' With the Devil, Somebody Get Me A Doctor, Roy Orbison's Oh, Pretty Woman, The Kinks' You Really Got Me, and a fiery Hot For Teacher on the rails. (And what do you know? Tattoo got a big cheer too.)
The band's boldest move may have been its no-frills presentation, a big LED video wall and stripped down lighting making it about the band and nothing else.
In the opening slot, veteran funksters Kool & the Gang churned out the sweatier, more party-oriented cuts from a catalogue that spans close to 50 years.
Contrary to expectations, it wasn't that odd a pairing since it was more Hollywood Swinging, Jungle Boogie and Celebration than, say, softies like Cherish, which ironically enough came out at the same time VH were crushing it with Jump and Panama.
So, 1984 after all? Not quite.
Eat Us And Smile - The Originals
"I have a very belligerent enthusiasm or an enthusiastic belligerence. I’m an intellectual slut." - David Lee Roth
"We are part of the, not just the culture, but the geography. Van Halen music goes along with like fries with the burger." - David Lee Roth
That review reminds me of some of the Tweets we post here by assholes who REALLY don't want to be there....Go just to be part of the event and to pick it apart. Oh and he probably looks like Elvis Costello too.
Speaking of tweets...don't know how to copy them on my phone but one guy had two hilarious ones:
"And with the first note he sings, DLR impregnates every woman in the audience"
"And with the first note by Eddie, all those pregnancies are aborted"...
Or something along those lines...laughed so hard the coffee almost came out my nose, lol
Sent from my BlackBerry 8520 using Tapatalk
"Ya know what they say about angels... An angel is a supernatural being or spirit, usually humanoid in form, found in various religions and mythologies. Plus Roth fan boards..."- ZahZoo April 2013
Someone's been reading too many of Elvis' posts. And what do you expect from someone who was probably raised in a Vancouver Francophone school?
I brought my pencil!!!
Yeah, I think the guy provided his rationale right in the title of the article.... "Van Halen--not quite 1984 in Vancouver"......
Well, no shit Sherlock.....
Look, we've all been saying it for months now.... If you're walking into that arena and expecting that you're going to be getting a show on par with the 1984 tour, you undoubtedly will come away disappointed.....
That isn't because the 2012 version of Van Halen isn't a fantastic show.... It isn't because EVH has "lost a step" guitar-wise....
But it's for the sheer fact that age takes its toll..... And moreover, there haven't been many tours to this day that could come close to the extravaganza that was the 1984 tour.... VH was on top of the rock world that year, and it wasn't even close..... So if you're a critic and expect to see 1984 - Part Deux, #1 - You're an idiot, and #2 - You're being extremely unfair to the band.
And that really holds true for DLR.....
You might not be expecting him to be doing the flying splits off the drum riser at age 57, but if you even think that he should be coming close to doing the acrobatics he did 30 years ago, that's not fair to DLR.....
I repeat, the man is 57 years old.....
The criticisms on his vocals, IMHO, are valid... But, once again, let's put it into perspective.... There aren't many artists at DLR's age that can sustain their vocal range of 30 years ago....
So I think this guy's review falls in line with several others we've read so far in the tour.... They're writing as if they're looking for the 1984 Van Halen, and when it doesn't come, they unfairly scrutinize....
I've never been impressed with Canada ---- all their biggest stars move to the USA ---- can't be that great of a country
I had the best of intentions to tape the opening song and post...I lasted about 10 seconds and had to stop that nonsense.
Sorry guys but I was having waaaay too much fun. I did happen to catch about 20 minutes later in the show, but its not great quality (no zoom).
i was pretty close to the stage so it was pretty epic.
One thing that was different about the show is that the Dave/ED jam was in the middle of YRGM and not Unchained. In it's place was a different interlude dominated by King Edward.
kind of a shame I didn't catch it, but again, there was no way I had the ability to stand still at that point of the show. I'll post some comments later
Roth Army Canada
Yes...it is a horrible place. Never come here.I've never been impressed with Canada ---- all their biggest stars move to the USA ---- can't be that great of a country
This is where the pre-concert festivities began. As you can see from the pics, Canada is a place you should stay away from. There is nothing for you here
http://imonlyhereforthefood.com/2009...marine-bistro/
I agree, feel free to stay out.
So does anyone have a setlist for this show? It's not even up on setlist.fm yet.
Be patient uploading footage on youtube right now from row 2 center, recorded on my new Sony HD Camcorder at 1080P/60P large files looks GREAT!!!
If there is any faster medium to upload please let me know, and "I DO" have the YRGM footage with the "Jam session"":-)
What about Unchained??
It was the the show with Romeo Delight et Girl Gone Bad
Unchained
Runnin' with the Devil
She's the Woman
Romeo Delight
Tattoo
Everybody Wants Some!!
Somebody Get Me a Doctor
China Town
Hear About It Later
Oh, Pretty Woman
Drum Solo
You Really Got Me
The Trouble With Never
Dance The Night Away
I'll Wait
Hot for Teacher
Women in Love
Girl Gone Bad
Beautiful Girls
Ice Cream Man
Panama
Guitar Solo
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
Jump
http://vhfrance.activebb.net/ (1 er Site Francophone sur Van Halen)
http://www.youtube.com/user/VHFranceVideos (Our new Channel)
Last edited by vaijuju; 05-08-2012 at 04:49 PM.
Here is part of Unchained, enjoy!
HOLY SHIT!!! That is one amazing seat you had!! Unchained sounded awesome - love that jam in the middle. Great video! Thanks for filming and for posting!
To be honest with you, I think you should put the phone away and just enjoy the show. It's such an amazingly fun and exciting time you don't want to miss one second because you're fumbling around on your phone updating a setlist that we pretty much by heart. I'm totally not knocking on that by any means, it's just my opinion.
I waited until the 5th time that I caught them this tour to pull out the phone and give, somewhat, a little play by play.
It's fucking awesome - don't miss it, is my point here.
Damn!! That jam was off the fucking hook!! I need to find the whole damn thing!
I have some camera pics, what is the best way to upload them?
Last edited by VanCanHalen; 05-08-2012 at 09:49 PM.
BTW - teasers like this are dangerous with a bunch of crazies like us (ok, I'll speak for myself!) - I kept hitting refresh while I was driving home from work to see if the videos were posted yet! I know - not good!!
Great! You Did have great shots and seats! Where were they??
Row 2 Seats 18 &19 pretty much dead center
And I thought that 1st review was fucked up.....
__________________________________________________ __________
http://www.straight.com/article-6786...re-fading-fast
Van Halen's glory days are fading fast
Eddie finds poor old Dave's impassioned pleadings for a warmer scarf to be quite hilarious.
By Steve Newton, May 8, 2012
At Rogers Arena on Monday, May 7.
Some rock bands from the seventies can still bring the dynamite in both hands. The last time I saw Aerosmith—at Rogers Arena in 2010—they overcame rumours of a pending breakup by delivering a flawless, electrifying set. And two years before that, AC/DC roared through the same building with a stunning ferocity you just don't expect from 57-year-olds in short pants.
But Van Halen has not aged nearly as well as Aerosmith or AC/DC. As we discovered at Rogers Arena last night, the band is on its last legs as far as live performance goes, and those legs are unfortunately attached to the swivel-challenged hips of one David Lee Roth.
Diamond Dave doesn't get around much anymore, but that's okay because they've set up a little wooden floor at the centre of the stage for him to shimmy and slide around on while he makes the most of fidgeting with a long scarf that doubles as a sweat rag. That's okay by me; I realize that he's outgrown those flying scissorkicks he used to pull off in '84, and I could care less whether he runs around the stage or not. But I was really hoping that with all that standing around, he'd be able to focus on his singing and deliver some decent vocals. Sadly, that hardly ever happened.
Thank God for Eddie Van Halen. If it weren't for his shit-hot fretwork, the concert would have been an unmitigated disaster. But on rowdy VH classics like the opener "Unchained" and the set-closing "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" the guitarist brought enough ballsy fire to distract you from the subpar singing. His extended solo--which incorporated bits of the instrumentals "Eruption" and "Cathedral"--no doubt made the guitar freaks in attendance yearn for that solo album he's been teasing them with forever.
As expected, the rhythm section of drummer Alex Van Halen (Eddie's older brother) and bassist Wolfgang Van Halen (Eddie's 21-year-old son) laid down a steady foundation for the guitar legend to soar over, except on the encore, "Jump", which sounded surprisingly out of sync.
There wasn't much to complain about as far as the set-list went, although a couple more tracks from the band's impressive new album, A Different Kind of Truth, would have been nice. And the mediocre "Women in Love" should have been replaced by the intense "Little Dreamer", which was a highlight the last time the band played here, in December 2007.
For that show, the staging was very basic, but this time around it was even more so. You had Eddie's batch of amps at one end of the stage and Wolfie's at the other, with Alex's drums in the middle, behind Roth's little shindig setup. Apart from a few sets of stairs and one enormous video screen, that was it for bells and whistles. Maybe the band is on a less-is-more kick. Or maybe the Van Halens don't want be stuck with truckloads of gear, in case you-know-who stops moving altogether.
You know VA, I haven't even heard of any of these "Writers". The real music critics in this city are not these guys. I am ignoring them
What about Romeo Delight? GGB? Those were such great tunes last night
Well, I am still recovering from last night.
Where to start. How about reconnecting with all of my dear CVH fanatics. We owned every establishment we went to...all the while sporting the mighty Roth Army T-shirt. It did spark up all of the right conversations. My crew was larger than life, just like the show. I did miss meeting up with my friend Greg who actually turned me on the Van Halen in the first place. Greg if you are reading this my apologies, but it was such a crazy night.
I was in the Downtown core at about 12 noon, as there was all kinds of people already decked out in the Eddie shoes and VH tees.
One of the coolest things about the event was walking up to the venue. The venue is located right in the core of Downtown Vancouver. there are some high-rises right by the stadium (high-rent).
Someone had come down and through their 2nd or 3rd story apartment had a full PA setup with not just Van Halen playing, but the classic boots!!!!! OUTTA LOVE!!!!!!!!! G-G-G-G- AGAIN!!!!
It was the perfect night
Wow ---- there appears to be no shortage of clueless cumstains in Canada!
Dave doesn't get around much anymore? fuck him...the guys doing full splits at age 57...this fucktwat is probably 400lbs and cant get up a flight of stairs without weezing
Ok all as promised make sure you watch it on full 1080 to take it all in, You really got me!!!
Dude! That is some fine camera work!
Yeah exactly ---- how come this fuckface didnt mention the fat kid standing behind Dave (who's 1/3 his age) cant even do half the physical stuff Dave is doing every night onstage?
Like I already said ---- too many clueless cumstains working for newspapers these days!
Aren't writers in newsapers nowadays sometimes the bloggers who get an assigment becasue so-and-so is sick or on vacation?
I am not wasting my breath on these idiots
HOLY SHIT - VAN FUCKIN HALEN!!!! That jam is intense! I gotta know....is that you screaming "oh my god! oh my god! holy fuck!" ?! After seeing that, I'm done reading reviews - these guys clearly don't get it, and I really don't care what they think. That video is all I need to see - who else does that?! You can just tell these guys are meant to be on stage with each other, and really love playing together. Great video Van!!! Thank you for waking my ass up at this hour!
(one more comment......if Dave is sweating this much, maybe he should at least take off the jacket or a scarf or something....no need for the poor guy to suffer!
amen!!!holy shit - van fuckin halen!!!! That jam is intense! I gotta know....is that you screaming "oh my god! Oh my god! Holy fuck!" ?! After seeing that, i'm done reading reviews - these guys clearly don't get it, and i really don't care what they think. That video is all i need to see - who else does that?! You can just tell these guys are meant to be on stage with each other, and really love playing together. Great video van!!! Thank you for waking my ass up at this hour!
(one more comment......if dave is sweating this much, maybe he should at least take off the jacket or a scarf or something....no need for the poor guy to suffer!
Roth Army Icon
First official owner of ADKOT (Deluxe Version)
Once again........tool bags don't belong at van halen shows.......they fix chicken-foot wire for the sheep!
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