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I got lost in the...Comment
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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 RothComment
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One of the first things I saw in the review:
"The set list also omitted some band favorites from the mid-'80s, like “Why Can't This Be Love.”
Really? Pretty strong indicator that the reviewer is either an idiot, clueless, or both. But what do I know- I'm just a sucker in a three piece with dreams of going to cabo wabo.Comment
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People can't be that stupid , they add the ridiculous van heffer shit to get more cover for the article surely something controversial gets more cover than yeah they were good.fuck your fucking framingComment
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Shitty video quality, but you can hear Dave pretty good. And man, does this guy know how to tell a story!
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Has every ICM intro story been different so far?Comment
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Great guitar, strained vocals; small-ish Van Halen crowd enjoyed it
Van Halen brought its 2015 North American tour to First Niagara Pavilion on Tuesday night in Burgettstown.
Posted: Wednesday, July 29, 2015 9:32 am | Updated: 1:23 pm, Wed Jul 29, 2015.
By Scott Tady stady@timesonline.com | 0 comments
BURGETTSTOWN – Watching Eddie Van Halen shred and squeeze screams from his guitar never, ever gets old.
Listening to David Lee Roth's threadbare voice does.
That's the rub to witnessing a Van Halen show in 2015.
So if you were OK with Roth shouting lines as much as singing them Tuesday, and changing the vocal tempo of songs as if winded, then you probably would have enjoyed Van Halen's energetic, guitar-driven concert at a less than half-full First Niagara Pavilion (one of the main vendor booths was given a pre-show report predicting less than 6,000 people.)
But those fans looked like they were having fun, judging by the cheers and arms uplifted with elation at the conclusion of Van Halen classics like “Runnin' With the Devil,” Ain't Talkin' Bout Love” and “Panama.”
A largely 40s-ish crowd lit up when hearing Eddie's epic and warmly familiar opening riffs on “Dance the Night Away” and “Beautiful Girls,” songs that whisked them back to bygone days of first dates, skipping study halls and partying in wood-paneled basements when parents weren't home.
“Beautiful Girls” got a dash of south-of-the border seasoning from drummer Alex Van Halen, who kept pace with his younger brother's speed-of-sound six-string runs through “Hot For Teacher.”
It feels normal now seeing Eddie's and Valerie Bertinelli's son, Wolfgang, capably manning the bass, and even showing off some spread fingered, fleet overhand tapping of his fretboard, just like dad.
Eddie looked good and age appropriate in a tight, white beard, smiling a lot at the showmanship shtick of Roth, who sported a black vest and vivid yellow shirt he'd switch out for a first responder paramedic's coat on “Somebody Give Me a Doctor,” which he sang fairly faithful to the original. It was one of the night's best performances.
Roth tinkered a lot with his vocals, beyond just making it “a little bit to the left” (not right) on “Everybody Wants Some.”
Due to whatever combo of vocal limitations and oddball quirkiness, the 60-year-old Roth lagged behind on some lines, then delivered them real fast to catch up; or proactively sang them fast first and then collected his breath.
Roth started “Ice Cream Man” seated alone with a simple guitar he joked won't sound good until it ends up in a few pawn shops. An unplugged segment like this is where singers usually reflect on the past, Roth said somewhat derisively, skipping out on a golden opportunity to reminisce about touring the country in '78 and '81 with Beaver County rockers the Granati Brothers, who were in attendance and delivered a VIP patio warmup set that was absolutely smoking, drawing a crowd who listened outside. (Eddie later shared hugs and hellos with the Granatis and their mom, Norma, backstage.)
Roth instead shared with the crowd some fond memories of another long-ago tourmate, Eddie and Alex's father.
Changing the topic back to himself, Roth said singing was his first love and lifelong passion. “Somehow I ended up singing in one of the best bands in the history of rock and roll,” he said.
His lively stage antics have helped keep him in that job, with Tuesday's show featuring a couple of his patented high kicks. Roth twirled his mic stand like a baton, and glided around the stage on his wingtips, cracking periodic jokes. The best was his professed envy for singers with one-word “verb names” – like Sting, Usher and Cher.
“Dave sounds like the guy who built the stage,” Roth said.
Van Halen stayed on that Burgettstown stage for 25 songs, not leaving until an encore of “Jump” after Eddie played a sensational solo, with prog- and classical overtones. Just about everyone with a Y chromosome stood and faced one of the two giant video screens for a closeup look at Eddie's fingers waltzing all over the neck of his guitar. That solo naturally included “Eruption,” still the measuring stick for any hotshot hard-rock guitarist.
Another mighty measuring stick, more of the blues-rock variety, is Jimi Hendrix' “Voodoo Chile,” performed masterfully Tuesday by Kenny Wayne Shepherd who delivered a rousing opening act set with his top-flight band that includes Willie Nelson's keyboard player and drummer Chris Layton from Stevie Ray Vaughan's Double Trouble.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 RothComment
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Another one of those classic genius posts, sure to generate responses. You log on the next day to see what your witty gem has produced to find no one gets it and 2 knotheads want to stick their dicks in it... Well played, sir!!Comment
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At Red Rocks, he told the Ozzie hotel room story.Comment
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Again with these fucking Granati Brothers. Are they Pittsburgh's version of Michael Stanley?
Granati Brothers played on a side stage before Dave's set on the 2002 "Dave and the fat drunk guy" tour. Maybe between sets, too. I don't remember, I left after Dave opened...guy at the gate says "you're going to miss the rest of the show!" and I replied "show's already over" and kept walking.Writing In All Proper Case Takes Extra Time, Is Confusing To Read, And Is Completely Pointless.Comment
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