First impression: Van Halen, "Tokyo Dome: VH in Concert"

[ELVIS]

Democratherald



Ever since David Lee Roth returned in '07, I've wondered if he's the lab rat in an elaborate experiment, where Eddie and Alex Van Halen exact revenge on the diehards who insist the group is lost without him. If "Tokyo Dome," recorded in 2013, proves anything, it's that Diamond Dave serves at the brothers' pleasure, and that they, through nightly demonstrations of instrumental dynamism, wield the real power. Remember who needs who, buddy. Remember who signs the checks.

Roth's pipes remain reliably inconsistent, limping past howlers, boomeranging from impressive explosions to wet-cat scat, and stumbling chagrined through "Hot for Teacher" (lead-in: "And the Cradle Will Rock ... , " natch), but you can't blame him, since it's mutated from ribald juvenile fantasy to social epidemic. Yet he's retained his usual charm as host, engaging Tokyo in its native tongue, although when he asks, "How are we doing so far tonight?" during a shambolic "Unchained," it sounds more like apology than repartee. Eddie's son Wolfgang has acclimated to Michael Anthony's shadow as a passable bassist/vocal support. However, while he nails the general vicinity of his predecessor's range, he lacks that firework wallop (see: "Women in Love").

Alternately overlong and unsatisfying -- a frustrating appraisal of a set fat with pleasers (dump " Tattoo" and replace it with, I dunno, "Little Dreamer") -- "Tokyo" comes alive precisely once, near the end, with a titanic "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," where at last the rock gods parry and feast. Good news for Dave, since such performances keep him out of soup lines. Bad news for listeners demanding more. A worthy live document is out there somewhere. It may even be possible now. Only stray traces exist on this sunken ship.

[clarathecarrot]

I always love a writer who needs a new pool filter and their "takes" on important "things".

Elvis'specialy when somewhere in their reporting they also want to rule the world with Nazi propaganda ..like....

fat with pleasers (dump " Tattoo" and replace it with, I dunno, "Little Dreamer") --

Figures you would like this Elvis on another station that Nazi cunt Walter Cronkite just told the world how to be ashamed and what we need to do to win the war in Vietnam...you know his way to win the war.

Cause he is all knowing and all powerful manipulator of small minds...

His way to run VanHalen.

ElValen Unite!!!

[VAiN]

That reviewer is clearly not a Dave guy..

[clarathecarrot]

He is another clone of something that never was he has a tweed blazer and rock glass half full of single malt scotch no ice, on a table in front of a typewriter and he runs his hands thru his grease JFK style hairdo furrows his brow and contemplates the world greatest novel he will never write because he is a clown of a book he read by a writer who had picture on the back jacket in that pose.

But he Prostitutes himself for a new pool filter by badmouthing people who work for a living.

[ELVIS]

Blah blah blah...

[NATEDOG001976]

I enjoyed the new live CD. I saw a lot of "hate" for the CD on Itunes to. Take it for what it is, is it 1983? no. Does Dave have the greatest voice anymore? No, but it still rocks and they're having a good time!

[Seshmeister]

If you listen to 'I'm the One' I wonder why people detest Dave playing with the vocal melody on the first verse but are happy enough with Ed not playing any of the solos the same as the album?

[blueturk]

Why now? Let's face it, this is not the live album you always wanted to hear. Contrary to not so popular belief, Dave could belt out the songs quite well live during the CVH era, and this should have been represented a long time ago. Remaster some of the old shows and let's hear Dave in his prime. "Sonic Tokyo" anyone?

[Seshmeister]

We're being told by Ed that the recordings don't exist or where they do the sound quality isn't acceptable enough.

[chefcraig]

We're being told by Ed that the recordings don't exist or where they do the sound quality isn't acceptable enough.

Uh-huh, right. I still have earaches and back pain from seeing this dufus live in the late seventies/early eighties, where the live sound was ear-bleedingly awful and loud, just about equal to listening to Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music", only with a bit more melody.

[Jetstream]

If one listens to the whole LP, it is solid. I could give a rat's ass if Dave experiments on Jump, Panama and Dance the Night Away with octaves... Hot For Teacher, Romeo Delight and Everybody Wants Some to name a few are great

[78/84 guy]

Experiments ?? No that's just bad singing.

[blueturk]

What the hell ever. When I saw them in 1981 and '82 in Charlotte they were dead on. Perfect harmonies, great sound. great fucking shows. Maybe you were into Toto at the time and Van Halen was a little too extreme for you back then...

[blueturk]

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What the hell ever. When I saw them in 1981 and '82 in Charlotte they were dead on. Perfect harmonies, great sound. great fucking shows. Maybe you were into Toto at the time and Van Halen was a little too extreme for you back then.

Uh-huh, right. I still have earaches and back pain from seeing this dufus live in the late seventies/early eighties, where the live sound was ear-bleedingly awful and loud, just about equal to listening to Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music", only with a bit more melody.

[chefcraig]

What the hell ever. When I saw them in 1981 and '82 in Charlotte they were dead on. Perfect harmonies, great sound. great fucking shows. Maybe you were into Toto at the time and Van Halen was a little too extreme for you back then.

Toto? Whatever happened to them? In any event, at the time, the only venue you see a band in was an old bunker called the Hollywood Sportatorium. It was basicallya big old concrete rectangle with benches on the sides. and open floor in between them.The sound would blast off the stage, sail over your head as it smacked you in the chest, then continued until it bounced off the back wall of the venue and come winging back to slap you in the back of the head.

The only time you heard the bass was during the solo. The microphones fed back and whined constantly, and the volume that Ed played at meant everything else had to be louder as well.

[blueturk]

Toto? Whatever happened to them? In any event, at the time, the only venue you see a band in was an old bunker called the Hollywood Sportatorium. It was basically a big old concrete rectangle with benches on the sides, and open floor in between them. The sound would blast off the stage, sail over your head as it smacked you in the chest, then continued until it bounced off the back wall of the venue and come winging back to slap you in the back of the neck.

The only time you heard the bass was during the solo. The microphones fed back and whined constantly, and the volume that Ed played at meant everything else had to be louder as well.

Well I hate that for you, but the old Charlotte Coliseum was a nice little place with damn good acoustics that could bring out the best and the worst of a band. Saw many bands there and if they sounded like shit, that was on them. I won't go into who did sound like shit. VH sounded great and put on a great show both times I saw them back then. Not to mention girls with bandanas for tops with really short shorts ......

[DONNIEP]

Well I hate that for you, but the old Charlotte Coliseum was a nice little place with damn good acoustics that could bring out the best and the worst of a band. Saw many bands there and if they sounded like shit, that was on them. I won't go into who did sound like shit. VH sounded great and put on a great show both times I saw them back then. Not to mention girls with bandanas for tops with really short shorts ......

Goddamn right! Great place to see a show.

[chefcraig]

Well I hate that for you, but the old Charlotte Coliseum was a nice little place with damn good acoustics that could bring out the best and the worst of a band. Saw many bands there and if they sounded like shit, that was on them. I won't go into who did sound like shit. VH sounded great and put on a great show both times I saw them back then. Not to mention girls with bandanas for tops with really short shorts ......

Brother, you and I are very close in age, and I envy your experience hearing the band in it's prime in good conditions.

And about them chicks...yup! (True to form, no success on my part...)

Roth On, bro. Roth On...

[big fatty]

Toto? Whatever happened to them? In any event, at the time, the only venue you see a band in was an old bunker called the Hollywood Sportatorium. It was basicallya big old concrete rectangle with benches on the sides. and open floor in between them.The sound would blast off the stage, sail over your head as it smacked you in the chest, then continued until it bounced off the back wall of the venue and come winging back to slap you in the back of the head.

The only time you heard the bass was during the solo. The microphones fed back and whined constantly, and the volume that Ed played at meant everything else had to be louder as well.

You probably already know about this FB page Remember The Sportatorium.....( but just in case not I'll post the link ).....some cool old pics in there.


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Remem...19966624751183

[chefcraig]

You probably already know about this FB page Remember The Sportatorium.....( but just in case not I'll post the link ).....some cool old pics in there...

Dude...
Totally righteous! Man, you are certainly with us...now hang out while I get us some pizza...meet me and my dudes at our van about 10:30 in the lot, OK? Good day fer hitting the beach and and taking in some crispy waves....Oh, bring your own towel dude, mine always get swiped...And I have a small bag in this cool console...if you forgot papers, I have this little Hindu pipe I found in a head shop in Fort Lauderdale.

Plus don't worry,I can fix it. My dad is a tv repairman, he has an awesome set of tools.

[BumBahDeeDah]

Uh-huh, right. I still have earaches and back pain from seeing this dufus live in the late seventies/early eighties, where the live sound was ear-bleedingly awful and loud, just about equal to listening to Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music", only with a bit more melody.

And Ed always seemed to play too fast. 81, 82, 84, 07, 08.

[Terry]

Why now? Let's face it, this is not the live album you always wanted to hear. Contrary to not so popular belief, Dave could belt out the songs quite well live during the CVH era, and this should have been represented a long time ago. Remaster some of the old shows and let's hear Dave in his prime. "Sonic Tokyo" anyone?

And that's really the bottom line, isn't it?

This is NOT even close to the live album I always wanted to hear.

What I want ISN'T an audio-only live album of the 4th Van Halen incarnation. And CERTAINLY NOT from live dates starting with the ADKOT tour to present, if this lineup of Van Halen HAS to be the one represented live.

Frankly, I just don't buy Eddie's claim that no live CVH-era audio of decent sound quality exists. Mostly because I've got plenty of it in my own collection, and virtually all of it consists of cds that are probably 100th generation copies I got in bootleg exchanges with other traders. And some of those sound pretty fucking good. However, my not believing what Eddie has to say matters not in the least in terms of actually getting any CVH live audio/video officially released for purchase.

Was anyone really enthused when the details of this live album (where and when it was recorded) were released in advance of the album being made available? Enthused to the point where they thought "wow, I've GOTTA run out and buy this"? The clips I had already heard from that show certainly weren't anything that made me want to hear a full-length version of the concert. In point of fact, this is actually the first Van Halen audio release that had both Roth and the Van Halens in the lineup that I WASN'T interested in buying.

[chuckjitsu]

And that's really the bottom line, isn't it?

This is NOT even close to the live album I always wanted to hear.

What I want ISN'T an audio-only live album of the 4th Van Halen incarnation. And CERTAINLY NOT from live dates starting with the ADKOT tour to present, if this lineup of Van Halen HAS to be the one represented live.

Frankly, I just don't buy Eddie's claim that no live CVH-era audio of decent sound quality exists. Mostly because I've got plenty of it in my own collection, and virtually all of it consists of cds that are probably 100th generation copies I got in bootleg exchanges with other traders. And some of those sound pretty fucking good. However, my not believing what Eddie has to say matters not in the least in terms of actually getting any CVH live audio/video officially released for purchase.

Was anyone really enthused when the details of this live album (where and when it was recorded) were released in advance of the album being made available? Enthused to the point where they thought "wow, I've GOTTA run out and buy this"? The clips I had already heard from that show certainly weren't anything that made me want to hear a full-length version of the concert. In point of fact, this is actually the first Van Halen audio release that had both Roth and the Van Halens in the lineup that I WASN'T interested in buying.

Is it just me, or have you not posted in a while? Glad that you're still alive! Are you going to see them live this time around? What'd you think of the recent batch of live performances?

[PETE'S BROTHER]

Toto? Whatever happened to them?

girl at work thought it was "i surf the waves down in africa"

so i had pete make this..African Surfer.jpg

[Terry]

Is it just me, or have you not posted in a while? Glad that you're still alive! Are you going to see them live this time around? What'd you think of the recent batch of live performances?

Haven't been too active here as of late. Yeah, for the most part I'm glad I'm still alive, as well

Nah, I'm passing on them this time around.

Put it this way - in 2007, I made it a point that I was going to see them come hell or high water. Despite Anthony not being there. I felt it was more luck than anything else that the Van Halens finally reunited with Dave, and seeing them play live was something I had been hoping for since the possibility first presented itself as something that could actually happen in 1996. In addition, Ed looked like he was potentially ready to drop dead at any moment, and the 2007-2008 tour felt like it could well be the only chance to revisit live rock history on the stage. That show I saw didn't turn out well because a) Ed was too fucked up to play well and b) Wolfgang onstage looked and sounded like a mistake. Dave turned in a concise, professional performance vocally.

In 2012, the band had a solid (if not spectacular) new album out, and Ed was playing well. Gave the band another chance. Wolfgang seemed to have stepped into his role in a more convincing way, Ed sounded great, Alex played well. Dave was basically the complete antithesis of how he approached his role in 2007-2008. Vocals were yelled rather than sung, and the result was a solid instrumental performance dampened by an off-putting vocal approach.

Neither of the last two tours were really worth what I paid to see them. I've seen the recent (2015) batch of live stuff online, and it's not anything improved upon what they did on the last two tours. Sadly, Van Halen has joined the legion of aging rock bands working the concert circuit who a) are going out there without the complete/original/definitive lineup, b) playing set lists that are essentially a greatest hits revue with a sprinkling of deep cuts yet c) still charging top dollar for tickets, seemingly based on the fact that some form of the band still exists rather than the actual content of the performances.

It doesn't really boil down to just what Dave's doing, either. Ed is playing his parts fairly competently, but nobody's gonna seriously tell me he's playing as well as he ever did. Dave is just no longer singing well anymore. If this results from deteriorated ability, a flawed vocal approach or just plain not being bothered enough to try, I can't say. However, the 2012 show I saw was a case of the vocals being off-putting to listen to. And all of the subsequent clips I've seen/heard of the ADKOT tour and the current performances still reflect this. I can't be bothered to give the band my time or money if their approach is just a greatest hits lather, rinse, repeat with shitty lead vocals. Dave's goofy persona ain't worth $100 a pop for tix if the vocals are going to suck, and hearing Ed play Eruption fairly well for the millionth time isn't going to compensate for that anymore.

If you're going, I hope (and trust) you'll enjoy them. Short of a major shakeup of approach (ditching Wolfie for Anthony and getting Dave to just sing again - neither of which appear to be forthcoming), I'm done with seeing Van Halen. Thanks to the band for the memories and happy trails. No harm, no foul.

[DLR Bridge]

Eloquent as ever, Terry.

[hain23x]

Im going to see Atomic Punks in early June and that'll be my VH summer