Originally Posted by
Terry
Well, I don't really know if there IS anywhere left TO go from here, least not for me and future Van Halen activities.
I mean, I wasn't trying to be harsh. I saw Roth multiple times during the lean years when he was trying to rebuild his solo career post-1996. Saw him in 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2006. I dug The 1998 DLR Band cd. I dug the Bar-B-Que. His 2003 Diamond Dave cd pretty much stunk up the joint save for a few tracks. The Van Strumming stuff he did was weak...
He put out a solid cd in 1998, then opens for Bad Company and plays one track off it. He's basically been doing the Classic Van Halen Experience live featuring David Lee Roth since 1999, both in and out of Van Halen.
And that's fine. I get it. It's what the majority of people still willing to pay tickets to see Roth live want to hear. For sure, plenty on this site wouldn't mind him breaking out more obscure solo stuff from ALAE or YFLM, but there probably aren't enough diehard Roth fans left to fill up enough venues to base a tour around UNLESS he is playing a setlist chock full of CVH tunes.
And I get THAT, too. But he's got to be able to sing the tunes and sound at least halfway decent doing it. If he can't meet that minimum threshold, it's easy for me to come to the conclusion that it was a good, long run Roth had but it's basically over and just give it a pass. I mean, what's the point of Van Halen unearthing all those deep CVH cuts live if Roth can't sing 'em well?
It'd be neat if Van Halen put out a studio release of strong new material, then perhaps hit the road (preferably with Anthony) for one last blast with Dave and call it a day. And sometime soon, because if they take another three year hiatus...shit...I (never mind Dave or Eddie) might well be dead by that point. Or, much like what they've done since 2012 and ADKOT, indifferent.
Hey, if people still want to see this incarnation of Van Halen and still get satisfaction from what they're doing, more power to 'em. Seriously. For myself, my own reaction to the Tokyo Dome cd, the Kimmell appearance and the 2015 tour was one of apathy. And apathy isn't a response Van Halen, even at their most misguided, has elicited from me.