Diamond David Lee Roth in the house here, WHOOOOO!
It is sad to see David get old... He went from the Mean Streets, to the Yankee Rose, to Sensible Shoes.
I love yah David, never leave us!
Roth2.jpg
Diamond David Lee Roth in the house here, WHOOOOO!
It is sad to see David get old... He went from the Mean Streets, to the Yankee Rose, to Sensible Shoes.
I love yah David, never leave us!
Roth2.jpg
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ZahZoo (09-09-2018)
And I think that recent below picture was taken in 2015, so he's even older than that now.
Yeah, he's up there. He's...what? Mid-60s now? Seems even older, because his career peak was when he was in his mid 20s through his early 30s. And when you think of the type of performer he was and the music he was playing when he was peaking, when you see him onstage these days it's - understandably so - an adjustment one as a fan has to make.
He can't jump around anymore.
He can't move the way he used to.
He can't sing as well, and the high-end shrieks he used to be able to conjure up in the CVH days are gone forever.
And you can either accept that, or it eventually reaches the point where you can't make any more concessions for age: the realization that what you enjoyed about what he did back in the day...you can't get that stuff no more now live. It's gone forever.
Gives me no particular smug, smarmy joy to admit that Roth is past it, and it ain't coming back.
Van Halen. Classic...Van...Fucking...HALEN.
I loved that fucking band. 6-pack still gets the job done. That stuff has still held up, even if the band hasn't.
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Live every day like it's your last day... one day you'll be right!
It's not sad at all that we all age... it's something that we should celebrate every day. The number of summers survived doesn't mean at a certain number 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, etc... that all of a sudden what you can't do matters. What really matters is you are alive and living that life!!
DLR wasn't just a jumper, mover and definitely, in many facets, was not a stellar singer. Diamond Dave was/is an entertainer, song writer, artist, comedian, smart-ass and most of all human.
I don't see any expiration date or mandatory retirement age for any of those attributes.
I really wish that someone close to David Lee Roth and the Van Halen brothers would kick their lazy asses off the couch and make em get out there, be dangerous and keep living until you run out of road...
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DavidLeeNatra (09-10-2018),moose (09-10-2018)
Does this look like a sad picture of old age..?
78/84 guy (09-11-2018)
Some video... Story telling and rambling as usual.
katina (09-09-2018)
The high pitched, strained voice lives on...
Whoever that is playing guitar does it justice...
katina (09-09-2018)
Get Ready...
There will come a day when youth will pass away bloop what will they say about me? Dave is going to be one of those old people who will not shut up and talks your ear off about the good ol days. He will also be grabbing the staff girls asses at the old folks home. He will be the guy they will start sedating.
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ZahZoo (09-09-2018)
78/84 guy (09-11-2018)
To be sure, ultimately Roth was an entertainer.
I'd assume by default that most of we humans are most of all human.
For myself, his athleticism and his vocal approach were a large part of what made him entertaining to me. His comedic attitude helped inform his lyrics on occasion, obviously. Doubtless he had a quick wit and sense of humor. Never considered the guy a stand up comedian, and by this point a lot of his Rothisms and one liners have been rehashed to the point of ineffectiveness for me.
Or, more pointedly, I only consider Roth as an entertainer currently if what he is doing is still entertaining to me. Over the last decade, that has proved to be less and less the case.
Which isn't to say he fails to entertain me just because he is getting older, but I'm not going to pretend his getting older hasn't had an impact.
The reason it has proved to be less and less the case is that most of his activities have consisted of fronting Van Halen reunion tours. And that will always bring up the inevitable comparison between then vs. now. The most interesting stuff of the last decade was the ADKOT album. I'd like to see Van Halen do another album. I'd have far more interest in that than another greatest hits tour. I liked the ADKOT album. By all means, the band should do more of that. The band SHOULD get their asses up off the couch, take some chances and not waste time. Understandably, the band has opted to pretty much play it safe. It's a lucrative strategy. I was hoping 2012, with the new album, the Café Wha? gig, the amount of promotion that went into the new album...all of that I was hoping would lead to an era of productivity that wasn't focused on replicating the past. It hasn't panned out this way.
But I can't expect Roth to chuck what he has going with Van Halen and return to his floundering solo career - and, let's face it, in commercial terms his solo output from 1998 to 2006 can only be categorized as floundering - because it's just not reasonable for me to expect Roth at his age to try to put a new solo band together and hit the road for 50 to 100 dates a year in small venues, State Fairs, County Expos and the like. Not when fronting Van Halen is still viable.
Oh, I'm sure Dave is still having fun. He has never had difficulty amusing himself.
Those clips were, as is all too typical as of late, painful to listen to far as the vocals went.
Hey, whatever. If Roth is still chugging along doing what he does and enjoying it, good for him. I don't wish the guy any ill will. If other people enjoy what Roth is doing these days with the type of performances he gave in those clips, good for them.
I just...no. You know? Just...can't. It doesn't work for me anymore. And this is coming from someone who enjoyed the No-Holds-Bar-B-Que.
I don't even know what would work for me at this point far as Dave goes. From the 2012 tour up until today he just has that enduringly annoying live vocal approach I can't get behind or buy into because it sounds awful to me. Far as his schtick, I get this is just Dave being Dave. I can take the age, the hairpieces, the bizarre wardrobe choices, the bad jokes. When the vocals go to shit, it's just fucking done.
Yeah the lack of athleticism was inevitable... surprised Dave can even walk considering all the drum riser splits jumps, flying drop kicks, etc... that he pulled off shit-faced and didn't actually destroy his knees, hips and spine.
I keep returning to the quality of Dave's performances during the 2007/2008 tour... I think physically he could still perform at that level. It was busy enough to be visually entertaining.
Vocally... Dave needs to go do another Bluegrass record. Whatever he did to prepare for that album forced him to improve his vocal performance exponentially which shined during the 07/08 tour... more so than even any of his live singing performances 10-15 years prior. By the time they got back on tour in 2012 Dave had reverted back to his previous phone it in performance style.
Now about this new bleached, crew-cut look...
Terry (09-09-2018)
And I was fine with his vocal output on the 2007/2008 tour. I was actually quite surprised that Roth took that tour as seriously as he did in terms of the preparation he did for it. Precisely because I had seen him perform in 2005 and 2006, and that strained yelping was very evident for both of those shows. It was very clear very shortly into the 2008 gig I saw that Roth had done his homework, refined what he was doing vocally and prepared/rehearsed in a manner that would maximize what he had left in the tank. He wasn't "forgetting the fucking words, man!" and was singing largely in key.
And it sounded great.
By the time 2008 rolled around, I had seen Roth post-1996 Debacle in 1999, the Sam and Dave tour, 2005 and 2006. So I was used to the gradual waning of his physical abilities. I wasn't expecting drum riser splits. I saw him visibly lose his footing trying a high kick in 2006, and he nearly took a digger onstage. He barely kept his balance, and my thought then was, well, he shouldn't be doing that stuff anymore...because he can't anymore, and that's fine. And it seemed in 2008 that Roth had come to terms with his hair: he doesn't have much of it left, and he had wisely ditched that bizarre platinum blonde hair weave wig several years prior. He's got short hair...okay. Fine. Like, 1999 to 2003 was Roth trying too hard to hold onto his 1980s appearance, and with each passing year he was coming up more short than the previous one.
2008, I could give a shit about the karate gymnastics going by the wayside. Same for the screams. Same for the hair. The bar was just set at Roth singing the tunes decently. He hurdled that lowered bar.
Exactly right that by the time 2012 rolled around, Roth took a step backward. Because he could? Dunno. Problems with the "onstage blowers" (lack of backstage blowers?)? Dunno. Awful vocals ever since. Fixable? Perhaps.
But I'm not expecting much. From either Roth or Van Halen going forward. They aren't in a situation where they have to prove anything anymore to anybody in terms of packing venues. No manager is going to breathe any sense of fire or purpose in these guys in terms of doing anything beyond what they have self-limited themselves to doing, which is a periodic nostalgia trip.
I'd like to hear a brand new album, with all the material created from scratch. Even if they don't tour it. Even if it takes them a few years to create it. Shit, it takes them 3 + years between greatest hits tours now, so a few years for a new album...whatever. As long as I'm still around to hear it, I'll buy a new Van Halen album with Roth. Without even previewing any of it in advance.
I don't really know as Roth has a solo career to go back to at this point. An EEAS reunion? Meh. If Dave isn't getting the job done with Van Halen, I don't see him getting it done with the 1986 EEAS band, the members of whom have held up much better physically and in terms of playing ability than Eddie Van Halen has. I think, if anything, an EEAS reunion would only illustrate Roth's wane even MORE than a Van Halen tour (let's be frank: Eddie - considering the years of self abuse he has heaped upon himself - only has to perform adequately these days to be considered doing great...he gets points for still being vertical).
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Terry (09-09-2018)
I made that mental concession at the time, because he didn't have a good night in Tampa 2012: he was basically 50/50, and even that is probably being a little kind on my part. To be sure, anybody can have an off night, and if a singer is sick it's not as easy for the singer to play through that as, say, a bass player.
But he didn't get any better after that tour. The Tokyo Dome recordings were...clearly not doctored post-performance, and one wishes maybe they had been. I saw 3 full 2015 gigs online prior to tickets going on sale for my area, and it was more of the same from Dave. And these recent one-off solo appearances he has done...he's just getting worse to my ears. Like I said: Paul Lynde wardrobe choices, lack of hair, hammy Wacky Uncle Dave between song patter...I'm used to that from him. But if those three things are all he has left in his arsenal - if he can't just sing the tunes properly - I dunno…
Am I asking too much? Am I just being pissy about it? Should I just take a pill, chill out, be happy he is still around and go to the shows even when his vocals sound bad to me? Am I taking it all too seriously? Should I just not give a shit and enjoy whatever is left of it?
I think Van Halen has recorded a new album. They have finished( or almost) more than a year ago. Wolfie has finished his solo album. They will tour next year- a full blast reunion- ( original line up). Wolfie and his friends will open for them. And that`s it!!! ( remeber that bald- head performance with Dave G, it was pre-tour).-
So: get ready. The great final is coming soon!!!
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P.S.: and yes, Dave still will do some jumpings, dancing and movings. He got pretty much left in the tank for this one!!!
Dave is still smoking. Not good for the voice and he didn't have a great natural singing voice to begin with. As far as fitness goes considering heavy cocaine and alcohol use he's in great shape considering. I think he avoided injuring himself by having mats placed on the stage to land on. Look at the old stage photos and you will see there are mats under the stage veneer right where Roth would land after jumping from the riser. He also stretched himself out good before going on stage. The injuries come from sudden jars and hammering the joints and not properly warming up and stretching yourself out. Noel Monk said Dave was pretty disciplined on doing those things.
6DF5ED0F-74A1-4A42-959E-9949A4BA34BC.jpeg
Looks good to me!!Like fine wine, he only gets better.
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I actually dig his current look. Of course he's old, they can't all choke to death on their vomit, or shoot smack and OD in a Paris bar restroom stall before they're 35 and remain young forever. He looks like a cool older man and knows his limits, but still has a good time...
I don't have to relive being 14/18/21/30 forever vicariously through my rock star idols...
Last edited by Nickdfresh; 09-10-2018 at 09:32 AM.
78/84 guy (09-11-2018)
At 64, he looks a heck of a lot better than a lot of folks much younger... Dave and the swimsuit models were all paid to be there and look pretty by the promoter. That's what people in the entertainment industry do.
I have no desire to relive 14/18/21... the dues were paid and life went on!!
Grit (09-12-2018)
Yeah but i bet he can still get the pussy.
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I dont get all the hate regarding Dave's vocals.
Aside from a little more yelping - shit he's been doing since YFLM - his vocal delivery hasn't been all that different since then. While I do agree he was singing good on the 07-08 tour - again not very different. Sure the squeals and screams are long gone and they were gone in 07-08 as well, with exception to the odd classic scream here and there.
So all this hating on Dave these days I dont understand. Perhaps its the culture of hating. Lol
His singing on California Girls at this event was actually pretty good.
Want to really hear a singer actually struggle to get through a song? Check out Paul Stanley these days.
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78/84 guy (09-11-2018),DavidLeeNatra (09-11-2018),Nickdfresh (09-10-2018),ZahZoo (09-11-2018)
78/84 guy (09-11-2018)
I find it amazing all the original members of VH are not only alive but seem to be rather healthy. Them boys drank a lot of booze, snorted a lot of coke, and smoked a lot of cigarettes, and stuck their dicks in contaminated holes. Still around and can still play. Dave isn't on oxygen being rolled around in a vegetable state.
78/84 guy (09-11-2018)
He looks like Steve Martins cooler older brother. Dave, don't you go dyin' on me!
By the way, I thought he sounded great in that panama video you posted. One thing we know for sure, dave is not a studio hack. Everything he sang in the studio he can STILL sing live. Well, except for a few extra high squeels maybe... But that is to be expected.
I'm sure a lot of it is a mixture of 2 factors
1) Singing is now judged by how good a live show blasting out sounds once recorded on a phone and then listened to on a phone speaker. A live rock show vocal performance sounds completely different when it's very loud which is kind of the point.
2) It's then compared to miming. All the fucking time. It's a shock at this point to hear someone not mime - all the biggest acts are miming all the fucking time. Go and laugh reading about the amazing 'performance' of Beyonce or Madonna as they mime and dance along to a track at a VMA show. It's a joke.
The only issue I have with Roth's singing are his choices to change the original melodies, personally at this point I like an odd flat note coz then I know it's real.
Last edited by Seshmeister; 09-10-2018 at 09:55 PM.
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Also I don't know the background of those girls but they don't appear to be plastic or photoshopped or unreal.
You've been taking it all too seriously for a decade almost Terry. But I love your takes on things. The guy's in the band ( what there is of it ) don't think that much about it. Dave just got old. It sucks but it's just that simple. There are thing he could do with his voice to clean it up. He doesn't seem to care IMO. That's a shame really. Because if he did these benifit shows and sounded better people wouldn't rip him as much for doing them. But it is what it is. Roth got old, and lazy on a stage. I'd love a new album like A.D.K.O.T. myself. They can stay home though. If the singer has no desire too sound decent why tour ? Honestly if Ed does something again I'd be surprised if Dave is involved.
Last edited by 78/84 guy; 09-11-2018 at 04:59 PM.
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Terry (09-12-2018)
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