It Happens to all of us, sadly

[ZahZoo]

Reading an article on the Brent Shapiro event... a bit of irony... Didn't I see Dave with a drink in his hand telling stories in one of the videos..?

The invite-only evening raised funds for drug awareness and prevention programs by the Brent Shapiro Foundation. The 2018 event bestowed the foundation's Spirit Of Sobriety Award upon Emmy-winning actor, producer and director Joe Manganiello; the award is given to an individual who is open about their own recovery or that of a friend or family member.

https://www.antimusic.com/news/18/September/ts10David_Lee_Roth_Rocks_Van_Halen_Classics_At_Benefit.shtml

[Terry]

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.

It's not so much a hate scene for me with the vocals, but just the visceral reaction I got from 2012 forward: he wasn't yelping out of key through the show I saw in 2008, nor the shows I saw previous to 2008. A few bum notes here and there, but still listenable. I don't agree that Roth now is, in essence, the same vocally live as he was going as far back as YFLM.

Has nothing to do with participating in the culture of hate that admittedly runs rampant these days. The guy just sounds bad onstage now more often than he does good to my ears. I'll agree that Stanley sounds worse, but that doesn't make Roth therefore sound better than he does to me.

Like I said, in terms of the wardrobe, the onstage stories, the bad jokes, the persona...shit, if any of those things were deal-breakers for me, as a fan I'd have given up the ghost on Roth decades ago.

If you guys still like what Roth brings to the stage in terms of the vocals, it's not for me to say you shouldn't, or what sounds good to you shouldn't sound good to you because it doesn't to me.

Honestly, while I have nothing other than a feeling to base this on, my belief is that Roth could be singing much better live than he currently has been for the last 6 years if he applied himself. I think Dave is busking it because he can get away with it. I could be wrong: what he has been doing live may be the best he is now capable of.

[Terry]

All the whining is just symptomatic of middle age testosterone fall off... Lot of folks get pissy when an old guy shows em how it's done. Fuckin old guys rule!!

You may be right. I may just need to consult a physician.

[Terry]

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.

The bizarre part? I'm not even what Van Halen would currently consider a fan, in that after ADKOT and that tour, I was done with them in terms of spending any money on them. So why should I even care now?

Even with Dave, my interest sort of waned with the release of the Skyscraper album - which, save for a few tracks, I still don't care that much for. ALAE and YFLM I bought when initially released, and was overall ho-hum about them at the time (unlike Skyscraper, I have appreciated both of those albums more over time). Then, after YFLM, Dave went on his Vegas thing and it was...whatever.

That 1996 business recharged my interest. I really liked The DLR Band album. Have seen him virtually every time he made solo appearances in my area from 1999 to 2006: enjoyed all those gigs. Liked the BBQ. First VH reunion tour = great. For the gig I saw, due to Eddie's (really) off night and Wolfgang being virtually inaudible. Dave Roth fuckin' CARRIED that show, with Alex also being spot-on point. And that surprised me, because although I enjoyed the Roth solo gigs from the previous ten years, I wasn't sure Roth in 2007/2008 was up to fronting Van Halen in arenas again: there's a difference between a Roth solo gig in a small theater and fronting Van Halen in an arena. But Roth bridged that gap in 2008. No doubt about it.

Ah, well. What do I really have to complain about? Roth has entertained me for decades. For me to lament his inability to do so now is selfish.

[Seshmeister]

Reading an article on the Brent Shapiro event... a bit of irony... Didn't I see Dave with a drink in his hand telling stories in one of the videos..?

To be fair on the other hand no one stabbed their ex wife after the event.

[Nitro Express]

Dave’s main sin is he got old. We grew up watching Dave do some pretty impressive stuff for a young person to do. He can’t do those things in his old age and the current young people can’t do it at all.

[ZahZoo]

To be fair on the other hand no one stabbed their ex wife after the event.

That's a notable point...

Is it just me or but doesn't an event recognizing the Spirit of Sobriety headlined by Diamond David Lee Roth... someone who represents the excesses of the last 4 decades and has celebrated everything but sobriety... seems like having the devil lead the choir at church and the congregation thinking it's an epic cool event...

[Nickdfresh]

That's a notable point...

Is it just me or but doesn't an event recognizing the Spirit of Sobriety headlined by Diamond David Lee Roth... someone who represents the excesses of the last 4 decades and has celebrated everything but sobriety... seems like having the devil lead the choir at church and the congregation thinking it's an epic cool event...

Yeah but there is a paradox. Dave certainly celebrated debauchery in all forms and certainly had drug (and probably alcohol) problem. But to be fair, at the same time he was joking that 'jogging makes the ice cubes fall out of his drink', he actually was running up to six miles a day and enjoyed doing jock things like biking and rollerblading. So I presume Dave is an example of the majority or people that slow down after a youth spent abusing chemical substances as they get older and reach a point of moderation; as opposed to the "all or nothing" "one drink makes you a drunk" mentality fostered by 12-Step programs like AA. Studies show most people get better on their own and don't necessarily have to through themselves into rehab. Dave can have a drink, or three, without going on a three-day bender and self-control and moderation are just as powerful as the notion of sobriety, maybe more so...

[Seshmeister]

The last time the AA released their success rate it was no better than not going. That was quite a while ago as it wasn’t good for business they stopped making it public.

Whatever works for you but it seems a bit wrong for a judge to be able to be force someone to go to a quasi religious organization as part of a sentence.

[Nickdfresh]

The last time the AA released their success rate it was no better than not going. That was quite a while ago as it wasn’t good for business they stopped making it public.

Whatever works for you but it seems a bit wrong for a judge to be able to be force someone to go to a quasi religious organization as part of a sentence.

Here's a great article on AA: The Irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous
Its faith-based 12-step program dominates treatment in the United States. But researchers have debunked central tenets of AA doctrine and found dozens of other treatments more effective.

I not 100% positive, but think in most states judges cannot any longer. The article gives of an example of a young girl caught up in an abusive situation with an older druggie boyfriend. She was in her teens and coerced into AA even though she hardly ever drank alcohol and was exposed to lecherous fucknuts in AA who often prey on young girls...many of them have untreated mental illnesses...

[ZahZoo]

Yeah but there is a paradox. Dave certainly celebrated debauchery in all forms and certainly had drug (and probably alcohol) problem. But to be fair, at the same time he was joking that 'jogging makes the ice cubes fall out of his drink', he actually was running up to six miles a day and enjoyed doing jock things like biking and rollerblading. So I presume Dave is an example of the majority or people that slow down after a youth spent abusing chemical substances as they get older and reach a point of moderation; as opposed to the "all or nothing" "one drink makes you a drunk" mentality fostered by 12-Step programs like AA. Studies show most people get better on their own and don't necessarily have to through themselves into rehab. Dave can have a drink, or three, without going on a three-day bender and self-control and moderation are just as powerful as the notion of sobriety, maybe more so...

I get all that you are saying... not sure about your presumptions of Dave's personal journey with substance abuse. That all sounds good and logical, but with Roth it's pretty hard to map where hype/persona/fabricated legend depart from reality especially in his private life.

I concur wholeheartedly on the concerns of effectiveness of AA that was mentioned here. In certain applications it's not the miracle cure it's purported to be. Here's a good video that proposes a more effective and science based approach to dealing with addiction.

[Terry]

The last time the AA released their success rate it was no better than not going. That was quite a while ago as it wasn’t good for business they stopped making it public.

Whatever works for you but it seems a bit wrong for a judge to be able to be force someone to go to a quasi religious organization as part of a sentence.

Legally, it is within a judge's purview.

Realistically, forced treatment - be it AA, NA, private rehab facility as a result of a forced intervention - the chances of that treatment sticking aren't great if the person using/abusing hasn't reached the point where they've admitted to themselves what they're doing is a problem, or they haven't reached the point where they want to quit.

Short of that, they'll get a rehab buff and shine and most likely relapse. Chances are they might relapse anyway even if they do want to quit, but without the will to quit a detox is usually just a brief pause. Not always. Sometimes the clarity of the detox can lead to an eventual successful cessation.