Detroit Show Review
Hello folks. First of all…I will preface this review with some background. I am a fan of Eddie and his music. My fave VH album and possibly fave album of all time is Fair Warning. Truly an amazing record that holds up after many, many years.
As for the band…the Dave era is without parallel. The Sammy era was a different style of music that can not be compared to the original VH. Yes…I like the F.U.C.K. album…but does it come close to Fair Warning? No. I never compared the two eras or two singers. For me, it’s two completely different bands. The 5150 Tour was cool…but comparing it to the 1984 Tour extravaganza that I saw is pointless. They were two totally different kinds of shows, songs, etc.
Would it be cool to see VH with Dave at the helm? Of course. The tour would be a blockbuster…a huge success…and would draw the kind of cash that the Stones or Springsteen haul in. Would it be killer to see Dave doing a jump off the drum riser at the opening of “Jump” on the 2004 tour as opposed to Sammy just walking out on stage? Yes. Does it suck that the VH bros. can’t get it together with Dave? Yes. But…unfortunately…I am not privy to the VH bros. decision making process. All I know is that for some reason, Dave, Sam and Al can not get it together.
So it is with this mindset that I attended the Detroit show. I was not expecting to see a Dave era show full of wild showmanship and a dream set list. Nor was I expecting to see the kind of 2.5 hour show from the 5150 Tour with some great musicianship, dual guitar leads and Sammy running around in the rafters. I was just going to a concert to hear some music. For background…I saw VH on the tours for 1984, 5150, OU812 and F.U.C.K. I saw Sammy on the Mars tour and saw Sammy and Dave on their co-headlining tour.
Speaking of concerts…I have attended hundreds since my first show when I was 12 and saw Gordon Lightfoot in Toledo in 1976. I have seen every style…from Sinatra to Kiss…from Steely Dan to GWAR…from Elvis on his final tour to Metallica…from Barry Manilow to Korn…and yes I have even seen the Pope. So here are the facts and the review of VH 2004 at the fabulous Palace Of Auburn Hills from a concert veteran of 28 years…
Well to start off…$15 for parking pissed me off (that's 2 beers!!!) as did the fact the guy sitting next to me was so huge he took up two seats. Luckily he moved after a few songs. It’s the story of my life though…15,000 people there and the HUGE guy has to sit next to me when I am already cramped at 6’4”.
As for the show…I will start with the bad. My number one complaint is that the sound mix was horrible. It was beyond bad. It reminded me of concerts I would see in the 1980’s where the P.A. consisted of stacks of cheap speakers cranked up all the way. There was a guy mixing the sound…but all he seemed to do was turn up the volume to the max. For example, the opening song “Jump” was so muddled and bass heavy…it was almost unrecognizable. In this day and age of modern technology…I rarely hear bad sound at a concert. For example…Iron Maiden is always deafening…but still crystal clear. There have been so many advancements in technology that every show should have killer sound.
Complaint #2. The new songs are just awful. But hey…it gave me an opportunity to pee and freshen my beer.
And now the good…and there was a lot of it. Once I got past the bad sound mix which improved a little as the show progressed…the show was incredible. No shit. The whole venue was going nuts and from what I could see everyone from the floor to the upper bowl was standing. The Roth-era tunes whipped the crowd into such a frenzy that had Dave been up there singing the tunes…the venue would have been burned down to the ground. I thought to myself…if people are going this nuts for Sammy…they would start a fucking riot with Dave. No joke…people were losing their fucking minds. It was very cool.
Eddie was in great form although he seems to be sweating in Jimmy Page proportions nowadays. Someone get that man a towel! It was great to see him again. He is a guy that changed the face of music and I was listening to him play. I enjoyed his solo as he played new stuff along with his classic riffs. When he pulled out the Kramer during the show I yelled “Holy shit…the Kramer!” I don’t think anyone around me knew what I was talking about. The main thing about Eddie is that he had a ton of energy and seemed genuinely happy to be back. No Wolfie at the show however.
Can someone answer me a question though? In the day of wireless…what is the deal with that HUGE cord on Eddie’s guitar? The thing is like a phone cable.
Another good thing about the show is that I actually liked Alex’s drum solo. On the past tours it always seemed to be a snoozer…but this time around he was actually doing some good snare work and rolls. He got a huge ovation at the end of his drum solo.
Mikey is holding down the upper vocal parts even more than ever. He hit some of the high harmonies with Sammy and even sang a few verses. Jack was present as was openly drinking on-stage. Ya gotta love it.
As for Sammy…he delivered a solid performance. The dual lead vocals with Mikey on “Humans Being” and finally getting to hear “Dreams” live were highlights for me. Sammy sang the Roth-era tunes well…but it wouldn’t have mattered how he sounded. As soon as the crowd heard the start of “Unchained” or “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” they went berserk. TV’s Corky, Chris Burke could have sang the Roth-era stuff and the crowd would have gone mad. I don’t mean to belabor this point…but people were going nuts…crazy…out of their minds. Again…with Dave at the helm they’d need cops in every aisle. The crowd would be out of control.
So overall…it was a great show and if you are fan of Eddie and his music you should go. All 4 members seemed to be sincerely having a great time. They focused on the Hagar-era stuff which made sense. I’d like to hear a few more Roth-era tunes sprinkled in…but hey…until Eddie calls me and asks me to write his set list I’ll have to wait.
The main question is where do they go now? Do they do a new album with Sammy as he approaches 60? It’s great to go on tour and crank out the hits…but you can only live on nostalgia for so long. I had a blast (as well as a Blatz or two) at this show…but if VH comes back in a year or so, I want to see a new show.
It will be interesting to see what develops…
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