"Tribute" Tour with Dave, Al and Satch

[Vinnie Velvet]

My dad dragged me to see The Glenn Miller Band. My dad was a clarinet and sax player and he played big band stuff. Here kid, I will show you some real musicians. Anyways after the show my dad was complaining it wasn't the same as the old days. It was an inferior copy.

Trying to redo Van Halen would be a similar pooch screw. You aren't going to recreate the late 70's and early 80's in 2022. It's impossible and who's kidding who.

Very true.

But I don't think thats what Al and Dave want to do.

They want to go back out, play the music on a larger scale. Add footage of Ed on the jumbo screen, etc. Play it off as a tribute while selling more VH shirts.

Thats about it.

[Von Halen]

Dave isn't going to cheat it. It's not in his nature.

Uh, Dave had vocals piped in on his most recent Vegas gigs. VH had vocals piped in in 2007.

[Terry]

I told my teenage son about the possibility of this "VH" tour and he said he would love to see it cause he didn't get to see VH when Ed was still alive.

There is an entire generation who will buy the shirts and other merch and go see this show. Again, whether we like it or not.

I heard Styx is coming to my town but I refuse to go see them without Dennis DeYoung. No disrespect to Gowan but sorry it aint Styx without Dennis.

But then again, Styx won't care about me. Crowds will still go see their show.

Yeah, but if you didn't see whatever lineup variation of Van Halen when Eddie was alive, well, sorry, but you missed it forever.

Doubtless an Eddie-less Van Halen would stand a better than chance than not of being a crowd-draw as a live undertaking. At this point, if Hagar or Dave and Alex and Mike Anthony and Satriani or Wolfgang or whatever permutation wanna hit the road under the name Van Halen...whatever. I'm too old to even get slightly perturbed over the 'desecration' of Van Halen's 'legacy': it's only rock and roll.

As you mentioned, KISS still warbles along with Stanley barely able to sing and backing tapes galore onstage. People still pay money to see it (hell, I paid money to see it not too long ago!). Again, as you mentioned, look at Styx. Who do they have left in the band from when they were at their commercial zenith? Young and Shaw? Somebody said Foreigner was coming to town recently. If memory serves, all that's left of THAT band when they were at their zenith was Mick Jones, and apparently he doesn't perform with the band every night but whenever his health allows. Rolling Stones: Charlie Watts dead, band still fills stadiums.

I've seen more than a few tribute bands in my time. For the most part, I wasn't paying premium ticket prices to see them, and that's what more and more of these old rock acts are these days. Tribute bands with the authenticity factor of one or two members from when the band was in their prime.

But, as you say, crowds will still go to see them.

[Vinnie Velvet]

Yeah, but if you didn't see whatever lineup variation of Van Halen when Eddie was alive, well, sorry, but you missed it forever.

Doubtless an Eddie-less Van Halen would stand a better than chance than not of being a crowd-draw as a live undertaking. At this point, if Hagar or Dave and Alex and Mike Anthony and Satriani or Wolfgang or whatever permutation wanna hit the road under the name Van Halen...whatever. I'm too old to even get slightly perturbed over the 'desecration' of Van Halen's 'legacy': it's only rock and roll.

As you mentioned, KISS still warbles along with Stanley barely able to sing and backing tapes galore onstage. People still pay money to see it (hell, I paid money to see it not too long ago!). Again, as you mentioned, look at Styx. Who do they have left in the band from when they were at their commercial zenith? Young and Shaw? Somebody said Foreigner was coming to town recently. If memory serves, all that's left of THAT band when they were at their zenith was Mick Jones, and apparently he doesn't perform with the band every night but whenever his health allows. Rolling Stones: Charlie Watts dead, band still fills stadiums.

I've seen more than a few tribute bands in my time. For the most part, I wasn't paying premium ticket prices to see them, and that's what more and more of these old rock acts are these days. Tribute bands with the authenticity factor of one or two members from when the band was in their prime.

But, as you say, crowds will still go to see them.

That's right. And when you have people willing to pay money to go see the show - despite whatever lineup or who is missing, then that's the motivation for all of these heritage acts to continue.

$$$$

[twonabomber]

If "it ain't Van Halen without David Lee Roth" then it sure as fuck isn't Van Halen without Eddie Van Halen

[Nitro Express]

Uh, Dave had vocals piped in on his most recent Vegas gigs. VH had vocals piped in in 2007.

Girl you know it’s…girl you know it’s…girl you know it’s… Ha! Ha! Van Villi Manilli

[Vinnie Velvet]

If "it ain't Van Halen without David Lee Roth" then it sure as fuck isn't Van Halen without Eddie Van Halen

"Van Halen 4K"

"Van Halen Plus" - like a new streaming service!

"Van Halen and Friends"

[nick500]

I wouldn't expect Alex to play with anyone. Him and Ed were extremely close not just as brothers but as jamming buddies. I think it would be very painful for him to try and drum. I know Alex Lifeson couldn't play when Neil Peart passed away and that's a friend. I can't imagine getting behind the kit when you lost your brother you used to play with. It would be hard to do alone at 5150 and many more times so in a public setting. I could see him maybe doing a sit in with Wolfgang but touring with a band? I think that's over with.

It sounds like it's Alex's idea. I think he just wants to celebrate his brother and that's it.
It's not Van Halen the band without Ed, but you could do a very good show.
As for Dave piping in vocals, it was basically on the high notes of Jump and he wasn't hiding it.
He needs to sit down for six months with Ken Tamplin and get his vocals back to a certain level.

[Terry]

It sounds like it's Alex's idea. I think he just wants to celebrate his brother and that's it.
It's not Van Halen the band without Ed, but you could do a very good show.
As for Dave piping in vocals, it was basically on the high notes of Jump and he wasn't hiding it.
He needs to sit down for six months with Ken Tamplin and get his vocals back to a certain level.

Not to be a wet blanket, but I tend to doubt six months with any vocal trainer/therapist is gonna do Dave much good at this point in terms of restoring his voice to even where it was in 2007/2008.

I mean, anything is possible...but, no.

Add to that the tacit admission from Dave in advance of those January Vegas gigs (subsequently cancelled) that his doctors have basically told him to pack it in...I don't think Dave's gonna be doing extensive touring anymore, anywhere under ANY moniker.

Maybe a one-off gig, perhaps billed as a Celebration Of Eddie Van Halen or something. But Dave hitting the road for several months, doing multiple gigs weekly? I doubt he is physically up to that.

I mean, great if it happens for those who want to see it...but I'm just not seeing a tour happening with Dave doing a full set.

Can't Get This Stuff No More.

[Vinnie Velvet]

Sincerely doubt Dave or even Al want to hit the road for several months like they used to.

What we know is that Al and Dave were planning on some kind of tribute show for Ed and to the VH legacy. So they reached out to some guys and started talking.

I don't recall if Satch actually jammed with Alex and I don't think it got to that point. I think it almost did but then Newstead bailed on the project.

This was probably something that was going to start off as one show and then perhaps evolve into something more. Maybe a string of summer gigs and thats it.

And it wasn't supposed to be public knowledge as it was only discussed. Blame Newstead for opening his mouth about it. Not sure why. Or maybe that was planned to gage reaction from the masses? Who knows.

But clearly nothing is happening at this time.

[Terry]

Nothing is happening at this time, and the time to do whatever - if they are gonna do anything, live-wise - is now.

None of these guys are at an age where it's gonna sound any better if they futz around and do nothing for several more years and THEN decide to do something. All of them are on the wrong side of 50 to be frittering away the clock IF there is an actual ambition to do whatever.

But, Van Halen being what it morphed into post-2000, there's no rush to do anything. Hasn't been since Cherone left the band. Chalk up some of that to Ed's health, but the truth of the matter is with Roth's 2nd full-time stint with the band it was a year or so of activity then nothing for a few years: lather, rinse, repeat.

[Seshmeister]

All of them are on the wrong side of 50 to be frittering away the clock IF there is an actual ambition to do whatever.

Wrong side of 60...

Bands slow down big time even if they don't go on mad drug binges for decades or split up.

I hadn't noticed until recently quite the extent of this with Rush who by all accounts of the genre were one of the few to keep their shit together with lineup and bring out albums their fans bought and keeping audiences up.

Their studio (not live or compilation) album productivity is

Decade 1 - 10 albums
Decade 2 - 5 albums
Decade 3 - 2 albums
Decade 4 - 2 albums

Obviously there is the break Peart took in decade 3 but still...

[Nitro Express]

All that matters is if it’s good. Some old fucks can pull it off. Van Halen was a high energy act. Trying to do it at 70 is dumb. Can they do anything else that people would be interested in? Nope. I don’t think people want to see a campfire sing a long with Dave telling stories.

[Jérôme Frenchise]

If the diehard fans that we are aren't majoritarily interested, then how are other people?

Personally, if it eventually happened I wouldn't care much.
Al would deliver, and so would Wolf and whoever would play the guitar.
But Dave would struggle with his voice again.

[silverfish]

JASON NEWSTED Blasts Journalist Who Published His Comments About Proposed VAN HALEN Tribute Tour

"That was bad, dude. I'm not happy about that. I'm really, really not happy about that."

Full story at:

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/jason-newsted-blasts-journalist-who-published-his-comments-about-proposed-van-halen-tribute-tour/