Tapes that kill

[Nickdfresh]

https://variety.com/2023/music/news/mick-mars-interview-motley-crue-explains-arbitration-legal-1235576385/

[twonabomber]

[Seshmeister]

Not rock is it?

The minute you go to click tracks the energy has to go. Interesting he doesn't even bother with the feed from Tommy Lee.

I would say his playing is ok and obviously none of his bandmates are in a position to criticize...

I have to admit I can see the attraction of that little fellah telling you 'last time' and so on. I was waiting for it to say 'Now collect your check and remember to wipe your ass after shitting in the backstage area.'

Also surely it's a bit of a giveaway that the dancers backing vocals have male voices.

Surely the sensible move would be to replace Sixx and Lee with another couple of dancers?

[Nitro Express]

The thing that's been bugging me about this is the more I think about it I don't really understand Nikki Sixx miming. Why would you do that, would it not just make it less fun for him? Usually the miming thing is because you can't do something live you could do in the studio but surely that's not an issue with Motley Crue bass lines?

The only thing I can think of is that he is having trouble remembering the songs.

The guy was doing his own radio show not too long ago. He seemed mentally with it. I mean Motley Crue bass lines aren’t like Rush or even the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Play the shit. Miming Motley bass? Is anything more lame than that?

[Nitro Express]

Not rock is it?

The minute you go to click tracks the energy has to go. Interesting he doesn't even bother with the feed from Tommy Lee.

I would say his playing is ok and obviously none of his bandmates are in a position to criticize...

I have to admit I can see the attraction of that little fellah telling you 'last time' and so on. I was waiting for it to say 'Now collect your check and remember to wipe your ass after shitting in the backstage area.'

Also surely it's a bit of a giveaway that the dancers backing vocals have male voices.

Surely the sensible move would be to replace Sixx and Lee with another couple of dancers?

Well with this trans thing being the latest fad, females with manly voices is currently in style.

[Nitro Express]

That was part of the CVH legend, though: a record setting one-off appearance in terms of the concert fee garnered, yet Van Halen shows up a bit more than half in the bag anyway.

For years, all I'd seen of that performance was the edited version that aired on Showtime (or Cinemax, or whichever channel aired it). Probably wasn't until the mid-1990s when I stumbled across a VHS bootleg of the entire show for sale in a Mom n' Pop record store that I saw and heard the entire set unedited. A bit rough with some mistakes to be sure (not just Dave, either; Ed and Al played some bum notes here and there), but I'd wager had I been there drunk and stoned none of that would have bothered me in the least.

I was at that US Festival show. Dave was pretty fucked up at the start but he started to recover a few songs into it.

[Nitro Express]

I liked 'em when they first broke big in 1984.

Then again, I was 13/14 years old. Back then, as you say, a lot of us thought they were ripping KISS off a bit.

They got lame quick, though. Going 'glam' with that Theater Of Pain record and that lame Home Sweet Home tune...I mean, their image prior was a bit of a joke but at least the music was a bit tougher on the first two records. Ironically, while they got bigger post-Shout, overall I liked their music less and less the longer they stuck around.

I did think the SOLA track was a good return to form, or at least the Motley sound I had liked circa 1984.

They were ok. I remember them doing Take Me to the Top. Other than that I don’t remember much.

[Nitro Express]

You were at the US Festival??

I know people love to talk about sloppy VH were at the US Festival...but I have a pretty decent Blu-Ray of it that I put together. It's not polished...but it's still a fun VH gig...even if Dave (and I suspect one or two of the other guys) is totally drunk.

Yup. Three of us piled into my friend’s Porsche Targa and drove from Ketchum, Idaho to San Bernardino. I can remember being crammed into that little back seat and everone’s luggage is on the other side. Hey it’s California. You don’t need too many clothes. But we hauled ass all the way down I-15. It was great. School ended and off we go to the US Festival over Memoral Day Weekend.

I forgot sunscreen so I got sun burned and when Van Halen came on I had the chills.

[Nitro Express]

The US Festival was huge and tovSteve Wozniak’s credit he spent the money to make it run as good as possible. That being said it’s just a shit load of people and you are out in the elements a long time.

It was just another big Southern California outdoor rock festival. Another Cal-Jam. We had no idea it would be this big thing

[Terry]

I was at that US Festival show. Dave was pretty fucked up at the start but he started to recover a few songs into it.

The band pulled it off. A bit drunk and wild in spots, but what the fuck...it's rock 'n roll, right? Or, it WAS rock 'n roll.

[Von Halen]

The band pulled it off. A bit drunk and wild in spots, but what the fuck...it's rock 'n roll, right? Or, it WAS rock 'n roll.

It was rock and roll. Raw. Not with fucked up backing tapes like they are ALL doing today.

[Rikk]

Well with this trans thing being the latest fad, females with manly voices is currently in style.

Uh, ok.

[Rikk]

Yup. Three of us piled into my friend’s Porsche Targa and drove from Ketchum, Idaho to San Bernardino. I can remember being crammed into that little back seat and everone’s luggage is on the other side. Hey it’s California. You don’t need too many clothes. But we hauled ass all the way down I-15. It was great. School ended and off we go to the US Festival over Memoral Day Weekend.

I forgot sunscreen so I got sun burned and when Van Halen came on I had the chills.

That's pretty fucking awesome (being there, not the sunburn & chills part). When Dave left VH, I was 9.

[Rikk]

It was just another big Southern California outdoor rock festival. Another Cal-Jam. We had no idea it would be this big thing

I imagine you were just there "Heavy Metal Day"? I'm not remotely criticizing you for NOT going the other days...just curious.

I haven't seen too many lists of who played the other days...but I DO wish I saw Bowie when he was still alive. Always meant to go. Never thought he would have a mild heart attack and just STOP touring in the mid-2000s. His last two albums that came out in the 3 years before his death were both very, very good.

[Nitro Express]

That's pretty fucking awesome (being there, not the sunburn & chills part). When Dave left VH, I was 9.

Well I didn’t think it was the big deal it became. It was not the best Van Halen show I ever saw. It was something to do to celebrate school being out and the beginning of summer. We did the US Festival and then stayed at my parent’s place in Newport Beach and did the beach thing for a week.

I spent most my summers in SoCal growing up and they had these big multi-band stadium shows and the occasional big festival. The US Festival was just another one of those as far as I was concerned at the time.

Not a lot of live footage of classic VH. I think the US Festival show is legendary just because it was filmed. Not that it was all that great. Roth being so fucked up in the beginning is funny.