IZOD Arena Ed Meltdown

[DR CHIP]

I am sure I will take some flack for this but what the hell....

Flew into New York from Tampa, FL on Friday and spent the day with the wife doing the New York thing....I will say go to Tavern on the Green for brunch if you ever have the time...anyway...

Came to see VH and have been a VH fan for a LONG time...saw the 1984 concert!!!

Last night was something else though - Ed had a complete meltdown during the show. His monitor behind him must have been giving problems because he kept signaling to the sound guy on stage left to get up on stage and fix it. He was pointing to him and gesturing "right now" (no pun intended for a really shitty song). When he couldn't get satisfaction he pulled it off the drum riser, then gestured some more. Next, he drug it over toward the side and then finally pushed it off the stage. From then on he was rancid. I will admit Dave did everything he could to keep it together but Ed was in complete meltdown.

Also, being a guitar player (who was inspired to play pretty much by Ed) I was really wanting to see how Ed's playing was. Folks shoot me, flame me, whatever, but Ed sucks. His solo was HORRIBLE and SLOPPY. He wasn't getting but every other tapped harmonic and his double picked run on Eruption was all over the place. I was completely and utterly disappointed. I also saw first hand what an ass he is with his meltdown.

Now the good...Dave was stellar. He did all a frontman could do and really enjoyed himself. I can truly say (although I knew this already) Dave is VH and he doesn't need Ed at all to put on a great show. I loved seeing a packed arena, but I will take Dave solo at a House of Blues anyday of the week rather than washed up corpse of his former self, Ed.

That's the truth folks....

PEACE

[Diamondjimi]

He is a "dry drunk". He does'nt seem to handle problems that well anymore. (See Cathedral -Toronto Youtube)

He should be spending his off time PRACTICING!!!

I doubt anyone will flame you for being honest.

Thanks for the review.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DR CHIP
I am sure I will take some flack for this but what the hell....

Flew into New York from Tampa, FL on Friday and spent the day with the wife doing the New York thing....I will say go to Tavern on the Green for brunch if you ever have the time...anyway...

Came to see VH and have been a VH fan for a LONG time...saw the 1984 concert!!!

Last night was something else though - Ed had a complete meltdown during the show. His monitor behind him must have been giving problems because he kept signaling to the sound guy on stage left to get up on stage and fix it. He was pointing to him and gesturing "right now" (no pun intended for a really shitty song). When he couldn't get satisfaction he pulled it off the drum riser, then gestured some more. Next, he drug it over toward the side and then finally pushed it off the stage. From then on he was rancid. I will admit Dave did everything he could to keep it together but Ed was in complete meltdown.

Also, being a guitar player (who was inspired to play pretty much by Ed) I was really wanting to see how Ed's playing was. Folks shoot me, flame me, whatever, but Ed sucks. His solo was HORRIBLE and SLOPPY. He wasn't getting but every other tapped harmonic and his double picked run on Eruption was all over the place. I was completely and utterly disappointed. I also saw first hand what an ass he is with his meltdown.

Now the good...Dave was stellar. He did all a frontman could do and really enjoyed himself. I can truly say (although I knew this already) Dave is VH and he doesn't need Ed at all to put on a great show. I loved seeing a packed arena, but I will take Dave solo at a House of Blues anyday of the week rather than washed up corpse of his former self, Ed.

That's the truth folks....

PEACE

How dare you say anything bad about Edweird Van Halen on a David Lee Roth messageboard!?

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by SATAN BUSH
HOW DARE YOU! YOU MUST BE A VAN HAGAR TROLL! GO TO THE LINKS AND POST THERE! EDDIE WOULD NEVER DO THIS TO HIS FANS! HE IS EDDIE VAN F*****' HALEN FOR CHRISTSAKES! YOU'RE JUST HERE TO START SH*T AND YOU KNOW IT! SHOW US PROOF! WHERE'S THE LINK! DID SAMMY PUT YOU UP TO THIS? YOU ARE TRYING TO TEAR THE MIGHTY VAN HALEN DOWN! YOU MUST BE GHEY! YOU NEED TO GO TROLL THE LINKS, B*TCHBOI! WHY ARE YOU COMING HERE TO DAVE'S WORLD TRYING TO RUIN THIS TOUR! THIS TOUR IS SELLING OUT EVERYWHERE, IS THE TOUR OF THE YEAR, AND YOU ARE TRYING TO DESTROY IT! IT WON'T WORK! ED PLAYED AMAZING! BETTER THAN IN 1984! HE WAS FLAWLESS! HOW CAN YOU SAY HE MESSED UP, WHERE WERE YOUR SEATS! I CAN STATE WITHOUT A DOUBT HE WAS PLAYING GREAT! GET A LIFE DUDE, GO TROLL THE LINKS, STOP RAGGIN' ON ED! HE IS A GUITAR PLAYING GOD AND WOULD NEVER SHORT CHANGE THE FANS LIKE THAT! YOU MUST BE HERE TO JUST STIR SH*T! GO SUCK SPAMMY'S ****! YOU ARE PROBABLY WEARING RED CAPRI'S TOO! YOU ARE PROBABLY ONE OF THOSE WHO IS TRYING TO DESTROY THIS TOUR JUST BECAUSE MIKEY ISN'T THERE! WELL WOLFIE IS HOLDING HIS OWN AND HE CAN PLAY AND SING CIRCLES AROUND MIKEY! WHY DON'T YOU JUST GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, WE ALL KNOW WHY YOU ARE HERE, YOU ARE A TROLL FROM THE LINKS!!! VAN HALEN WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING AT ALL QUESTIONABLE AND THEY ARE BETTER NOW THAN EVER! EDDIE WOULD NEVER PLAY DRUNK NOW! HOW DARE YOU ASSERT THIS! GO TO REDROCKER.COM YOU TROLL!!!!!


(BTW...this was sarcasm. Google it, Nick.)

I don't need to "Google it" DOUCHE. Maybe you can turn off your caps lock and stop being such a bitch though.

I noticed you never had a bad word about Ed or his meltdowns in 2004 too, dick...

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by diamondjimi
He is a "dry drunk". He does'nt seem to handle problems that well anymore. (See Cathedral -Toronto Youtube)

He should be spending his off time PRACTICING!!!

I doubt anyone will flame you for being honest.

Thanks for the review.

Dude, how do you know he's "dry?"

What was his rehab? A whopping 30-days? Hallelujah!! spEd's sober!

I ain't making predictions or saying the tours about to blow apart, but I do think things are not as swimmingly as they seem...

Why have there been no interviews since this began?

[CVH Rulz]

I read that they said there will be no interviews or press during this tour. They said, "How many times would we have to answer 'no, we don't hate each other.'"

[CVH Rulz]

As far as Ed goes...there seems to be a lot of 'equipment' problems. Where did they get this crew? I can understand him getting pissed off. What would you have him do in this situation?

[CVH Rulz]

Originally posted by SATAN BUSH
What would we have him do in this situation? Act like a 52 year old PROFESSIONAL who is making millions off of fans who have been there for 30 years WAITING for this nostalgia tour. THAT'S what he SHOULD do. At least ACT like he has some respect for the fans and ACT PROFESSIONALLY and put forth 1/100th of the effort he did when tickets were $8.00 let alone $250.00. I think THAT would be a good START of "what we would have him do."

Stop the show?

[CVH Rulz]

I would have laughed. It's rock and roll, not Pat Boone.

[Hummarstra]

I posted some youtubes from the NJ show and Ed does seem to have had an "off" night. 25 years ago if they had an off night the only people who knew it were the town they played in. 25 years later we're watching EVERY show on youtube. So, we'll just have to take this tour as a whole, not a night or two.

[jhale667]

I seen firsthand other "rock stars" physically yank a malfunctioning monitor off their side of the stage before,
if the stage crew isn't getting it, and getting shit fixed in time...
That part does not surprise me...

[scottydabodi]

I was at the IZod Arena show last night, and to focus this whole review on the 5% of the show where Ed was bugging out with gear problems, and not the 95% of the show that rocked seems a bit unfair. Yes, Ed did have a temper tantrum and throw his monitor, but he also has thousands of fans relying on him to kick ass, and if your gear don't work because of someone else's ineptitude then, yeah, you're gonna get pissed. We ALL know that Ed does NOT have a "professional" attitude about things, so him throwning a hissy fit like a 4-year-old is no shock. But most of the show DID rock. Dave looked and sounded great, Alex was playing great, so did Wolf. Ed played very good for the most part, when he wasn't distracted by overwhelming feedback, which even I could hear from where I was sitting. Dave held it all together with his bigger than life smile, and personality. "Atomic Punks" was the best song of the night.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
F SAM F SAM F SAM F SAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CVH Rulz]

Anyone expecting the Eddie Van Halen of 20 years ago is an idiot or lives in a cave. How much has he actually played this decade? Sure he's going to have bad nights. This tour was thrown together pretty fast. I personally didn't expect much, and got a great show in Minneapolis. I don't think we need to jump to the conclusion every time he has a bad night that he's hitting the bottle or the tour is about to implode.

[scottydabodi]

Originally posted by DR CHIP
Last night was something else though - Ed had a complete meltdown during the show. His monitor behind him must have been giving problems because he kept signaling to the sound guy on stage left to get up on stage and fix it. He was pointing to him and gesturing "right now" (no pun intended for a really shitty song). When he couldn't get satisfaction he pulled it off the drum riser, then gestured some more. Next, he drug it over toward the side and then finally pushed it off the stage. From then on he was rancid. I will admit Dave did everything he could to keep it together but Ed was in complete meltdown.

Also, being a guitar player (who was inspired to play pretty much by Ed) I was really wanting to see how Ed's playing was. Folks shoot me, flame me, whatever, but Ed sucks. His solo was HORRIBLE and SLOPPY. He wasn't getting but every other tapped harmonic and his double picked run on Eruption was all over the place. I was completely and utterly disappointed. I also saw first hand what an ass he is with his meltdown.

To say Ed sucked last night is dillusional. His unaccompanied solo wasn't the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life, but to say he sucks may be just good, old-fashioned STUPIDITY. He had about 5% of the show where he was playin really shaky because of the gear distractions, but for the most part Ed rocked, and for ME to say that in fucking 2007 is a GODDAMN MIRACLE. I'm the FIRST guy in line to scream about Ed, his playing, and his business decisions. I've screamed F-ED up and down these forums for years, but last night, to his credit he rocked, nailing a variety of solos that I couldn't believe he even remembered the names of the songs to.

Ed played just fine. The best in 20+ years. Certainly a different guy that who showed up for the 2004 Bullshit tour.

[Hummarstra]

What song were they playing when Ed busted a nut over his monitor not working?

[scottydabodi]

Hey, we gotta face the facts that, hey can Ed play as good or better than Steve Vai, Jason Fucking Becker, or B.Young? No, probably not, but can Ed go out and deliver a great rock guitar show? -Yes. He played fine. Was this the Ed of '79? No. Was this a kickin rock show? HELL YEAH.

Scotty the Body has Spoken BITCHES.

[chi-town324]

Originally posted by scottydabodi
To say Ed sucked last night is dillusional. His unaccompanied solo wasn't the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life, but to say he sucks may be just good, old-fashioned STUPIDITY. He had about 5% of the show where he was playin really shaky because of the gear distractions, but for the most part Ed rocked, and for ME to say that in fucking 2007 is a GODDAMN MIRACLE. I'm the FIRST guy in line to scream about Ed, his playing, and his business decisions. I've screamed F-ED up and down these forums for years, but last night, to his credit he rocked, nailing a variety of solos that I couldn't believe he even remembered the names of the songs to.

Ed played just fine. The best in 20+ years. Certainly a different guy that who showed up for the 2004 Bullshit tour.

so his solo kicked ass?

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by scottydabodi
Hey, we gotta face the facts that, hey can Ed play as good or better than Steve Vai, Jason Fucking Becker, or B.Young? No, probably not, but can Ed go out and deliver a great rock guitar show? -Yes. He played fine. Was this the Ed of '79? No. Was this a kickin rock show? HELL YEAH.

Scotty the Body has Spoken BITCHES.

Dude, if Ed's not fucked up, he owns Brian Young. C'mon man. Get real. Becker, who knows? That's just a crying shame what happened to that guy. And Vai, yeah, he's a great guitarist, now doubt about it. But he was next to worthless on the CVH material...

Ed's play has been spotty as best I can discern from the boots and YTubes...

Some nights, he's almost back in 1984 form, and others, he seems lethargic. It probably doesn't help that his bassist is an inexperienced son and that their relationship with Dave is open to question as too its fragility...

I don't care what anybody says - there's no way Ed is completely sober after a 30-day rehab stint. Especially his given track record of believing in homeopathic, new age bullshit...

[jhale667]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
Dude, if Ed's not fucked up, he owns Brian Young. C'mon man. Get real.

Thank you.

[Douglas T.]

Originally posted by SATAN BUSH
What would we have him do in this situation? Act like a 52 year old PROFESSIONAL who is making millions off of fans who have been there for 30 years WAITING for this nostalgia tour. THAT'S what he SHOULD do. At least ACT like he has some respect for the fans and ACT PROFESSIONALLY and put forth 1/100th of the effort he did when tickets were $8.00 let alone $250.00. I think THAT would be a good START of "what we would have him do."

If he didn't care about the fans he wouldn't be getting mad about the sound! He's just making sure the fans get the best for their money!

[Douglas T.]

I'll bet that's the first positive thing I've said about ed in 25 years!

[scottydabodi]

Originally posted by chi-town324
so his solo kicked ass?

I said his solo WASN'T the greatest thing I ever saw...

As for who Ed owns, and who he doesn't, well, he STILL doesn't OWN anyone of the guys I mentioned. Sorry. He rocked, and this was WAY better than I expected him to sound. He did have asome GREAT moments, but not 1980-like...

As for the sheep comment, take a hike. I hate Ed almost as much as I hate Sam. I'm just being FAIR... try it sometime.

[Diamondjimi]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
Dude, how do you know he's "dry?"

What was his rehab? A whopping 30-days? Hallelujah!! spEd's sober!

I ain't making predictions or saying the tours about to blow apart, but I do think things are not as swimmingly as they seem...

Why have there been no interviews since this began?

I think we all would like to believe he's sober ,but...

No one knows if he's "dry" for sure. But there's enough people around him for support. And plus the fact that his credibility in his business circle (promoters/record company?) hinges on this tour alone is enough to force him to stay sober.

Anyone who has known or been around someone who's quit the sauce knows that someone who is "dry" can be edgy,short tempered , and easily perturbed at trivial bullshit.

No doubt that there's an undercurrent of behind the scenes bullshit with this guy . I personally can't wait to hear about it...

In regards to equiptment issues. Apparently he's had a few this tour and gone through a couple of techs pre-tour.
Who the fuck is teching for him?
Maybe Matt Bruck should step down from his position as Ed's personal towel boy/foot rubbing babysitter and get back in the fuckin trenches and keep his shit working properly !!!

No interviews? I think they know better. (Well I think managment knows better,anyway)
The quickest way for self destruction is to put a mic. in front 'ol boozenose Ed.
With his compulsion to re-explain or interpret any statement made by someone else in the band to the world according to Edward is a recipe for disaster....

[djeveled]

Bad stuff:
I thought Eddie had problems with his pedals. He lost his special sound during "Little Guitars" and never really got it back during that song. The sound was not really good overall with too few speakers and too much wall reverb. That may have contributed to the guitars being off and Eddie probably not hearing Alex.. The 1st half's sound was better than the last. It seems like soundguy turned up the sound because the vocals on I'll Wait were way too loud. I was right next to the sound board so it should have sounded much better from my seat.
If they're going to go through the trouble of having a blaring loud keyboardist backstage, they should have added the piano to "Cradle Will Rock" also

The Good:
Dave was the consumate showman. It was worth it seeing him back in his element. It really was a time machine. Wolfie was good on bass & harmonies. Alex had a cool solo and Eddie made up for some of his screwups during his solo. It seemed like they played every song they could. Song selection was extensive. It's great to see them continuing where they left off with Dave, and continue to go forward. A fun, high energy show. Future's so bright...

I hope they play the Arts Center next year where sound is never an issue.

Have you seen VH's grades?
Dave: A
Alex: A
Wolfie: A
Eddie: C
Soundguy: C
Overall: B+

[dave_is_vh]

I feel REALLLLY fucking sorry for the guys that are Ed's guitar techs.

[dave_is_vh]

Originally posted by diamondjimi
I think we all would like to believe he's sober ,but...

No one knows if he's "dry" for sure. But there's enough people around him for support. And plus the fact that his credibility in his business circle (promoters/record company?) hinges on this tour alone is enough to force him to stay sober.

Anyone who has known or been around someone who's quit the sauce knows that someone who is "dry" can be edgy,short tempered , and easily perturbed at trivial bullshit.

No doubt that there's an undercurrent of behind the scenes bullshit with this guy . I personally can't wait to hear about it...

In regards to equiptment issues. Apparently he's had a few this tour and gone through a couple of techs pre-tour.
Who the fuck is teching for him?
Maybe Matt Bruck should step down from his position as Ed's personal towel boy/foot rubbing babysitter and get back in the fuckin trenches and keep his shit working properly !!!

No interviews? I think they know better. (Well I think managment knows better,anyway)
The quickest way for self destruction is to put a mic. in front 'ol boozenose Ed.
With his compulsion to re-explain or interpret any statement made by someone else in the band to the world according to Edward is a recipe for disaster....

Excellent post!!!

[BrownSound1]

If they do their job right, then they have nothing to worry about.

[Nitro Express]

A) I LOVE Tavern on the Green!

B) Ed is a nutball. I noticed he just threw his guitar off the side of the stage after a concert. A stupid thing to do because he could have hurt someone with it and it just plain screems "I'm stupid".

C) Ed has taken everything he was ever blessed with and rolled it into a ball of shit.

[Diamondjimi]

Originally posted by dave_is_vh
Excellent post!!!

Thank you.




5 stars please !...

[Diamondjimi]

Originally posted by Nitro Express

C) Ed has taken everything he was ever blessed with and rolled it into a ball of shit.

You nailed it , right there!


Can I use that in my sig?

[Ragingmike]

I sat in section 209 at IZOD. I could hardly hear the guitar at all, it was all bass & drums. when Ed was the only one playing, he was audible.. His solo did suck, too.. Cathedral was horrible, and the rest was just noise.

This was my first time seeing them with Dave (he was amazing), and 15th or so time seeing EVH live, and it was the 2nd worst performance I've seen, the worst being the show at the Meadowlands in 2004 when he was clearly a drunk dirtbag. I'm going to the show in NYC at MSG next week. I have much better seats, so hopefully I will be able to hear Ed's guitar a little better..

[DlocRoth]

AKA...you hated it.....

But you're going again......

Got it.

[scottydabodi]

Originally posted by Nitro Express
C) Ed has taken everything he was ever blessed with and rolled it into a ball of shit.

Yeah man... at least he's got Dave there to hold it all together with his unbelievable charisma....

[scottydabodi]

Originally posted by Ragingmike
I sat in section 209 at IZOD. I could hardly hear the guitar at all, it was all bass & drums. when Ed was the only one playing, he was audible.. His solo did suck, too.. Cathedral was horrible, and the rest was just noise.

This was my first time seeing them with Dave (he was amazing), and 15th or so time seeing EVH live, and it was the 2nd worst performance I've seen, the worst being the show at the Meadowlands in 2004 when he was clearly a drunk dirtbag. I'm going to the show in NYC at MSG next week. I have much better seats, so hopefully I will be able to hear Ed's guitar a little better..

Ed's solo was definately not his best, but for the most part he was fine... I give Ed a solid C+. I'd give him a B on some of the songs...
Dave gets an A+, Alex gets an A, and Wolf rocked with an A.
I hope MSG rocks.

[BITEYOASS]

Maybe Dave should just say to the sound crew: Man you don't feed that, you don't fix that feedback I'm goin kick yo ass man!!!

[BALLYJUNKIE]

DONT BE SURPRIZED IF YOU SEE WOLFIE THROW A TANTRUM IN 20 YEARS ,WHEN HES JUST COMING OUT OF REHAB FOR THE 3RD TIME .....LIKE FATHER ...LIKE SON !!!

[Nickdfresh]

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST DUDE TURN THE FUCKING CAPS LOCK OFF YOU RETARD!

[scottydabodi]

Originally posted by BALLYJUNKIE
DONT BE SURPRIZED IF YOU SEE WOLFIE THROW A TANTRUM IN 20 YEARS ,WHEN HES JUST COMING OUT OF REHAB FOR THE 3RD TIME .....LIKE FATHER ...LIKE SON !!!

Wolfie, on DLR Solo tour 2008.

[DR CHIP]

Just for the record I was in section 109 row 8 seats 13 and 14.

Ed is just a shell of his former self. Don't get me wrong, it's not like he screwed up everything...he just can't play nearly the way he used to and it's sad...his solo SUCKED. So many guitar players could have out done Ed and that my friends is just sad. I am sorry that the man I once held in highest esteem now seems so ordinary....

My devotion to VH should be taken with the fact that I flew from Tampa to see them. I left still loving Dave and disapointed in Ed...that's all.

AND if they come to Tampa, I WILL be there....

[Diamondjimi]

Originally posted by DR CHIP

Ed is just a shell of his former self. Don't get me wrong, it's not like he screwed up everything...he just can't play nearly the way he used to and it's sad...his solo SUCKED. So many guitar players could have out done Ed and that my friends is just sad. I am sorry that the man I once held in highest esteem now seems so ordinary....

My thoughts too.