YOUR 2015 Van Halen Tour Setlist

[ELVIS]

He was in fine form in 2007...

It was the triplets that couldn't keep up...at all...

All four are lacking throughout that Tokyo bullshit...

So I have more confidence in a healthy Dave than the sigly usters...

[ELVIS]

Encore...

Jump

You lost me...

[ELVIS]

The Inside (Encore)

Fixed...

[DLR Bridge]

Does anybody think that Dave could keep up the pace of "Bullethead", "As Is", or even LUTS at this point?

Have we forgotten the "Chinatown" disaster of a few short years ago?

I love Dave, but there are two things he can't do...

1. Keep his vocals within an acceptable range
2. Keep pace with songs that have an accelerated time signature

1. That one's in his head and he'd better figure it out.

2. He utilized tricks to keep up with the pace of faster songs back in the day, when he had energy and movement going on as well. If he'd clip first and last words of lines from the songs the way he always did before someone had convinced him to try to sing the songs like the albums, this too wouldn't be a problem. He was always entering verses late and popping of a scream as opposed to the lyric here and there. It was better that way. That was the charm of a live Dave performance that I'm sure the veterans here would attest to. I've only got bootlegs to go on, and I would be completely satisfied with his 'anything goes' approach to handling the songs differently live the way he did back in the day.

[DONNIEP]

Does anybody think that Dave could keep up the pace of "Bullethead", "As Is", or even LUTS at this point?

Dave's head would explode if he tried singing Light Up The Sky even remotely like it should be sung. Some things are better not heard and this is one of them. No, if VH is gonna do LUTS then they better have Ralph back stage on the mic while Dave does his little sissified dance routine in the middle of the stage. Cause that's all Rock Star Cool, you know.

[fryingdutchman]

2. He utilized tricks to keep up with the pace of faster songs back in the day, when he had energy and movement going on as well. If he'd clip first and last words of lines from the songs the way he always did before someone had convinced him to try to sing the songs like the albums, this too wouldn't be a problem. He was always entering verses late and popping of a scream as opposed to the lyric here and there. It was better that way. That was the charm of a live Dave performance that I'm sure the veterans here would attest to. I've only got bootlegs to go on, and I would be completely satisfied with his 'anything goes' approach to handling the songs differently live the way he did back in the day.

I feel ya, Bridge.

But what I'm saying is that he had the chance to use those "tricks" with Chinatown last tour and it was still a disaster. Either he's forgotten how to use them or thinks he doesn't need to.

He doesn't have the scream anymore to fill the gaps. All he has is that God-awful "yelp" sound that sounds like someone stepped on a dog's tail. And I'm not criticizing, he's an older dude and time and vocal abuse have clearly taken their toll. But what I can criticize is his even trying to attempt it. He knows his limits but consistently fails to abide by them.

I've seen the classic shows on video, I personally witnessed shows on the 1984 tour when I was a young buck in my teens. I remember what he used to do, and it did work. But he can't expect to have that same bag of tricks at his disposal 30+ years later.

The problem with an "anything goes" approach these days is how you define what "anything" is. Unfortunately, I think the definition of "anything" in this case is yelping and falling embarrassingly off the pace. And to that I say "no thanks" and would suggest they not even try.

[DLR Bridge]

I'm a hopeless optimist. When I see them, I'm bringing a Nikon and a frying pan.

[ELVIS]

I feel ya, Bridge.

But what I'm saying is that he had the chance to use those "tricks" with Chinatown last tour and it was still a disaster. Either he's forgotten how to use them or thinks he doesn't need to.

He was sick and it severely affected his voice...

Why do you guys always gloss over that fact ??

[fryingdutchman]

He was sick and it severely affected his voice...

Why do you guys always gloss over that fact ??

Then I guess he was sick every time he tried it.

Or maybe it was THOSE FUCKING BLOWERS!!

Not sure if you're joking here or not E...

[DLR Bridge]

I don't think he was sick the whole way through. Possibly the first month or so. That's when there was the most blower ranting, profuse sweating, loogy hocking and lemon sucking. There's a sentence for ya.

[ELVIS]

No I'm not...and the blowers made it worse on him...

Others here have made the same observations...

[ELVIS]

I don't think he was sick the whole way through. Possibly the first month or so.

He was still coughing in New Orleans on the last show of the tour...

[vandeleur]

I watched a lot of if not most of the tour vids and as much as it pains me to agree with E there was health issues at some gigs the whole lemons scarfs and blower rants were connected. But some of it was Dave's attitude of meh to how he sings

[fryingdutchman]

No I'm not...and the blowers made it worse on him...

Others here have made the same observations...

That, and continuing to suck down packs of Marlboro reds.

That still never ceases to amaze me about Dave. How a man who, by all appearances, treats his body as a temple and is so disciplined by martial arts can continue to be a slave to cigarettes when he knows damn right well they severely compromise his health...and most certainly his ability to sing.

Maybe the coughing wasn't sickness. Maybe it's the start of fucking emphysema or COPD

[fryingdutchman]

And yes, I know that emphysema and COPD qualify as "sickness."

I was referring to "common cold or flu" sickness.