Official 4/12 Orlando Meetup/Review Thread

[Momshell]

Holy cow, what a show! @VanHalen ROCKED #Amway Center!!! twitter.com/anchortom/stat…— Tom Johnson (@anchortom) April 13, 2012

[Momshell]

Yes!RT “@VanHalenNews: Van Halen: The Greatest Rock Comeback Of All Time? fb.me/1DuC35poG”— Tom Johnson (@anchortom) April 13, 2012

[Momshell]

It's been fun guys (and gals) - see you in the am, hopefully with some youtubes.

[qikgts]

What an awesome show!!! I gave it the Army try to do the updates but my connection was too slow... Btw it sounded to me like Dave botched HAIL and then Ed stumbled on it too. Otherwise I thought it kicked major ass!

I was in the back facing the stage and Dave sounded good although his level was a bit low. No doggie stories, no long bullshit sessions, just the blower rant. I'm convinced it was schtick tonight.

I was blown away by Wolfgang. That dude has chops and he sings everything right the fuck on.

Wish I had more dough to see them again and be in a spot where it sounds better. No worries though, they kicked ass even though the crowd kinda sucked. Most of the people in my section were sitting down and were almost pedestrian. I guess that just proves VH with Dave is enough to get people to come out.

[Momshell]

Eddie's solo

The only youtubes I could find were this one and Alex (which I decided not to post). Guess it's still too early.

[Momshell]

Hot For Teacher

[Momshell]

Check out the jump about 3 mins into the above video (HFT)!

[Momshell]

Unchained

[Va Beach VH Fan]

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_music_blog/2012/04/concert-review-van-halen-at-amway-center.html

Concert review: Van Halen at Amway Center
Concerts — posted by jimabbott on April, 12 2012 10:47 PM

Van Halen is on the road behind a new studio album, its first with singer David Lee Roth since the MTV glory days.

The new release, “A Different Kind of Truth,” is a solid collection of songs, if not transcendent enough to compete with the classics. Of course, Van Halen’s devoted fans haven’t let that detail interfere with analysis of every derivative chord pattern and guitar riff.

On Thursday at Amway Center, the band’s current lineup of Roth and the Van Halen boys – guitar god Eddie, his bass-playing son Wolfgang and drum-pounding brother Alex – downplayed the new material. “A Different Kind of Truth” was represented by less than a handful of songs in a 1 hour, 45 minute set that emphasized old favorites.

“Runnin’ With the Devil,” offered in the opening moments, hasn’t lost much swagger since its unveiling on the band’s self-titled 1978 debut album. Although the sound-mix submerged the arrangement in a muddy pool of bass and drums, Eddie’s solo still soared on wings of intricacy and power.

Even more impressive, the modest offering of new songs dovetailed effectively with the proven commodities. “Runnin’ With the Devil” segued into “She’s the Woman,” another platform for the lead guitarist’s virtuosity. Later, the frantic “China Town” yielded more flamboyant shredding. Who cares if it was hard to decipher what Roth was singing – or was that merely shouting?

In front of the band, Roth sported a sensible hair-cut and basic black leather, a less garish outfit than the ringmaster garb he wore at the band’s 2008 show at the old Amway Arena. He seemed less physically demonstrative, though he executed his leg kicks, spins and poses with style. He also complained about being too cold because of the arena’s air-conditioning, which was odd.

Not all the new songs were winners. “Tattoo” is another showcase for Eddie’s guitar, without enough substance to make it worth the effort. On the positive side, the band shrank the arena (which had noticeable patches of empty seats in the upper bowl) with a massive stage-length video screen that made the musicians larger than life.

When Van Halen turned to its signature songs – and when Eddie took the spotlight alone for his extended solo – the music had a similar stature: “Oh, Pretty Woman,” “You Really Got Me,” “Dance the Night Away,” “Hot for Teacher,” “Panama” and “Jump” turned back the clock without missing a beat.

Speaking of nostalgia, Kool & the Gang opened the show with an energetic 50 minutes, laboring valiantly to spark a party vibe among the early birds. Alas, a booming sound mix undercut the impact of oldies such as “Fresh,” “Too Hot,” “Hollywood Swinging” and the obligatory “Celebration.”

And Van Halen? The band is still worth celebrating, a truth that isn’t much different after all these years.

[DLR Bridge]

"He also complained about being too cold because of the arena’s air-conditioning, which was odd."

Odd? I guess this guy hasn't been following like us looneys.

[Mr Walker]

I'm starting to feel a little cheated... In Atlantic City Dave remembered all the words and didn't do a 'blower rant'... but he did talk about his dogs, so we did get that.

[chi-town324]

maybe Dave knows his voice is not sounding that good, so he's using the blower as an excuse?

[perrin29]

I've watched some of the clips from Orlando and they sounded pretty good. There must be some truth to it as Ed is over by his amps during the rant blowing his honker. "This is not the Ice Capades!" Dave is the enforcer on the stage. If he does it with humour it's cool. I've seen many a band pitch a fit on stage when shit isn't working right. Dave can pull it off because he's Dave.

[perrin29]

I've watched some of the clips from Orlando and they sounded pretty good. There must be some truth to it as Ed is over by his amps during the rant blowing his honker. "This is not the Ice Capades!" Dave is the enforcer on the stage. If he does it with humour it's cool. I've seen many a band pitch a fit on stage when shit isn't working right. Dave can pull it off because he's Dave.

[BenJammin]

We are having too much fun!!

Wiseguy looks like Quentin Tarantino in that pic.