DLR: "I'm Only In The Middle Of My First Retirement"

[twonabomber]

I'd go see that show.

Cult opened for Billy Idol in '87. Great show.

[Terry]

No one does. You cannot do that much alcohol and cocaine and not expect it to have any changes on ones behavior in their 60s. Dave fucked-up and destroyed his talent in more ways than one.

Thing of it is, I remained a fan of what he was doing musically, even in the comparatively lean decade of the 1990s when much of what he was putting out was barely registering a blip commercially vs. his zenith in the 1980s. As uneven as I thought ALAE and YFLM were, [Roth] was still managing to come up with music I liked. Thought his initial Vegas stint in 1995 was a bit ridiculous. Enjoyed the 1998 DLR Band album.

Once the 2000s set in, Dave progressively went sideways for me in terms of appreciation. I enjoyed the BBQ video. The Diamond Dave cd was just bunk that shouldn't have been released. His appearance and the way he presented himself during that Sam and Dave tour was cringeworthy. Ditto his Van Strumming effort.

He pulled himself together for that 2007 Van Halen tour. Much more so than I thought he would or was capable of doing.

Post-2008, he sounded consistently terrible live and his interviews no longer entertained.

I remember in 2018 when all the rumors were swirling about CVH maybe getting back together for a tour - something I personally wanted to see since 1996 when it first seemed like it could possibly happen again - and I found that it no longer mattered to me if CVH DID manage to tour in 2019, because Roth was shot: they all waited too long, wasted the opportunities of 1996 and 2007 to do it when it could have been something worth hearing, and it was over.

Those KISS opening slots of early 2020...seeing those appearances reminded me of an old punch drunk boxer who really shouldn't be in the ring anymore.

[Kristy]

Fire Woman

Now there is a tune you just have to turn up every time you hear it.

[Kristy]

He pulled himself together for that 2007 Van Halen tour. Much more so than I thought he would or was capable of doing.

Post-2008, he sounded consistently terrible live and his interviews no longer entertained.

One of the effects of cocaine is that it is acidic to human tissue linings. Now combine that with alcohol abuse and smoking. That's why Steve Nicks has holes in her skull and Dave's vocal chords are permanently damaged. Dave never did put much thought into protecting his voice like say a sensible person would with their hearing at a concert. Irreversible damage is irreversible damage. I think the damage is so intensive with him that not only can't Dave sign he can't even stay in vocal range without squelching no matter what key the band is playing in. Nowadays artist who make money solely off their voice will take breaks from touring for no other reason other then to rest their vocal chords. I know time alone and usual wear and tear takes its toll. Steve Perry no longer has the range he once did nor does Peter Gabriel although some others like Daryl Hall can belt out a song and he is in his mid-70s.

Maybe Dave thought he would never return to the stage playing under the name Van Halen to larger audiences therefore he never bothered to take care of his one musical asset. That 2015 show at Red Rocks was an embarrassment hearing Dave yelp like a beached up mammal and it was Eddie who was carrying all the weight to keep the crowd entertained which he did. With that being said I'd still go to this show is Al is playing and ticket prices are reasonable. Al was rarely appreciated as a drummer outside of his own band.

[Kristy]

He's still an asshole but sang well.

I've seen him 3 times in the last decade and each time he spends more and more time telling the Scottish crowd that he is now Scottish because he lived here for a couple of years 40 years ago.

Fucking weird but whatever...

Betcha you didn't know Byrne is Scottish




It's true. Just ask any Scottish person.

[Vinnie Velvet]

Dave says he did a private show in Cabo. Must not have been you know where, or we would have heard about it already.

Id love to hire Dave for a private birthday gig. I bet the dude who's birthday it was paid a hefty sum.

[Vinnie Velvet]

Thing of it is, I remained a fan of what he was doing musically, even in the comparatively lean decade of the 1990s when much of what he was putting out was barely registering a blip commercially vs. his zenith in the 1980s. As uneven as I thought ALAE and YFLM were, [Roth] was still managing to come up with music I liked. Thought his initial Vegas stint in 1995 was a bit ridiculous. Enjoyed the 1998 DLR Band album.

Once the 2000s set in, Dave progressively went sideways for me in terms of appreciation. I enjoyed the BBQ video. The Diamond Dave cd was just bunk that shouldn't have been released. His appearance and the way he presented himself during that Sam and Dave tour was cringeworthy. Ditto his Van Strumming effort.

He pulled himself together for that 2007 Van Halen tour. Much more so than I thought he would or was capable of doing.

Post-2008, he sounded consistently terrible live and his interviews no longer entertained.

I remember in 2018 when all the rumors were swirling about CVH maybe getting back together for a tour - something I personally wanted to see since 1996 when it first seemed like it could possibly happen again - and I found that it no longer mattered to me if CVH DID manage to tour in 2019, because Roth was shot: they all waited too long, wasted the opportunities of 1996 and 2007 to do it when it could have been something worth hearing, and it was over.

Those KISS opening slots of early 2020...seeing those appearances reminded me of an old punch drunk boxer who really shouldn't be in the ring anymore.

Yeah true.

But the same could be said for many of Dave's contemporaries who are still out there.

[Terry]

One of the effects of cocaine is that it is acidic to human tissue linings. Now combine that with alcohol abuse and smoking. That's why Steve Nicks has holes in her skull and Dave's vocal chords are permanently damaged. Dave never did put much thought into protecting his voice like say a sensible person would with their hearing at a concert. Irreversible damage is irreversible damage. I think the damage is so intensive with him that not only can't Dave sign he can't even stay in vocal range without squelching no matter what key the band is playing in. Nowadays artist who make money solely off their voice will take breaks from touring for no other reason other then to rest their vocal chords. I know time alone and usual wear and tear takes its toll. Steve Perry no longer has the range he once did nor does Peter Gabriel although some others like Daryl Hall can belt out a song and he is in his mid-70s.

Maybe Dave thought he would never return to the stage playing under the name Van Halen to larger audiences therefore he never bothered to take care of his one musical asset. That 2015 show at Red Rocks was an embarrassment hearing Dave yelp like a beached up mammal and it was Eddie who was carrying all the weight to keep the crowd entertained which he did. With that being said I'd still go to this show is Al is playing and ticket prices are reasonable. Al was rarely appreciated as a drummer outside of his own band.

I'd say the only regret I had not seeing the 2015 tour was that Ed, Al and Wolfe were all playing quite well, and were playing a lot of deeper cuts.

I'd also say Al was quite good both in 2008 and 2012.

Ed, Al and Wolfe knocked it out of the park at the 2012 gig I saw.

[Terry]

Yeah true.

But the same could be said for many of Dave's contemporaries who are still out there.

The same IS said for many of Dave's contemporaries out there: I'm saying it! ; )

These aging, wheezing classic rock bands are on the whole too old to get it up.

Had to ask myself several years back, why am I continuing to pay good money for substandard performances? For the privilege of being in the vicinity of 'living legends'?

Fuck 'em. Let others fund their golden years.

[Seshmeister]

Betcha you didn't know Byrne is Scottish


It's true. Just ask any Scottish person.

Actually I didn't know that. I see he's AC/DC Scottish™® whereby he had Scottish parents and was born in Scotland but moved to the colonies when he was a child.

[Nitro Express]

I'd say the only regret I had not seeing the 2015 tour was that Ed, Al and Wolfe were all playing quite well, and were playing a lot of deeper cuts.

I'd also say Al was quite good both in 2008 and 2012.

Ed, Al and Wolfe knocked it out of the park at the 2012 gig I saw.

VH on the last tour we’re tight. It was the best I ever saw them play. Dave was in great physical condition but age has taken it’s toll on his voice. It was crapping out on him the whole show but I didn’t buy a ticket to see a front man. I bought a ticket to see a guitar legend tear it up which he did with a big smile on his face. That was the happiest I ever saw Ed Van Halen live and I saw that band plenty of times over the years.

[Heater]

VH on the last tour we’re tight. It was the best I ever saw them play. Dave was in great physical condition but age has taken it’s toll on his voice. It was crapping out on him the whole show but I didn’t buy a ticket to see a front man. I bought a ticket to see a guitar legend tear it up which he did with a big smile on his face. That was the happiest I ever saw Ed Van Halen live and I saw that band plenty of times over the years.

I saw them on their final tour, got second row seats day of show. The band WAS tight, Ed played flawlessly but he looked like he was on auto-pilot. There was minimal interaction between them, and most of it looked forced. Dave was fair to poor but probably did not care….he was on stage in front of 20 some thousand people, that’s all he was ever after.

[Terry]

VH on the last tour we’re tight. It was the best I ever saw them play. Dave was in great physical condition but age has taken it’s toll on his voice. It was crapping out on him the whole show but I didn’t buy a ticket to see a front man. I bought a ticket to see a guitar legend tear it up which he did with a big smile on his face. That was the happiest I ever saw Ed Van Halen live and I saw that band plenty of times over the years.

Yeah, in retrospect it wouldn't have been altogether terrible to have seen the show I could have on the last tour, strictly from an instrumental point of view.

The thing of it for me, though, was that I'd already seen a VH Mach 4 show in 2012 where Roth's voice was crapping out off and on the entire show: the Van Halens were in great form, but Dave's voice was awful to the point where it was detracting from the rest of it. So, when it came to the 2015 show, I didn't want to bother repeating the 2012 experience again. It was just time for me to admit that Van Halen wasn't worth seeing in person anymore...it wasn't worth making the effort to purchase tickets and physically go to the ampitheater and watch/listen to it, because the band were no longer capable of firing on all cylinders.

I mean, some people were evidently able to put Roth's live vocal shortcomings to one side and enjoy that tour anyway. And that's fine...for them. Like I said, with Roth's voice so strained and off-key, I didn't have a particularly pleasurable experience in 2012: Ed played great, Alex played great, Wolfgang played well...there were a few instrumental flashes here and there that lived up to the legend. So, when 2015 came around, it was going to be more of the same, and for me going to a rock concert should be a pleasurable experience, you know?

[Von Halen]

VH on the last tour we’re tight. It was the best I ever saw them play.

The best you ever saw them play? I'm guessing you never saw them from '78-'84 then.

[Terry]

The best you ever saw them play? I'm guessing you never saw them from '78-'84 then.

I'd have to agree, in that with all 3 of the Roth tours of the 2000s it was never really a case of the entire band firing on all cylinders.

Ed was erratic on the 2007-2008 tour.

Dave was erratic after the 2007-2008 tour.