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This has been posted on many VH related lists this afternoon. Judging form the photos, the rehearsal took place either at the Long Beach arena or the LA Sports arena. Anyway, I'll let the lucky person speak:
"First off, photos:
On Saturday night a friend of mine got me in to see a Van Halen rehearsal in Los Angeles. (I've been sworn to secrecy on certain aspects of this story, including location. Someone else may fill in the details, but it won't be me.)
Photos at: tinyurl.com/2yt2sg
We arrived to an empty arena (except for the VH staff) containing VH's full stage setup. No one from the band had arrived yet.
The stage has a runway which snakes out into the audience in a giant "S" shape, which mirrors the lighting rig above it. The "S" continues behind and above the stage so a band member can walk to the very top and be standing above Ed's rig. There's a giant video screen the width of the entire stage, but neither the screen nor the stage lights were tested tonight; only the house lights were used. (It didn't matter in the slightest.)
We arrived about an hour before the band while the crew fine-tuned the equipment. Drums were tested, guitars tuned, and pink noise blasted through the P.A. The general mood of everyone seemed very high with lots of smiles and friendly faces. Many people nodded to us and said, "hello."
Eddie was the first to arrive, and very shortly after that, Wolfgang and Alex. Valerie was with Wolf as were about five of his friends from school, I'm guessing. (They all looked the same age.) Alex and Ed spent about 15 minutes on stage noodling while Wolfie was showing his friends the venue. The three of them then met on stage and Eddie said into the P.A., "We're not opening with it, but let's play "I'm The One" just to warm up. And that they did. A funny moment occurred when Ed screwed up the bit right before they usually go acapella. He spoke into the mic, "Did I mess that up?" Wolf confirmed, "Yeah, you were late." Both were smiling.
After "I'm The One", there was a bit more noodling and then some down time as people waited for Dave. I'm not sure if he was running late or if that's just how the schedule was.
When Dave did show up, right from the start, he was all smiles. He was dressed in tight, flared out leather pants and a black/striped dress shirt.
The rest of the account is going to contain, for lack of a better word, "spoilers" of the show, including the set list, all though not in order. If you don't want to know, fair warning.
Dave addressed the crowd and treated us as if we were guests in his arena sized house. He thanked us for coming and talked about how excited he was to be here and what a "privilege and honor" it was to play with his "brutha's from another mutha." (And yes, that's a quote.) He then went on to great lengths to explain what we would be seeing tonight: that it was a rehearsal where they would be stopping and starting, testing things out, etc. (And he did this all very eloquently with many one-liners, as only Dave does.) Right before the band began, he explained, "Okay as soon as you hear the first note, that's when the curtain comes up." He did that throughout the show; stopping to tell us what we would be seeing if this were the actual concert. The constant commentary and casual asides reminded me of that story I've heard where at a concert he wanted to turn the P.A. around so that "everyone could be backstage." That's how this show felt. As if we were being let it on the secret.
The show started with "You Really Got Me." Dave was standing on the high part of the "S" stage above Alex waving a giant Red flag as the show began. Then he threw the flag down, and for the first time in over 22 years, David Lee Roth sang on stage with Eddie Van Halen.
I'd say there were only about 40-50 guests there that night who were lucky enough to get in. Most of us sat in the "5-star" section inside the loop of the "S" runway, but there wasn't even enough of us to fill it up. And there was a silly L.A.attitude amongst the crowd of" Oh-I'm-so-hip-I-don't-need-to-sit-in-the-front-row" thing going on, as if this event was an every day occurrence. (After the first song, I couldn't stay away, and moved from the 5th row to right up front, just off center towards Ed's side.) The stage setup has at least 8 speakers just for the people in the first few rows, so you don't have to worry about hearing only the echoey remnants of the main P.A. You'll get the full mix nice and loud.
But Holy God, bring earplugs.
Wolfgang did a fine job, even providing decent sounding backup vocals. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about him, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that Michael Anthony was missed. While Wolf competently filled the position, he doesn't have the same sound, either in his playing or in his voice, as Michael. It's such a shame that silly personal conflicts can't be resolved so that people can finally see the classic lineup again. I do have to say though, it's obvious how much Ed loves playing with Wolfgang. He would be all smiles when he walked over to Wolfie and after one song, stepped up to the P.A. and said, "Great job, Wolf. Great."
Over the next hour and a half or so the band played classic after classic that VH haven't done in years. The Sammy Hagar era is dead now, as far as I can tell. (All though when warming up, Eddie ran the VH-stripped drill across his guitar as if he was was starting "Poundcake", but no more than that.) I was surprised by some of the gems they brought out. I'll post the songs I remember at the end of the article, but the order will be completely wrong except for the first song and the encore.
The great thrill of the show was seeing Dave and Ed interact. If there's any animosity between them, it didn't show at all. Both were constantly smiling, and Dave often did the schtick where he holds his mic to Ed's guitar during a solo while he looks at the crowd, open mouthed in astonishment.
That's not to say that Dave didn't get pissed, however. He was standing out by the far tail of the "S" runway when, in the middle of a song, he yelled at the soundboard crew with intense anger, "TURN THE FUCKING VOCALS UP! Don't make me ask you again!" I turned to Ed to see his reaction, thinking he would be pissed at Dave's behavior, but incredibly, Ed just smiled even wider. As Dave walked past him returning to the stage, they did a mini-hi-five, low and behind each other's back. I don't know what it meant. I'm guessing it's one of those things that only makes sense to two people who have known each other for decades.
I never got to see Dave sing with Van Halen live. I got into the band in 1984 when I was 12 and didn't see them until the OU812 tour. I've seen Dave solo multiple times, but am always wonderfully caught off guard by his stage antics. He really is the clown prince of rock 'n' roll, and I say that with as much affection as I can. There's not a moment that goes by where he's not trying to entertain you, whether it be with silly facial expressions, dance moves, jokes, props or stories. He is the former 5 year old kid who ran up to every new adult and wanted to show them everything he owned and all the things he could do and wouldn't stop talking until his parents told him it was bed time. And that attitude has never quite gone away.
Thinking about the whole experience, I can't help but smile. I was going to write a few more details about the show, (like the brilliant way Dave introduces "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" or the intensity from Dave that makes "Mean Street" one of the great live VH songs) but I think it's probably better to let you all discover that for yourself.
Song list (again, not in order):"
YOU REALLY GOT ME
ROMEO DELIGHT
SOMEBODY GET ME A DOCTOR
I'M THE ONE
MEAN STREET
UNCHAINED
PRETTY WOMAN (No "Intruder.")
DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY
ICE CREAM MAN
BEAUTIFUL GIRLS
GUITAR SOLO - NOT the solo of the 2004 tour. Includes everything you want
to hear: Eruption, Cathedreal, etc.
SO THIS IS LOVE?
AND THE CRADLE WILL ROCK....
EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!
SECRETS
I'LL WAIT
RUNNIN' WITH THE DEVIL
LITTLE GUITARS
JAMIE'S CRYIN'
ATOMIC PUNK
FEEL YOUR LOVE TONIGHT
LITTLE DREAMER
ON FIRE
PANAMA
HOT FOR TEACHER
AIN'T TALKIN' 'ABOUT LOVE
ENCORE:
1984
JUMP
T.B.
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