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Van Halen Reunion Tour Worth 9-year Wait
NEWS & RECORD (Greensboro, NC)
June 13, 2004 Sunday GREENSBORO EDITION
BY JEFFREY HAHNE Staff Writer
It may have taken nine long years for Sammy Hagar to reunite with Van Halen for a world tour, but judging by the reactions on Friday night it was worth the wait.
For two hours at the Greensboro Coliseum, Van Halen ripped through 23 songs, including a three-song encore.
While the band Silvertide did its best to warm up the crowd of 12,107, it was the main act that had the crowd on its feet.
After a big "Hello baby!" from Hagar, the band kicked off their set with "Jump." Hagar, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and yellow pants, ran around the circle-shaped stage as all in the band smiled and genuinely enjoyed themselves.
The backdrop of the set featured a large video screen that showed live footage of the band as well as random videos and graphics.
Hagar signed autographs throughout the night and on a few occasions asked, "Are we having fun yet?"
The set list ranged from the classics to a few new songs. "Runaround," "Up for Breakfast" and "Poundcake" highlighted the first 30 minutes of the show.
Alex Van Halen made use of his expansive drum set during a five-minute solo before the band played "Top of the World."
Hagar also had a moment in the spotlight to perform two songs on his own - the first of which, "Eagles Fly," was dedicated to Ray Charles, who died this week.
Smiles were on the faces of all band members for most of the night as they did their best to interact with the crowd and shake hands.
While the sound was a little loud and overpowering at times, the crowd sang along for most of the night.
The most emotional moment of the night came during Eddie Van Halen's guitar solo. While playing for 10 minutes, Van Halen displayed his fretboard prowess and mouthed the words, "I'm having fun."
When the solo ended, the crowd simply chanted "Eddie! Eddie!" The shirtless Van Halen was visibly moved and said, "Thank you! You made me cry!"
Hagar was next seen on a walkway high above the stage to sing "Dreams."
During the final pre-encore song, "Right Now," a large video screen on the stage showed an updated version of the band's classic video to incorporate images of Sept. 11-related messages and President Bush.
The band gathered, hugged and kissed as they walked off stage. It was visible that they were happy to be reunited, and the show was a great reminder of their accomplishments.
Hagar called the evening a "humbling experience" as the band returned for its three-song encore and added, "It can't get better than this."
The band tore through a version of "Panama" that Hagar has truly made his own. After telling the audience, "And we ain't done yet!" the band played "When It's Love."
After Michael Anthony said, "It's great to be back," a still emotional Eddie Van Halen walked back to the mike and said, "Thank you for the best day of my life," before the band left for the night.
For all in attendance, it was a memorable experience that showed Van Halen still has what it takes to entertain.
Van Halen makes triumphant return in Greensboro
By Brian Rose, Times-News
GREENSBORO - The rock 'n roll world felt a jolt Friday night, and it's been a long time coming.
Van Halen is back, and like lead singer Sammy Hagar sings in the song "Poundcake," the band still is "cooking it like an old-time, long-lost recipe."
Perhaps the gigantic time-bomb replica above the stage should have been an early indication of things to come, because Van Halen simply exploded on the 11,000-plus fans at the Greensboro Coliseum.
In opening with its 1984 smash "Jump," Van Halen answered two questions right off the bat: 1) Hagar would be singing the songs made famous by former lead singer David Lee Roth (who left in 1985 and has had strained relations with the band), and 2) at age 50 and after beating cancer, guitarist Eddie Van Halen still leaps across the stage and plays with fury and tenacity.
Friday night's concert was great for all the right reasons.
Not only did Van Halen play the songs that have helped sell more than 50 million albums worldwide ("Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," "Panama," "When It's Love," "Right Now," and more), the band simply looked and felt like they were back in its element - playing in front of a raucous live audience, especially after eight years apart.
Bassist Michael Anthony continually pumped his fists in the air after each song, seemingly telling everyone "Oh, yeah: we're back," while Hagar kept a wide-faced grin the entire night.
"This is such a humbling experience," Hagar told the crowd between songs. "What a way to start a tour, Greensboro. It doesn't get any better than this."
Greensboro marked the first stop on a nationwide, summer-long tour. Band members and stage crew actually made it into town a week ahead of time to construct the stage and fine-tune the set list through dress rehearsals.
Drummer Alex Van Halen said before the tour that the entire show would be "over the top," and it was. The stage resembled a sideways figure eight, with fans in between the two loops.
Hagar romped around the stage throughout the night and climbed a staircase to perform "Top of the World" in front of the time bomb, which actually housed a giant video screen. He even ascended to a catwalk that extended out above the audience to perform "Dreams."
The crowd spent a good portion of the night chanting, "Eddie, Eddie," and the guitarist didn't disappoint. His two-hand fretwork on "Eruption" sent everyone into a frenzy.
"Thanks so much for sticking with us for all these years," Hagar told the crowd. "We've had our ups and downs, but this ... " - he paused to acknowledge the fans - "this is really special."
The tour continues through the end of September all across the United States, and on July 20, Van Halen will release "The Best of Both Worlds," a two-disc greatest hits collection with three new tracks
NEWS & RECORD (Greensboro, NC)
June 13, 2004 Sunday GREENSBORO EDITION
BY JEFFREY HAHNE Staff Writer
It may have taken nine long years for Sammy Hagar to reunite with Van Halen for a world tour, but judging by the reactions on Friday night it was worth the wait.
For two hours at the Greensboro Coliseum, Van Halen ripped through 23 songs, including a three-song encore.
While the band Silvertide did its best to warm up the crowd of 12,107, it was the main act that had the crowd on its feet.
After a big "Hello baby!" from Hagar, the band kicked off their set with "Jump." Hagar, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and yellow pants, ran around the circle-shaped stage as all in the band smiled and genuinely enjoyed themselves.
The backdrop of the set featured a large video screen that showed live footage of the band as well as random videos and graphics.
Hagar signed autographs throughout the night and on a few occasions asked, "Are we having fun yet?"
The set list ranged from the classics to a few new songs. "Runaround," "Up for Breakfast" and "Poundcake" highlighted the first 30 minutes of the show.
Alex Van Halen made use of his expansive drum set during a five-minute solo before the band played "Top of the World."
Hagar also had a moment in the spotlight to perform two songs on his own - the first of which, "Eagles Fly," was dedicated to Ray Charles, who died this week.
Smiles were on the faces of all band members for most of the night as they did their best to interact with the crowd and shake hands.
While the sound was a little loud and overpowering at times, the crowd sang along for most of the night.
The most emotional moment of the night came during Eddie Van Halen's guitar solo. While playing for 10 minutes, Van Halen displayed his fretboard prowess and mouthed the words, "I'm having fun."
When the solo ended, the crowd simply chanted "Eddie! Eddie!" The shirtless Van Halen was visibly moved and said, "Thank you! You made me cry!"
Hagar was next seen on a walkway high above the stage to sing "Dreams."
During the final pre-encore song, "Right Now," a large video screen on the stage showed an updated version of the band's classic video to incorporate images of Sept. 11-related messages and President Bush.
The band gathered, hugged and kissed as they walked off stage. It was visible that they were happy to be reunited, and the show was a great reminder of their accomplishments.
Hagar called the evening a "humbling experience" as the band returned for its three-song encore and added, "It can't get better than this."
The band tore through a version of "Panama" that Hagar has truly made his own. After telling the audience, "And we ain't done yet!" the band played "When It's Love."
After Michael Anthony said, "It's great to be back," a still emotional Eddie Van Halen walked back to the mike and said, "Thank you for the best day of my life," before the band left for the night.
For all in attendance, it was a memorable experience that showed Van Halen still has what it takes to entertain.
Van Halen makes triumphant return in Greensboro
By Brian Rose, Times-News
GREENSBORO - The rock 'n roll world felt a jolt Friday night, and it's been a long time coming.
Van Halen is back, and like lead singer Sammy Hagar sings in the song "Poundcake," the band still is "cooking it like an old-time, long-lost recipe."
Perhaps the gigantic time-bomb replica above the stage should have been an early indication of things to come, because Van Halen simply exploded on the 11,000-plus fans at the Greensboro Coliseum.
In opening with its 1984 smash "Jump," Van Halen answered two questions right off the bat: 1) Hagar would be singing the songs made famous by former lead singer David Lee Roth (who left in 1985 and has had strained relations with the band), and 2) at age 50 and after beating cancer, guitarist Eddie Van Halen still leaps across the stage and plays with fury and tenacity.
Friday night's concert was great for all the right reasons.
Not only did Van Halen play the songs that have helped sell more than 50 million albums worldwide ("Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," "Panama," "When It's Love," "Right Now," and more), the band simply looked and felt like they were back in its element - playing in front of a raucous live audience, especially after eight years apart.
Bassist Michael Anthony continually pumped his fists in the air after each song, seemingly telling everyone "Oh, yeah: we're back," while Hagar kept a wide-faced grin the entire night.
"This is such a humbling experience," Hagar told the crowd between songs. "What a way to start a tour, Greensboro. It doesn't get any better than this."
Greensboro marked the first stop on a nationwide, summer-long tour. Band members and stage crew actually made it into town a week ahead of time to construct the stage and fine-tune the set list through dress rehearsals.
Drummer Alex Van Halen said before the tour that the entire show would be "over the top," and it was. The stage resembled a sideways figure eight, with fans in between the two loops.
Hagar romped around the stage throughout the night and climbed a staircase to perform "Top of the World" in front of the time bomb, which actually housed a giant video screen. He even ascended to a catwalk that extended out above the audience to perform "Dreams."
The crowd spent a good portion of the night chanting, "Eddie, Eddie," and the guitarist didn't disappoint. His two-hand fretwork on "Eruption" sent everyone into a frenzy.
"Thanks so much for sticking with us for all these years," Hagar told the crowd. "We've had our ups and downs, but this ... " - he paused to acknowledge the fans - "this is really special."
The tour continues through the end of September all across the United States, and on July 20, Van Halen will release "The Best of Both Worlds," a two-disc greatest hits collection with three new tracks
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