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Told ya I was comin' back... Say you missed me... Say it like ya mean it!
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Told ya I was comin' back... Say you missed me... Say it like ya mean it!
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Review: Van Halen triumphs in Oakland
By Jim Harrington
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 06/04/2012 04:08:21 AM PDT
Updated: 06/04/2012 05:59:05 AM PDT
There was good reason to be concerned when Van Halen abruptly postponed some 30 dates on its current tour.
The band's troubled track record does, after all, speak for itself. And what it says, in summary, is that Van Halen is one of the more volatile acts in rock 'n' roll history.
It seemed like a safe assumption that the postponement -- which, thankfully, didn't delay the two Bay Area dates -- signaled there were problems brewing within the group. A clash of titanic egos made for a more plausible explanation than the one vocalist David Lee Roth provided, which was simply that Van Halen needed some time to rest. Yet even if ol' Diamond Dave was right, who wants to go see a band running on fumes?
Any worries, however, were quickly put to rest once Van Halen took the stage on Sunday at the Oracle Arena. Far from looking tired, or at odds with each other, Roth and crew delivered a thoroughly energetic, cohesive and (gulp!) professional two-hour set in Oakland. Hopefully, that will again be the case when Van Halen performs Tuesday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.
The single most striking aspect about the concert was that the band members really, truly appeared to be getting along. It could be seen in their smiles and heard in their laughter. They weren't just simply going through the motions, on their way to another substantial payday, but rather seemed fully engaged in the moment. If they were faking it, the four players -- Roth, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, bassist Wolfgang Van Halen and drummer Alex Van Halen -- deserve Oscar consideration.
Working a bare-bones stage set, with the only real prop being the massive video screen located behind the musicians, Van Halen used the opening track, "Unchained," as a kind of mission statement. The band wouldn't hold anything back as they charged through two dozen songs, ranging from the very early hits to tracks from the new album "A Different Kind of Truth."
Roth was buzzing with manic energy, acting every bit like a kid who'd just emptied out a candy store and then washed down his take with a case of Red Bull. He threw plenty of his famous roundhouse kicks, with his foot arching high above his head, and strutted like a peacock as he led the band through such exuberant fan favorites as "Runnin' With the Devil" and "Everybody Wants Some!!"
Roth proved once again that he's one of the greatest showmen in rock 'n' roll history -- and, by far, the best of the three frontmen to lead Van Halen during its 40-year career. If he'd been born in an earlier era, Roth would've surely been a song-and-dance man. At 57, he's got the moves like Jagger, a still-strong singing voice and an incredible knack for shtick and stories.
His performance is the single biggest reason why Van Halen is able to rise above some substandard material, which basically includes all of the new songs performed in Oakland. The fact that "Tattoo," a track best suited for illustrating the importance of the "skip" button on CD players, was chosen as the new album's first single probably tells you all you need to know about "A Different Kind of Truth."
Yet, it's wasn't just new cuts like "She's the Woman" and "China Town" that brought the set list down in Oakland. Even some of the old hits, like "Dance the Night Away" and "Somebody Get Me a Doctor," sounded pretty pedestrian. In general, Van Halen's songbook hasn't aged nearly as well as that belonging to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and many other classic rockers.
The band does, however, have the personnel. Alex Van Halen is a monster drummer, Wolfgang (son of Eddie) Van Halen is a more than serviceable replacement for former bassist Michael Anthony and Diamond Dave is Diamond Dave.
Then, of course, there's Eddie, who is nothing less than a magician on the frets. His signature solo on "Eruption" -- which he played late in the show on Sunday -- should be on every classic rock fan's bucket list.
Kool and the Gang -- the funk-soul-R&B band known for such '70s hits as "Jungle Boogie" and "Ladies' Night" -- was the inspired choice for Van Halen's opening act. One can only hope this will start a trend and we'll see more genre-hopping tours in the near future.Eat Us And Smile - The Originals
"I have a very belligerent enthusiasm or an enthusiastic belligerence. I’m an intellectual slut." - David Lee Roth
"We are part of the, not just the culture, but the geography. Van Halen music goes along with like fries with the burger." - David Lee RothComment
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I couldn't disagree more about the music not aging well. It's only because it DID age well that people like me became fans.Comment
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Yeah, weird that guy said that. Pink Floyd & Led Zep? Holy crap. I love those bands but they sound from the 60's & 70's. Put in any of the 6-pack & it's as fresh as yesterday. Maybe a couple tunes that sound from the 80's but majority sounds just as good and new today as back then.“Great losses often bring only a numb shock. To truly plunge a victim into misery, you must overwhelm him with many small sufferings.”Comment
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Agreed, Lou. Pretty good review otherwise, though.ROTH ARMY MILITIA
Originally posted by EAT MY ASSHOLE
Sharky sometimes needs things spelled out for him in explicit, specific detail. I used to think it was a lawyer thing, but over time it became more and more evident that he's merely someone's idiot twin.Comment
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I can't do a review to save my life but here goes. Kool and the Gang were great and really went over well with the Oakland crowd. There were a lot of empty seats when they came on but when they left the stage 45mins later the placed looked packed and everyone was dancing. I was a little concerned about Dave's voice going into this gig but he sounded really good and I don't need to tell anyone here that once he hits the stage he owns it for the rest of the night. Opened with Unchained of course and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up ,that call and response jam theyve been doing was awesome. I think most know what the set list was so I won't go over every song ,but I was surprised how great I'll Wait , Pretty Woman , Tattoo and Cradle went over. They sounded great live. She's the Woman sounded great , China Town and Trouble with Never not so much but in the middle of that one Dave did the ex girlfriend story and saved it. Ed looked like he was really enjoying Dave's antics and announced him as "David Lee Roth , the one and only Ice Cream Man" as they finished that tune. Ed was on fire all night , still playing flawlessly on this tour. Towards the end of the show HFT , Panama and ATBL really brought the house down heck we even stayed for Jump and enjoyed it . Alex and Wolf were tight and what else can be said about Dave and Ed , easily the greatest American lead singer/guitarist duo , Tyler and Perry aren't even close. A great night , my wife had a blast and I felt like I was 16 again. One last thing , I read a post here that someone tweeted that the place was gonna be about 80% full , I can't say if it was sold out but it looked packed with everyone on their feet for most of VHs set .Comment
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A couple more things , DTNA went over big time everyone was shakin their asses to that one. Daves first round house kick was at the end of Full Bug, he said "watch this hot stuff" then went airborne , awesome!Comment
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I always think Hendrix was the best, then I see this. Like I did in person a few weeks ago,and think nobody sounded like this guy .Well before him anyway. Hendrix had alot Of Albert King in him with effects on top of it. Both amazing but Eddie truly is an original. So happy he is back. BIG TIME !Comment
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Maybe I read it in here but I thought I read somewhere that they're playing the last few songs at a faster tempo than before. I'm listening to this show now (available on Dime) and I agree, they do sound faster. I really noticed it in Panama. This is not a bad thing though.Comment
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Great show although sound a bit sucky in the coliseum. Dave was great - someone threw grandma's EE size bra on stage which he and the audience got a good laugh. Ed's Eruption solo - extended version was a highlight. 4 songs from new CD along with the classics to include "Women in Love". Coliseum completely filled - great Bay Area crowd roared. Only one encore of...Jump (no surprise). Correct me if I'm wrong... no "running w/the devil".
Still not sure an R&B band compliments a VH crowd. Guys stayed in the beer lines and looked bored for the ones who did wait thru Kool & Gang's performance.
Overall, great, one left to go....next Saturday night in Los Angeles with Jay Hale. We will be sitting in VH Band's guest seats...hope they are decent. Jay will most likely post pics."Meet us in the Future.....NOT the Pasture".......DLR, August '07, VH Press Conference - Tour '07-'08Comment
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