Tweet
BTW, I've already emailed this guy with his "in terms of sales" comment.....
At last, Roth, Van Halen come back to Buffalo
By JEFF MIERS
POP MUSIC CRITIC
Published:
March 9, 2012, 12:00 AM
On March 22, 1984, Van Halen played a sold-out stop on its “1984” world tour in Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. Then sitting near the top of the world — its single “Jump” lurked at No. 2 on the Top 40 — the band held by many to be America’s finest hard rock outfit played a 20-song set that opened with the awesome riff heralding “Unchained,” closed with the epic “Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love,” and in between, pulled heavily from “1984.”
The gathered had no way of knowing that this would be the last time they would see David Lee Roth fronting Van Halen for nearly 30 years.
As Van Halen arrives for a show at 7:30 p.m. today in the First Niagara Center, both replacement singer Sammy Hagar’s tenure, and the Aud, are distant memories.
The argument— Roth vs. Hagar— has raged from the moment Hagar first showed up as Roth’s replacement in 1986. “Van Hagar,” as the band came to be (mostly less than kindly) referenced, had the Midas touch, commercially. With Hagar out front, Van Halen released a string of No. 1 albums that transcended the Roth era, in terms of sales.
But for many, Hagar just didn’t belong in Van Halen. His voice was, and is, incredibly strong, and his energy onstage seemingly boundless. But, almost as much as Eddie Van Halen’s peerless guitar playing and brother Alex’s John Bonham-meets-Big Band drumming defined the group’s thunderously infectious sound, so, too, did Roth’s Vaudeville-meets-Olympic gymnast stage antics and soulful, throaty yelp seem to be an integral part of Van Halen’s power.
Such conjecture has been proven intellectually sound with the release of “A Different Kind of Truth,” Van Halen’s new studio album, its first with Roth since “1984.” Reviews have been all but unanimous in praising the collection as the finest work to bear the Van Halen imprimatur since Roth flew the coop. Hagar — whose best-selling memoir, “Red,” hit the top of the New York Times list last year, at least partly due to its brutal portrayal of Eddie Van Halen — is coming across as a temporary disruption to the “real” Van Halen’s career.
Does this really matter much? No, not really. And yes, of course! For many, rock ’n’ roll minus the Roth version of Van Halen is less vibrant, less exciting, less fun. And knowing that one of the finest guitarists in rock history is back, healthy and playing at or near the peak of his powers? This, frankly, warms the soul.
Van Halen quiz
Let’s compare and contrast the Roth and Hagar eras of Van Halen. Whatever your score, remember, like Van Halen, it’s all in good fun.
The greatest Van Halen album: 1) “Van Halen I” 2) “Van Halen II” 3) “Fair Warning” 4) “OU812”
Sammy Hagar’s dirt-dishing on his former bandmate Eddie has:
1) Made you very uncomfortable, as if someone you admire has had their personal diary thrown out there for public scrutiny.
2) Convinced you that, not only can’t Hagar “Drive 55,” he also can’t keep his mouth shut when there’s a buck to be made.
3) Encouraged you to dig out your vinyl copy of Hagar’s “Three-Lock Box” album.
4) Made you reconsider your love for Eddie, and develop the opinion that Hagar is a cool and righteous dude!
“A Different Kind Of Truth” is the strongest Van Halen album since:
1) “1984”
2) “Fair Warning” 3) “Van Halen I”
4) “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge”
Chickenfoot is:
1) Like Van Halen, minus Eddie, Alex, Roth and the killer songwriting.
2) Embarrassing.
3) A passable funk-metal collective.
4) Completely and totally awesome and better than Van Halen.
Roth’s return to Van Halen is like:
1) Lazarus rolling back the rock, and then commencing to rock!
2) A blissful amnesiac’s solvent that has blotted out the Hagar years.
3)A major “who cares?” moment. 4) A reminder of just how awesome Hagar is!
Key: For every question you answered with No. 1, give yourself four points; for every No. 2, three points; for every No. 3, two points; and for every No. 4, one point.
20 points: Congratulations! You are a true Van Halen freak! See you at the show tonight!
15-19 points: I’m not sure I understand your hesitation, but hey, you’re still all right in my book. Have fun tonight!
10-14 points: Maybe you should skip the show and stay home with your Journey and Bon Jovi records.
5-9 points: Uh-oh. Check your pulse!
-----
PREVIEW
WHO: Van Halen with Kool and the Gang
WHEN: 7:30 tonight
WHERE: First Niagara Center
TICKETS: $29.50-$149.50
INFO: box office, Ticketmaster
jmiers@buffnews.com
At last, Roth, Van Halen come back to Buffalo
By JEFF MIERS
POP MUSIC CRITIC
Published:
March 9, 2012, 12:00 AM
On March 22, 1984, Van Halen played a sold-out stop on its “1984” world tour in Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. Then sitting near the top of the world — its single “Jump” lurked at No. 2 on the Top 40 — the band held by many to be America’s finest hard rock outfit played a 20-song set that opened with the awesome riff heralding “Unchained,” closed with the epic “Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love,” and in between, pulled heavily from “1984.”
The gathered had no way of knowing that this would be the last time they would see David Lee Roth fronting Van Halen for nearly 30 years.
As Van Halen arrives for a show at 7:30 p.m. today in the First Niagara Center, both replacement singer Sammy Hagar’s tenure, and the Aud, are distant memories.
The argument— Roth vs. Hagar— has raged from the moment Hagar first showed up as Roth’s replacement in 1986. “Van Hagar,” as the band came to be (mostly less than kindly) referenced, had the Midas touch, commercially. With Hagar out front, Van Halen released a string of No. 1 albums that transcended the Roth era, in terms of sales.
But for many, Hagar just didn’t belong in Van Halen. His voice was, and is, incredibly strong, and his energy onstage seemingly boundless. But, almost as much as Eddie Van Halen’s peerless guitar playing and brother Alex’s John Bonham-meets-Big Band drumming defined the group’s thunderously infectious sound, so, too, did Roth’s Vaudeville-meets-Olympic gymnast stage antics and soulful, throaty yelp seem to be an integral part of Van Halen’s power.
Such conjecture has been proven intellectually sound with the release of “A Different Kind of Truth,” Van Halen’s new studio album, its first with Roth since “1984.” Reviews have been all but unanimous in praising the collection as the finest work to bear the Van Halen imprimatur since Roth flew the coop. Hagar — whose best-selling memoir, “Red,” hit the top of the New York Times list last year, at least partly due to its brutal portrayal of Eddie Van Halen — is coming across as a temporary disruption to the “real” Van Halen’s career.
Does this really matter much? No, not really. And yes, of course! For many, rock ’n’ roll minus the Roth version of Van Halen is less vibrant, less exciting, less fun. And knowing that one of the finest guitarists in rock history is back, healthy and playing at or near the peak of his powers? This, frankly, warms the soul.
Van Halen quiz
Let’s compare and contrast the Roth and Hagar eras of Van Halen. Whatever your score, remember, like Van Halen, it’s all in good fun.
The greatest Van Halen album: 1) “Van Halen I” 2) “Van Halen II” 3) “Fair Warning” 4) “OU812”
Sammy Hagar’s dirt-dishing on his former bandmate Eddie has:
1) Made you very uncomfortable, as if someone you admire has had their personal diary thrown out there for public scrutiny.
2) Convinced you that, not only can’t Hagar “Drive 55,” he also can’t keep his mouth shut when there’s a buck to be made.
3) Encouraged you to dig out your vinyl copy of Hagar’s “Three-Lock Box” album.
4) Made you reconsider your love for Eddie, and develop the opinion that Hagar is a cool and righteous dude!
“A Different Kind Of Truth” is the strongest Van Halen album since:
1) “1984”
2) “Fair Warning” 3) “Van Halen I”
4) “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge”
Chickenfoot is:
1) Like Van Halen, minus Eddie, Alex, Roth and the killer songwriting.
2) Embarrassing.
3) A passable funk-metal collective.
4) Completely and totally awesome and better than Van Halen.
Roth’s return to Van Halen is like:
1) Lazarus rolling back the rock, and then commencing to rock!
2) A blissful amnesiac’s solvent that has blotted out the Hagar years.
3)A major “who cares?” moment. 4) A reminder of just how awesome Hagar is!
Key: For every question you answered with No. 1, give yourself four points; for every No. 2, three points; for every No. 3, two points; and for every No. 4, one point.
20 points: Congratulations! You are a true Van Halen freak! See you at the show tonight!
15-19 points: I’m not sure I understand your hesitation, but hey, you’re still all right in my book. Have fun tonight!
10-14 points: Maybe you should skip the show and stay home with your Journey and Bon Jovi records.
5-9 points: Uh-oh. Check your pulse!
-----
PREVIEW
WHO: Van Halen with Kool and the Gang
WHEN: 7:30 tonight
WHERE: First Niagara Center
TICKETS: $29.50-$149.50
INFO: box office, Ticketmaster
jmiers@buffnews.com
Sent from my LG-P505 using Tapatalk
Comment