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Official August 11 Hartford, CT, Xfinity Center Meetup/Review Thread
Official August 11 Hartford, CT, Xfinity Center Meetup/Review Thread
Welcome to the Official August 11 Hartford, CT, Xfinity Center Meetup/Review Thread. This thread is to discuss anything leading up to the show, as well as all reviews.
Let's hear it !!
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 Roth
Van Halen played for more than two hours on Tuesday night at the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford
Concert Review: Van Halen rocks at Xfinity Theatre in Hartford
Special to The Republican By Donnie Moorhouse | Special to The Republican
on August 12, 2015 at 12:53 AM, updated August 12, 2015 at 1:04 AM
HARTFORD _ The reports of David Lee Roth's demise have been slightly exaggerated.
The "singer" fronted Van Halen at the Xfinity Theatre on Tuesday night, performing 25 songs over the course of a two hour and 15 minute set. It was fast and furious as the group walked out to "Light Up the Sky" and ripped through 19 songs before even slowing down to take a breath.
In some respects, David Lee Roth has had a tougher summer than Tom Brady. From Van Halen's tour announcement performance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in the spring right through to the band's stop in New Jersey on Monday night, Roth has been taking critical shrapnel about his reedy, declining vocals.
While it is true that he falls short on the high notes, there was little evidence during the Hartford stop that Roth isn't capable of continuing to front this band and provide VH fans with a representative rock experience.
It doesn't hurt that Roth is backed by "the best rock band in the business" as he would describe the ensemble of guitar god Eddie Van Halen, his son Wolfgang on bass, and brother Alex on drums. The trio certainly carried the day with a relentless and pummeling delivery.
Through "Running with the Devil," and "Feel Your Love Tonite" the blistering power trio backed Roth as he flitted around the stage like a game show host rousting the studio audience for the grand prize giveaway.
Roth changed costumes more than Cher, with jackets that ranged from sequined to satin and flamboyant scarves that he twirled overhead. He soaked up the spotlight wherever it spilled over on the stage.
The pace was so frenetic that it seemed the band was either trying to wear Roth down or prove that the veterans could hang with Wolfgang, the 24 year-old bass player.
Roth never wavered and the band played on.
"Somebody Get Me a Doctor" from the band's 1979 "Van Halen II" release saw Eddie Van Halen jamming side by side with his son while "Little Guitars" provided Van Halen and Roth, whose frosty relationship is legendary, an opportunity to play off each other.
If Roth faltered at all it was during "Dance the Night Away" as the upper register eluded him and he semi-talked his way through the chorus. He found his voice on "Hot for Teacher," and then miss-stepped again on "In a Simple Rhyme" forgetting the words at the outset.
Eddie Van Halen utilized every knob, pedal, string, and switch available to him for his 9-minute solo which served as a precursor to the Kink's cover "You Really Got Me." The band finished up with "Panama" and skipped the formality of a stage-exit-return-for-encore by sliding right into "Jump."
Kenny Wayne Shepherd opened the show with a 40 minute set.
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 Roth
Strange when 87% of a review is about DLR. This guy is a bit more on his side than others, but to only say about Ed, "Eddie Van Halen utilized every knob, pedal, string, and switch available to him for his 9-minute solo which served as a precursor to..." I mean, that's just weird.
Why do all critics knock costume change rather than applaud it? Is a show not visual? Maybe Ed and or Wolf could come out with different shirts after Al's drum solo. Liven their own presence up a bit. I'm a jeans and t-shirt guy too, but I'm also working in a windowless room 8 hours a day, not performing to thousands a night.
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