Alright folks....This is a long. long post. Please forgive me.
I been a DLR/CVH fan for twenty years and I've seen Dave 5 times in the past. So heres the review for the New Years Show.
Got to Universal right on time and landed about fourth row stage right, right in front of Toshi and next to the one loud ass speaker. My ears are still ringing. The band plays the overture and out pops our hero. Wearing a long sleeve buttin down and electric blue, quilted spandex pants. Dave was twirling the microphone like he was some kind of gunslinger. Bad Ass. Little movement, but bad ass. I kinda was disturbed because his pants were so tight I saw the outline of his schwartz (head and shaft) on the pants. If I was into that that would be one thing, but dude....gross. Plus his is 50. Dave looked more like Neil Diamond, than Diamond Dave. Dave needs a major makeover a'la Vince Neil. He needs to update the color (a little too fake brown looking.) Dave had a little pot belly and looked....stocky. Not the rail thin bad ass, with the 6 pack and the obliques of 82, more like.....Neil Diamond. Sorry. His kicks are done. He was going to kick, so he raised his knee and then motioned "forget it." I know. he's 50. At least he had the good sense not to take off his shirt. I've heard the boots for the Japan, Tacoma and Stubbs Barbeque. I feel like I know Dave's show as good as he does, banter, phrasing and song choice. Nothing changed.
"look at all the people here tonight!"
"The hell with Disney World, this is the happiest place on earth."
The whole Jack Daniels thing with the girl on the front row.
"Make's me wanna reach down between your legs."
"Play you white mother fucker"
"This is the pledge of alligiance...no it's the national anthem."
etc
I literally freaked the people around me when I was singing and saying the banter along with David. The set list was almost exactly the same, there were some changes for the fireworks, but almost identical. Dave need to reanalyze and rehearse off stage. I get the feeling that these guys rehearse on stage, since they tour so sporadically, hence why the setlist is the same. There are a ton a great openers to start the show than do have to be HFT. "I'm The One" "Unchained" "On Fire" "Romeo Delight" For the first time in years he's got the band to do it. Brian and Ray have the tone solid. Ray is the drummer AVH was 15 years ago. Awesome. Note to Dave, chuck Shoo Bop and even worse chuck Eruption. It makes it seem like a EVH tribute band. Not cool. C'mon Dave you're better than that. Another thing my friend who went to see the Sam and Dave tour with me had a great observation. Daves pacing of the show then and now is the same..relentless. No slow songs. (like Little Dreamer, Women and Children First.) You leave the show punch drunk. Not stoked like I did in Eat Em and Smile. Dave's show has become very formulaic. Even the jam in between YRGM and after SGMAD really don't change from city to city. It's great, but the same I've heard on tape. Change the encore. Please put Jump earlier and end it with You Really got Me or Everybody wants Some. Anything. You look tired of singing it. Which leads me to Dave's voice. The mother fucker can sing. He's still got it. He may not hit those high, high notes...but he's 50. Sammy can't either. Here is the thing, for the first time ever I am standing close enough to look in Dave's eyes. I realize a couple of things: 1-I am standing in front of an pop culture icon and a legend. This guy will eventually end up in the RRHOF. This guy is 80's rock personified and the keeper of the Rock and Roll flame. Like he said on the radio interview in Orlando. He is married an idea. An idea of rock and roll. 2-This guy cannot stop smiling. I don't trust people who don't stop smiling. They don't feel genuine. When I looked into his eyes, I still cannot do not know whether that smile is from the heart or is it just a costume piece. The impression I got is that he is tired. He's been working it and working it and working it for so many years for such limited results. It has to be dishearting to go out on New Years Eve in front of about 1,000 people, compared to 40,000-100,000 people in his high point. It's got to break his heart. I almost see that Dave's love affair is gone from it. He is holding on for that one last moment of glory (which is probably with VH) so he can ride off into the airbriushed sunset on a high note rhinocerus. He doesn't do it for the fans, he does it for the glory and himself. If he did for us, he'd have a great website, record great albums (Sorry Diamond Dave ain't one) and do things with us in mind. He does it for that last great adventure. The comeback. I looked into his eyes and I feel like he's lost his way and he frankly can't find the way out. When he sang Gigalo it seemed, he sang "I Ain't got Nobody!" he meant it. That song affected me in the concert, because I am going through similar things right now. (I am in the middle of a nasty divorce and feel alone and not appreciated.) When I looked at him I felt the same way. Not like my teenage hero, but as a human. Now if he did that more and put it into the music, maybe he'd find the way. DAve just be yourself. God bless you and thank you David Lee. God bless ya'
Alex
I been a DLR/CVH fan for twenty years and I've seen Dave 5 times in the past. So heres the review for the New Years Show.
Got to Universal right on time and landed about fourth row stage right, right in front of Toshi and next to the one loud ass speaker. My ears are still ringing. The band plays the overture and out pops our hero. Wearing a long sleeve buttin down and electric blue, quilted spandex pants. Dave was twirling the microphone like he was some kind of gunslinger. Bad Ass. Little movement, but bad ass. I kinda was disturbed because his pants were so tight I saw the outline of his schwartz (head and shaft) on the pants. If I was into that that would be one thing, but dude....gross. Plus his is 50. Dave looked more like Neil Diamond, than Diamond Dave. Dave needs a major makeover a'la Vince Neil. He needs to update the color (a little too fake brown looking.) Dave had a little pot belly and looked....stocky. Not the rail thin bad ass, with the 6 pack and the obliques of 82, more like.....Neil Diamond. Sorry. His kicks are done. He was going to kick, so he raised his knee and then motioned "forget it." I know. he's 50. At least he had the good sense not to take off his shirt. I've heard the boots for the Japan, Tacoma and Stubbs Barbeque. I feel like I know Dave's show as good as he does, banter, phrasing and song choice. Nothing changed.
"look at all the people here tonight!"
"The hell with Disney World, this is the happiest place on earth."
The whole Jack Daniels thing with the girl on the front row.
"Make's me wanna reach down between your legs."
"Play you white mother fucker"
"This is the pledge of alligiance...no it's the national anthem."
etc
I literally freaked the people around me when I was singing and saying the banter along with David. The set list was almost exactly the same, there were some changes for the fireworks, but almost identical. Dave need to reanalyze and rehearse off stage. I get the feeling that these guys rehearse on stage, since they tour so sporadically, hence why the setlist is the same. There are a ton a great openers to start the show than do have to be HFT. "I'm The One" "Unchained" "On Fire" "Romeo Delight" For the first time in years he's got the band to do it. Brian and Ray have the tone solid. Ray is the drummer AVH was 15 years ago. Awesome. Note to Dave, chuck Shoo Bop and even worse chuck Eruption. It makes it seem like a EVH tribute band. Not cool. C'mon Dave you're better than that. Another thing my friend who went to see the Sam and Dave tour with me had a great observation. Daves pacing of the show then and now is the same..relentless. No slow songs. (like Little Dreamer, Women and Children First.) You leave the show punch drunk. Not stoked like I did in Eat Em and Smile. Dave's show has become very formulaic. Even the jam in between YRGM and after SGMAD really don't change from city to city. It's great, but the same I've heard on tape. Change the encore. Please put Jump earlier and end it with You Really got Me or Everybody wants Some. Anything. You look tired of singing it. Which leads me to Dave's voice. The mother fucker can sing. He's still got it. He may not hit those high, high notes...but he's 50. Sammy can't either. Here is the thing, for the first time ever I am standing close enough to look in Dave's eyes. I realize a couple of things: 1-I am standing in front of an pop culture icon and a legend. This guy will eventually end up in the RRHOF. This guy is 80's rock personified and the keeper of the Rock and Roll flame. Like he said on the radio interview in Orlando. He is married an idea. An idea of rock and roll. 2-This guy cannot stop smiling. I don't trust people who don't stop smiling. They don't feel genuine. When I looked into his eyes, I still cannot do not know whether that smile is from the heart or is it just a costume piece. The impression I got is that he is tired. He's been working it and working it and working it for so many years for such limited results. It has to be dishearting to go out on New Years Eve in front of about 1,000 people, compared to 40,000-100,000 people in his high point. It's got to break his heart. I almost see that Dave's love affair is gone from it. He is holding on for that one last moment of glory (which is probably with VH) so he can ride off into the airbriushed sunset on a high note rhinocerus. He doesn't do it for the fans, he does it for the glory and himself. If he did for us, he'd have a great website, record great albums (Sorry Diamond Dave ain't one) and do things with us in mind. He does it for that last great adventure. The comeback. I looked into his eyes and I feel like he's lost his way and he frankly can't find the way out. When he sang Gigalo it seemed, he sang "I Ain't got Nobody!" he meant it. That song affected me in the concert, because I am going through similar things right now. (I am in the middle of a nasty divorce and feel alone and not appreciated.) When I looked at him I felt the same way. Not like my teenage hero, but as a human. Now if he did that more and put it into the music, maybe he'd find the way. DAve just be yourself. God bless you and thank you David Lee. God bless ya'
Alex
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