Thats MY Van Halen!!

**Fairwrning** · 02-28-2005, 02:58 PM

My first live Van halen experence..hhmmm..
First off. I remember only being 14 yrs old..never thought Halen would come to my little town..remember hearing the radio ads for the '80 show at the cap. center in D.C..wanted to see that show so fuckin bad...
anyway..flash ahead to july 27,1981...I really only remember little bits and pieces..i remember being in so much fuckin awe..the stage was hidden by a curtain..but you could walk around the side and see behind it..i remember seeing Al's black and white striped drum kit..all the black and white banners hanging in the rafters that said "Van Halen' and " Fair Warning'...
Opened with "On fire'..remember them playing "hear about it later'..lot of rapping with the crowd..a bra flew onstage and dave made a comment about rock and roll not being the only thing big in Roanoke..
the giant VH logo in lights that came down at the end...damn..that was a great show..

**ALMOSTsaved** · 02-28-2005, 02:59 PM

You're right on Carmine. I saw VH for the first time at eleven years old on the "Fair Warning" Tour. I had a cool mother who backed me in my interest of music.

The second time I saw VH was the following year on the Diver Down "Hide Your Sheep" tour. My uncle took me. The show was flawless. The band "After The Fire" (minor hit with Der Komissar) was the unfortunate opening act. They were booed off the stage in the 3rd song because the poor bastard said, "It's good to be in New Orleans." Too bad for him we were in Biloxi, Mississippi. Needless to say, when Van Halen hit the stage with "Romeo Delight", they reached the breakdown of the song and Dave said, "Well, Biloxi it seems the opening act couldn't cut it for ya! Have no fear, Van Halen is here!" And with that he lifted his arms to display 2 "confederate flags" hanging under his arms sewed into his jacket." The crowd went nuts and the show was incredible!

3rd time I saw Van Halen was on the '84 tour. The show was great, and I'm saying this as a die hard fan, Dave could have trimmed the onstage banter just a little bit. Sometimes he talked so long it was a relief to hear the music start back up...

To me, some 22 years later, the Diver Down show was the epitome of a rock concert. Nothing I have ever seen since has given me that feeling. Fucking phenomenal.

**UGS** · 02-28-2005, 02:59 PM

Awesome thread!

To answer your question. . .there is NO BAND that does for me what CVH does.

You're lucky CR, even though you didn't get to ever see CVH, you got to be a teenager when CVH was THE BAND to listen to. I was in high school in the late nineties/early 00s, when fuckin Limp Bizkit was the "cool" thing to listen to. My buddy and I were the ONLY people in the school who felt that power of CVH that you speak of. I mean, everybody here has probably carved the =V/-/= logo into a desk, or onto a wall, or at least drawn it on all of your text books, but how many people have had to explain to morons and other misguided individuals what it actually means? "THAT'S THE VAN-FUCKING-HALEN SYMBOL, PAL!!!", even though you know they'll never get it.

Or even worse, when people respond with "Oh ya, they sing that 'Right Now song", and you have to say, "No, bitch, they sing that Mean Street song", again, even though you know they'll never get it.

I guess in a way, it made VH more of "my" band, because no one else really got it. I got it, I still do. Everyone here gets it, that's why I'm here. I look back and wonder how many of those people still like Limp Bizkit. Probably none. Do I still love my CVH? Abso-fuckin-lutely.

I've been Dave or Grave since I was twelve years old, and nothing will ever change that.

THAT....IS MY VAN HALEN!!!

**Carmine** · 02-28-2005, 03:11 PM

GREAT posts guys!

UGS...my 9 year old is doing the VH logo on everything right now!! I have totally ROTHicized him...he is now ready to take on the 4th grade...armed with the knowledge of Classic Van Halen!!

keep em comin gang...I love reading these posts....

**UGS** · 02-28-2005, 03:15 PM

Originally posted by Carmine Raguzza.
GREAT posts guys!

UGS...my 9 year old is doing the VH logo on everything right now!! I have totally ROTHicized him...he is now ready to take on the 4th grade...armed with the knowledge of Classic Van Halen!!

keep em comin gang...I love reading these posts....

Haha, that's awesome, your son's gonna turn out just fine

It's good to still see some kids with their heads on straight!

**Carmine** · 02-28-2005, 03:20 PM

Originally posted by UGS
Haha, that's awesome, your son's gonna turn out just fine

It's good to still see some kids with their heads on straight!

Thanks Bro!

**UGS** · 02-28-2005, 03:23 PM

NP!

**Carmine** · 02-28-2005, 03:50 PM

fairwrning and ALMOST...you guys are the lucky ones...you saw it LIVE!!

5 stars for both of you!!

**Romeo's Delight** · 02-28-2005, 03:53 PM

To me the Fair Warning tour was the peak of the Classic Van Halen experience.
We went to the Crapital Center in Landover Maryland, and I remember it was the same day that Charles and Diana were getting married, I couldn't believe they were making such a big deal out of that bullshit when my most favorite band was performing in my hometown.
Myself and a couple buddies played hookie at work to go to the show and when we arrived at the parking lot we run into a buddy that was into the Grateful Dead and said he just scored some killer acid, so I did 2 hits of the right stuff and drank a few brews, by the time Dave opened with On Fire I thought I died and went to heaven.
The whole show was incredible, it was so loud and man the chicks arounds were the the hottest girls I ever saw at a rock show, to sum it up in a few words......sweeeeeet
Nowadays all that is gone but I guess their tune from Diver Down
"Where have all the good times gone?" reflects the reality of today.
Thanks to all and keep the hopes up, the sisters will realize that if they wanna stay in business Dave will have to be part of the greatest band in the world again.....

**Carmine** · 02-28-2005, 03:56 PM

Originally posted by Romeo's Delight

Nowadays all that is gone but I guess their tune from Diver Down
"Where have all the good times gone?" reflects the reality of today.
Thanks to all and keep the hopes up, the sisters will realize that if they wanna stay in business Dave will have to be part of the greatest band in the world again.....

and this is part of what drives us forward...nice post Romeo's!

**Hardrock69** · 02-28-2005, 04:05 PM

Shit man there is NO BAND that does for anyone what CVH does!!!

I have never seen ANY OTHER BAND create such absolute hysteria in a live setting. I mean, 12,000 crazed rock fans roaring at the top of their lungs while stomping their feet and beating on the arena seating.

Such a riotous experience was the norm for CVH. I have never seen another crowd go so apeshit, with the exception of Dave & Co. on the EEAS Tour. And (well I guess I must admit) the VERY FIRST Van Hagar Tour.

These days, rock fans are too jaded, and rock bands are too LAME.

We will never see such insanity again, I am afraid.

I am just fortunate that I got to see CVH 4 times. Since then, I have seen Uncle Dave 4 times, and Van Hagar one and a half times.

CVH RULES ALL!!!!

**Carmine** · 02-28-2005, 04:08 PM

Originally posted by Hardrock69
and Van Hagar one and a half times.

CVH RULES ALL!!!!

one and a half?? explain...

**Carmine** · 02-28-2005, 05:21 PM

C'mon gang...there's more....

**vanzilla** · 02-28-2005, 07:10 PM

Carmine, your post says it all. I never got to see CVH live because I was only 12 back in 84. Saw Van Hagar in 86, 95, 2004. In 86 it was cool as hell, because Eddie was like a God to me. 95 was decent - I remember feeling bored. 2004 absolutely sucked ass to the point I wanted my money back! Eddie was horrible, Sammy acted like a complete dork, Mike was Mike, and Alex's drum solo was about 10 minutes too long. You could tell they were mailing it in from the parking lot.

My point here is that I've seen Dave live 4 times as well. 86, 94, 99 and 2002. I've NEVER walked away from a Dave show feeling gyped. Even when he was playing in front of 200 people at a bar in Louisville, KY he put on a kick ass show.

That's why I always wondered what it would be like seeing them together one more time. I know Dave could bring the magic back to a once mighty band. That's why I check this board and the VHND (although that's becoming a giant waste of time - who gives a shit that Mike Anthony has Hot Mustard for sell?) every day. For the slim possiblility that Ed and Al have checked their egos to have one last shot at glory. The clock's tickin' fellas; we're not gettting any younger.

Thats MY Van Halen!!

Thats MY Van Halen!!

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