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1984 by Malcolm Dome
From CLASSIC ROCK Issue #64 March 2004
For those who missed it the first time around.......
It was VANCOUVER, MAY 1984, and VAN HALEN were in town One of the biggest bands in the world; their commercial powers, it would seem, having reached hithero uncharted heights. A moment in history. Yet also a somewhat surprising turning point: not so much the triumph of the band as the dominance of an individual. It was here that I first realized Van Halen simply could not go forward as they were, because DAVID LEE ROTH was effortlessly casting a shadow over their future.
I was in town to spend some time with Swiss cuckoos Krokus as they worked with producer Bruce Fairbairn on their new album "The Blitz". I was on assignment for KERRANG! which of itself meant there was a problem when the Krokus caucus mentioned that we were all going to see VAN HALEN on May 1st at the Pacific Coliseum. Why? Kerrang! had just published a gossipy, throwaway story of DAVID LEE ROTH's alleged antics with Alex Van Halen's wife on the latter's wedding night, and how Eddie Van Halen had mistakenly thought we'd been referring to shenanigans between Diamond Dave and his own wife, and...well, the whole thing got messy, leading to reports reaching then Kerrang! editor Geoff Barton that ANY Van Halen welcome for Kerrang! could certainly be warm---too warm.
So I shuffled along to the show, disguised in the office executive beard and shades, hoping the "K" word wouldn't pass anyone's lips in the wrong company. BUt by the end of the night, that was the last thing on my mind. I was simply stunned by two things: firstly, the astonishing, hysterical reaction VAN HALEN received from the 20,000 crazy Canadians. And, secondly, how Van HAlen live had become the all-singing, all-dancing DAVID LEE ROTH circus. On stage, Diamond Dave dominated, as the other band members shrank ever more into the background. PArt Chaplin, part Nureyev, part Elvis, part BUgs Bunny, Roth left everyone dumbfounded with his charisma, control, energy and nerve. It was, I mumbled to Krokus vocalist Marc Storace, as if we'd just witnessed a DAVID LEE ROTH solo performance. We were heading backstage at the time, both of us all too aware that walls have ears, as do attentive security hogs, so we were careful not to voice such opinions too vociferously for fear of upsetting the Van Halen brothers and bassist michael Anthony, the other three quarters of the band who, that fateful evening, seemed to represent only about 20% of the whole.
But if what had paraded on stage was effectively an ersatz band, that was nothing when compared to the sight that greeted us backstage. IN what had been designated a "party zone", Roth had set up speakers in each corner of the room and was acting as MC, DJ, barman and general Bon Viveur. Roth chose the music---which proved to be a broad cross-section of sounds old nad new---and was loudly demanding everyone's attention. Scantily-clad young ladies flossed in and out of the room; before being whisked off into a far-flung corner. Drinks were flowing at a frightening rate, with bottles of Jack Daniel's being knocked back as if a flotilla of thirsty vampires had just discovered bourbon was a damned sight better for the complextion than rhesus negative. And through it all, Roth simply did what he did(what he does?) best: commandeered the spotlight. The man was an in-your-face persona on stilts in a room full of shy, retiring metaphorical dwarves.
So far, so predictable. But this was far from a happy camp. Drummer Alex Van Halen wasn't anywhere to be seen; he never even made a fleeting diplomatic appearance. Micheal Anthony came into the room for all of 30 seconds, flashing a smile that was about as sunny as Bolton on a January afternoon. And Eddie Van Halen sat in one corner, huddled over a drink of indeterminate vintage, while occasionally muttering to band manager Noel Monk. Was this really a band that had just taken the mainstream by the seat of its pants and given it a severe hard rocking? Why was it that only Roth looked as if he was having a ball?(and after all, I suppose it was his ball.)
After about 45 minutes of watching the Roth cavalcade in full swing, I ambled nonchalantly over (well, as nonchalantly as one can when backstage with a band whose very name dripped with gold and platinum discs) and talked briefly to Eddie Van Halen. The conversation went something like this:
"Hello Eddie. You must be pleased with tonight's show?"
"Yeah."
"Great crowd reaction."
"hmmmm."
"Interesting stage set."
Shrug of the shoulders.
"Are you coming over to tour the UK this time?"
"Dunno. Depends on the "walking ego"..."
At this point Noel Monk jumped into the conversation, fully aware that the "walking ego" description was aimed in Roth's direction and anxious to deflect any damage; it was tantamount to washing dirty spandex in a very public situation. But Eddie's comment was the only time in this rather one-sided 'chat' that the guitarist had been anything other than indifferent. And it immediately cemented my belief that here was a band on the verge of a seismic split. Soon after, Eddie made his excuses and left the party."
Stay tuned.......
To be continued........very soon.........
For those who missed it the first time around.......
It was VANCOUVER, MAY 1984, and VAN HALEN were in town One of the biggest bands in the world; their commercial powers, it would seem, having reached hithero uncharted heights. A moment in history. Yet also a somewhat surprising turning point: not so much the triumph of the band as the dominance of an individual. It was here that I first realized Van Halen simply could not go forward as they were, because DAVID LEE ROTH was effortlessly casting a shadow over their future.
I was in town to spend some time with Swiss cuckoos Krokus as they worked with producer Bruce Fairbairn on their new album "The Blitz". I was on assignment for KERRANG! which of itself meant there was a problem when the Krokus caucus mentioned that we were all going to see VAN HALEN on May 1st at the Pacific Coliseum. Why? Kerrang! had just published a gossipy, throwaway story of DAVID LEE ROTH's alleged antics with Alex Van Halen's wife on the latter's wedding night, and how Eddie Van Halen had mistakenly thought we'd been referring to shenanigans between Diamond Dave and his own wife, and...well, the whole thing got messy, leading to reports reaching then Kerrang! editor Geoff Barton that ANY Van Halen welcome for Kerrang! could certainly be warm---too warm.
So I shuffled along to the show, disguised in the office executive beard and shades, hoping the "K" word wouldn't pass anyone's lips in the wrong company. BUt by the end of the night, that was the last thing on my mind. I was simply stunned by two things: firstly, the astonishing, hysterical reaction VAN HALEN received from the 20,000 crazy Canadians. And, secondly, how Van HAlen live had become the all-singing, all-dancing DAVID LEE ROTH circus. On stage, Diamond Dave dominated, as the other band members shrank ever more into the background. PArt Chaplin, part Nureyev, part Elvis, part BUgs Bunny, Roth left everyone dumbfounded with his charisma, control, energy and nerve. It was, I mumbled to Krokus vocalist Marc Storace, as if we'd just witnessed a DAVID LEE ROTH solo performance. We were heading backstage at the time, both of us all too aware that walls have ears, as do attentive security hogs, so we were careful not to voice such opinions too vociferously for fear of upsetting the Van Halen brothers and bassist michael Anthony, the other three quarters of the band who, that fateful evening, seemed to represent only about 20% of the whole.
But if what had paraded on stage was effectively an ersatz band, that was nothing when compared to the sight that greeted us backstage. IN what had been designated a "party zone", Roth had set up speakers in each corner of the room and was acting as MC, DJ, barman and general Bon Viveur. Roth chose the music---which proved to be a broad cross-section of sounds old nad new---and was loudly demanding everyone's attention. Scantily-clad young ladies flossed in and out of the room; before being whisked off into a far-flung corner. Drinks were flowing at a frightening rate, with bottles of Jack Daniel's being knocked back as if a flotilla of thirsty vampires had just discovered bourbon was a damned sight better for the complextion than rhesus negative. And through it all, Roth simply did what he did(what he does?) best: commandeered the spotlight. The man was an in-your-face persona on stilts in a room full of shy, retiring metaphorical dwarves.
So far, so predictable. But this was far from a happy camp. Drummer Alex Van Halen wasn't anywhere to be seen; he never even made a fleeting diplomatic appearance. Micheal Anthony came into the room for all of 30 seconds, flashing a smile that was about as sunny as Bolton on a January afternoon. And Eddie Van Halen sat in one corner, huddled over a drink of indeterminate vintage, while occasionally muttering to band manager Noel Monk. Was this really a band that had just taken the mainstream by the seat of its pants and given it a severe hard rocking? Why was it that only Roth looked as if he was having a ball?(and after all, I suppose it was his ball.)
After about 45 minutes of watching the Roth cavalcade in full swing, I ambled nonchalantly over (well, as nonchalantly as one can when backstage with a band whose very name dripped with gold and platinum discs) and talked briefly to Eddie Van Halen. The conversation went something like this:
"Hello Eddie. You must be pleased with tonight's show?"
"Yeah."
"Great crowd reaction."
"hmmmm."
"Interesting stage set."
Shrug of the shoulders.
"Are you coming over to tour the UK this time?"
"Dunno. Depends on the "walking ego"..."
At this point Noel Monk jumped into the conversation, fully aware that the "walking ego" description was aimed in Roth's direction and anxious to deflect any damage; it was tantamount to washing dirty spandex in a very public situation. But Eddie's comment was the only time in this rather one-sided 'chat' that the guitarist had been anything other than indifferent. And it immediately cemented my belief that here was a band on the verge of a seismic split. Soon after, Eddie made his excuses and left the party."
Stay tuned.......
To be continued........very soon.........
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