VH Chart, Ticket Sales, Tour Success - NOT!

[gslinger]

<center>Bring On The White Women!</center>

VH-Phili-061704 - I swear Spammy gets fatter every show. He's only made one sound-check on the Tour. My contact with the Tour Crew says the standard line when the guy doesn't show up is "he's resting or he's taking a nap" Shite, he's back there shoveling food like a conehead!!!

[gslinger]

Gee in all the totally CCC-WMG influenced suck ya-yang review articles, this suck ya-yank article actually said a few nice words about Diamond. Do wonders never cease on this Tour!

[gslinger]

This is a posted editor accepted rebuttal on the website of the Hershey Chronicle in regards to their review of the Van Halen concert at HersheyPark Stadium. Gee, I guess this person didn’t pay $4.08 for a pair of VH tickets like in Phili, hunnn

------------------------

As a long time Van Halen fan, accomplished rock musician, and frequent attendee of concerts at HersheyPark, including this VH Concert, I must strongly and respectfully disagree with you review.

1...You stated, 13,000-or-so in attendance. – The attendance for the VH show was easily ½ this number you stated. The bulk of the stadium was empty. Many people didn’t even stay for the conclusion of the concert.

2...The sound throughout Van Halen’s entire set was horrible, and many times you could not tell what part of the song they were playing.

3...On many songs, the band serious sang and played out of key, was very “loose” instrumentally , missed lead in que’s, and generally sounded like they had practiced very little in preparing for this Tour

4...Eddie Van Halen sounded horrible most of the night and he looks like he is about to die, with all due respect. He would play songs in the wrong key, play his guitar totally out of tune, use numerous guitar "effects" to the point you couldn’t even discern his played notes any longer, and frankly “drowned himself” drinking booze during the entire set, which I and many others found quite offensive.

5...Most disturbing, at the beginning of the concert, Van Halen members showed a tremendous lack of professionalism by having flyers handed out to the audience which made inflammatory and derogatory remarks about their two previous frontmen, Gary Cherone and David Lee Roth. In my 18 years as an accomplished regional musician, I have NEVER seen a recognized Band stoop to this sickening and classless level, as Van Halen did this night.

6...The only thing real about Van Halen’s Reunion Tour is that it was a real way to make people $87.50 poorer who attended.

Respectfully,

N.K. Robinson

[DavidLeeNatra]

gslinger...again you are the man...you deserve your own forum here...thanx for the pic...jeeeeeeeeez...ed looks close to die from starving and sam looks like it is his fault...

[gslinger]

Thanks DavidLeeNatra!…..now if I could just figure out how to stop having to pay you $50 every time you pimp for me, I would be in good shape. Hey, I’ve got 3 pairs of front row “Eddie’s side” comped tickets for the big Van ReHash Tour, in 3 different major market venues. Could I maybe barter part of your pimp tab with those???? :-)


--------------
This current Warner Brother's Group (WMG) marketing glossy for the upcoming CD release looks just like Eddie, hunnnnn...cripes!!!!!!

[gslinger]

Gosh, doesn't take long to get pirated CD's out on this Van ReHash Tour.

[Figs]

Plenty of good seats available for next week's Meadowlands shows.

For lots of "below face" tickets, check out "Craig's List"

http://newyork.craigslist.org/cgi-bin/search?areaID=3&subAreaID=0&query=van+halen+below&cat=sss&minAsk=min&maxAsk=max

[gslinger]

Hey figs, thanks for the update. Keep it coming!!!!

Funny how Van Halen isn't playing Madison Square Gardens (MSG), hun. Know why? MSG turned Van Halen & CCC down on the offer! Haaaaaaaa. I'm not making it up, true story! But hey, Madonna's doing 4 nights at MSG starting tomorrow night. Best floor seats will cost you $304.50!

PS: I could never go see Madonna in concert, even if I liked her. Everytime I see her, I have visions of her using a 12" strap-on on Rosie O'Donnell when they were a "lovers number" and I puke day-glow green chunks!

..........where in my Rolodex is Eddie's therapists tele #, maybe he could help me too!

[gslinger]

Noticed this one in your links list Figs....

God, the person's got to be a cross-dresser or something, ouuuuuuu

-------------------

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/tix/34162562.html

Date: 2004-06-19, 2:00AM EDT


Anyone like to trade a pair of their extra Madonna tickets for a pair of my extra Van Halen tickets? I have a pair in section 103 for Van Halen's show at Continental Arena on Tuesday and a pair of floor seats in section 2 or 3 for the Wednesday show (face value is $210 each pair). Would like to trade for a pair of Madonna tickets for the Sunday or Wednesday show, thanks.

----------------

gs says >> Let's see yaaaaaaa VH tickets for $4.08 a pair on EBay, & Madonger tixs for $304.50 a pop. Got a little problem with the math pal!!!!!!!!!

[gslinger]

Some Things Never Change…..

David Letterman could change the Top 10 jokes from Bob Dole to John Kerry and use the same bit next week, …….all these years later! Presuming anybody cared to hear about Van Halen in the National media currently.

To-date, this Van ReHash Tour has still received NO National media attention or articles!

This is very strange, particularly in that CCC & WMG have buddied up with Viacom trying to keep this Tour from sinking. This subject is included in my Tour update info later this weekend.

$$$$$$$$$$$$

CBS Late Show with David Letterman


Top Ten Ways The World Would Be Different If It Were Owned By MTV – September, 8 1999
----------------------------------
10. President opens State of Union by giving "shout out to Wu Tang"
9. Instead of the Presidents, school kids must learn the lead singers of Van Halen


Top Ten Ways Bob Dole Could Still Win the Election- October 21, 1996
----------------------------------
10. New slogan: "Vote for Dole, Get a Free Blueberry Muffin"
9. Challenge Clinton to a winner-take-all game of "Yahtzee"
8. Convince the boys in Van Halen to put aside their differences and start crankin' out some more bitchin' tunes


Top Ten Ways to Make the Next Presidential Debate More Exciting – October 10, 1996
---------------------------------
10. Wire candidates up to machines so home viewers can give them electric shocks
9. In hard-rocking grand finale, Bob Dole reunites with Van Halen
8. Candidate who best defends his tax plan gets a dinette set
7. New rule: two go in, one comes out
6. More questions about lesbians
5. Give candidates choice of five podiums, one of which will explode
4. Instead of responding to tough question, candidate may elect to receive powerful head-butt from Jim Lehrer
3. Bring back the "Solid Gold" dancers!
2. Moderator required to end more questions with phrase, "You hillbilly bastard"
1. When things get boring -- turn loose the gators!

[gslinger]

<center>Heyyyy he’s back, it’s f—king Keith Richards!!!! Oh, sorry it’s just Eddie. What’s up Eddie:

“Throat cancer shiteeeeee, your meat ain’t swingin bro if you don’t have it at least 2 or 3 times” – EVH

Righteooooo, whatever you say dude…gs</center>

[Figs]

Originally posted by gslinger
Noticed this one in your links list Figs....

God, the person's got to be a cross-dresser or something, ouuuuuuu

-------------------

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/tix/34162562.html

Date: 2004-06-19, 2:00AM EDT


Anyone like to trade a pair of their extra Madonna tickets for a pair of my extra Van Halen tickets? I have a pair in section 103 for Van Halen's show at Continental Arena on Tuesday and a pair of floor seats in section 2 or 3 for the Wednesday show (face value is $210 each pair). Would like to trade for a pair of Madonna tickets for the Sunday or Wednesday show, thanks.

----------------

gs says >> Let's see yaaaaaaa VH tickets for $4.08 a pair on EBay, & Madonger tixs for $304.50 a pop. Got a little problem with the math pal!!!!!!!!!

That's person is definitely out of it.

I went onto Ticketmaster yesterday and you can still get seats in the lower level. I have a friend who's going next week. I will get a report frm her. The funny thing is I showed her the set list and she only knew one Hagar tune, and knows all the old ones. Hopefully the half filled arena will be a wake up call.

[gslinger]

According to my inside Tour contact, for the sound-check, stage performance, and then afterwards backstage, for the 5 VH concerts combined to-date, Sir Eddie’s killed off 17.5 bottles of booze. Now, that doesn't count the rest of the day, mind you!

In one of the concert videos, between songs, Eddie pulls out of his pocket, a baggie of what clearly appeared to be “little helpers”, (oh, I’m sure it was just vitamins, lol) and he got upset he couldn’t get the baggie open….ya know kinda like having withdrawal symptoms. So he threw the baggie over to a stage hand, who bit the top off it and then ran over and handed it to Eddie. Eddie scarfs it down like he hadn’t eaten in a week. In between the next song, he went to the back/side of the stage, and chugged down an easy ½ bottle of wine per a Tour crew member (I couldn't see everything on the video). All 5 concerts Eddie has thanked the fans for saving his life, sometimes getting emotional and crying.

There are several reasons for Eddie doing this Tour, which I will re-address in my Tour update tomorrow night with some new info. One reason was that Eddie’s therapist…ya know EVH says he's done 13 years of this stuff or something….told him to get his butt out of the house, and get busy working, before he killed himself on the booze/drugs and left Wolfgang fatherless.

Based on the aforementioned true and actual “on the road” facts, I don’ttttttt think the therapist’s ideas are working too well.

------------
Show Close-Phili: Gee Eddie can you just do the show closing bow, without lighting up a cancer stick first..ROFLOL

[gslinger]

From Figs:

I went onto Ticketmaster yesterday and you can still get seats in the lower level. I have a friend who's going next week. I will get a report from her.

GS>> Excellent!

The funny thing is I showed her the set list and she only knew one Hagar tune, and knows all the old ones. Hopefully the half filled arena will be a wake up call.

GS>> They don't want to do Van Roth era songs because then they have to pay Dave royalties. Of course Diamond will make royalties off the new CD set, but total unit sales will suck, and Dave said he only makes $.15 per unit anyway.

Secondly, Eddie says he has forgotten how to play many Van Roth era songs. I thought this was more screwing Roth BS, and some clearly is. But having heard EVH on tape during three soundchecks and other stage rehearsal work, trying to play some Roth era songs to add to the set list, the guy sounds like total crap.

If I had not heard it with my god given "tone perfect" ears, having followed this band since ’77 when I first saw them play, I would have never believed it! CCC & WMG are all over these guys butts BIG TIME to play the good Roth era tunes, because ticket sales are substantially off projections. One of my crew contacts says Eddie is practicing quite a bit on them, (when he's not too drunk where he can't or his hands aren't too sore from playing on stage) trying to get some of the Roth era songs down, so they can do them on stage.

Of course in all fairness, Sammy or Michael, cannot sing most of the Roth era classics. Hell, I have never heard ANYBODY that can sing many of Diamond songs! I’m not saying that as some pro-Roth BS here. I’m saying it as someone that very well understands music and compositional tone structure. Those songs just don’t work without Dave’s voice, even on Dave’s bad nights. It’s like someone trying to sing Steve Tyler’s classic Arrowsmith tunes. It’s impossible - It just doesn’t work. Steven and Diamond have these unique voices that cannot be replicated. – End of Discussion

Even the diehard Van Hagar fans want to hear more Van Roth era material in the set mix. If they didn’t, the crowd wouldn’t go just totally balastic when Van ReHash does Unchained, even though Michael, Sammy, & Eddie sound like crap on the vocals. I like how they have skipped Dave’s “talk-though bridge” on Unchained, lol.

These guys have their back against the wall on this deal, and obviously did very little rehearsal preparation for this Tour. They are just winging it as they go!

[Figs]

Originally posted by gslinger


>> They don't want to do Van Roth era songs because then they have to pay Dave royalties. Of course Diamond will make royalties off the new CD set, but total unit sales will suck, and Dave said he only makes $.15 per unit anyway.

The new CD is extremely lame. Anyone who wanted a "best of" got one in 1996. Who wants the new crap, and the live versions of Sammy singing Dave songs is the most petty move since Eric Carr sang "Beth" on Kiss' "Smashes" collection.


>>Of course in all fairness, Sammy or Michael, cannot sing most of the Roth era classics. Hell, I have never heard ANYBODY that can sing many of Diamond songs! I’m not saying that as some pro-Roth BS here. I’m saying it as someone that very well understands music and compositional tone structure. Those songs just don’t work without Dave’s voice, even on Dave’s bad nights. It’s like someone trying to sing Steve Tyler’s classic Arrowsmith tunes. It’s impossible - It just doesn’t work. Steven and Diamond have these unique voices that cannot be replicated. – End of Discussion

I know what you mean. Just because you hit the same notes doesn't mean it sounds the same or as good. It reminds me of Ronnie James Dio singing Ozzy's tunes with Black Sabbath. He's got a great voice, but do you really want to hear him sing those songs? No.


>> Even the diehard Van Hagar fans want to hear more Van Roth era material in the set mix. If they didn’t, the crowd wouldn’t go just totally balastic when Van ReHash does Unchained, even though Michael, Sammy, & Eddie sound like crap on the vocals. I like how they have skipped Dave’s “talk-though bridge” on Unchained, lol.

I wonder what goes through Sam's head when that happens. I saw that POS in '81 (?) opening for ZZ Top. The place was half empty when he was on, even though it was a sellout. I still remember him saying, "Do they play any of my records out here?" to no response. He goes from that to a supergroup, and immediately trashes Dave, what an ass.