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I was there last night. My ears are still ringing. Holy shit what an awesome show!!
Opening act was pretty good. Marley thanked "Mr David Lee Roth" for getting him on stage. Crowd loved that.
When Van Halen came on stage the place went nuts. I was up in the nose bleed section and the crowd was so loud that it was hard to hear the music in parts of YRGM. The break down in the middle of I'm the One was amazing. The crowd was whipped into a frenzy. And then they whipped into Romeo Delight. The extended jam in the middle of that was really a high point of the concert.
I'm not going to review every song but just cover a few highlights.
Roth --- He kicked ass. Maybe he wasn't jumping around like twenty years ago but he made up for it with showmanship learned over the years. His dancing during "dance the night away" was way cool -- looked like Travolta for a few minutes. His voice was also spot on. He didn't try for all the high screams, but he did add some new stuff that added to the over all power of th VH sound in ways that screams never would. This was the first time I saw VH with Dave. Sorry Sammy, but Dave is a rock star and Sammy is just a nice guy with a big voice. Dave really entertained without getting in the way. I never thought I would use this world to describe DLR, but I thought he was really "classy" last night.
Wolfie -- This kid is the shot in the arm VH needed. First off, I think his back up vocals were better than MA's. The backing vocals in And the Craddle will rock had a more menacing sound. Also, the Hey Hey Hey in the end of Aint Talkin About Love blew me away. The backing vocals were really a highlight of the night for me. As far as musicianship I think Wolfie really added something. There were little bass flourishes here and there that I never heard with MA. Ed Wolf and Al were extremely tight, no slop. A couple of their Jams together were jaw dropping. As for Wolf's stage presence -- I think he did a good job for his first show. From my perch high in the nos bleed section he looked like a slinky demon slithering around. He doesn't stand out, but doesn't get in the way. He moved gracefully and a few times when jamming with his dad you could see the Van Halen family talent dripping out of him. Give this kid a few months on the road and I think he'll be stealing the show.
Alex -- kicked ass! Drums like bombs coming out of a B-52, and tight. Al was the glue. I heard Ed stray out of tempo once early on and Al pulled him back in. His solo was the best I've heard. He revamped it and I think the crowd really liked it. Surprise that the drum solo was such a hit.
Ed -- Holy shit! He is back, better than ever, and ready to save the world. I have seen VH three other times and never has Ed sounded this amazing or looked this happy. His tone kicked ass, he played tight with Al and Wolf, jumped around more than I have ever seen him do, and generally made believers of everyone in the audience. This was Ed's night and he was a real star. He reworked some of their old classics a bit. Added some effects, changed up solos, changed song endings. It all worked. The songs felt fresh, like they were touring a brand new album. Ed's solo was also reworked, the old highlights are still there, but there is also some new. During his solo Ed rolled around on the ground while smoking a cigarette and playing guitar. Pretty cool showmanship. Ed also has a few new stage moves. He gestures with his arms some. He seems to be really enjoying himself.
Overall impression -- these guys are playing like they have something to prove. The sound is tight and fresh. There were many jaw dropping moments when these guys rocked like no other band in history. I'd love to see them again so I could better commit those moments to memory. Someone please record this show!!
Opening act was pretty good. Marley thanked "Mr David Lee Roth" for getting him on stage. Crowd loved that.
When Van Halen came on stage the place went nuts. I was up in the nose bleed section and the crowd was so loud that it was hard to hear the music in parts of YRGM. The break down in the middle of I'm the One was amazing. The crowd was whipped into a frenzy. And then they whipped into Romeo Delight. The extended jam in the middle of that was really a high point of the concert.
I'm not going to review every song but just cover a few highlights.
Roth --- He kicked ass. Maybe he wasn't jumping around like twenty years ago but he made up for it with showmanship learned over the years. His dancing during "dance the night away" was way cool -- looked like Travolta for a few minutes. His voice was also spot on. He didn't try for all the high screams, but he did add some new stuff that added to the over all power of th VH sound in ways that screams never would. This was the first time I saw VH with Dave. Sorry Sammy, but Dave is a rock star and Sammy is just a nice guy with a big voice. Dave really entertained without getting in the way. I never thought I would use this world to describe DLR, but I thought he was really "classy" last night.
Wolfie -- This kid is the shot in the arm VH needed. First off, I think his back up vocals were better than MA's. The backing vocals in And the Craddle will rock had a more menacing sound. Also, the Hey Hey Hey in the end of Aint Talkin About Love blew me away. The backing vocals were really a highlight of the night for me. As far as musicianship I think Wolfie really added something. There were little bass flourishes here and there that I never heard with MA. Ed Wolf and Al were extremely tight, no slop. A couple of their Jams together were jaw dropping. As for Wolf's stage presence -- I think he did a good job for his first show. From my perch high in the nos bleed section he looked like a slinky demon slithering around. He doesn't stand out, but doesn't get in the way. He moved gracefully and a few times when jamming with his dad you could see the Van Halen family talent dripping out of him. Give this kid a few months on the road and I think he'll be stealing the show.
Alex -- kicked ass! Drums like bombs coming out of a B-52, and tight. Al was the glue. I heard Ed stray out of tempo once early on and Al pulled him back in. His solo was the best I've heard. He revamped it and I think the crowd really liked it. Surprise that the drum solo was such a hit.
Ed -- Holy shit! He is back, better than ever, and ready to save the world. I have seen VH three other times and never has Ed sounded this amazing or looked this happy. His tone kicked ass, he played tight with Al and Wolf, jumped around more than I have ever seen him do, and generally made believers of everyone in the audience. This was Ed's night and he was a real star. He reworked some of their old classics a bit. Added some effects, changed up solos, changed song endings. It all worked. The songs felt fresh, like they were touring a brand new album. Ed's solo was also reworked, the old highlights are still there, but there is also some new. During his solo Ed rolled around on the ground while smoking a cigarette and playing guitar. Pretty cool showmanship. Ed also has a few new stage moves. He gestures with his arms some. He seems to be really enjoying himself.
Overall impression -- these guys are playing like they have something to prove. The sound is tight and fresh. There were many jaw dropping moments when these guys rocked like no other band in history. I'd love to see them again so I could better commit those moments to memory. Someone please record this show!!
Three time witness to the comeback of the MIGHTY VAN HALEN. And then they faded back into obscurity.
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