Seattle...

[Panamark]

I knew you would love it, ya old bugger !! :D

Theres a difference between a band going through the motions
and a band proving a point.. You got to see the latter...
Mucho energy !!!

Cant wait to read FORDS' sober review, and Eyes of the night..
Man I would have paid for all three tix just to see you guys
together for a photo, lol !!

[binnie]

Fuckin' great review Elvis, glad you had a good time!

I knew you'd give us the warts and all take on things - much appreciated :D

[DavidLeeNatra]

I say it again...where is the real elvis, motherfucker and WHO the fuck are YOU??? :D

[conmee]

Gentlemen and Gentlewomen,

I posted this in Tours as well, but fuck, Elvis can't follow directions, and Panamark just encourages him. So fuck it, I'm adding my two cents here as well... lmao

I was unable to meet Army faithful prior as I had come back from the Portland show, and coming down off a cabernet and coke high, with two crazy sluts... but that's another story... I'm too fucking old to be doing lines off titties... uh, wait a minute... NEVER too old for that shit, but I digress...

OK... So I saw the Portland show two nights prior, and it was the first time I'd witnessed DLR and EVH on stage together in 23 years.... I think in addition to excitement, a sense of awe/wonder/closure permeated the audiences of both shows. The outpour of emotion and adulation for the band was undeniable, but also a sense of "Holy Fuck!!! What are we witnessing!?!?! Hell Hath Frozen Over!!!" Seriously, I'd say the crowd was mesemerized... It is also an interesting difference in that for the most part it was the same crowd that saw VH in the 80s, but now, people had their kids in tow, drove Bimmers and Lexus, and lived in the 'burbs, where they tear up the trees and name the streets after them! lol

So anyhow, both shows were fantastic, with the Seattle crowd slightly more energetic in my opinion. I was also Row 18 on the floor so much better seat than Portland. I could see DLR's sixpack abs and beads of sweat without the assistance of the projection screens, and I could see Wolfgang's acne... lmao... So I was plenty close.

The band came right out of the gate full throttle. Both shows had the same set list, but DLR and EVH did a little more improv/adlib with each other during what I'll call "The Blues interlude" which included DLR mimicking a Harley, EVH making monster sounds with his guitar. DLR giving EVH his props and due at every opportunity (interesting observation for me was how much more EVH took center stage and DLR was much more deferential - I don't think DLR is on his "best behvior" or a "short leash" - I think DLR is a damn good therapist and he knows what to do to keep EVH balanced and happy... so he really promotes the hell out of EVH and even WVH... from what I saw, DLR is pushing all the right buttons to keep EVH even keel... the man knows how to manage people... lol). Ok, and of course DLR really shows people what was missing during the Sammy years. DLR knows how to play to the crowd, to get the crowd behind him, singing, cheering, definitely the Toastmaster of the evening. The crowd was in his hands....

DLR told the same stories and had the same one-liners, but used the "I forgot the fucking words" in Panama in Seattle, but didn't in Portland. I really liked the touch of this old school street lamp that was hanging from the rafters illuminating the right side of the stage, making it look like DLR just walked in from out of a dark alley to play guitar and tell stories like a blues master... this was the beginning of Ice Cream Man and his famous story of Stan with the Ice Cream Truck and "Kenny" the neighborhood pot head/contact.... anyhow, it's little DLR influenced touches and things like that which make me believe this tour will last and that this version of the band has enough chemistry to possibly do an album at some point. The great thing about this tour is that I believe EVH is RE-LEARNING his old chops, his old songs, realizing for the first time in years how much fun all these old tunes are and how much fans really REALLY want to hear them and how much fans REALLY prefer the CVH era. I was next to a bunch of Hagaritas and they were cheering, singing songs, and comments like "DLR can still sing, wow! I'm surprised!" It was as if the Van Hagar koolaid IV was removed and they saw the real deal for the first time in their lives.

Apologies for the rambling... but I'm on green tea and painkillers today to get through work and detox... those sluts I partied with were aces!

Ok, again, back to the review. Wolfgang is a kid. He has little stage presence but it doesn't matter. He gets a couple highlight moments and it gives the audience a chance to really cheer for the kid and I think as he gains confidence, he'll do more. The crowd really supports him. From the opening of RWTD, to So This Is Love, he got his licks in and he held down the backing vocals just fine... I'm sure there is some sort of "processing" to make the backing vox fuller, but I did notice that sometimes when EVH missed getting back to the mic in time, you could tell the harmonies improved when he got back to the mic, so even if some of the vox are piped, it's clear that we're also hearing EVh and WVh. I think he could be more playful/interactive with DLR maybe ham up the "Cmon DLR give me a break" interlude, but he plays it relatively straight up.

Alex is ancient, but still holds down the fort. I think his drumming really is the foundation for EVH and WVH. I definitely don't think Alex could be easily (if at all) replaced... you can tell, musically, that it's a family jamming. Very good.

EVH was spectacular throughout.. I'd say it's still tough to pull off Little Guitars, but I was happy to hear it live... and Little Dreamer and parts of Jaime's Cryin' seemed to me the only songs where EVH's sound seemed off a bit.

DLR singing... As is Dave's way, he half sings/half speaks the lyrics. I've noticed that for some songs, it's as if he loses the melodies (more to the point, it seems he's in a much narrower vocal range), and so some of the lines didn't quite "pop" hard to explain really, and I was high, but basically, some songs are as dependent or MORE dependent on DLR's singing than EVH's playing... I thought Mean Street was an example of where DLR's cadence and vox on the album weave in and out with the guitar... but last night it was as if DLR was just singing over the music, if that makes sense?!?!? Fuck it. Basically it's not a complaint, just an observation, part of it being that DLR is older, he's lost a little range, ALTHOUGH he still hits some high notes occasionally.... He also doesn't do as many jumps as he used to, but fuck, the guy looks in terrific shape.... I gotta get back in the gym!!!!

So I'm stoked, still half-baked at work today (one of the ho's tells me to do a pinky full of coke this morning as a "pick me up" to get through the day... I passed, but now kinda regret it.... lol).... I bought three over-priced concert shirts... I liked the fact that I have a 2007 to match my 1984 shirt (with the eagle on front althogh the 2007 version doesn't include the sledgehammer exterminator in top hat)....

Overall, the band gets a 9.5 based on setlist, sound, playing, singing, crowd interaction. Only way to get a 10 would be to go back 20 years....

Two awesome shows in three days... what a great weekend, despite the shitty weather up here..

Highlights of night for me.... Romeo Delight, Atomic Punk, So This Is Love, the "shoo be do wop" interlude in I'm The One, which they did in Portland, but not Seattle. A nice touch...

I thought DLR nailed the vocals in those songs, and he was spot on for I'll Wait... which isn't my top song, but was very surprised to hear how well they pulled it off live. DLR actually SINGS the song all the way through, as he does with the ones mentioned above. In fact, you might say that these are the songs that sounded closest to the album versions, and when the band was hitting on all cylinders like that, when DLR was singing and hitting notes, when Ed was spot on, that's when I got chills... totally fucking amazing. Period.


That is all.

Icon.

P.S. I agree with Elvis that there EVH occasionally dropped into "just make crazy sounds and noodle and whip the guitar cord around endlessly" but I won't be as hard on EVH as Elvis. lmao... The fact that he's up there playing classics, and really into the CVH catalog and having a good time gives me hope for an album, and by the end of this tour, he should have his chops back and in full form... hell, EVH was an emotional wreck and rehab bound for the better part of a decade... for him to be up there with his new teeth, bionic hip and tongue, and able to have a good time... well that's as close to a miracle as we've seen in about 2000 years....

[binnie]

Cheers for the review conmee - sounds like you've had a some wild days!

Coke and sluts - nice! :D

Wish I could catch on of these shows, they sound fuckin' awesome!

[Eyes of the Night]

Originally posted by ELVIS

That wasn't seattle broham ... lmfao! ...

This has to be an All-Star thread and was wondering why the fuck nobody texted me!?!?!? ... I was roaming the halls for like 2hrs drinking my beers, smoking cigs, and rolling J's ... wtf, I digress Elv was with his fam, Ford and DC were at the pub, and Conmee was snorting blow with sluts!:D

[Eyes of the Night]

Originally posted by Panamark
Cant wait to read FORDS' sober review, and Eyes of the night..
Man I would have paid for all three tix just to see you guys
together for a photo, lol !!

Buwahaha!!! ...

So I was baked off my gord, 3 beers gone, and sitting in nosebleed seats when they hit the lights ...

(insert Eyes' review here) ...

[ELVIS]

LMAO!

Check out these pics from the Seattle PI...

























Enjoy!

[binnie]

Great pics Elvis :D


Dave did a roundhouse? (third pic) I thought he wasnt doing those this tour?


Boy does Wolfie look out of place.....

[ELVIS]

Originally posted by binnie
Great pics Elvis :D


Dave did a roundhouse? (third pic) I thought he wasnt doing those this tour?

Yeah...

He did four, maybe five...

He does them on some of the youtubes we've posted around here as well...

[ELVIS]

Stupid double post...

[binnie]

Originally posted by ELVIS
Yeah...

He did four, maybe five...

He does them on some of the youtubes we've posted around here as well...

Cheers for the clarification.

[rustoffa]

Great reviews from the Great Northwest! Personally, it's refreshing to read such an upbeat post from ELVIS. I knew.....I FUCKING KNEW he'd come away from that show with good tidings of great joy!
:D

conmee's review is basically required reading for the wary. Unabashed, and unafraid...put it on the front page!!

[David Lee Rocks]

shit, Is It January 26th yet? Cant wait for Dallas, and the other Texas and Oklahoma dates!!

[diamondsgirl]

Nice reviews, thanks!