The Official Des Moines 2/6 Meetup/Review Thread

[dirty dave]

the snow is passed folks, no problem clearing the interstates from what i hear.

plenty of time to get there,van halen wont hit the stage till near nine im guessing to give folks a chance to get there.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

No reviews ???

Well, have to rely on the press then....

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080207/NEWS/848793000/1006/news

Van Halen comes back in a big way in concert
By Rob Merritt

DES MOINES - "We heard you missed us. We're back."

It may have merely been a line from "Hot For Teacher," the hit song from Van Halen's classic album "1984." When lead singer David Lee Roth said it during Van Halen's concert Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Arena, however, the crowd roared its approval over the double meaning.

The tour that brought Van Halen to Iowa marked the first time in more than 20 years that Roth has toured alongside his old bandmates, following a dramatic fallout in the mid-1980s. The sheer thrill of seeing "Diamond Dave" once again belting out "Dance The Night Away" — in a reunion that both sides swore would never happen — would have been enough to send the crowd of 9,800 home happy as it was.

A funny thing happened on the way to Des Moines, however: With Roth back in the fold, Van Halen has found a new spring in its step. Fellow concertgoers commented that the band was noticeably better than its last appearance in Iowa in 2004, when former singer Sammy Hagar was still with the group.

The band opened with its classic cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me," performing on a set that featured a gigantic video screen directly behind the band. It quickly became clear that while Roth may have aged, the man doesn't shy away from the high notes, he still throws in some high kicks and he still wears wonderfully gaudy costumes that change throughout the show.

The feud between Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen is well-documented, but there was no sign of it Wednesday. The two men exchanged smiles, wrapped arms around each other between songs and genuinely acted like they were loving every minute. Either a lot of fences have been mended, or the two have acting skills to match their musical chops.

Mind you, Eddie also had extra reason to be enjoying himself. After all, he was being joined onstage by his 16-year-old son Wolfgang, who had capably taken over bass duties from original member Michael Anthony.

The band avoided any Hagar-era material like "Right Now" and "Poundcake," refusing to play any song written after the mid-1980s. While some concertgoers might have missed that material, it meant the band got to dust off classics that it hadn't played live in decades.

The biggest response of the night came on "Panama," complete with audience singalong. Another was when Eddie Van Halen took center stage with an extended guitar solo that led right into the classic "Eruption." Brother Alex Van Halen also spent several minutes wowing the Iowa crowd with a dazzling drum solo. The band capped off the show with "Jump," a wild spectacle that ended with loads of confetti dropping all over the crowd.

Surprisingly, the band made zero mention of where it was that night. There were no comments about Iowa, and no reference to the snowstorm outside — the one that some thought might lead to the concert's cancellation earlier in the day. For a guy known for his showmanship, it was surprising that Roth engaged in hardly any ad-libbed banter with the crowd at all.

Then again, one might argue that he didn't have to. The music that Van Halen brought to Iowa communicated one thing loud and clear: They are back. And as the crowd's cheers made clear: We had missed them, indeed.

[vh rides again]

whooaa

fuck, i guess ill try and remember the one in april in chicago.

i got mighty fucked up.

there was a big ass wreck on

I-80 on the way home, cops galore, and me hammered out of my mind.

my old lady says i had a good time, and vanhalen rocked, again.

[dirty dave]

i was there, hooked up with jim shetterlini a bit, and the show ROCKED.

let me first say though that dave had to walk out on the middle of the ramp and tell the crowd "wake up boy".

i was row 13 dead center 10 feet from the ramp and dave was clearly not pleased with the lame crowd as far as singing along.

soon though the crowd woke up and started interacting as van halen kicked butt for the next 1 1/2 hours.

the weather was crap and the crowd seemingly sort of sleepy drunk (kansas city i was on the floor and i could hear the crowd singing LOUDLY every song), here the crowd took some coaxing to get going but they finally did.

eddie played very well,better than kansas city more controlled, eddie was far more wreckless and crazy on guitar in kansas city (which i dug as well).

wolfie is getting BETTER on bass,alex his usual KICKASS self on drums (his solos went over very well at kc and des moines).

eds solo at des moines was a long cathedral style affair, i was impressed but i sensed some of the crowd got lost in the long chord swells, myself i will take all of the eddie i can get but others want to hear just songs

one complaint it was very HOT on the floor especially at the first of the show,dave was sweating and singing his ass off,so was wolfie but they soldiered on.

i think all of the bad weather-booze and being a wednesday night kind of slowed the crowd response a bit plus the damned heat inside the building,but the crowd pulled it together and ended up loving it,i talked with a dozen at least on the floor after the show and all were blown away :D

[vh rides again]

i did get some confetti this time, the woman had to help my drunk ass up off the floor, but i got two pockets full.

im a fuckin lush.

i think an intervention is in my future.

[VAN HLN CA]

Originally posted by dirty dave
i plus the damned heat inside the building, and all were blown away :D

Hey Dave that is definitely a rider issue.

As it goes Dave has the air conditioning cut off 1/2 hour before they hit the stage, solely for his vocals. He doesnt sing as well in colder air and would rather perform drenched for his best singing.

The only show where this was a problem for me was Charlotte where it had to be 95 degrees inside and even in shorts and new VH T was litterally drenched myself. People were standing in puddles.

[dirty dave]

van hln ca, no air conditioning in the building at des moines last night.

wind chill was below zero outside so the heat was on in the building and dave was noticably sweating some though he seemed to enjoy it and of course dave is in great shape,better than most of us for sure imo.

i can understand dave needing no a/c but it was noticably hotter than the floor at the kc show for the first few songs,but it was fine after that and the crowd really dug the show.

btw, did anyone at the show see eddie turn around and scratch his butt for the camera during his solo? that was hilarious!!:D :D

[Panamark]

DD, VA put ya on the main page

[dirty dave]

wtf, a crowd of 10 grand+ at des moines and no replies!

no offense to the girls, but i saw more than a few pissed off girls last night at their husbands/boyfriends/dates about the great times that were had by some of the TRUE van halen fans at this show.

dont get me wrong, many-many chicks in my section were going crazy over the show,while others were visibly pissed at their men at the great time they were having and this troubles me.

of course some of these dudes were snot slingin drunk so that explains some of it :p

[BALLYJUNKIE]

Why anyone would pay over $100 dollars to go see van halen or any other act .and then get so drunk they cant remmber the show is beyond me ...... you mean you cant not drink for 1 day ,so you can remmber the show ...... im a light drinker ,ive been to over a 100 concerts and i remmber everyone of them ..... it doesnt make any sense to me .

[Jim Shetterlini]

Originally posted by BALLYJUNKIE
Why anyone would pay over $100 dollars to go see van halen or any other act .and then get so drunk they cant remmber the show is beyond me ...... you mean you cant not drink for 1 day ,so you can remmber the show ...... im a light drinker ,ive been to over a 100 concerts and i remmber everyone of them ..... it doesnt make any sense to me .

Oh go have a drink already.....

[Dan]

Originally posted by BALLYJUNKIE
Why anyone would pay over $100 dollars to go see van halen or any other act .and then get so drunk they cant remmber the show is beyond me ...... you mean you cant not drink for 1 day ,so you can remmber the show ...... im a light drinker ,ive been to over a 100 concerts and i remmber everyone of them ..... it doesnt make any sense to me .

Thanks For Sharing That With Us.

[dirty dave]

vh rise again , i'm here supporting you bro!

i know how we can get so wound up over something like a van halen show and overdo it, i have done the same many times in the past.

thought i was gonna die at a rainbow concert in 1979 from too much alcohol,another time at a nazareth concert my best bud and i got into a fight in the parking lot over nothing after a case of mickeys malt liquor.

i'm okay when i drink in moderation but its easy to over do it just the same.