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I think "expect" is too strong a word in this context....
Do I "expect" too much ?? Maybe some of my colleagues here would disagree, but I don't think I "expect" anything....
A lot of what has gone on with Van Halen in the last several years has nothing to do with expectation, but rather a simple courtesy, of more specifically, a lack thereof.
For most bands, especially when the Internet came of age in the mid-90's, it was simply common sense to use the quickly-developing Internet as a springboard for not only promotion of their album and/or tour, but as a way to interact, communicate and provide information to their fans, or anyone for that matter....
But that's not what Van Halen (read: Edward Van Halen) does....
Mind-numbingly, Van Halen (read: Edward Van Halen) does the exact opposite....
They DON'T interact with their fans....
They DON'T provide any material AT ALL to their fans, even though they've been around for nearly 40 years now....
I don't even remember if they've officially announced their were working on a new album? For every other artist, that is information that they would WANT to publicize at every outlet imaginable....
No, not Van Halen....
The disrespect that this band continues to show towards its fans is unconscionable....
So the only thing I "expect" is some fucking common courtesy....
That is all.....Eat Us And Smile - The Originals
"I have a very belligerent enthusiasm or an enthusiastic belligerence. I’m an intellectual slut." - David Lee Roth
"We are part of the, not just the culture, but the geography. Van Halen music goes along with like fries with the burger." - David Lee RothComment
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A boss has expectations of his or her employees. They don't work for us. We may be their bread and butter, but we never put them on the payroll and offered them a shitty expensive benefits package that excludes dental (anyone else in my boat). I'd say we have collective hopes of what we'd like to see and hear rather than expect. I know this band, in the very least, can still create something that makes my hair on my arms stand up. How they look and what their live show will be like doesn't matter much to me. The arena shows all leave you doing the same thing which is sitting in a cheap seat, staring at a jumbotron. I'm more of a small club person these days. I don't expect they'll be hitting up any of those. All I hope for is something kick ass to listen to.Comment
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A business that wants to sell its product caters to its customers. A band that wants to sell records and concert tixs caters to its fans—unless they’re VH. You could try to justify it by saying that they aren’t like any other band, they’ve always done it differently, etc., etc., but that’s just bullshit.
Even if the novelty factor of being famous wore off about 30 years ago so that they don’t feel a “personal” connection to the people who buy their records, it is just plain stupid and lazy to not make even a semi-professional effort to market themselves, to just leave so much money on the table (boxed sets, DVDs) if, in fact, this is all merely a cash grab for Dave and the Brothers Van Halen.
So, I “expect” them to behave like professionals in the music industry and hire people to market the VH brand in some way other than by hawking guitars and flip-flops. Plus, where is the pride factor? Don’t they want to be considered on the same level as some of the biggies?
They sold out 07/08 on the nostalgia factor, with the return of Roth in itself practically marketing the tour. Can they do it again this time, especially given the competition next year (Springsteen, Stones, Sabbath, and a bunch of not-quite-that-tier acts), which could draw off the more casual fans (if you’ve got to spend $250+ conservatively per couple, how many concerts are you going to go to in a year)? Again, it’s just mind boggling that they don’t try to stir up interest when other big acts do so months before any dates are even announced.
On a more fan emotional level, it became for me, about 10 years, not will DLR reunite with VH (because I think VH is a dead entity even if they do put out an album), but will they be able to get together one last time so they can go out on top, reminding everyone why they were so great.
I hope the record will be great, but I don’t expect it to hit me like the 6 pack did. That time is long gone and any chance to recover it was lost in 1996.Comment
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I'm not expecting anything close to the glory days. What I am expecting is for them to respect their fans and their legacies enough not to continue this soap opera bullshit for too much longer.The Power Of The Riff Compels MeComment
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Expect too much... Fuck NO!!!
You reach a certain point in life when you have less summers ahead of you than you had behind... I've logged 53 great ones so far. The music along the way has been nothing short of fucking stellar. I was lucky enough to experience Hendrix at Monterey Pop as a kid in 67. Led Zeppelin, Sabbath, SRV, Jeff Beck, Sanatana, ZZ Top all in their prime. The icing on that musical cake started with Van Halen at Day on the Green in 78, 2 of the infamous Oakland 81 shows and every tour up thru 5150... then the dark times.
You only get one shot at life... why the hell would you not want the best our times have to offer??
Just because I was blessed to live in this time period. I ain't gonna sit back and say... ah well I should be happy with what I've had. Well hell yeah I'm happy with the opportunities I've had!!! But I ain't fucking dead yet, folks!! Neither is Eddie, Al, Michael or Diamond Dave...
Is it selfish of me to want more... probably... but who gives a shit? When I go to my favorite restaurant... I expect to be fed and I expect to get a good meal. Just because the last 20 trips were great... should I settle for some thing less? Hell no. If the doors are open I expect the best...
Van Halen hasn't shut the doors nor put up the going out of business sign yet... so let's get something done. As I said we ain't dead yet.
In case your aren't clear on this... this sums it up:
Last edited by ZahZoo; 12-04-2011, 02:19 PM."If you want to be a monk... you gotta cook a lot of rice...”Comment
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[QUOTE=ZahZoo;1577337] I was lucky enough to experience Hendrix at Monterey Pop as a kid in 67. Led Zeppelin, Sabbath, SRV, Jeff Beck, Sanatana, ZZ Top all in their prime. The icing on that musical cake started with Van Halen at Day on the Green in 78, 2 of the infamous Oakland 81 shows and every tour up thru 5150. QUOTE]
Holy crap. If they ever find a way to put memories on a computer chip, I'd like to download all of the above.Comment
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I just checked this and apparently I'm not at that point yet! Hooray!
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I expect: A sober Ed. An unleashed Dave willing and ABLE to speak his mind to the press. A neck-brace-free Alex. A bass-player that can hit the high notes. All in all that doesn't seem like I'm asking for all that much. Other than Al, three out of the four could go either way...My karma just ran over your dogma.Comment
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The music world is way too different to hope vh will be the biggest band in the world again. But big like U2 ain't gonna happen, big like the Stones if they tour ain't gonna happen. they might be able to give Bon jovi a run for their money. As others have said, we wish it was 1984 again and that the guys who played that album were who they were then, only now. Are we expecting too much? Yes. Will we be forgiving, lower the bar and change our definition of "stellar"? He'll yes. Once the single is released, Dave gives his screech and sings about some type of excess, at night , in a car and Ed hammer/taps those same notes, all will be forgiven. Then there will be petitioms to radio stations to play the record to give it a chart boost. They will tour, play. 3 songs from "N****m S*****", (piss break), continue to close the show with JUMP for some reason. Everyone will exit and say it was better than they expected. That's how this kinda thing works, when you have devoted all that you have devoted to this band on this and other boards, you will not let them fail, you are not going to trash their new music and effort. If you were to do that, you would be mocking all that you have written of them before this. If you go in with the attitude it is going to be awesome, you won't let it be anything else.Comment
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Damn, ZahZoo....you lucky goddamn motherfucker. Just to even have SEEN Hendrix live would have been the high point of my life, much less it being an iconic performance like that.
And Beach? You brought out a major point. NO, they did NOT announce SHIT about recording an album.
They disregard and disrespect their fans so much that they do not tell us shit!
In fact, they SHOULD get back with Mikey as an apology to the FANS for treating us all like fucking shit over the past......well...25 fucking years.
Goddammit ZahZoo...I am envious man. Not often I say that. I have a friend who saw Hendrix in Memphis in 1969. Not only did he get to be up front, he took photos and snuck a tape recorder in as well. I think sometimes I would like to be 10 years older.....only problem is that if I had been born 10 years earlier, I would have been at the perfect age to have been murdered by our government in the Vietnam conflict. So in that aspect, I am glad I was only 14 when Vietnam was over.
But musically...man...the shows I missed because I was too young....Comment
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Exactly! But instead we get Ed's kid - and I don't care if he's the greatest bass player ever. He's a fucking kid that has no business in the greatest band that ever stalked the Earth. I know I piss and moan about this too much, but he's just got no business being up on that stage. I know, Mikey is out of the band, permanently according to Ed. But how many years did we listed to Ed and Al tell everybody that Dave would NEVER be back in Van Halen???American by birth. Southern by the grace of God.
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True dat!Comment
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