Van Halen Japanese Tour Dates

[VHscraps]

I've had a few glasses of the ol' vino collapso, my friends - it is sad ... that I can still, at my no-longer-tender years, get worked up about my hero, Diamond Dave, ending his career on a downer.

I hope it never happens ...

[DLR Bridge]

I recently listened to a bootleg of VH in London from '80. Dave had some screams going, but there are some songs where vocally, he completely vanishes. You hear the music, Ed and Mike's back ups and no Dave. While that's just the way it was back then, I think it's taken for granted that 33 years down the road, the guy is singing all the way through every damn song. Sure, he's making up some new lyrics here and there, but I'll take that over complete silence any day.

[Fairwrning]

Ed appears to enjoy playing..so who knows what may happen next..

[Silexxx]

60 minutes of material

[Fairwrning]

Is that the first time in ages they did the " shoo-be-do-wah" bit in " Im the one?"

[Fairwrning]

Fuck..was, just for a sec, imagining EWS turning into " AS is"...

[Seshmeister]

As I said in another thread somewhere a few days ago: be creative, guys, with the light show and create some mood. And - at least (from an admittedly youtube perspective) - it wouldn't seem like time is running out on the band. You can mask some of the deficiencies by creating an atmosphere, etc.

But as long as they play these big shows with the jumbotron or whatever the fuck they are called, they need all the fucking lights on most of the time so they have visible images to relay onto the screens ...

I am absolutely certain that BEING THERE is fine, but watching the clips I do get worried that there's not much left in this baby. The show is totally ONE-DIMENSIONAL to me - there are no ups and downs, peaks and troughs, no sense of pacing or drama. It's partly the stale set list, but it is also the stale presentation.

Ed Van Halen, I have to say, is playing fucking brilliantly. So good on you, Ed, you old fucker.

This is all very true, the band has to slow down so they need to put more into the stage show - much more.

Not every ones bag but compare the art direction, the stage look, the pyros to Van Halen, the screen presentation, the lights everything in a mid set number from the current Rush tour.

Click forward to 4 minutes.



You pay your $200 (at least), book the babysitter, they keep your money for months and months so when the gig comes around in this day and age a home video about your dog and a black and white screen doesn't just not really cut it compared to the competition, it feels a little like a cash grab.

I would never want to see Van Halen with a string section but they need serious amounts of art direction - fuck get Dave onto it with a little team he's always looking for stuff to do.

I wonder if he even realizes what other bands are doing these days but if he did you would think his innate competitiveness would make him get off his ass.

Other wise although most people post here will still go to a tour some of the other half million they need may just give it a miss next time...

[ELVIS]

If you want to turn professional you'll need to get your Thanks per post rate up a hell of a lot higher than 1 in 18...

I don't count Muskaqueer dick sucking as thanks...

[VHscraps]

I recently listened to a bootleg of VH in London from '80. Dave had some screams going, but there are some songs where vocally, he completely vanishes. You hear the music, Ed and Mike's back ups and no Dave. While that's just the way it was back then, I think it's taken for granted that 33 years down the road, the guy is singing all the way through every damn song. Sure, he's making up some new lyrics here and there, but I'll take that over complete silence any day.

I never had any problem with Dave always being Dave and missing the words, and all of that!! In fact, I positively appreciated it because it meant he was probably expending a lot of energy working the crowd who were at the actual gig. I think if anyone was there it was always awesome - I have some '81 bootlegs, they seem to be the most raucous, where I have never heard an audience scream so much. It must've been awesome. I only caught them once, in '84, and the whole experience kinda overtook what would or could have been recorded. And I guess that might be why they never let live stuff out officially - 'cos it would never match the experience of being there, and they knew it.

What worries me now is that everything is always filmed, all the stage lights are on - and as I keep saying! it's starting to expose how boring the presentation is - and, as a result, any little flaw is on show. You look at the Cafe Wha gig as a contrast and it is exciting; there's an energy in the air. Van Halen is a bar band! Who made it very big.

But, despite reservations, some of those Japan performances from Dave are exciting - the Osaka 'Hot For Teacher' was pretty exciting, considering they are a bunch of guys who are already (Alex) or about to (Dave and Ed) hit 60.

I just keep thinking of what is preserved - is it going to be 90% a band on their decline versus 10% or less from their heydey in the public realm, the public imagination??

This is a band that predated MTV and the video era, you gott a remember, and we have no Oakland '81, etc. I just don't want to see the legacy ending up as a bunch of shows in the final years of their career, 'cos that's all everyone who is not a fanatic will see - because everybody watches what's on youtube.

These shows are okay, pretty good - don't get me wrong. But not close to VH at their peak. We shouldn't expect them to be, either - but, as I say, the sheer volume of 2007-the present video overwhelms content from their peak.

[Terry]

Jesus.

What a bunch of pillow-biting whiners there are clogging up this thread.

Oh, shit, did I offend the pillow-biting whiner contingent?

[Angel]

Jesus.

What a bunch of pillow-biting whiners there are clogging up this thread.

Oh, shit, did I offend the pillow-biting whiner contingent?

Dave did say "judge us harshly"...

[Terry]

Instead of turning on one another, we should all unify behind the notion that Dave Roth is, indeed, far too old now to front Van Halen with any degree of acceptability in terms of sheer entertainment value.

I mean, am I alone in thinking perhaps the band should pack it in?

[PETE'S BROTHER]

I mean, am I alone in thinking perhaps the band should pack it in?

i want them to continue makin' and sharin' music with us and remain legendary, they're forever

[VHscraps]

This is all very true, the band has to slow down so they need to put more into the stage show - much more.

Not every ones bag but compare the art direction, the stage look, the pyros to Van Halen, the screen presentation, the lights everything in a mid set number from the current Rush tour.

Click forward to 4 minutes.



You pay your $200 (at least), book the babysitter, they keep your money for months and months so when the gig comes around in this day and age a home video about your dog and a black and white screen doesn't just not really cut it compared to the competition, it feels a little like a cash grab.

I would never want to see Van Halen with a string section but they need serious amounts of art direction - fuck get Dave onto it with a little team he's always looking for stuff to do.

I wonder if he even realizes what other bands are doing these days but if he did you would think his innate competitiveness would make him get off his ass.

Other wise although most people post here will still go to a tour some of the other half million they need may just give it a miss next time...

Jeezus - Rush have pyro!! I'd never have guessed!

See, that would have totally taken me by surprise if I was there - and that is always a good thing.

I'm not sure if Dave knows what other bands are doing- probably not, 'cos he's not really a rock fan. I also remember something you said in a thread months ago - if you look at it (not entirely tongue-in-cheek) a lot of Dave's stage presence is right out of cheerleader school. Once he can no longer execute the moves, the focus is on everything else, etc.

I saw Motley Crue with a seemingly half-dead Mick Mars, and he still looked cool even though he was making like a statue for the entire set! Dave, maybe, needs to re-think his own stage presentation - he tried the dance mat, and he's got some moves going on, but I think the way to replace the old stage presence lies somewhere else. I dunno where.

[TFM_Dale]

Older acts then Van Halen cash in on their name all the time, why should they not do the same? I agree DLR isn't the same singer he was but a touring VH with Dave on vocals is better then a VH tour without him. If this leads to another album then I'm all in. Even if it doesn't it is better then Fagar fronting them.