Which tour did you like better, 2007-08 or 2012?

[Sensible Shoes]

2007-2008. I had more fun with my friends, Dave was great and the thrill of that first show in Cleveland made for the best night of my life - EVER.

[IceCreamBlondie]

2007 reunion with Dave tour, without question.
LouCap and Dave's Bitch, I agree with your opinions. You said it well.

Anaheim show, December 2012, best damn rock concert I ever saw in my life. BAR NONE! I walked into Honda Center as the most casual of fans, knowing only a few VH songs and wondering if Dave and Ed really could make music together, since I heard they couldn't stand each other in real life.

I walked out of that show a CVH and Roth CONVERT! Dave was ON FIRE and oozed sex appeal all over the place. He grinned from ear to ear the whole night! Remember his "tricks" like the "balance the hat trick" and his "cell phone in pants" tricks? His banter with Eddie, the motorcycle revs, Magic Bus, everything. His shirt was open for the ladies! (Yea!) His Kenny story and the "shitty Mexican pot" story before ICM had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. I fell in love with our man Roth!

Also, Al was just as on fire that night too. His drum solo was so awesome...the way he just threw himself into it..............bowled me over. INCREDIBLE!

Ed was good, but his guitar solo was a lot of noodling all over the place - lack of focus. Wolfie, no comment. It's hard to compare a 17 year old just coming into his own while in the company of 3 veteran performers.


2012 tour....great album in ADKOT.....could hardly wait for the show...then,, WHAT HAPPENED? Disappointment, to say the least.

1st June show in LA was underwhelming, especially from Dave. His shirt was on throughout the whole show, and there were No hat tricks, phone tricks,shitty mexican pot / growing up in Pasadena stories. There was little banter going on. Its like Dave was trying hard, too hard,and it wasn't jelling. I liked, but didn't love the Dog stories. If Dave would have given us a back in the day story about growing up in Pasadena, it would have been awesome! Especially for the hometown crowd.

Al's drum solo was too short and was put way in the beginning of the show. Also,there was this samba music going on while he was playing, which I think he doesn't need. He is awesome enough alone.

Ed did well, in fact, really well that night. He was very focused and put on a good performance, less rambling and BS. Wolfie, I'm glad to say, is coming into his own as a musician / showman. He's learning from the best, and it shows. He's got more confidence this time around.

The second LA show was much better - - the band jelled more together. Except that Roth once again seemed to try too hard and lacked sex appeal. (sorry). And Al's drum solo was too short again.

BUT, I must say that on the 2012 show, the big screen graphics are much better! The colors and everything are much improved since the 2007 shows..I guess technology has improved!

The biggest disappointment of the 2007 show for me was that there never was an official live concert DVD released....so thank God for You Tube!

[vanshipman]

2012- the band is way tighter now and it's great to see Eddie healthy and ripping it up again, and Wolf is a bass playing monster. Even though Dave's voice is a disappointment live (not all the time) he gave us a killer album. 2007 was amazing for all of the reasons already stated and then some. Here's hoping that the next leg of tour and record blows us all away.

[Carmine]

I think your points are spot on, Lou...

I'm gonna say 2007/2008 was a better tour...I got out early and saw 5 of the first shows, including Charlotte so I think I witnessed the best of the band before Ed's demons struck. I think...If ya had the Dave of 2007 with the rest of the band 2012, it would have been perfect this time around. Chinatown was really bad on each of the 3 shows I saw on this tour...the worst being in Atlantic City...Dave didnt keep pace with the band...it was like they were playing it at 100mph and Dave was singing the lyrics while chasing them on a bike...I was hoping they'd dump Chinatown from the set after the first time I'd hear it in Buffalo way back in March.


I also witnessed Edward launching his amp into the abyss at the Izod Center show in Jersey in 2007...that was cool...

[fryingdutchman]

2007/08 was special because it was the first time out with Dave in decades.

BUT...2012 was the better tour from a musical perspective. The band was much tighter (except for Dave's spotty vocal performances), and they dug deep into the archives and took some chances. Plus, they were out in support of a new record, and not just doing a "nostalgia" show of playing the old hits.

And let's not forget the incredible cornucopia of treats that rained down on this very site with VA Beach being given so much exclusive info. from DLR's people

Factor in all of the public relations, the intimate club show at Cafe Wha?, the band lobbying to play the Super Bowl, and now plans to head overseas, and 2012 has to win it hands down.

[Momshell]

This is a hard one. Saw them 3 times on the 07-08 tour - the third show was postponed and rescheduled after rehab, which was fine for me 'cause I was (very) pregnant for the first two shows and due to the postponement was no longer pregnant for the third. There was definitely more of a rush for that tour because it was the first time I had ever seen the boys on stage together live. Dave was sexy as hell and for the shows I saw Eddie was on. Being pregnant made the first 2 shows a little rough on me physically (I refuse to sit during a VH show no matter how huge my belly is ). I did get to accidentally bump into (literally) Eddie during the VIP backstage tour at MSG too, but he didn't say a word to any of the fans and just walked by us.
In 2012 - saw them 4 times (was supposed to be at least 6, but...well, you know). Saw the MSG show on 3/1 which to me was the best of the 4 I saw. Saw 3 in one week, which really blew my mind. All of the excitement coming from the Cafe Wha show to the Tattoo release to the album release to the show had me high as a kite for months, so the build up was huge for me. I felt like Dave's performance didn't really affect my experience at the shows. I would have liked for him to open his shirt, sure, but aside from that, I felt like he was looser on stage and with Eddie and the boys than in 2007. In 2007 it felt like the hugs and grins were a little forced, whereas they felt more like a family in 2012. I loved that they changed it up more on this tour too. I was also involved here at the Army, which I was not for the reunion tour, and that added to my fun, especially the meet ups.
So - to sum up my ramblings - I guess I'd have to say that the first of my three shows in 2007 was more emotional than any I've ever seen (cried like a baby when they came out on stage - while grinning from ear to ear), I had more fun at the 2012 shows because I felt like the band was having more fun and because I didn't always know what song was coming next. The 3/1 MSG was the highlight for me (first show with no headset and where they opened with Unchained).

[perrin29]

I agree with everything said here. For the nostalgia and excitement factor of finally seeing my band together I will go with 2007. However, with the availability of youtube vids and the warm up shows you could see an overall vibe of family on-stage. They were all having fun and enjoying their time on-stage together. Loved the deep cuts played on this tour as VHII is the album to me. A few bumps in the road with Dave's vocals but you can't discount that he went for it and left it out on the stage every night. Hope to see another leg and maybe they'll hit my city next time. God knows, they're long overdue. The 2012 experience was heightened by the RA community and hanging in the forum.

[TJMKID]

'96 reunion tour would've been the MOST KICK-ASS VH REUNION TOUR OF ALL TIME --- NO DEBATE NEEDED --- CASE CLOSED

Thanks to Edweirdo's feelings and ego getting butt hurt --- the world was deprived of the coolest idea conceived in the last 25 years

[78/84 guy]

Ed & Wolf made this tour for me. Dave was off on alot of songs but so what. He has never been perfect. Ed's best playing since the Gary year ! He was on the whole time. And Wolf showed some chops this tour instead of just standing around. My New York boot dvd blows away any of my 07 dvd's. And all the suprise songs were cool as hell !

[Terry]

I suppose overall I'd say I liked the 2012 tour a bit better.

After seeing the 2008 Tampa gig, it felt like the band overall were barely getting by at times. Roth and Alex were in excellent form. Wolfgang was barely audible and frankly didn't look like he even belonged up there onstage...or even wanted to be. The kid had zero stage presence at the time. Eddie was a bit (and often more than a bit) of a mess by the time the Tampa gig rolled around. He started off the tour in good form, but whatever the reason/excuse was (drug/alcohol relapse, physical problems with his hands), the man wasn't in the condition necessary to play the songs well. In all honesty, Dave's last live band he used for his 2006 solo performances was more together and played the CVH stuff better than Van Halen 2008 was capable of doing in Tampa. It felt like I was watching a slightly underwhelming swan song by one of my all time favorite rock acts in the form of a reunion that was a decade too late in happening.

The good news for 2012 was that Eddie was in excellent form. Wolfgang was audible and playing well. Alex got the job done. Decent amount of "deep cut" CVH tracks (for a diehard, there's really no such thing) thrown into the setlist. A minimum amount of instrumental wankery/extended Roth monologues; some people like that stuff, but I'd just as soon the band cut the waffle and play a few more tunes. Even Eddie's solo spot wasn't very indulgent. Matter of fact it was, like a woman's skirt, the perfect length: long enough to cover the subject and short enough to be interesting. Roth wasn't very demonstrative physically as compared to the days of yore, but that's just a function of age. What was disconcerting was his vocal approach. He made a conscious choice to yell verses he could have sung, started flubbing and mush-mouthing through verses...the dude did his homework for the 2007-2008 tour. Dunno what was on his mind the last time around, but the result wasn't as good.

Too bad we couldn't have the 2007 Roth implanted onto the 2012 Van Halen band...and perhaps chuck Ed's kid out and get Anthony back in there for a round of concerts. I mean, I've accepted that Wolf is in the band, and to his credit the kid has done a good job of getting the group on point again (prior to Wolf joining, Roth and the Van Halens were seemingly incapable of getting their act back together in any meaningful way)...but I'd still wager many would like to see the CVH lineup take the stage again and bring it all back home to where it started.

[DONNIEP]

If I have to choose then I'm going with this one. Nothing can ever top my being at the opening night of the 2007 reunion tour. But as great as that was, it can't top this one for me. Yeah, I did take my daughter to this show. And even though she's an 11 year old girl that likes 11 year old girl music she likes the new album. Stay Frosty hooked her and she spent her own money to buy the record from itunes. She even wants to use that song to work up a dance solo for competition this year. When she played the music for her new solo and it was Stay Frosty I swear, I almost fainted. But even that doesn't make this tour my favorite. What has cemented this tour as the best, in my mind, is the comradery we've all shared for the past, what, 7 months? The gig nights were amazing. Even though we only had a few nights where the setlist changed...we were there together.

The chaos that went on here on the Cafe Wha? night was incredible. Hell, I had a PC, a laptop, a phone and an ipod all tuned in and I was bangin' the refresh button on all of 'em like a freebie from a Vegas call girl! I made some really cool friends this tour...and two members turned me on to the joy of sharing shows with other members. And for that I am grateful. The only thing better than getting a package of DVDs from one of you crazy bastards is sending a package out to one of you. My Roth Army brothers and sisters are the best. Thank you for making this the best tour ever.

"Man, we was happy in our restless hearts. It was heaven, right here on Earth. Yeah, we were laughing as we reached for the stars. And we had some..for what it was worth. Those were good times. Damn good times..."

[baru911]

Have to go with 2012. The new album and what was taken from it to add to the set list. The Full Bug was GREAT. Also, I score the yellow and black Eddie signed and played guitar from the St. Louis concert. Pretty much makes this tour a high point in my life.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

If I have to choose then I'm going with this one. Nothing can ever top my being at the opening night of the 2007 reunion tour. But as great as that was, it can't top this one for me. Yeah, I did take my daughter to this show. And even though she's an 11 year old girl that likes 11 year old girl music she likes the new album. Stay Frosty hooked her and she spent her own money to buy the record from itunes. She even wants to use that song to work up a dance solo for competition this year. When she played the music for her new solo and it was Stay Frosty I swear, I almost fainted. But even that doesn't make this tour my favorite. What has cemented this tour as the best, in my mind, is the comradery we've all shared for the past, what, 7 months? The gig nights were amazing. Even though we only had a few nights where the setlist changed...we were there together.

The chaos that went on here on the Cafe Wha? night was incredible. Hell, I had a PC, a laptop, a phone and an ipod all tuned in and I was bangin' the refresh button on all of 'em like a freebie from a Vegas call girl! I made some really cool friends this tour...and two members turned me on to the joy of sharing shows with other members. And for that I am grateful. The only thing better than getting a package of DVDs from one of you crazy bastards is sending a package out to one of you. My Roth Army brothers and sisters are the best. Thank you for making this the best tour ever.

"Man, we was happy in our restless hearts. It was heaven, right here on Earth. Yeah, we were laughing as we reached for the stars. And we had some..for what it was worth. Those were good times. Damn good times..."

still outta thanx

[PSYCHOVHFAN]

2012, Dave was great and the band was the best it has been since 1981. I can't wait for another album.

[Momshell]

"Man, we was happy in our restless hearts. It was heaven, right here on Earth. Yeah, we were laughing as we reached for the stars. And we had some..for what it was worth. Those were good times. Damn good times..."

"These are...good times....damn good times..............."