How much does the setlist mean to you?

[ELVIS]

Oh bullshit...

It would be well received by both fans and critics alike if a well polished Van Halen came out playing ADKOT almost in it's entirety...

It's Dave's fault they didn't do just that for whatever reason...

The triplet sisters were prepared...

[Northern Girl]

I do recall you stating in your show review that you'd had your fill of live VH. I agreed completely, at the time. That VH bug has a way of getting back in your blood stream, though.

I was just being provocative to see what people would say.

This is my feel...if they do another album and I actually like it, I would likely go see them again. I WILL NEVER buy a VIP seat again!!!!

Thing is...if they do another album of reworked old stuff, it will likely fail...if they try and write everything from scratch, Lord help them write an entire album that's great! I have serious doubts.

See, they can say they are a band as much as they want, but the separate working is BS. They don't feel like a band to me. They feel like a bunch of guys hanging on by a thread. At the same time, they probably aren't that desparate, because everybody but Al has other irons in the fire.

In the end, the setlist problem won't change unless Dave steps up and learns new songs, because he's the one holding everyone back. The bad reviews won't stop unless Dave works very, very hard on his end. I think he worked harder this last show and proves he is capable, but how long will that last?

I would be happy with one more album effort without a tour. If they are not dismal failures, they can keep making albums without touring as long as they want. I don't need to see them again. I enjoy seeing Dave on his show, which he obviously wants to expand to a real podcast with interviews, etc. That would even be enough for me with no new music. I'm interested to see this 'show' he wrote about his life too.

I just don't want a half-assed Van Halen going on and on and on. They will continue to lose fans every year and become a horrible joke. That would be way worse to me than never seeing them again!

[vandeleur]

Dave's bond comments for me mean he gets they can't keep rollin out the same set every year to the same people .
They either mix it up , play with the set a bit or write new material .
Lots of hard work especially for Dave . At this moment does Dave wanna sit in a bunker and write or enjoy his hour in the sun , again .

Or they hit new markets playing the party pack.
That seems to me the easy option , shit when I see bands do world tours now they play places I ain't even heard of and sell big .
How about VH tour South Asia , South America .
I Am from Europe where the history comes from they could play gigs here .

They have options open to them .

I think the sisters would like new material fuck bet they just play all day long jamming

But is Dave just gonna want to do his victory dance and enjoy blooming again.

[big fatty]

When VAN HALEN rolls into my town, there is no God damned motherfucking way in bloody hell I would EVER miss it.

[VHscraps]

I wouldn't miss them either if they came to the UK/Europe, but outside the US they don't have a bunch of hits they need to serve up.

Solo DLR has probably had as many chart hits as CVH in the UK and nobody is clamouring for those to be played 'cos he's in the band (think that used to happen with Rod Stewart and The Faces). Otherwise the most well-known songs are probably on the first album and 1984.

Maybe they could do a show where they play a whole album beginning to end? Or seeing as the albums are short, play -e.g.- the 1981 setlist, the 1980 setlist.

Or, if they record a new album, just play new stuff and ADKOT and throw in some hits as encores.

Outside the US, I guarantee you that no one BUT hardcore fans know that they recorded Pretty Woman and I'll Wait. And I don't really want to see much better stuff being sacrificed for stuff like that.

[78/84 guy]

Oh bullshit...

It would be well received by both fans and critics alike if a well polished Van Halen came out playing ADKOT almost in it's entirety...

It's Dave's fault they didn't do just that for whatever reason...

The triplet sisters were prepared...

It will NEVER happen ! Only diehards would go. That means playing clubs. They would fold first.

[fryingdutchman]

In 2007 the setlist meant the WORLD to me. Teams of wild horses could not have kept me away.

In 2013 it has become somewhat stale and I greet it with a reluctant shrug of my shoulders. I thought that after ADKOT the tour would feel more like it was to support the new record. Instead, it still has a "nostalgia, greatest hits" vibe with an "oh yeah...by the way, here's a couple of new tunes just for the fuck of it."

[fryingdutchman]

I have no issue with the set list recognizable tour music is what sells tickets...ding dongs.

Unless it's the same recognizable music, in virtually the same order, spanning multiple tours over 6 years.

It won't sell tickets for long at that rate...

[Zing!]

I voted yes. What can I say - it's Van fucking Halen. I'd go see them strummin' with the devil as long as Diamond Dave is in the center spotlight.

[fryingdutchman]

Unless VH shows up with a completely new show - set list, stage, lighting - no. I'm not gonna shell out 150 + for a ticket. I've paid Wolfie enough money for him to be a paper weight. I know, he is Jesus Christ reincarnated and we all should bow down to him. But I'm done. If things stay even remotely like they are now - I won't go. I dig the job Wolfie's doing. But I ain't paying for it again. Bring back Mikey and I'm there. I know a lot of you guys are "it ain't Van Halen without Wolfie", but I'm not in that crowd. Sorry.

While I'm not as extreme in my feelings about Wolfie, I think your post kicked ass.

I still give big props to Wolf for his role in making all of this happen. I don't think we'd have any of these issues to debate in the first place if it wasn't for Wolfie.

But the show needs to evolve if CVH is to survive in its current incarnation.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

When VAN HALEN rolls into my town, there is no God damned motherfucking way in bloody hell I would EVER miss it.

Thank you.

I think a lot of you are full of condensed horse shit. With all due respect, of course....

But let me clarify....

I think if you are as huge a VH fan as most of you portray yourselves to be, and VH is, say, within 50 miles of your house, you're fucking going and don't pretend that you wouldn't.....

NOW, I will accept that you may not want to drive 250 miles each way, like I had to do to see them in Greensboro, in order to see VH again....

But again, if VH is fairly close to you, you're going.....

[chefcraig]

Perhaps I'm more dense than many, yet I simply don't get it. I mean, come on...I'm going to be the one jughead in a crowd of thousands that get's to see a VH show, then wanders out to the parking lot (or the internet) grumbling about the fact they did not play "Women In Love?"

No, I didn't just wake up and smell the coffee. The truth is, for every one of us die-hard fanatics with a thirst or hunger for unexplored/ignored live VH stuff, there are about 15 to 30 normal folks staggering around the hall that quite frankly, give not even a fart, let alone a shit.

Sorry, ya can't serve two masters in life. Apparently, Aerosmith discovered this sometime in the late 1980s, and have gone on to somehow survive with caustic commentary (by those that initially loved 'em in the first place for being inebriated cretins) to this day.

If Van Halen wishes to end their career much like the Bee Gees (who were absolutely terrific by the way, and fuck you if you disagree) playing a hits-only set, I'm fine with it. As long as the bastards continue to put out and pull off outstanding albums like A Different Kind of Truth.

[Never was]

90 minute setlist was mandated and advertised by the person writing the check, the promoter, so how does the band get a shot for that? They crammed in as much as they could with that limit.

Playing to a crowd they have never played, Australia for a one off show you bet your ass they focussed on the hits and they should. The crowd wasn't youtube who seen ever show it was Aussies at a festival most had never seen Van Halen.

The tour in the US the band did a good job of tweaking the set along the way, consider this is a band that has historically played one setlist the entire tour. If they do another leg in the US yeah the setlist should be updated but no it is not going to be a new stage etc... until next tour.

As a customer you want em to pay for a new product and different setlist than you paid for already, fair enough. Bitching about a setlist for a concert you didn't spend a dime on in Australia is just weak and frankly full of BS. The bands job is not to keep your youtube freshly stocked with rarities. Get over yourself.

[ZahZoo]

If it were local to my area and didn't conflict with work or a scheduled vacation... I'd most likely go see them with that set list. But honestly it would have to be convenient and virtually no impact to my budget. If I had to travel more than an hour or work to include it in my budget... no way I'd go and waste several hundreds of dollars on that set list... no matter what quality was delivered.

Does the set list matter... hell yes. Is Van Halen delivering the best of their body of work... fuck no.

Just looking at it from a simple numbers perspective... not including best of's or live releases in the album counts. But including released original tracks...

With Roth:

7 Albums; 75 tracks; 8 covers

With Hagar:

4 albums; 45 tracks; 1 cover

With Cherone:

1 album; 12 tracks; 0 covers

Sydney Set List:

20 tracks; 2 solos; 3 covers; 15 original songs; 3 from ADKOT, 12 from The Six Pack™

Even throwing out 49.2% of their catalog (Hagar & Cherone material)... they're still only performing 20% of their original material with Roth... 26.6% if you include everything in the Sydney show.

ZahZoo conclusion... there's a shit load of material that could make the set list much more interesting... even excluding half their catalog. I have no reservations that the 3 amigos could deliver anything in the catalog... question is... Could Dave?

[Va Beach VH Fan]

ZahZoo conclusion... there's a shit load of material that could make the set list much more interesting... even excluding half their catalog. I have no reservations that the 3 amigos could deliver anything in the catalog... question is... Could Dave?

THAT's the question...

For example, personally I'd love to hear On Fire again, but I know damn well we'll never hear it again live, Dave can't get close to those notes anymore....