What Song Do You WANT As The Opener, and What Song Do You THINK Will Be The Opener?

[chefcraig]

It's a good idea, but just a bit to lumbering of a way to literally start the night. Cheap Trick came up with the song Hello There for the sole purpose of what FORD mentioned. The sound guy could give each member of the band a final tweaking of the knobs at the mixer as they entered the song individually. That song is a barn burner and that's more how I envision a night starting off. As I said earlier in #10, I think LUTS isn't far out of their reach as many fear.

Cheap Trick Chicagofest, 1981 Pretty damned good and amazing live show, the way I've seen them. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cheap+trick+chicagofest+81

I really, really need to find a some of those old Cheap Trick, Cheap Trick shirts at a mall to wear to work... Long sleeves, please. That would be awesome.

[lindaem]

Unchained opening number

[TwoFoolsAMinute]

Seems to be a natural opening song. You have each band member take the stage as their part in the song kicks in, starting off with Alex, then Wolf, then Eddie, and finally Dave. Can't believe they haven't thought of this.

That's more or less what I'm thinking except with Hot For Teacher.

[Grit]

Well considering that there are no new tunes and they will NOT performing any of the songs that most of you attending the show would love to hear and are basically rehashing the last tour I think they they are gonna break out into a solid Van Halenized version of Dire Straits
" Money for nothing" to start off the show

They have been rehearsing a few deeper tracks. Hope they do for those that will make a show.

[Edwards3rdWife]

" They abso-friggin'-lutely need to go back to the old way of opening a show with the slow moving prison search lights and the band rumbling on their instruments in the dark. There is no greater way to pump a crowd's adrenalin. "

Preach ! I'd also like for someone to come out on the mike in the dark and loudly give us the Mighty Van Halen like in the day, then open with HAIL or Full Bug.

[ZahZoo]

They have been rehearsing a few deeper tracks. Hope they do for those that will make a show.

I think it's a fairly safe bet that the Van Halens can pull off an excellent rendition of any song in the entire catalog... and be happy to do so.

Note the absence of the Singer™ in all those rehearsal teasers... That's where things get murky quick where deep tracks are concerned.

[BumBahDeeDah]

Hang 'em High!

But it'll be Unchained, and I'm cool with that. I always love the idea of them going back to attacking the audience with Romeo Delight tho.

[WARF]

Dirty Movies!!!!

[Terry]

They should open with One Way To Rock, followed up by a Poundcake/Three Lock Box/Mas Tequila medley.

Hey, if Dave sounds so goddamned awful singing CVH stuff these days, maybe he'll sound better singing Hagar material.

Maybe they should open with Just A Gigolo and Dave can scat out a ten minute "humulay-zebulay-humulay-zebulay-bozde-boze-bop-diddy-bop" Al Jolsonesque acapella burst of sheer brilliance. Such a strategy would easily illuminate who the "true Roth fans (meaning the ones that salivate over every mundane live utterance of Dave's and claim he 'hasn't lost a step since 1984, man')" really are and distinguish them from the jagoffs who prefer CVH tunes sung properly.

On a slightly more serious note, maybe they should open up with I'm The One. That would be as good an opener as any to kick off the festivities.

[WARF]

After listening to the LIGHT UP THE SKY cover maybe they should hire Jeff Scott Soto, Ralph Saenz, anyone... anyone who can sing with the melody without yelping and hurting my ears...

[Terry]

I'd opt for "Sinner's Swing," yet then again I'm fairly delusional.

It'd almost be worth going to the show if they threw that song ANYWHERE in the set, just to see if Ed can replicate the studio version of the solo.

Regardless of where in the set they slotted that song, 50% or better of the audience would be scratching their heads going "Is this a new tune?"

[DLR Bridge]

It'd almost be worth going to the show if they threw that song ANYWHERE in the set, just to see if Ed can replicate the studio version of the solo.

I had seen a clip of raw footage from '81 once before with about 30 or so seconds of each song. I'll try to find it. In the clip was the solo section of Sinner's Swing and it had such a crazy hammering part to it. Was a much better solo than the one on FW.

[Terry]

I had seen a clip of raw footage from '81 once before with about 30 or so seconds of each song. I'll try to find it. In the clip was the solo section of Sinner's Swing and it had such a crazy hammering part to it. Was a much better solo than the one on FW.

There are several minutes of Super 8 footage from a 1981 Chicago show that have been floating around boot circles for years. At one point, someone took the footage and ran it as a youtube clip with the soundtrack from a 1981 LA Forum rendition of Sinner's Swing playing along. Is that what you're referring to?

[chefcraig]

Here ya go...bogus as all hell.

[rwc]

Many good suggestions already. Personally, I'd love to hear As-Is for the opener. The Van Halen's (meaning no Dave) played it during sound check in Atlanta 2012, and it sounded great.