EAT EM AND SMILE BAND reunion w/RALPH SAENZ on VOCALS-THIS WEDNESDAY

[damngoodtimes]

Appears DLR doesn't have interest in making new music....

That's the one I would take exception to. Who's the one with an album of new material actually complete, just waiting to be released. (As opposed to the stacks of fragments and drunken noodlings that Ed keeps bragging about). I think Dave has been very eager to work on a new record.

I would also have to cast serious doubt on any thought that a Hagar reunion is imminent. When's the last time the brothers ever finished a project and then jumped right into the next one without at least two years off? Wolf is making his solo record; he'll probably go tour with that Creed guy again. No way anything happens with VH before 2017.

[DONNIEP]

Seriously Donnie?

I fully concur on the lack of excitement with Ed/Al/Wolf, but to say DLR CARRIED all of the shows is an extreme exaggeration. Moreover, if you talk to many, many people who attended those shows, particularly this past tour, DLR was the CLEAR weak link, with EVH actually carrying the show....





Um, yeah, I mentioned Jay's "no contract" thing for DLR on Twitter last night, and it raised quite the shitstorm....

But I think too many people are automatically tying the fact that DLR currently has no contract with VH to saying that DLR is "out of the band". I think that's way too premature.

Sorry, I was slightly buzzed when I wrote that, lol. What I meant by carrying the show was the visual aspect of it. I wholeheartedly agree that Dave's vocals sucked on the second tour and were hit or miss on this last one, but much better than the second one.

What I mean is Dave carries the damn show every fucking night he has to get on stage with those guys. And by those guys I mean Wolf and Ed. I'm sure Wolfie is a great guy, probably the only normal one in the entire band. But between him and his cunt daddy - they suck the life out of the room. I think Wolf lays back on purpose, which is actually pretty cool since he doesn't run around screaming "Look at me, I'm in Van Fuckin Halen!!!" which is what I and the rest of us would do. So props to him for being cool. But the damn show sucks ass. And Dave is up there doing anything and everything he can to put on a show. I hate the damn dance floor but I get why he has it - the guy has done everything but light himself on fire to give people a good show.

And as far as the "news" about the contract goes, it's not really a secret. And making the leap from out of the contract to out of the band isn't too much of a stretch of the imagination either. Of course I'll defer to those of us who actually are "in the know" and speak to people close to the band.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

That's the one I would take exception to. Who's the one with an album of new material actually complete, just waiting to be released. (As opposed to the stacks of fragments and drunken noodlings that Ed keeps bragging about). I think Dave has been very eager to work on a new record.

I would also have to cast serious doubt on any thought that a Hagar reunion is imminent. When's the last time the brothers ever finished a project and then jumped right into the next one without at least two years off? Wolf is making his solo record; he'll probably go tour with that Creed guy again. No way anything happens with VH before 2017.

Well, allow me to rephrase - It appears DLR doesn't have any interest in making new music at Howdy Doody Mountain, for whatever reason....

And for the record, I said nothing about Hagar being imminent....

I just think when you consider the VH 'camp' (and I'm including Jeff at VHND as well in this regard) making very, very few references to anything related to the Hagarita era in the recent past, that now all of a sudden once the tour is over, and reportedly DLR's contract is up, that we get all of these 'coincidences'.....

[damngoodtimes]

These items being more than coincidences would imply something orchestrated or at least a fully-formed thought. I don't know that those clowns are capable of such a thing.

I suppose it's possible they have VHND putting out feelers, but more likely, I think Jeff has always loved some Van Hagar and feels liberated now that the tour with Roth is over. Remember that he fed plenty of Hagar content in the gap between ADKOT tour and this latest one.

The conclusion that VH is doing NOTHING still far outweighs any other option.

Dave would be smart to take advantage of the downtime to do something on his own. His skill is clearly the most perishable. When the brothers get around to doing something again, either they call him or they don't; it's no longer life and death from Dave's perspective.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

I suppose it's possible they have VHND putting out feelers, but more likely, I think Jeff has always loved some Van Hagar and feels liberated now that the tour with Roth is over. Remember that he fed plenty of Hagar content in the gap between ADKOT tour and this latest one.

No, you're incorrect there.

Knowing Jeff pretty well over the years, I can verify that he's definitely pro-DLR/VH.... His inclusion of Bette/VH items on his website is merely for his business, which I can fully understand....

[ZahZoo]

The conclusion that VH is doing NOTHING still far outweighs any other option.

My money is on this one...

All the rest of this speculation is just wishful thinking and day-dreaming...

[DONNIEP]

My money is on this one...

All the rest of this speculation is just wishful thinking and day-dreaming...

Well what the hell else are we gonna do here? Speculation is better than constantly arguing about guns and refyougeez and the BCE (I had to toss that in since Ford ain't around)

[Terry]

Dave's vocals sucked on the second tour and were hit or miss on this last one, but much better than the second one.

What I mean is Dave carries the damn show every fucking night he has to get on stage with those guys. And by those guys I mean Wolf and Ed. I'm sure Wolfie is a great guy, probably the only normal one in the entire band. But between him and his cunt daddy - they suck the life out of the room. I think Wolf lays back on purpose, which is actually pretty cool since he doesn't run around screaming "Look at me, I'm in Van Fuckin Halen!!!" which is what I and the rest of us would do. So props to him for being cool. But the damn show sucks ass. And Dave is up there doing anything and everything he can to put on a show. I hate the damn dance floor but I get why he has it - the guy has done everything but light himself on fire to give people a good show.

And as far as the "news" about the contract goes, it's not really a secret. And making the leap from out of the contract to out of the band isn't too much of a stretch of the imagination either. Of course I'll defer to those of us who actually are "in the know" and speak to people close to the band.

I'd say Dave was certainly carrying the band on the first reunion tour. After that, it has been, more and more, a case of the other way around.

Sure, it was nepotism and convenience that brought Wolfie into the band. By the time he became an official member in 2006, 'Van Halen' wasn't worth much as a band name with a viable future short of Roth rejoining. The 2004 was a disaster, Ed was wanking out drivel for a pron flick 'soundtrack', had meth mouth and news of his death wouldn't have been unexpected at any moment even as late as the NAMM appearance in late 2006 given his general physical appearance. And now, care of previously unreleased interview recordings, we find out that apparently Eddie didn't really think much of Michael Anthony and his contributions going as far back as 1982.

Far as what I can tell, getting Wolfie into that band was a positive thing for Eddie personally. I tend to doubt anything short of Wolfie joining would have gotten Ed out of his dilapidated mansion and eventually sober. It seems the pleasure of playing with his kid was the prime motivating factor in what the band has undertaken since 2006. And there's nothing wrong with that, all things considered. To be sure, in 2007/2008 seeing Wolfie onstage looked a bit awkward: the kid seemed out of place. In 2012, his participation was no longer an issue for me. Would I have preferred to have seen Anthony onstage instead? Absolutely. I still would. Whatever Eds feelings about him, to me Anthony has shown more loyalty to the Van Halens for much longer than ANY other ex or current member. Yeah, it might be a case of Anthony not having as many options or creative talent than any other ex or current member. But look at the high road Anthony has taken publicly post-2006 regarding Van Halen. However, I think Wolfie was the one who finally managed to talk some sense into his father and make him realize that getting Roth back into the band was what people wanted to see and it was the only realistic option the band had to become a viable commercial enterprise again. I'm sure others were saying the same thing to Eddie and had been for years, but I tend to think Wolfie was the only one Ed would listen to. And for whatever Van Halens output has been worth from 2007 through today, Wolfie has been the key to any of that happening at all.

Ed seems like a dud personality-wise. In the end, though, Ed being an asshole or not isn't even a factor regarding my interest in the band. The only thing that matters to me is how well Eddie is playing. And from 2012 up to the present, Ed has consistently been able to produce performances that are able to adequately replicate what he was doing from 1978-1984. THAT is the benchmark requirement of a musician performing in a nostalgia band (and, make no mistake about it, Van Halen have been for all intents and purposes a nostalgia act since Roth rejoined), and Ed meets that requirement.

Dave brought his A game to the 2007/2008 tour. Since then, his effectiveness in fronting the band has been waning. I can't really say if his vocal abilities are diminishing as a function of age and what he exhibits is the best he is now capable of, or if he is consciously choosing to approach his live vocals the way he is...but roughly half the time the band are performing onstage since the ADKOT tour up through this year, Roth isn't sounding good. The instrumentation is concise and on-point, and Dave isn't able to provide the same level of performance vocally. He's forgetting lyrics again, yelling (badly) when merely singing would not only suffice but just plain sound better. It was one thing 30 year ago when Roth could augment any vocal shortcomings with a split from the drum riser or a high kick. Virtually all of those youthful martial art inspired displays of showmanship are now an understandable memory. Dave's onstage comedy routines are now becoming recycled and repetitive: there are only so many times you can hear the same between song patter before it becomes redundant and ineffective. So what we're left with is Dave turning up with stage wardrobe appearing to have been purchased in bulk from whatever was left of the estate of Paul Lynde (I mean, neon green ascots with matching shirts and pants? In 2015? Something I would expect an mc at a retirement home on resident talent follies night to be wearing), moving around onstage in a shuffling aged manner and unable to sing properly beyond a few short bursts here and there.

And supposedly DAVE is the one carrying the band live these days? Not from my vantage point.

[damngoodtimes]

No, you're incorrect there.

Knowing Jeff pretty well over the years, I can verify that he's definitely pro-DLR/VH.... His inclusion of Bette/VH items on his website is merely for his business, which I can fully understand....

OK, then. I'll drop the "loved" part and stick with the "liberated" part. Whether by directive or not, he was reluctant to promote any Hagar stuff while the band was active with VH. He can resume appealing to the entire customer base, as it were, during these periods of inactivity.

[DONNIEP]

I stand by my statement - Dave is up there doing everything and anything he can visually to put on a show while Old Bitter Cunt and Wolf stand there like two idiots who don't realize they're putting on a rock show. Should Dave put more effort into his vocals? Well hell yes he should! But the visual is important too and at least he's trying in that aspect.

And honestly I could care less about Ed's playing ability. I can go out and find five guys who can play those songs better than he can. And it ain't like he's shooting magic out of his old worn out fingers - it's the same shit he's been doing for 30 + years. Hell he SHOULD be good at it by now.

The "magic" of seeing Dave on stage with OBC wore off not long after the first show of '07. I enjoyed the hell out of the two tours I caught but it's done. If they ain't gonna do a proper reunion then fuck the Van Triplets or whatever they call themselves. There ain't gonna be anything new happening there, there's zero excitement from the three faggity sisters, and honestly I could give a shit less about seeing the same old crap tour.

I honestly hope this EEAS gig happens and it kicks Dave in the Bawllz and gets him in the frame of mind to do something, anything. Anything other than playing Ninja in North Korea or where ever he spends his time being a hermit. But who knows, Dave could come out on stage and suck ass singing those songs like he did half the last tour with Van Failin.

[DLR Bridge]

OK, then. I'll drop the "loved" part and stick with the "liberated" part. Whether by directive or not, he was reluctant to promote any Hagar stuff while the band was active with VH. He can resume appealing to the entire customer base, as it were, during these periods of inactivity.

We've seen two Hagar era songs be released in instrumental form over the past week or so at the VHND. Jeff mentions that they are nothing official on the band's part, but still makes one wonder, wassup wit dat?

[DLR Bridge]

"...the story is not over..."

[DONNIEP]

"...the story is not over..."

Like I said, if these guys do actually set up a show - this one being canceled is the best thing that could have happened. The buzz is gonna be off the charts.

[Seshmeister]

Touring with Roth and clean living seems a bit of a wasted opportunity to me

You can even take the 'Touring with Roth' part out of that sentence and it works just as well...

[WARF]

Boze lay boze lay bop

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o543/metalsludge04x/rothdance.gif