So it's Vegas again...

[Terry]

I think that's why you are so upset, you seem to still as a middle aged man worship him in a weird fanboy way. That makes you resent him inevitably not being as good as he once was now he is in his mid 60s.

I dunno if resentment is the word...more along the lines of disappointment combined with puzzlement.

The disappointment (for me, anyway) is pretty much concentrated on his vocals, which sound fucking terrible and the puzzlement is as to why Roth continues to sing the way he does: does nobody have his respect and his ear enough to tell him how bad it sounds? Does he know and just not give a shit as long as he gets paid?

It comes across, certainly in comparison to his heyday, as a slightly pathetic way to wind down a career...fronting a bunch of nobodies, voice shot to shit. Maybe Dave doesn't see it that way. Get no particular pleasure in terms of snark seeing Dave perform like this: guy was one of THE greatest rock frontmen of ALL time in my book.

[Kristy]

Maybe his voice gave Eddie cancer.

Yeah, but that was funny

You know Eddie will be the next to go.


Here's my 5 predicts for dead rock stars in 2020

1. Eddie Van Halen
2. Robert Fripp
3. Tommy James
4. Donovan
5. Daryl Hall

[lesfunk]

Tommy James? I thought he was already dead. He look it in the last pic I saw

[Kristy]

He looks like a former roadie for Spinal Tap


...and he can still sing way better than Roth.


My GAWD! Roth sounds like he's trying to puke back up the little bit of Listerine in his throat. Sounds like he rehearsed his squealing from days a little Geisha girl was pegging him in Japan. Dave Ghan is what, 58? and that junkie can sing. Roth needs to look over his retirement plan and stick with it.

[Terry]

Sounds like he rehearsed his squealing from days a little Geisha girl was pegging him in Japan.

Now THERE'S an image...yikes.

[Terry]

I mean, it's one thing to wind down his performing career fronting Van Halen Mach 4, playing to 15k audiences: even though it wasn't CVH, at least Roth would have been able to say sayonara with a modicum of dignity befitting the legend of what he and Van Halen did all those years ago.

To open for KISS circa 2020 with his Classic Van Halen Experience Featuring Wacky Uncle Dave motif? Seems (at least a) step backward from what Dave had been doing from 2006 through 2015. Though I guess, truth be told, Roth's career path forward was probably only going to really matter unless he was fronting Van Halen, anyway: that "hey, man, all Dave has to do is put together a slammin' new group with John 5...or reunite the EEAS lineup, and THEN Dave will be back on top again" fantasy was just that...a fantasy.

Roth had his time, in terms of real excellence. If the guy can still manage to get somebody to pay him for what he is doing now, good for him. I'm not gonna confuse Roth's continuing ability to get paid with a musical output that is worth hearing, though. To each their own, I suppose, but even if people out there enjoy what Dave is doing live these days and their enjoyment isn't my business one way or the other...I honestly can't understand what attendees of Roth's gigs now are seeing in what he's bringing re: the enjoyment factor. I understand it even less if said attendees were lucky enough to have seen Roth performing during his peak and still find anything to applaud with what he's doing these days.

[Silexxx]

Sounds much better already.

[78/84 guy]

I agree. He seemed to try and reel in that high register shit. Stop that bullshit. And stop singing shit you can't anymore and he might be on to something. I won't hold my breath....

[Seshmeister]

Set changes.

Atomic Punk gone, he calmed the excesses on DTNA still wobbly, added RWTD.

Added Ice Cream Man, Pretty Woman, Everybody Wants Some.

[Terry]

I'd say the 2nd show sounded much more along the lines of what Dave SHOULD be doing live, vocally, than the first: just gotta sing the tunes, not yell them.

'Bout the only real wobbly moment was Just Like Paradise, where (much like the first night) Dave was yellin' and yelpin' the tune: agree with 78/84 guy in that the tunes Dave has trouble singing should be dropped. Just ditch them for other tunes that work better vocally. Because it's Dave that the people are coming to see and hear now: he isn't surrounded by a superstar lineup a la EEAS. Nobody really particularly cares about the backing band beyond them performing the tunes competently (it's not like anybody at this point is gonna be floored with some guitar player nailing Eddie's licks note-for-note perfect these days, 'specially when seemingly any 8 year old on youtube has a video of them playing Eruption). And if one tune doesn't work for Dave vocally these days, it's not like he has a shortage of CVH/Roth solo tunes to alternate with.

I will say I thought Big Train sounded quite good. Sort of mildly amusing that the Jump encore contained nary a physical jump to accompany it, but...there will come a day when youth will pass away...

Humulayzeeboolaybop!

[78/84 guy]

I thought he really put in a effort. Paradise is a great song. DROP IT ! And Dance The Night Away.

[Jetstream]

He should have memos everywhere saying stay in your own register... sounded much better his second night

[silverfish]

You don't choose a support band based on how they sound, it's a business decision.

Agree. Obviously.

Ki$$ will be happy for Dave's vocals to be off as it will just make them look better since 95% of their audience won't even realise they are miming.

Yeah but what happens when/if DLR fans who are unhappy with his set start posting
reviews on-line about the (sub) quality of the opening act? Future shows that aren't
sold out with possible tickets sales to DLR fans who say "Ehh, maybe I'll pass." would
eat into KISS money, right? Yeah, you don't want an opener to upstage you but you
don't want one driving away ticket buyers.

[DONNIEP]

I have a couple issues - duh, what’s new? The first one is do iPhone videos change the sound of a singer’s voice? No, they don’t. Not at all. I don’t care how many people say they do - they don’t! What you’re hearing is how it sounded. It’s funny, when Dave sounds great - and he did in the couple videos I’ve seen from the second show - nobody, not one single person said it was because it was a video shot on a phone. Nobody. I could shoot an entire concert from this residency, and tour, with an ultra wang dangle 67k plus camera and people would say “oh, it sounds different live”. No it doesn’t! The dynamic is different, sure. But the sound is exactly what you’re hearing. Remember the live album??? Was that recorded on a freaking iPhone? Ok, I’ll digress and give in. Why doesn’t Dave sound horrible on the old boots?? Those were recorded on somebody’s tape recorder. Hell, I sent most of you guys copies!! You can’t have it both ways. Either Dave sounds horrible on some songs and great on some or he sucks all the time or kills it all the time. End of story, full stop, no more talk about YouTube videos.

IMO the reason Dave sucked at the first show and got better in the second is because this guy does not rehearse! He never did sound checks. And the 69 Love Train video is a buncha bullshit. 69, 29, whatever. I sat thru that once and I won’t going back. The dude gives interviews saying he’s got a perishable skill and he obviously did nothing to hone it. Otherwise the second show would have blown too.


Anyways, I may go see him fronting KISS. I hope he continues to improve ����

[Jetstream]

I have a couple issues - duh, what’s new? The first one is do iPhone videos change the sound of a singer’s voice? No, they don’t. Not at all. I don’t care how many people say they do - they don’t! What you’re hearing is how it sounded. It’s funny, when Dave sounds great - and he did in the couple videos I’ve seen from the second show - nobody, not one single person said it was because it was a video shot on a phone. Nobody. I could shoot an entire concert from this residency, and tour, with an ultra wang dangle 67k plus camera and people would say “oh, it sounds different live”. No it doesn’t! The dynamic is different, sure. But the sound is exactly what you’re hearing. Remember the live album??? Was that recorded on a freaking iPhone? Ok, I’ll digress and give in. Why doesn’t Dave sound horrible on the old boots?? Those were recorded on somebody’s tape recorder. Hell, I sent most of you guys copies!! You can’t have it both ways. Either Dave sounds horrible on some songs and great on some or he sucks all the time or kills it all the time. End of story, full stop, no more talk about YouTube videos.

IMO the reason Dave sucked at the first show and got better in the second is because this guy does not rehearse! He never did sound checks. And the 69 Love Train video is a buncha bullshit. 69, 29, whatever. I sat thru that once and I won’t going back. The dude gives interviews saying he’s got a perishable skill and he obviously did nothing to hone it. Otherwise the second show would have blown too.


Anyways, I may go see him fronting KISS. I hope he continues to improve ����

I was thinking the same... I bet his live shows are his vocal rehearsals