* Bridgestone Arena is a great venue... but don't they have air-conditioning? It was hotter than heck.
* Wolfie is much more active and seems a lot more confident than the last time I saw them. His vocals have improved as well.
* Eddie is awesome and looks as good as I've seen him in a long time.
* Alex is still fantastic.
* Dave is out of his mind and has to go down as the goofiest front man of all-time. I couldn't quit laughing at his silly faces and moves. It's like having a clown as lead singer. He also does some moronic sidenote about some dogs he trains to herd sheep or something and blah blah blah. Please. And burn those overalls. They kept showing clips of him wearing them on the big screen and all I could think was "why is a 60 year old man dressing like he's 4?" Vocally though he sounded pretty good and the old man still can move his butt, I must say. I pulled a muscle in my groin just watching a few of his kicks.
* The set list rocks. The only tracks I didn't really care for were "Girl Gone Bad" and I thought Dave made "Ice Cream Man" horrible, and that's one of my favorite VH songs ever. They didn't play "Stay Frosty" which sucks because I love that track. But they come out blasting with "Unchained" and before it's over you get all the biggies like "Panama" and "Running With The Devil" and stuff like "I'll Wait" and "Everybody Wants Some"... plenty of stuff from the new release too.
* Kool & The Gang opened and were actually a helluva lot of fun.
* Craft beer at the venue... $10 a pop. 24 oz at least so that's not completely outrageous I guess.
6 comments:
Wish I could have found something to laugh at with David Lee. He was simply embarrassing and annoying. The band sounded amazing though!
Great concert.........I WAS SO DISSAPOINTED WITH THE FANS AROUND ME. SITTING ON THEIR BUTTS FOR A VH CONCERT? REALLY? I am 40 but I was the only one standing so I sat down and moved a bit out of courtesy but I think that is pathetic....awesome concert. They do need to play outta space and beats workin or as is or blood and fire
Yeah, I'd like to hear Beats Workin as well. Been loving that track lately.
I've seen them 4 times this tour. Gets better every show. Love the new stuff and the old stuff. Could live without I'll Wait, Hear About it Later, and Runnin' With the Devil. Would much rather hear Stay Frosty, Beats Workin', Outta Space, As Is, or anything from the new album. Absolutely a great show!!!
If anyone found Dave embarrassing or annoying, they have not ever seen the original Kickass Classic Van Halen before, and just do not get it.
Too bad.
He was actually better here in Nashville than he was back in the early 80s in some ways.
At least he did not try to talk his way through most of the show like he did back in the day. He was actually putting a hell of a lot of effort into his vocals, even when he does not have a great voice.
It is like people who criticize Frank Sinatra because they cannot wrap their heads around someone who is not an amazing vocalist, but has stage presence second to none.
David Lee Roth is the greatest frontman in rock history.
Note, I said "frontman". Not "singer".
As for the temperature, yes, Bridgestone has a great A/C system, as do all other venues Van Halen is playing.
However, on this tour, Van Halen has it in their contract rider that the A/C is to be turned off during their performance.
I think it has something to do with Dave's voice. Recall above where I said he does not have a great voice?
A/C dries the air out something fierce, and it can interfere with a vocal performance. Hell, sometimes I go into a store here in Nashville where the A/C is cranked, and suddenly my throat gets really scratchy and it makes me cough.
So I can understand Dave wanting to remove anything that could get in the way of his attempts to do well with his limited range.
Hope the above info explains some stuff.
Dave was GREAT. The band was SHIT HOT!
And Wolfy has become a better bassist than Michael Anthony. Sure he still lacks some stage presence, but he is better than on the last tour, and I continually am amazed at what he did as I watch the Blue-ray from the show.
Dave or the grave....
I do get it and have seen the original Van Halen before in both the 70s and the 80s. Dave acts like an idiot. No big deal, I still love the guy and the band. But he's a buffoon on stage.
And I think Wolfie is improving by leaps and bounds, still not close to touching Michael though. Not even remotely.
Awesome show though. Loved it and can't wait to see them again on the next part of the tour.
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