Larian Studios Forums General Chat Chat (Anything) Van Halen Tour 07 First Show Reports and pictures!

[b] I'm going to see them Dec.5 G.M. Place Vancouver........ Awesome!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />


<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> Van Halen: Still brothers in rock <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />
Friday, September 28th 2007, 4:00 AM
First, the good news: David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen got through the entire stretch of their first show together in 22 years last night without killing each other.
Now the better news: At last night's opening salvo of a national tour at the Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, N.C., the two performed with a vintage measure of joy and verve, showing neither the vitriol that long ago fractured them, nor the problems that have plagued them as individuals in the time between - including, most recently, a spell in rehab for Eddie.
Joining the duo in this eons-in-themaking comeback were drummer Alex Van Halen and Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass, subbing for Michael Anthony.
The latter snub prevented the tour from pulling off a full revival of the original gang of four.
But the pitched spirit and chops displayed this night evoked more than enough of the band's '80s heyday to please any true fan.
From the first power chords of "You Really Got Me," the band hit a hard groove that didn't let up for the next two hours.
Eddie's guitar runs showed again the God-like speed, agility and wit of old, even if he still shows no interest, or ability, to connect this to anything approaching an adult emotion.
We're still talking frat house stuff here, even from men moving into their 50s.
Same goes for Roth, who remains the same eagerly corny ham as ever. His outfits looked like they came straight from Siegfried and Roy's back closet.
Still, he came through where it counted. He didn't cower from hitting the high, screechy notes. And his trademark bellow rang through loud and clear.
The group played 25 songs, batted out in brisk succession, and all from the pre-Sammy Hagar era (1978 to '84).
It often stressed a mangier and rawer style than what came later, and while that kind of thing can sound sloggy in an arena, last night the sound remained bracingly crisp throughout.
The rhythm section - another big question mark of the night - pulled its weight.
Young Wolfgang kept the bottom in line with his bass lines.
Alex Van Halen's double bass drums again made the perfect two-fisted mirror to brother Eddie's bravura riffs and leads.
More than 25 years since he first pioneered his two-hands-on-the-fretboard approach, Eddie remains a technical wonder.
Again, last night his leads did loop-do-loops around the melodies, and peeled into wheelies in the choruses.
It may seem unseemly for a man of his age to retain a tone that's all leer, but Roth's camp character helps lend a leavening dose of self-awareness to the character.
Dave and Eddie seemed cordial. They even hugged at one point. But they connected in the music more than in any gestures, and that was for the best.
The repertoire showed the range of their material proudly - from pop like "Dance the Night Away" and "Janie's Crying" to more obscure pound fests like "Atomic Punk" and "Romeo's Delight."
The top hits, played at the end, like "Panama" or "Jump" may be over-played on radio. But after so many years performed by either a listing version of Van Halen or a weak solo David Lee Roth, it was great to finally welcome back the real thing in such fine form. - Jim Farber, NYDailyNews

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...s_in_rock.html
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You've got to roll with the punches to get to what's real!

Pictures here:..... Van Halen First Concert Pics

U-Tube Link for Rehersal Vid Clips


<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif" alt="" />

THIS JUST IN....

For you youngins, these guys haven't shown VH much love at all since the very beginning, but have to admit, this is a good review from them....

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdai...north-carolina/

9/28/07, 9:07 am EST

Gods of Rock Deliver the Goods: Van Halen Kick Off Reunion Tour

“You’re going to see some tears when they hit that stage,” said Modesto, California’s Matt Caramella as he waited for Van Halen with David Lee Roth to hit the stage for the first time since 1984 in Charlotte, North Carolina, last night. Sure enough, tears streamed down his face as the lights went down and Eddie Van Halen appeared on the darkened stage, shirtless and wearing faded green Army fatigue shorts and white sneakers, cranking out the first few riffs of the band’s reconstituted Kinks cover “You Really Got Me.” By the time Roth came out, wearing tight black leather pants, a polka-dotted shirt and white sports jacket with gaudy black embroidery, Caramella was in fist-pumping ecstasy. “These guys are my heroes,” he shouted over the din, “the gods of rock & roll.”

And for more than two hours, the gods delivered. From “You Really Got Me” to “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “Dance the Night Away,” “Oh, Pretty Woman,” “Unchained,” “Hot for Teacher,” “Ice Cream Man,” “Panama,” guitar-god solo “Eruption,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” “Jump” and about thirteen more classic Van Halen tunes, the band was in top form for their long-overdue reunion. “I’m not going to waste time BS-ing around tonight,” Roth told the delighted, sold-out crowd of predominantly middle-aged guys in white- and blue-collar work clothes and gals who’d retrieved their Eighties bustiers for a night of original hair-metal nostalgia. But he was lying: Roth was at his BS best.

His hair may be shorter and crow’s feet longer, but Diamond Dave is every bit the Vegas showman that he was two decades ago, when he left Van Halen for an ill-fated solo career that took him from cheesy bad to train-wreck worse. He showed his gift for gab — and flamboyant duds — from the get-go, imitating Mick Jagger and martial arts moves, smiling like a clown, riding a giant microphone. And despite old wounds, his bandmates seemed charmed by their new old lead singer. Eddie Van Halen, switching from his signature Peavey “Wolfgang” guitar to his old, red- and white-striped “Frankenstein,” nuzzled up to Roth several times. And drummer Alex Van Halen, sporting his trademark white headband, pounded his kit with a constant smile. If original bassist Michael Anthony was missed at first, it wasn’t long before Eddie’s sixteen-year-old son, Wolfgang Van Halen, had the crowd in the palm of his hands. The teenaged slap-style bass player held his own with style, grace and grit, throwing out picks to the audience as he walked the catwalk into the crowd, his bass in hand, during “Atomic Punk.” There were some bumps along the way, including a few times when Roth missed his vocal cues, but the audience could not have cared less.

All four members looked healthy and fit, particularly Eddie, who has gone from drug-addict weird to middle-age handsome since the original band’s aborted reunion of 1996. Even young Wolfgang seemed to have lost some of the baby fat he showed in earlier photographs with the band. And then there was Diamond Dave, who has evolved from rock & roll cool to old-Vegas hip with style, grace and his eternally smart sense of flamboyant irony.

“Did this really happen?” Matt Caramella shouted as the house lights went up following the encore, “Jump.” By then, his tears had mingled with the sweat running down his face from his buzz cut. “Man, that was like a [nocando] dream.”



O.K. I'm stoked...... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Nice that they're on tour again. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I heard about it only a few days before you wrote about it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I believe this is the year of the Reunions:

- Genesis
- The Who
- The Police ...