Should I buy Van Halen tickets?

[Bobby]

I know it's not a fair judge but a youtube video I watched shows that Michael Anthony's voice is glaringly absent. Wolfgang looks like a little kid who's been sitting in front of video games with a bag of chips for 20 years.

It's great to have Dave back, it's not been VanHalen since he left after all,
but the whole Wolfie thing just ruins it for me.

I could deal with Sting's son's group opening for the Police. Imagine he kicked Andy out of the band for him.

That's what this looks like to me. It stinks. I don't think I'm paying over a 100 a pop to see 3/4 of one of my favorite bands.

 

[Ted]

Unless you can get a ticket for about ten bucks, forget it.

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

Well Yankster, as a drummer you still have Alex who has kept it sharp from what I've heard and Eddie can still swing an Axe however he won't be dancing all over stage any more. If you are hoping to see the "Old Tunes" with the energy, quality and showmanship, please refer to Ted's post. If you can Tune David out and catch the value of Eddie and Alex that could be worth watching for someone who knows what they're looking for.

 

[Toejam]

From what I've seen on Youtube, David Lee Roth's voice is GONE!!! No thanks!

 

[Von Halen]

Go into my TOUR FORUM and read some reviews from some of the shows.

I saw all the original VH tours with Dave, and have seen three shows from this current tour. Trust me when I tell you, Dave is not the weak link on this tour. And neither is Wolfgang. Edward Van Halen is. Most nights he is on. Some he isn't. Of the three shows I have seen so far, two have been nothing short of phenominal, and one was subpar.

Yes, I am EXTREMELY disappointed with Mike Anthony not being there. But Wolfgang is doing an adequate job. Like someone else said, he's not hurting them any. He can play all the songs properly, and they are piping in some extra vocals to help with the harmonies. Yes, he's the youngest in the band, and in the worst shape out of the four of them, but that says something about our youth of today. I guess he got his Mom's genes in the weight department. And look at it this way. At least you don't have to sit through a pointless Bass solo on this tour!

As The Doctor insinuated, Alex Van Halen is a monster on this tour. He is playing flawlessly. A ton of energy. You can really tell he is having a great time playing the REAL Van HALEN songs.

Edward is another story. You can tell he is really happy to be playing live on stage with his Son. He is truly proud. But some nights he just doesn't bring it. Rumors are that he is not as sober as the VH camp would like us to believe. Maybe this is why he is on on some nights, and not on on other nights. Either way, by most accounts, he is on more than he is off. I wouldn't miss the show on the chance that it might be and off night for him. Either way you are still seeing a Guitar God playing some of the greatest rock and roll ever put on vinyl.

Dave is singing very well on this tour, and is concentrating more on singing the songs, as opposed to all the extra stuff. He is still doing some jumps and some goofing around, but for the most part, he is taking this very seriously.

I would find it hard to believe that you would attend this show and walk away disappointed. However, I am biased and pretty much feel the original VH can do no wrong. If nothing else is attractive enough to suck you into this thing, the setlist alone should do it. The are playing an absolutely phenominal set of songs. You will get to hear the likes of "So, This Is Love?", "Unchained", "Mean Street", "Everybody Wants Some", "Romeo Delight", "I'll Wait", "Somebody Get Me A Doctor", as well as the more standard staples you would expect. They play a solid two hours and they are in your face from the opening notes of "You Really Got Me", to the ending with "Jump". It is a very high energy show.

Yes, Bob, go to this show.

 

[Paul]

I saw Van Halen a few years ago and if they play half as good as they did then, buy the tickets. I am a die-hard Metallica fan, but I figured I would give Van Halen a try and I loved the show.

 

[Dave]

I saw Van Halen a few years ago and if they play half as good as they did then, buy the tickets. I am a die-hard Metallica fan, but I figured I would give Van Halen a try and I loved the show.

Paul I hope it's OLD Metallica you're referring too. I'm a huge fan of the old stuff only. Best concert (twice) I've been too by far.

Oops sorry Bob I don't mean to highjack your thread. Back to Van Halen.....

 

[BaldyLochs]

If you've seen them before, or if you're expecting to see a great reunion show that will out-do anything they've ever done before..... don't buy it - you'll be quite disappointed. I made that mistake. but if you can go and just appreciate the significance of having Ed, Al & Wolf performing together as family - or you truly appreciate anytime Eddie is holding a guitar, knowing he's a legend and truly respect him for his musical contributions over the years... then by all means, go. I saw the original VH quite a few times on various tours dating back to the 70's - and this was NOTHING like that was..... except for some outrageous guitar playing by Ed and a flashy drum solo. Micheal Anthony's girly screams, whiskey-drinking tough guy stage antics are in the history books for ever.
And David.... well, David is David.... he's kind of like that one friend of yours at a party.... you know, you see him/her getting drunker and drunker, sillier and sillier and people laughing at him/her.... inside you really want to take the drink out of his hand and walk them out to the car and drive them home safely.... but you just turn your head, and blend in with the crowd and pretend not to see anything - yet all the while, inside you really hurt for the person. To me, it was like watching a top fuel dragster crash in slow motion. You see the cylinder crap out.... you see the car get squirrly at half track... the blower goes boom.... something takes out a rear slick... you know it's going to end bad.........

 

[Von Halen]

If you've seen them before, or if you're expecting to see a great reunion show that will out-do anything they've ever done before..... don't buy it - you'll be quite disappointed. I made that mistake. but if you can go and just appreciate the significance of having Ed, Al & Wolf performing together as family - or you truly appreciate anytime Eddie is holding a guitar, knowing he's a legend and truly respect him for his musical contributions over the years... then by all means, go. I saw the original VH quite a few times on various tours dating back to the 70's - and this was NOTHING like that was..... except for some outrageous guitar playing by Ed and a flashy drum solo. Micheal Anthony's girly screams, whiskey-drinking tough guy stage antics are in the history books for ever.
And David.... well, David is David.... he's kind of like that one friend of yours at a party.... you know, you see him/her getting drunker and drunker, sillier and sillier and people laughing at him/her.... inside you really want to take the drink out of his hand and walk them out to the car and drive them home safely.... but you just turn your head, and blend in with the crowd and pretend not to see anything - yet all the while, inside you really hurt for the person. To me, it was like watching a top fuel dragster crash in slow motion. You see the cylinder crap out.... you see the car get squirrly at half track... the blower goes boom.... something takes out a rear slick... you know it's going to end bad.........

Obviously you know less about Van Halen than you pretend to know about the Kalitta operation.

 

[Bobby]

Well I think Dave's a hoot and the only reason I'm even thinking of going.

I never thought Alex was all that as they say . Perhaps I was wrong.

I 've got a few hours to decide .....

 

[Bobby]

Vaughn , the fans on your forum sold me. I jumped.
Second row off the floor center ice. "I'll Wait" but I wish I didn't have to.

The only other time I've seen the group was in 1981 on the Fair Warning Tour. Seven of us piled into a country squire station wagon and drove to the Boston Garden. Our seats sucked, the sound sucked but the band was great. I expect this time to be a much better experience.
I'll be sober , they'll be sober (right Eddie?) and if I 'm lucky Valerie will decide to make a trip to Disney world. She's a cutie..

I remember hanging out in a Howard Johnson's restaurant back in high school and a bunch of kids including my sister stopping in on the way back from an early Van Halen show this must have been 78, at the cape cod coliseum. They all had VH shirts on and were just raving about the show. I was quite jealous at the time.

The Garden show was a let down because the of the horrible sound in that place. I expect this should make up for it.

Thanks Vaughn.

Go into my TOUR FORUM and read some reviews from some of the shows.

I saw all the original VH tours with Dave, and have seen three shows from this current tour. Trust me when I tell you, Dave is not the weak link on this tour. And neither is Wolfgang. Edward Van Halen is. Most nights he is on. Some he isn't. Of the three shows I have seen so far, two have been nothing short of phenominal, and one was subpar.

Yes, I am EXTREMELY disappointed with Mike Anthony not being there. But Wolfgang is doing an adequate job. Like someone else said, he's not hurting them any. He can play all the songs properly, and they are piping in some extra vocals to help with the harmonies. Yes, he's the youngest in the band, and in the worst shape out of the four of them, but that says something about our youth of today. I guess he got his Mom's genes in the weight department. And look at it this way. At least you don't have to sit through a pointless Bass solo on this tour!

As The Doctor insinuated, Alex Van Halen is a monster on this tour. He is playing flawlessly. A ton of energy. You can really tell he is having a great time playing the REAL Van HALEN songs.

Edward is another story. You can tell he is really happy to be playing live on stage with his Son. He is truly proud. But some nights he just doesn't bring it. Rumors are that he is not as sober as the VH camp would like us to believe. Maybe this is why he is on on some nights, and not on on other nights. Either way, by most accounts, he is on more than he is off. I wouldn't miss the show on the chance that it might be and off night for him. Either way you are still seeing a Guitar God playing some of the greatest rock and roll ever put on vinyl.

Dave is singing very well on this tour, and is concentrating more on singing the songs, as opposed to all the extra stuff. He is still doing some jumps and some goofing around, but for the most part, he is taking this very seriously.

I would find it hard to believe that you would attend this show and walk away disappointed. However, I am biased and pretty much feel the original VH can do no wrong. If nothing else is attractive enough to suck you into this thing, the setlist alone should do it. The are playing an absolutely phenominal set of songs. You will get to hear the likes of "So, This Is Love?", "Unchained", "Mean Street", "Everybody Wants Some", "Romeo Delight", "I'll Wait", "Somebody Get Me A Doctor", as well as the more standard staples you would expect. They play a solid two hours and they are in your face from the opening notes of "You Really Got Me", to the ending with "Jump". It is a very high energy show.

Yes, Bob, go to this show.

 

[rocketman]

Go into my TOUR FORUM and read some reviews from some of the shows.

I saw all the original VH tours with Dave, and have seen three shows from this current tour. Trust me when I tell you, Dave is not the weak link on this tour. And neither is Wolfgang. Edward Van Halen is. Most nights he is on. Some he isn't. Of the three shows I have seen so far, two have been nothing short of phenominal, and one was subpar.

Yes, I am EXTREMELY disappointed with Mike Anthony not being there. But Wolfgang is doing an adequate job. Like someone else said, he's not hurting them any. He can play all the songs properly, and they are piping in some extra vocals to help with the harmonies. Yes, he's the youngest in the band, and in the worst shape out of the four of them, but that says something about our youth of today. I guess he got his Mom's genes in the weight department. And look at it this way. At least you don't have to sit through a pointless Bass solo on this tour!

As The Doctor insinuated, Alex Van Halen is a monster on this tour. He is playing flawlessly. A ton of energy. You can really tell he is having a great time playing the REAL Van HALEN songs.

Edward is another story. You can tell he is really happy to be playing live on stage with his Son. He is truly proud. But some nights he just doesn't bring it. Rumors are that he is not as sober as the VH camp would like us to believe. Maybe this is why he is on on some nights, and not on on other nights. Either way, by most accounts, he is on more than he is off. I wouldn't miss the show on the chance that it might be and off night for him. Either way you are still seeing a Guitar God playing some of the greatest rock and roll ever put on vinyl.

Dave is singing very well on this tour, and is concentrating more on singing the songs, as opposed to all the extra stuff. He is still doing some jumps and some goofing around, but for the most part, he is taking this very seriously.

I would find it hard to believe that you would attend this show and walk away disappointed. However, I am biased and pretty much feel the original VH can do no wrong. If nothing else is attractive enough to suck you into this thing, the setlist alone should do it. The are playing an absolutely phenominal set of songs. You will get to hear the likes of "So, This Is Love?", "Unchained", "Mean Street", "Everybody Wants Some", "Romeo Delight", "I'll Wait", "Somebody Get Me A Doctor", as well as the more standard staples you would expect. They play a solid two hours and they are in your face from the opening notes of "You Really Got Me", to the ending with "Jump". It is a very high energy show.

Yes, Bob, go to this show.

Now you make me wish I went to the show.

 

[Rollout96]

Now you make me wish I went to the show.

Well... I went Sunday night. I had seen them with both
Sammy and Gary Cherone but never with David Lee Roth. They were very,
very good!!!!

Here are my thoughts:

Eddie: Seemed sober and inspired. His playing is not as precise as
it used to be but he looked good and seemed to really enjoy himself.
It was comical (in a sad sort of way) to see him try to jump like he
used to. It was like he was "all afire" and then would "leap" all of
six inches.

Alex: Sheeesh... That guy is STILL a monster on the drums. the best
way to describe his playing is simply "BIG"!!!!! He was great.

Dave: I was really surprised at how good he was. He did plenty of
mugging to the audience and big screen cameras but it was all so
"Dave" that it worked. Sometimes he would be too busy mugging to sing
but it was sort of funny too. He just sang a few notes lower than
usual but overall he was great. He can't quite jump like he used to
either but he swings a mean mike stand in his martial arts routines.

Wolfgang: Damn I wish I was Eddie Van Halen's son. He did his best
to stay out of everyone's way. His bass playing was very, very good
and the kid can SING (albeit back-up vocals). They really missed
Michael's high harmonies but I was very impressed by this kid. He is
only 16 and playing to sold-out arenas.

Overall: OK... Now THIS is how you stage a concert. Completely
UNcluttered stage and a HUGE video screen right behind the band. The
cameramen were awesome and every seat became a front row seat. No
explosions, very few lasers and just great, classy spotlights. Very
good concert. WAY too expensive but I'm glad I went.

 

[Bobby]

WOW.

worth every penny.

I loved David tonight. What a showman. The master of ceremonies, the ringmaster, the carny barker, step right up to the greatest guitar player on earth he may as well have said. Actually he may have. A baton and flag twirler, and yes he can still kick as high as his head. How many guys in their 50s can do that. He's ripped.
His singing was good. A bit strained on some of the higher notes, but for the most part he got it done. You can't help losing some range when you get older. He tried hard and did his best, and his best was plenty good enough.
My wife is not a fan of the band, didn't know any of the music, and she said he made the show worth watching for her.

Eddie was spectacular. He certainly did make some mistakes, an obvious one at the end of 'little guitars' but so what. He's human. He was certainly sober and was smiling moving around the stage, doing just fine. A masterful guitar player, and the huge screen let us see his technique up close.

Alex was good. His solo was fun, better than I thought it would be. It was aided by several sound effects, and the video editing on the screen behind him which was distracting but made the solo seem more impressive than it was.
He's no Neil Peart but who is.

Wolfie. Wolfie plays quite well, sings the parts well, and looks ridiculously out of place. He's a shy teenager with his hair in his eyes who looked like he just wanted to be left alone all night. Would the show have been better with Mike Anthony? Yep. Would it have happened at all without Wolfie? I guess not.
It's kind of like seeing the boss's kid get hired and promoted too fast because of who he is. It's annoying. I guess if this is the only Van Halen we're gonna get we'll have to take it.


Overall, I 'm glad I went. I watched Eddie and Dave all night and ignored Wolfie. It really wouldn't matter who was playing bass and drums in a band with those two. Whether Eddie likes it or not, the two of them ARE Van Halen.

 

[Lori]

I didn't attend the show here, but heard from those that did that it was great. Similar to posts that have been written, Wolfie did a respectable job and stayed out of the way and spotlight whenever he could. Eddie is an amazing guitar player, and although it wasn't quite like the old days, he is still phenominal. Same with David Lee Roth. I couldn't jump like that back in the day, much less 30 years later. He is the showman, and the band was never the same after he left. Drummer's are always great, and Alex was killer in that department.
None of these original guys can do things quite as good as they used to, but again, who can do what they did 30 yrs ago with the same energy and vigor? They had an awesome show and they had a good time doing it. I know people that said they would see them again if they came back, it was that good. Sorry I didn't go. I love concerts and that would have been a great one.

 

[yoda]

Re: Should I buy Van Halen tickets?....Not anymore. I was just out having cocktails with the crew and they are all going home tomorrow, and Edward is on his way to rehab.. Tour is "postponed" until further notice...

 

[Alan]

Re: Should I buy Van Halen tickets?....Not anymore. I was just out having cocktails with the crew and they are all going home tomorrow, and Edward is on his way to rehab.. Tour is "postponed" until further notice...

Old habits die hard..............too bad.

 

[Von Halen]

Re: Should I buy Van Halen tickets?....Not anymore. I was just out having cocktails with the crew and they are all going home tomorrow, and Edward is on his way to rehab.. Tour is "postponed" until further notice...

Not true. I talked to someone on the tour and they are headed to Dallas where the tour is set to resume on March 3.

 

[yoda]

Not true. I talked to someone on the tour and they are headed to Dallas where the tour is set to resume on March 3.

March 3 may be "further notice", but don't hold your breath- Valerie's book comes out next week on Oprah- may not be a good day in the VanHalen camp

 

[willy]

March 3 may be "further notice", but don't hold your breath- Valerie's book comes out next week on Oprah- may not be a good day in the VanHalen camp

What could she possibly say that we haven't fantasized about..LOL

I do wish them luck..and if Yankee dude says it was good..that will work for me.