 | http://seattlemusicinsider.com/2015/07/07/van-halen-launch-summer-tour-at-white-river-amphitheater/ Van Halen Launch Summer Tour at White River Amphitheater http://seattlemusicinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Van-Halen-150705-219-21.jpg Place your bets. . . .that was what many in the crowd were saying in the moments leading up to VAN HALEN’s performance at White River Amphitheater on July 5. With a disastrous performance on Jimmy Kimmel earlier this year, and a statement recently by Eddie Van Halen that he and vocalist David Lee Roth will never be friends, many wondered if the kick-off concert of the tour would be a one and done train-wreck of a show or if the band would get along and perform a true Van Halen concert. Opening for Van Halen on this tour, the band looked to someone they had on their tour over 17 years ago, blues guitarist, Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Shepherd and his band opened the tour during Van Halen’s 1997/98 tour and was just as impressive this go around as he was back then. For guitar enthusiasts, it was a real treat to get both the rock icon Eddie Van Halen and the blues stylings of Shepherd on the same night. Shepherd and his band of seasoned musicians performed many of the guitarist’s hits as well as several covers, including the Jimi Hendrix classic “Voodoo Child” with the flair of Stevie Ray Vaughan. As Van Halen took the stage, many wondered if they would dig deep in their catalog for some un-performed material or focus on the hits. Thankfully, Eddie’s son and current bassist, Wolfgang Van Halen was responsible for scripting the show and pulled out some rarely played deep cuts from the band’s catalog. The band started the show with “Light Up The Sky,” a track that hasn’t been played live in 35 years, from their 1979 sophomore album. During the evening several deep cuts were played live for the first time, including “Drop Dead Legs” from 1984, and “Dirty Movies” from Fair Warning. Also included in the setlist was the rarely performed “In A Simple Rhyme” from their 1980 album, Women And Children First. The most glaring difference between Sunday’s gig and Van Halen’s 2007 reunion tour was the return of Roth as the showman centerpiece. Almost a decade ago, he was hesitant about deploying the old shtick, opting to focus on his vocals rather than his stage persona and ceding the spotlight to reinvigorated guitar legend Eddie Van Halen. Of course that was then, this is now and vintage concert Roth is back. No, there wasn’t any Jack Daniel’s swilling, midair leg splits or (sadly) those trademark wailing vocal frills. Roth’s onstage gymnastics mostly have been replaced by soft shoe dancing, twirling scarves and swinging his mic stand like a bat. What the crowd got instead was good ol’ Chatty Dave. He told stories, made jokes, tossed in comments mid-song and generally seemed to enjoy himself. Roth’s old antics turned off plenty of people back in the day, but that was part of the classic act. Sunday night’s most throwback moment was the resurrection of “Randy Dave,” making sexual innuendos during “Dirty Movies” and referring to himself as “50 Shades of Dave.” Call it compensation: All the showmanship helped turn the focus away from Roth’s obvious vocal limitations, which was by far the roughest aspect of this show. He basically talked his way through the songs — for those who’d counter with, “Well, that’s what he always did,” there’s no comparison — though he occasionally reached back for a little extra. An example of that came during “Everybody Wants Some” and “In a Simple Rhyme,” which featured probably Roth’s best singing of the night. Whether any in the crowd were truly bothered or surprised by Roth’s lack of range is debatable. They lapped up his ad-libs, well rehearsed or not. It wasn’t just the singer who leapt into the wayback machine. Brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen don’t seem to have lost a step: the guitarist as the epitome of sheer effortless virtuosity and the drummer a study in steadiness. Thankfully Eddie looks healthy and sober and has allowed his gray hair to take over giving him a more elderly statesman appearance that suits him surprisingly well. The only replaced link in the chain is Wolfgang, Eddie’s 24-year-old son, who took over for Michael Anthony on bass in 2006. As on the previous two tours, he mostly kept to himself, adding thick licks and impressively strong backing vocals. Nearing the end of the main set was Eddie’s knob-twistin’, whammy-barrin’, jaw-dropping nine-minute guitar solo. It was bookended by elements of “Eruption.” Cell phones illuminated the amphitheater as fans taped a live rendering of perhaps the most famous studio-recorded guitar solo in rock history. “I’m still not used to this,” Roth said midway through the show. But Van Halen’s fans are, which begs a question: Where does the band go from here? Do they attempt another record? Just keep touring? Call it quits? Hold their breath for the predictable meltdown? Maybe a hint came as they played “You Really Got Me,” the Kinks classic that became Van Halen’s first single. Roth and Eddie stood for quite a while absolutely nose to nose, separated only by their smiles. Perhaps it was just acting, or maybe these two have finally figured out that the sum of their parts is more important than their individual contributions. Setlist “Light Up the Sky”
|
Reply To: 2015-07-05 White River Amphitheatre, Seattle, WA
Topics › All Forums › Van Halen › 2015 Tour › 2015-07-05 White River Amphitheatre, Seattle, WA › Reply To: 2015-07-05 White River Amphitheatre, Seattle, WA
