2015-07-26 Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, St. Louis, MO

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This topic has 7 voices, contains 11 replies, and was last updated by  jroundy 3166 days ago.

April 19, 2015 at 9:14 am Quote #44878

guitard
(7354)

:mrgreen:


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July 26, 2015 at 10:45 pm Quote #47582

PT5150
(6280)

Appartenly Outta Love was played at soundcheck.


EDDIE’S fingers aren’t fingers they are muscle-powered pistons that hammer guitar strings to the fretboard with the force of a rivet gun”.


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July 26, 2015 at 10:49 pm Quote #47583

mrmojohalen
(6377)

Cool ! Get rid of WIL & bring back Outta Love.


When you turn on your stereo, does it return the favor?


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July 26, 2015 at 11:03 pm Quote #47584

PT5150
(6280)

https://instagram.com/p/5nykm-tUAL/

https://instagram.com/p/5n1JM3NUEq/


EDDIE’S fingers aren’t fingers they are muscle-powered pistons that hammer guitar strings to the fretboard with the force of a rivet gun”.


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July 27, 2015 at 5:31 pm Quote #47645

ron
(11464)

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/music/reviews/van-halen-concert-feels-like-two-shows-happening-at-once/article_1fe86e90-4cbc-50e1-b3df-cd79e6b82b71.html

Van Halen concert feels like two shows happening at once
5 hours ago – By Daniel Durchholz Special to the Post-Dispatch

http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/f9/1f980a46-3a56-50b7-a82f-be6a5033127a/55b6196ad344f.image.jpg
Van Halen performs at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre on Sunday, July 26, 2015. Photo by Jon Gitchoff

“Eddie (Van Halen) got you into the building; this is where I sell you the Bibles,” David Lee Roth said deep into Van Halen’s two-hour-long set at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre Sunday night.

For some, Roth’s description of himself as a hustler working some kind of con might have cut a little too close to the bone. Certainly the showy, swaggering singer knows the art of the deal. But as so often happens once the salesman has skipped town, the quality of the merchandise is found wanting.

On the one hand, the concert was almost everything a longtime Van Halen fan could want, with Roth, the seeming majority favorite among the band’s frontman merry-go-round, on board once again; a generous set list of nearly two dozen songs, curated by bassist Wolfgang Van Halen and featuring a panoply of hits and well-chosen deep cuts, some of which haven’t been performed in decades; and all the guitar and drum heroics anyone could ask for from (respectively) brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen.

And yet … the concert often seemed as if it was two different shows happening in the same space and time; one by the Van Halens, who were pumping out irresistible hard rock/pop metal grooves and breathtaking, turn-on-a-dime instrumental acrobatics all night. And the other by Roth, working his own territory and admittedly, working it very hard — changing costumes, mugging, milking applause, twirling the mic stand, hoofing through some old-school dance moves and even managing a split — no mean feat at age 60.

But Roth’s voice was unwieldy all night. When it was on and his vocals were given close support by Eddie and Wolfgang Van Halen, as on “Feel Your Love Tonight” and “Beautiful Girls,” the band seemed like it was at least in the same ZIP code as its late ’70s and early ’80s heyday.

But when he wandered off key, or had no relation to any key whatsoever — “Runnin’ with the Devil” and “Dance the Night Away” were particularly egregious examples — things were more problematic.

Worse, there was next to no chemistry or significant interaction between the Van Halens and Roth. They did their show; he did his. And his was sometimes tedious, as when his mid-song stories wandered aimlessly. One, told during “Everybody Wants Some!!” recalled his childhood, when he misbehaved and his parents threatened to “sell him back to the Indians.” Another had something to do with the band playing Mexican weddings in its early days and a low-rider car Roth once owned. Both stories were absolute momentum killers as was his fooling with an acoustic guitar and a bottle of whiskey prior to singing “Ice Cream Man.”

His injection of the “roof is on fire” chant into “Hot for Teacher” felt desperate and dated, kind of like Mitt Romney singing “Who Let the Dogs Out.” Go ahead, Google it and see.

As Roth mentioned, though, it was Eddie Van Halen that likely brought the fans out, and the guitar great didn’t disappoint, casually churning out astonishing leads and offering a solo spotlight that climaxed with his signature instrumental, “Eruption.” Even as Roth’s sizzle fizzled, Eddie Van Halen still managed to deliver the steak.

Opening act Kenny Wayne Shepherd seemed determined to impress as well — so much so that he and his four-piece band took the stage 10 minutes before the scheduled start time, just so they could play a longer set. Each of the seven songs they played spotlighted Shepherd’s virtuosic blues-rock stylings. Especially fine were a pair of B.B. King tunes, “Woke Up This Morning (My Baby’s Gone)” and “You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now,” which the band dedicated to the recently deceased blues master.

Van Halen set list

Light Up the Sky
Runnin’ With the Devil
Romeo Delight
Everybody Wants Some!!
Drop Dead Legs
Feel Your Love Tonight
Somebody Get Me a Doctor
She’s the Woman
China Town
I’ll Wait
Drum Solo
Little Guitars
Dance the Night Away
Beautiful Girls
Women in Love
Hot for Teacher
In a Simple Rhyme
Dirty Movies
Ice Cream Man
Unchained
Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love
Guitar Solo
You Really Got Me
Panama
Encore:
Jump

http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/dc/adc0cc7e-25c5-507d-af65-e07661776029/55b6197226c95.image.jpg
http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/42/b4214499-e07b-53f3-9f13-4ba90a5494aa/55b619705d877.image.jpg
http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/aa/5aa17b62-1fce-5c04-94fd-7de8ac5348c8/55b6196f1f331.image.jpg


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July 27, 2015 at 9:12 pm Quote #47660

jroundy
(1418)

From the YouTube videos…. I can’t disagree too much with this review.


The poor folks play for keeps down here…They’re the living dead. Nobody rules these streets at night like Van Halen!!


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July 27, 2015 at 10:01 pm Quote #47664

guitard
(7354)

Jon Gitchoff: Worse, there was next to no chemistry or significant interaction between the Van Halens and Roth. They did their show; he did his.

The implication in this is that there is something very different about the interaction that takes place between the three Van Halens. To which I reply that Al is pretty much in his own little world for the entire show (which to be fair, is normal for a non-singing drummer). And other than a very occasional trip by Wolf over to Ed’s side of the stage, all of which looks and feels very scripted, I don’t see a whole lot of interaction between the Van Halens.

The only one who pushes for any type of unscripted interaction is Dave. It’s not a lot, but at least he does initiate interaction with the other three. Sometimes his shtick falls on its face, and other times it takes you back to the days of early VH. But at least he tries. If it were up to the three Van Halens performing as a trio, I’m afraid you’d get a carbon copy performance night after night and it wouldn’t involve much in the way of Ed and Wolf laying down some serious improvisational grooves or some tasty one-liners. The only one who makes any of that happen is Dave.


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July 27, 2015 at 10:20 pm Quote #47668

Gilligan
(1518)

Good analysis. IMO, Wolf just stands there the whole show except his “big” RWTD intro where he moves to the drum riser for 10 seconds. Eddie makes LOTS of eye contact with Dave and Al but doesn’t move around much. Al is playing the drums and smiling a lot, but what else can he do?

People make fun of Dave for his constant costume changes, dancing, strutting, high-kicking and endless raps, BUT he’s the one “performing” for the audience and giving the fans a “show.” I think he’s giving his all to entertain, engage and rock the crowd while the triplets expertly play the monster songs we came to hear. I guess it’s easy to pick on Dave with his slip n’ slide flooring and jazz hands, but I don’t see it that way. He’s FRONTING a rock band and working hard at it. He’ll never be a stand-at-the-mic performer.

And at risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll stress again that YouTube is NOT a great way to judge a rock show. Dave, especially, does not always translate well to YouTube. The reality is there is nothing like being there, and having been to a show (while sober!) I can attest they ALL sound great this tour.


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July 28, 2015 at 1:02 am Quote #47675

thismusicsux
(578)

guitard: The implication in this is that there is something very different about the interaction that takes place between the three Van Halens. To which I reply that Al is pretty much in his own little world for the entire show (which to be fair, is normal for a non-singing drummer). And other than a very occasional trip by Wolf over to Ed’s side of the stage, all of which looks and feels very scripted, I don’t see a whole lot of interaction between the Van Halens.
The only one who pushes for any type of unscripted interaction is Dave. It’s not a lot, but at least he does initiate interaction with the other three. Sometimes his shtick falls on its face, and other times it takes you back to the days of early VH. But at least he tries. If it were up to the three Van Halens performing as a trio, I’m afraid you’d get a carbon copy performance night after night and it wouldn’t involve much in the way of Ed and Wolf laying down some serious improvisational grooves or some tasty one-liners.The only one who makes any of that happen is Dave.

actually great points. Dave is the one trying to have any type of interaction… well Ed is pretty animated throughout and tries to do some too. There are some great moments. This one from Chicago during ICM solo



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July 28, 2015 at 1:20 am Quote #47677

guitard
(7354)

Ed does get animated at times – but when’s the last time you saw Ed initiate interaction with another band member? I’m not knocking him for not doing it – it’s just not his thing.


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July 28, 2015 at 1:54 am Quote #47678

thismusicsux
(578)

guitard: Ed does get animated at times – but when’s the last time you saw Ed initiate interaction with another band member?I’m not knocking him for not doing it – it’s just not his thing.

true… a couple (looks like scripted) high-fives w Wolf.
How bout the new little do-si-do I’ve seen him and Dave do at start of show ;-)

but was pleasantly surprised by some of his animated backing vox this tour. During ATBL chorus he’s got both hands off the guitar and wailing out “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love!!!!!” — he’s really nailing shit


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July 28, 2015 at 11:19 am Quote #47697

jroundy
(1418)

Gilligan:
And at risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll stress again that YouTube is NOT a great way to judge a rock show.Dave, especially, does not always translate well to YouTube.The reality is there is nothing like being there, and having been to a show (while sober!) I can attest they ALL sound great this tour.

The live experience is always going to more interesting, and more exciting. You can’t replay something and watch it again. You have all kinds of distractions, and the energy of the crowd can have a huge influence. I think a video strips all that away, and if it’s really great you will watch it over and over. Not sure why Dave wouldn’t translate well to video…. he certainly has in the past.


The poor folks play for keeps down here…They’re the living dead. Nobody rules these streets at night like Van Halen!!


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