KOOL AND THE GANG OPENING FOR VAN HALEN???

[Craig_S]

You've got to be kidding...

[JimK]

Back in the day...this happened a lot.
In the early '70s, I recall seeing EW&F open for Uriah Heep.
I was a long hair Hard Rock guy...after that show I was also an EW&F guy!
They rocked!

Check out a Fillmore East shows-
Show Listings

Just scroll through & witness the diversity of acts that shared the same bill...unbelievable.

[leegreenman]

Odd...

[Godfather]

I'd probably go to see Kool & the Gang, then bail...

[Joel Graham]

Originally Posted by JimK

Back in the day...this happened a lot.
In the early '70s, I recall seeing EW&F open for Uriah Heep.
I was a long hair Hard Rock guy...after that show I was also an EW&F guy!
They rocked!

Check out a Fillmore East shows-
Show Listings

Just scroll through & witness the diversity of acts that shared the same bill...unbelievable.

WOW!! I saw EW&F open for Uriah Heep too!! The kicker on that bill was the first band was ZZ Top doing stuff from the first two records... Tres Hombres wasn't out yet!! They were cool with a sycopated time tune I've not heard since!!

[bass12]

Yeah, I thought that to be a rather strange pairing. I think the nostalgia factor is what comes first with these kinds of tours.

[JimK]

Originally Posted by Joel Graham

WOW!! I saw EW&F open for Uriah Heep too!! The kicker on that bill was the first band was ZZ Top doing stuff from the first two records... Tres Hombres wasn't out yet!! They were cool with a sycopated time tune I've not heard since!!

...had to be the same time frame. IIRC, Uriah Heep's Demons & Wizards was heavy in my rotation. I don't remember ZZ Top being in there...although it was the '70s.

EW&F was also on the California Jam bill...with Deep Purple, ELP, Black Oak, Black Sabbath, Seals & Crofts, The Eagles, Rare Earth, etc.
Earth Wind & Fire /Verdine White - Bass Solo /1974 California Jam - YouTube

[Craig_S]

I saw some odd shows in my youth, as well. I always left thinking "What The Flip?" I was 12 when I first heard VH. I loved them through high school... I don't think any of the people I knew back then would have been happy with this situation. What are they hoping to achieve with this sort of show? Even Flock of Seagulls would have been a better choice.

[mellowinman]

I hope VH can live up to this pairing.

[Craig_S]

I hope Kool and the Gang doesn't get booed off the stage by the rockers, or have to play to a nearly empty arena. A 20,000 seater would be pretty lonely when there is only 1,000 sparsely located people talking through your show.

[Limeman]

Maybe it is just me, but I feel that the ushering in of the "iTunes-type" music model has created something of a renaissance in the exposure to music types, genres, etc. People, young and old, can easily access just about every type and style of music under the stars, and so a more open-minded attitude seems to be prevalent, at least IMO/IME. I would think that this pairing will do just fine. Sure, most of the people at that show might be from the VH era (quite possibly with their kids in tow), but hopefully, their musical tastes have, along with their belt-lines, expanded to allow for a great night of MUSIC. But hey... what do I know?

[cableguy]

Back in the day VH always seemed to have opening bands that didn't really fit. Usually they would get boo'd off the stage. I always thought it was weak to do that. Have a band that can bring it that is also going to make you fans appreciate them even if they're a little different than you would listen too. But VH is a shell of it's former self so maybe they need their ego padded by this. I can appreciate Kool and the gang but most VH fans won't.

[fmoore200]

Originally Posted by Limeman

Maybe it is just me, but I feel that the ushering in of the "iTunes-type" music model has created something of a renaissance in the exposure to music types, genres, etc. People, young and old, can easily access just about every type and style of music under the stars, and so a more open-minded attitude seems to be prevalent, at least IMO/IME. I would think that this pairing will do just fine. Sure, most of the people at that show might be from the VH era (quite possibly with their kids in tow), but hopefully, their musical tastes have, along with their belt-lines, expanded to allow for a great night of MUSIC. But hey... what do I know?

Not trying to hijack the thread, but this comment made me think. I'm sure its been said a million times, but while I agree with your point of view about the "itunes model" expanding peoples musical tastes I also feel that the model has made artists focus more on singles as opposed to albums.

Listening to an album today is at best like listening to a best of collection with no clear focus, or at worst a few singles with a lot of fluff.

/hijack

[T Bassman]

Originally Posted by mellowinman

I hope VH can live up to this pairing.

True That

[brndn123]

I too read this from their press release...lolz ensued

[LongHairFreak]

IMO, the oddest pairing I ever saw was Burton Cummings opening for Alice Cooper.

[FilterFunk]

The pairing should be okay if Kool & The Gang plays its harder, funkier stuff (Jungle Boogie, Funky Stuff, etc.). If they play stuff from the "JT" era (Joanna, Cherish, etc.), there could be trouble.

[mpdd]

thank you for this thread,i had a dream that kool and the gang were playing at marango casino with van halen in 2012 near my desert place, and during kool and the gang's last song (jungle boogie) david lee roth sang with them before vh's set

[avvie]

Perhaps VH is smart enough to not hire a young rock band who could blow their doors off.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Originally Posted by avvie

Perhaps VH is smart enough to not hire a young rock band who could blow their doors off.

...as they did with Black Sabbath on the "Never Say Die" tour.