I saw them in Cleveland on Tuesday.
I too, am a little disgruntled about the hosing MA took....he is a great rock player, and as solid as they come.
Now, I only had a passive interest in seeing this show. My brother and I growing up playing music in the early 80's as grade school/jr. high students.....VH was the be all - end all for us. We literally wore out every tape they had a couple different times. I lost some interest once Sammy came aboard. Sammy is a great talent, which I believe is best spent solo. It was okay, but to me....it just wasn't Van Halen.
My brother who is also the guitar player in my band never lost any interest in them.....Eddie is king! Say what you want, Eddie changed the face of modern guitar, and is without a doubt one of the most influential guitarists in rock history. So, hearing my bro talk non-stop about this tour, I decided to buy some tickets......I ended up taking my whole band.
First let me state that these guys obviously did a ton of rehearsing. DLR was on, sounded great, and still has the energy and wit as he has always been known for.....one of the best front men in rock music history. Eddie.....while just a short year or so ago, it looked like he had met the end of the road with his health and self abuse. Eddie looked good, and performed GREAT! At 33, I wish I had half the energy DLR and EVH have in their 50's! Alex is the same alex he has always been, sans a little off the hairline. Solo was a little heavy on the neil peart lift....but was solid as he has always been.
Wolf......again, I feel bad for not having MA there, and the screwing it sounds like he has taken. Most notes per minute or not, MA is one of the best contributors to that era's collective rhythm section. That said, Wolfie had nothing to do with the lineup changes. Everything I have heard from him has been completely humble, and just hoping he can do a good job. You know what? He did NOT do a good job.....he did a great one. Great fit for the band, and it was obvious that Eddie and Wolf were having the time their lives playing together. One of the highlights was during mean street.....dave's part in the break....."woohoo take a look at this"....he extended it out talking to/about wolfie...."you'll get some head tonight fo' sureee.... Wolf walks up to the mic and replies "come on Dave, give me a break"
The set list was smashed full of GREAT tunes, with some unlikely but great selections that would please the most longtime VH fans. From Little Guitars, to Little Dreamer, to a good tasting of the 1984 album....it freaking rocked.
Great show, and these guys are back on top of their game. I am thinking about spending even more dough to catch them in Detroit next weekend. So, if you're a fan of dlr era vh......this is the real deal. Don't miss it.
