Van Halen at LA Staples Center

[lerxstcat]

Calm down there fanboy... No need to get hostile.

The fact is, Ed SUCKED when I saw them, and most of the youtube clips aren't much better. And for the record, I'm 36, so I think I have a pretty good idea when I'm witnessing someone under the influence. Especially with those gigantic Jumbotrons going, it wasn't hard to tell by the unsteady gaite and clueless look on EVH's face. I'm not being a hater, I just think it is insulting that they are charging the outrageous ticket prices are and obviously going through the motions. EVH is in no shape to be touring. His playing is in sad shape. Don't give me that Ed is always sloppy live routine. Like he says, his style is like falling down the stairs and landing on his feet. In the past, that is what happened. Now, Ed is just falling down the stairs... If he was sober, he would be able to pull it off. Remember, we're not talking about your average bar band guitarist butchering covers. This is EVH. Following the band blindly and kissing their ass will do nothing but allow them to turn in crappy performances and milk the cash cow for all it is worth. If enough people turn their back on them (which is what they deserve) then maybe we'll all be able to hear VH be the kick ass band they should be.

I'd rather spend $150 to see the Atomic Punks. They deliver VH as it should be.

So what, you're trying to organize a boycott of the Van Halen tour - for their own good? :ROTF:

The tickets were sold and the guarantees paid long before the tour started. I doubt anybody expects this to continue long past the tour. Maybe we'll get another album and one more tour, at most. Probably not even that, the new leg they just announced was a pleasant surprise.

If they DID do another album and it was good, you bet your ass they's have another sold-out tour, regardless of what's piped in for the show.

There's an expiration date on this, as they're in their mid-50s now, except for Wolfie of course. So while some will choose not to go because of Mikey or because of backing tracks, plenty are showing up, and will continue to do so while they can, for a limited time.

This is a nostalgia show, and people are going to remember what it was like to be kids at a Van Halen concert. They know it's not going to be the same. They know Ed's fighting booze and drug problems, so some nights he might be loaded. Still better than 2004.

"Turn your backs on them"! That's fucking funny! It's not an intervention, it's a rock show!

[MBreinin]

Calm down there fanboy... No need to get hostile.

The fact is, Ed SUCKED when I saw them, and most of the youtube clips aren't much better. And for the record, I'm 36, so I think I have a pretty good idea when I'm witnessing someone under the influence. Especially with those gigantic Jumbotrons going, it wasn't hard to tell by the unsteady gaite and clueless look on EVH's face. I'm not being a hater, I just think it is insulting that they are charging the outrageous ticket prices are and obviously going through the motions. EVH is in no shape to be touring. His playing is in sad shape. Don't give me that Ed is always sloppy live routine. Like he says, his style is like falling down the stairs and landing on his feet. In the past, that is what happened. Now, Ed is just falling down the stairs... If he was sober, he would be able to pull it off. Remember, we're not talking about your average bar band guitarist butchering covers. This is EVH. Following the band blindly and kissing their ass will do nothing but allow them to turn in crappy performances and milk the cash cow for all it is worth. If enough people turn their back on them (which is what they deserve) then maybe we'll all be able to hear VH be the kick ass band they should be.

I'd rather spend $150 to see the Atomic Punks. They deliver VH as it should be.

Hey whatever you say.

Fanboy? Yep and proud of it. I will always be a fan of Eddie. The simple fact is that his music makes me happy. I honestly don't care about his private life, as long as he still makes music. End of story. FWIW, when I saw them in Greensboro he was stone cold sober.

Atomic Punks? OK, have fun. Go spend your $150 on pretenders. That is perfectly fine. If you feel that a cover band fits your needs more than the real deal, have at it. I think they are great. I would easily drop a $20 to see them play a bar on Bourbon Street. There is also a guy down there that looks and sounds just like SRV in his prime. Fact is, one invented the game, and the others are just players.

Mike

[Posepatrol]

The best part of this thread is that everyone makes a good point.

We all have our opinions, but really all are on here for the Love of Guitar/s Jackson, Charvel, or whatever, I think we all a have line where Quality Control and Value are important.

[jgcable]

I saw them at Mohegan Sun Casino. They were great. The entire band was spot on. Backup vocals were excellent. I did notice a few canned guitar tracks and I wouldn't doubt it at all that some of the backup vocals were canned too. Obviously the keyboard parts were all canned.
With that said.. they were great and I considered it an honor to see them.
The last time I saw EVH was at The Paladium for their VH2 tour. I was 11th row. That was back around 1982 I think. They were much better in 2007 than they were in 1982.

[toejam]

Fuck all of you haters.

:ROTF:

[MBreinin]

:ROTF:

Holy Shit, they made you a moderator, Toejam? Good lord I have been gone for too long......

[mattsmusiccenter]

I read an article on what Digidesign VENUE does. Although it can be run in conjunction with ProTools for backing tracks, it also allows the sound guy to run plug-ins (like distortion on bass) in a live atmosphere. It basically gives a sound guy who's running a live show everything that's available to him in a recording studio.

A friend of mine runs front of house for the Goo Goo Dolls and he loves the Venue system. Their monitor guy runs it also.

My point is, it's not just for running backing tracks.

[toejam]

Holy Shit, they made you a moderator, Toejam? Good lord I have been gone for too long......

LOL I've been one for about a year and a half now.

[Top Jimmy B]

I read an article on what Digidesign VENUE does. Although it can be run in conjunction with ProTools for backing tracks, it also allows the sound guy to run plug-ins (like distortion on bass) in a live atmosphere. It basically gives a sound guy who's running a live show everything that's available to him in a recording studio.

A friend of mine runs front of house for the Goo Goo Dolls and he loves the Venue system. Their monitor guy runs it also.

My point is, it's not just for running backing tracks.

Now Matt, don't be trying to throw logic into this. It's the JCF, dude.

[yard dawg]

I read an article on what Digidesign VENUE does. Although it can be run in conjunction with ProTools for backing tracks, it also allows the sound guy to run plug-ins (like distortion on bass) in a live atmosphere. It basically gives a sound guy who's running a live show everything that's available to him in a recording studio.

A friend of mine runs front of house for the Goo Goo Dolls and he loves the Venue system. Their monitor guy runs it also.

My point is, it's not just for running backing tracks.

Its a great console yes. Its my guess that alot of the production is being done by the sound engineer. If Daves VOX come in and out I bet hes on an antares auto tuner. Im also sure there show is over compressed too if stuff is coming and going. That aside I still wont pay 150 to see 3/4 of Van Halen. What sux is this could be the last tour because no one knows how long ED can keep it up with all the damage hes done to himself over the decades. Maybe he will reconcile with the other half and VH will be back to gether .

[åron]

Dave just looks like a jackass. Forget his vocals. Somehow we've gone from greatest frontman of all time to a stiff awkward dork, doing the Miss America wave as he moseys around the stage. Rock singing always has its sharps and flats, and the autotuner has got to be like crack to DLR. From what I've heard, he's not yet abusing it like Vince Neil :ROTF:

If I was feeling extravagant, I'd go just to see Ed and hear Alex. I'm all for Ed sticking it to Sammy and Michael Anthony. I love Ed. Motherfucker wrote the songs and has a magical touch. Yeah, he's a tragic figure, another alcoholic genius burning out. Booze makes you slow and stupid. Be careful kids, it's been well documented that the alcoholic's brain shrinks over time.

[lerxstcat]

Matt,

I personally play in LIGHTS, we are the Premier Journey Tribute on the West Coast. We do not play to ANY TRACKS, though sometimes I wish we could, but that is not what I SELL, meaning we get paid well, to do our shows, so to use tracks to me is a farce, isn't that what you pay to see/ear?....

The funny thing is Jeff Scott Soto told me "Why don't you guys use TRACKS, Journey Does...?"

My Only Answer was "We aren't JOURNEY".

So you play in a Journey TRIBUTE band, and you feel superior to the real Journey because you don't use tracks and they do?

Here's the thing: You are still the imitation, regardless of you not using the backing tracks. If you choose not to, that's fine. You implying that you're better than the real thing because of that would be like the Atomic Punks claiming to be better than Van Halen.

And you know what? The Atomic Punks CAN play the stuff better than the current Van Halen. But if they ever said that themselves, like you just implied, that would hurt the hell out of their popularity.

Remember who actually wrote the songs, and who has just had 30 years to learn to play them correctly.

[lotsa80sgtrs]

Just came back from the Vancouver show and it was great ! Lots of rock and not a whole lot of talk. I saw them on the 1984 tour (the last time with DLR) too and have been waiting for this show since then. Bob Marley's son's band opened the show. I didn't get a chance to really watch it because I was standing in line to get a t shirt. Ed and Dave were totally on tonight and I am really glad I went. Hope you guys going to the other Canadain dates enjoy this.

[redmanjj]

I saw the Vancouver show as well.

I enjoyed it thoroughly.

As for the technical aspects; they are a hell of a lot better than me, so I have no place to comment.

It was a good time and I would recommend the show to anyone who likes VH.

[Posepatrol]

lerxstcat.

I in no way meant to come across as saying My Tribute Band was Better Than JOURNEY.. I feel like a tool for not reading my post before sending.

I guess My point was that It is actually Ok in a way for the real bands to track because they are who they are, those are their songs.


But Bands Like The Atomic Punks ( Who we have played with ) and My Band are PAID TO REPLICATE...And for us to use Tracks would NOT be ok, because the novelty is that we can come pretty close to the real thing.....

LA is a dead, and is mostly Tributes, the bands that continue to Draw like the Punks and well, us being 2 years Young, is because people can tell we don't use tracks, and the bands that do usually don't play as much as our bands do, and don't have that returning fan base show after show. It does help to change the set. The Last Time we played with The Punks, who I have seen maybe 20 times, they had a NEW SET and I was Freaking out like I did when I was 11 on the Fair Warning Tour..( Ok, maybe in a different way)...

But a Tribute will always be less than the real thing no matter what...

So, I hope that cleared it up a little, I guess in away I was saying I'm cool with Tracks, when its the original band... I guess I just miss Mike!

With Respect,

Casey