I caught the performance on Kimmel last night and it was well, not good. Eddy was on, but a good % DLR's vocals were waaaaaaaaaaaaaay off key......

[Edited on 3/31/2015 by BIGV]

I gotta admit, 7/16 at Shoreline Amphitheatre is awful tempting. I've seen them twice with Sammy but never with Roth. Then again, if I miss it..........ain't gonna make me cry.

Yeah last night sure does make me wonder if DLR can sing anymore.

I really love the DLR-era Van Halen but won't go see them. I'll buy their albums for sure, but I just don't think Dave can deliver live.

Hard rock/ heavy metal is a younger man's game. I love Black Sabbath and Deep Purple also, but I doubt I'll ever see either band again because I feel like the vocalists are just too far past their peak.

DLR sounds terrible for sure! Can't comment on Sabbath, but have seen Deep Purple twice over that last several years and Ian can still sing!

I really love the DLR-era Van Halen but won't go see them. I'll buy their albums for sure, but I just don't think Dave can deliver live.

Hard rock/ heavy metal is a younger man's game. I love Black Sabbath and Deep Purple also, but I doubt I'll ever see either band again because I feel like the vocalists are just too far past their peak.

After last night's performance, if I was EVH I'd call Sammy and bury that hatchet right quick. 😛

After listening to Panama and Runnin' With The Devil on Jimmy Kimmel, I'll have to pile on the anti-Roth camp and there is no way I would bother going to see this. Not only does Roth sound terrible.........he looks pretty bad, too. Way overdid the tats, and what's with the Band-Aid on his nose? Eddie looks great, surprisingly enough, and sounds pretty good, too.

That said..........they'll play before many tens of thousands at every stop, and be cheered to high heaven.

Roth busted his nose on his mic during one of the takes of Panama.

That seems like a tough schedule for a band in their prime let alone for a 60 y.o.. would love to see the set up he will travel in. Probably want a personal chef and trainer to tag along. Hotel food gets old quick.

Way overdid the tats

I wonder if DLR feels the same way?

The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band is opening for Van Halen on this tour. I am a huge fan of KWS, so my opinion is definitely biased, but I think you'll be impressed.

Eddie still has it but Roth is just absolutely shot. He ruins it at this point IMO. For what they are asking for tickets at Jones Beach I will stay home. I wouldn't pay 1/3 the price they are asking to watch Roth make a fool of himself.

DLR isn't great but who knows how much busting his nose affected his singing on jimmy

He was really spinning that mic stand. Like a baton twirler in a beauty pageant. I think he is lucky he didn't smack himself in the side of the head.

I think he is lucky he didn't smack himself in the side of the head.

My guess is this is exactly how he broke his nose.

I've never been a Van Halen fan but watching these videos, I have to admit it was good to see them all on stage together and I thought the performance was pretty good considering the broken nose. The show must go on!

After last night's performance, if I was EVH I'd call Sammy and bury that hatchet right quick. 😛

Ha, ha - I agree.

I won't go, couldn't stand to listen to Roth and I also couldn't stand to be amongst all the kids doing this all night:

I DVR'ed the first night on Kimmel and watched it last night after seeing most of this thread. It wasn't as bad as I expected it to be!!

I've never been shy about criticizing DLR (not since the 2002 Sam & Dave tour anyway), but he wasn't nearly as bad on Kimmel as he has been on the past couple of tours. They picked songs that were fairly low in his register so he wasn't doing much if any of that falsetto thing he started doing the last few years (and usually out of key). Still not particularly good, but DLR never sang good live even in his prime. Just wasn't as bad as he can be (and will be on the upcoming tour).

Agree that is a grueling tour schedule for DLR's pipes. They were smart not to schedule any consecutive nights, but I only see 1 real break in the schedule and that could be a place-holder for more NYC area shows. I honestly don't see them finishing this tour as scheduled, without some postponements due to "health reasons".

Eddie looked terrific on Kimmel. Had that look in his eye and trademark smile back. Sounded great. I don't see him and Hagar ever burying the hatchet though. And Hagar wouldn't do it again without Michael Anthony and without Wolfgang there is no EVH in Van Halen. Stranger things have happened, and people do the unexpected when there is enough money involved, but I just don't ever see that happening again.

I don't see him and Hagar ever burying the hatchet though. And Hagar wouldn't do it again without Michael Anthony and without Wolfgang there is no EVH in Van Halen. Stranger things have happened, and people do the unexpected when there is enough money involved, but I just don't ever see that happening again.

Wonder what Gary Cherone is up to these days 😛

Wonder what Gary Cherone is up to these days 😛

As bad as VH3 was, I'd love to hear it properly mixed/mastered. Might be polishing a turd, but the sound on that recording was terrible. I'd also love to hear the follow-up to VH3 that they recorded with Cherone, after he had some time to find his spot in the band. Anyway, at least live he wasn't afraid to sing both eras of the band and represent the band's entire history.

Can someone give me the short version of why the kid is playing bass and not Michael Anthony?

I think this is accurate:

The shortest version is Michael Anthony sided with Sammy Hagar, who is persona non grata in VH Land. MA didn't do himself any favors by not reaching out to the Brothers during the lengthy hiatus post VH3, especially after one of the Brothers' parents died.

The other main factor is Ed's son got him playing again when Ed was in his years-long drunken stupor post 2004 Hagar reunion tour. Without Wolf, EVH would not get the band back together. And without EVH there is no VH. So no Wolf = no Van Halen.

Hey thanks, that makes sense.

especially after one of the Brothers' parents died.

Only one of the brothers?

Just to add...

Eddie didn't want Michael Anthony on the 2004 tour with Hagar, but Sammy wouldn't do it without him. It was said that Michael had to sign over his share of the band as part of him doing that 2004 tour.

They also took all of his songwriting credit away from the 1984 album except on the song "I'll Wait". I think the only reason he kept it for that song is that it would have required Michael McDonald to also sign off on any changes since he also has a credit on it.

EVH was trying to get rid of M.A. as far back as Fair Warning (1981?) time frame, but was never able to for one reason or another. Billy Sheehan admits to have been approached about joining the band in the past (way past), but otherwise has been dignified enough not to discuss it in any detail.

Dickish move taking away songwriting credits and shareholder status, but M.A. probably never should have received songwriting credits anyway. I wonder if the Brothers also took away all his performance royalties too as part of that deal for the 2004 tour.

My English teacher tells me that "parents" is object of the preposition in that sentence, and not "brothers". 😉

actually according to tmz last night, that was exactly how he cut his nose, bashing himself while he was waving that thing around--they had to stop taping and tend to the wound.

hope Eddie Van Halen & David Lee Roth have cleaned up their act for this tour...seemed pretty messed up for the last while. Some musicians let that interfere with their talent & music...some don't.

[Edited on 4/1/2015 by bettyhynes]

Just like the last tour in support of "A Different Kind of Truth," the Van Halen's sounded great. Roth, however, horrible....Could be the nose injury, but I think it's mostly just that he's lazy and puts no effort into the craft of singing. Ironically, at a time when the "schtick" is way overplayed and he could actually get away with being less a "rock star" and far more an actual singer. If he'd simply put forth some effort and work with a vocal coach and sing in his register, he'd sound far better....Not to mention he still smokes cigs and weed by the bale...That can't help his 60 plus year old voice.

I have to add that I'm just amazed at the turn around in general health and ability with EVH. The guy was literally at death's door for what seemed liked most of the first decade of the century and his playing was horrible on the 2004 tour. The last tour he really looked and sounded more like the old Eddie.

Watching the clips from Kimmel, I noticed he definitely has that glimmer back in his eye and that long missed ability to make his shredding look so easy. Even that little jam they did while Roth's nose injury was attended to sounded pretty cool and refreshingly spontaneous. Would love to hear/see just the three Van Halen's do about a 15 minute jam on one of their classic tunes....In particular, "Take Your Whiskey Home."

[Edited on 4/1/2015 by Chain]

wow,I just actually watched that video of them performing on Hollywood Blvd...which couldn't have been cheap to stage,with the lights,cameras,stage,permits. I saw a barband last week that was actually better than they performed. The singer sucks & the band was sluggish.

I'd much rather spend time watching some new up & coming bands than some of these old bands. I honestly don't know how people spend these high $ amounts to see shows like this & think this is how they were in their early days.
People should give the new guys & bands a break...god knows they need it.The record label or agency here must be investing $Millions into these guys already.I really can't believe how much they sucked!