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July 24, 2008 |
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October 23, 2004
Pacific Coliseum - Vancouver, BC
By Tony Antunovich
All photos Copyright © 2004 METALEATER - Do not use without permission.
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The name VAN HALEN is legendary in the music world. Ever since the band exploded onto the scene with their immortal self-titled debut back in 1978, they continually released several hit records (most of which have achieved multi-Platinum status), selling a combined total of over 75 million albums worldwide. Though the band has seen a lot of ups throughout their long-running career, there have also been a fair amount of bumps in the road along the way. When David Lee Roth announced his departure after the band's top-selling "1984" album (which has sold over 10 million copies to date), it was not known what the future would hold. For many fans, the David Lee Roth VAN HALEN (let's call this v.1) was, and forever will be, THE only VAN HALEN that matters. Well, with the end of one era, a new one is born. Sammy Hagar took over as the new lead vocalist of VAN HALEN (v.2) in 1985 and carried out that role until 1996.
During this time period, Hagar and the boys released four studio albums, and every one of them hit the #1 mark on the Billboard charts. Change was on the horizon again after Hagar left the band in 1996, leaving the singer spot vacant yet again. If that wasn't bad enough, things just got worse when Michael Anthony and the Halen brothers made the decision to enlist former EXTREME vocalist, Gary Cherone, in 1998 for the gawd-awful "Van Halen III" album - a move that made most fans (and critics) ill. In the end, that VAN HALEN (v.3) was about as short lived as Britney Spears' first marriage (pardon the joke).
The year is now 2004, and after months of speculation, Sammy Hagar returns to the fold (again) and VAN HALEN is officially a band once more. Yeah, for most die-hard fans who believe that the David Lee Roth era is the one true VAN HALEN, this is nothing more than "Van Hagar". But no matter what one's opinion is, like it or not, this is VAN HALEN.
The last time I saw VAN HALEN was back in 1991. In fact, I can tell you the exact time and place - it was Wednesday, November 13, 1991 at BC Place Stadium (I have my ticket stub to prove it ). ALICE IN CHAINS were the opening act and VAN HALEN put on a pretty good show from what I can remember (no, I was not intoxicated). One thing that I DO remember is the sound quality being pretty crappy. Playing live music under a huge white DOME is NOT the best idea! It just echoes the sound everywhere, making it extremely difficult to hear the music properly. That little disappointment aside, the band did make a lasting impression on me, so I was really looking forward to seeing the same lineup play here again (this time with better sound quality).
Well folks, VAN HALEN returned to the Pacific Coliseum last night to rock this city one more time. Over 17,000 die-hard fans were on hand to witness the now reunited band (Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, and Michael Anthony) do again what they do best. The stage was a spectacular sight to behold - a massive oval silver-on-black VAN HALEN symbol with fans inhabiting the two inside loops. Behind Alex's large drum set, (which included four bass drums), was a gigantic 3 or 4-story high sphere-like structure with a video screen molded into the center of it.
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At approximately 8:30 PM, the lights went out as a roaring crowd looked on in awe as the sound of Eddie's guitar signaled the start of the two and a half hour show. Eddie came out shirtless, wearing baggy rose-colored pants; Alex has his signature white bandana wrapped around his forehead; Michael sported the casual look with jeans and a black tank-top; and Sammy was dressed all in yellow with red shoes and wore black shades. The audience roared some more as the band kicked-off the night with their ever-popular hit, "Jump". These four guys may have aged over the years, but age has definitely NOT slowed them down one bit. VAN HALEN was here to kick some ass, and I would say they were off to a pretty good start. Equipped with a green "5150" inscribed guitar, Eddie shredded his way through that solo like he did back in 1983! Judging from the crowd's reaction, VAN HALEN's long-awaited return to Vancouver was a much welcomed one indeed.
The band carried on with "Runaround" and the band's contribution to the "Twister" movie soundtrack, "Human's Being". Rumor has it that past tensions between Sammy and Eddie still make their way to the surface sometimes, and as a result, the two keep their distance from each other on stage (so I have heard). Yeah, Hagar stood on the opposite side of the stage on several occasions throughout the night, but I really saw no "obvious" sign of "tension" between the two band mates whatsoever. As you will see in many of these photos, Sammy and Eddie are standing right next to each other; in some even singing together. Ah, just like old times!
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At one point during the evening, Sammy referred to Alex Van Halen as being the "number one drummer in the world". Alex had the opportunity to show off some of his drumming skills during a lengthy solo, which was split up into a few parts. Needless to say, it was more than impressive. Being a long-time drummer myself, I have always admired watching a killer drum solo being executed by a good drummer. Alex blasted through the first part of the 7 or 8-minute solo, slamming the skins and cymbals like a raging storm, then paused for a few seconds before starting it up again with a series of drum rolls. Very impressive stuff boys and girls! After Alex wrapped it up, Eddie appeared once again, this time with his hair up in Kabuki-style - amusing to say the least.
Mr. Van Halen then proceeded to riff out the intro to "Top Of The World", and the screams just got louder and louder from there on. Quite appropriately, Sammy sang the song standing "on top" of the platform just in front of the video screen. One of my all time favorite VAN HALEN tracks, "Unchained", had me banging my head rather frequently, and I wasn't the only one. There were blocks (heads) everywhere, swinging around like whips and chains. It was one of my personal highlights of the night for sure! "Why Can't This Be Love" featured some vocal parts by Michael and Eddie, singing a few verses each leading to the chorus. Sammy's range may not be as strong as it was in the '80s, but he can still strike those chords without any effort whatsoever.
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It's no secret that Sammy loves palm trees, so he brought out what looked to be his "pet palm tree" that he takes around on tour with him. He then said that he wants to come up to Vancouver, buy some land here, and plant a bunch of palm trees on it. Sammy played a medley of some of his best solo material, including the classic fan-favorite, "I Can't Drive 55", where the crowd participated in a short sing-a-long. Shortly thereafter, the other band members came back onto the stage and continued on with "Seventh Seal" and "Best Of Both Worlds".
What would a VAN HALEN concert be without the mandatory Eddie Van Halen guitar solo? Exactly my point! The guitar maestro did not disappoint Vancouver fans. As the crowd chanted "Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!" repeatedly, he lit up a cigarette, and then lit his guitar on fire for what seemed to be at least a 12-15 minute solo. Not surprisingly, Eddie shredded his way through several riffs and a medley of different VAN HALEN songs including "Cathedral", "Intruder", and "Eruption". Near the end of the solo, Eddie laid down on the stage while he continued to playing his guitar - very entertaining! He then stood up, faced the crowd, and spoke into the mic "Thank you. It's fucken great to be back." I have to say that despite having recently gone through some serious health problems, Eddie has not lost one bit of his edge. I can still hear those "Eddie! Eddie!" chants.
Moving right along, the band cranked it up with some more HALEN classics like "Dreams" (Sammy wearing a Canadian flag around his shoulders), "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" and "Right Now", which displayed the words "Right Now Van Halen is kicking ass in Vancouver" in the "Right Now" video on the big screen. That technically marked the end of the show, but VAN HALEN just could not leave Vancouver without giving the fans what they wanted - more! The band played a 3-song encore to go out in style - "You Really Got Me", "Panama", and "When It's Love".
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SETLIST:
Jump
Runaround
Humans Being
Up For Breakfast
Somebody Get Me A Doctor (?)
Poundcake
It's About Time
Alex's Solo
Top Of The World
Unchained
Why Can't This Be Love?
Sammy's solo medley: Eagles Fly/Deeper Kind Of Love/I Can't Drive 55
Best Of Both Worlds
Eddie's Solo
Dreams
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
Right Now
Encore:
You Really Got Me
Panama
When It's Love
Overall, I think VAN HALEN put on a very entertaining show, so I'll give this one two thumbs up. I must admit that I was really curious to see if the almost 8-year break between Hagar and the rest of the boys would have some sort of effect on the band's performance as a whole, and the answer was a resounding "no". The playing was tight, the energy was high, and the audience absolutely loved them. When it was all said and done, it was evident that a good time was had by all who were in attendance. Where the band goes from here remains to be seen.
For now, the tour is scheduled to keep on going right through until late November, and after that, no one can predict the future of VAN HALEN. Who knows? This reunion tour may inspire a new studio album in the near future, but regardless of what lies ahead, VAN HALEN accomplished what they set out to do, and that was kick ass in Vancouver! Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to throw in my "1984" CD, attempt to get the Kabuki-hairstyle happening, and whip out the air guitar. [FIN]
My thanks and appreciation to Jamie at House Of Blues Concerts Canada and Charlotte at Warner Bros. for providing the ticket and photo pass.
» Official VAN HALEN Website
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