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**Pomai** · January 25, 2007, 03:20 PM

Re: Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

Sounds absolutely awesome. It'll be interesting to see his son Wolfgang perform on bass. Still, I wish Michael Anthony were there to complete the original line-up.

The question is, how long will it last? Eddie's obviously a tough guy to work with, as Sammy told Dave Lawrence about in an interview once.

They oughta' record a new album together first, then tour on that. Then they'd be almost FORCED to stay together.

**scrivener** · January 25, 2007, 05:10 PM

Re: Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

Originally posted by Pomai View Post

Sounds absolutely awesome. It'll be interesting to see his son Wolfgang perform on bass. Still, I wish Michael Anthony were there to complete the original line-up.

I don't have a problem with Wolfie playing with the band, but it's the WAY Michael Anthony is not being included that pisses me off. Eddie is spurning Michael because Michael went on tour with Sammy and played some VH songs. I won't pretend to know what Michael Anthony is like, but he always seemed like the nice guy in the band, and if he still gets along with Sammy, he shouldn't be punished for it.

I'm a fan of VH, and let me tell you that without Michael Anthony, this is not Van Halen and I wouldn't go see them if you gave me free tickets. Sammy (and even Gary Cherone, if you ask me) proved that a good singer can keep it VH, whoever he is, but the one real constant in the VH sound has been Michael Anthony's excellent background vocals. Seriously, think about it: those background vocals are there in almost every great non-guitar VH recorded moment except for "reach down between my legs and ease the seat back."

The next time you listen to a VH song, imagine the absence of those terrific, signature BGVs and you'll see what I mean. It just won't sound like VH, and I can only imagine, but I don't see how it could even LOOK like VH.

I love Eddie and Alex, but if they think they can put anyone in the band and it'll still be Van Halen as long as two guys NAMED Van Halen are there, they are wrong. Sadly, it is my bet that zillions of screaming fans who JUST DON'T GET IT will forget about Michael Anthony because all they care about is the guy at the mic.

Sham Halen is what they should call it. Scam Halen. Or how about just A**hole Halen?

edit:
Oops. I guess it will be THREE guys named Van Halen. But still.

**DiverDown808** · January 25, 2007, 05:45 PM

Re: Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

I hear ya Scriv

The Van Halen of our generation is truly gone.

I forget where I read it, but apparently someone heard some audio of some practice sessions with just the Van Halens (3 of them), and they supposedly sound amazing. They capture the raw sound of the first few albums from Van Halen. They also mention that Wolfgang is a very confident and able bass player, and has a bass solo prelude to the song Jamie's Cryin'. Who knows, maybe he hasn't hit puberty yet and can hit those high notes that Mike Anthony sang.

I'd definitely go see them if I got free tickets, but chances are.....tickets to a show will be rediculously high, so I'll just catch them on YouTube.

DD

**Pomai** · January 26, 2007, 06:48 AM

Re: Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

I have VH's "Live Without a Net" concert DVD, where I can certainly SEE (not just hear) where Scriv' and DiverDown is coming from. It's evident that those perfectly harmonized high-pitched background vocals we're all so familiar with are Michael's. I'm skeptical that Wolfie can pull that part off, but we'll see.

Eddie's certainly no dummy, and he'll likely train Wolfie to duplicate M.A.'s bass signatures as closely as possible to appease the fans, while still keeping it his (Wolf's) own.

Personally, I wish Eddie would produce a virtuoso solo album, including a progressive acoustic version of Spanish Fly and (electric) Eruption.

The BAND Van Halen has been lost for years now and tarnished almost beyond repair, IMO. Plus, DLR is simply OLD now. We'll have to see if he still "got it" on stage.

**zff** · January 26, 2007, 09:03 AM

Re: Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

Originally posted by Pomai View Post

The BAND Van Halen has been lost for years now and tarnished almost beyond repair, IMO.

I agree. I felt like their stuff went downhill after they lost DLR. Actually, I feel like they went downhill after "Women and Children First".

After "Women and Children First", their stuff went down a notch. Then after "1984", it went down another notch. Then after "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge", I completely lost interest.

**scrivener** · January 26, 2007, 09:46 AM

Re: Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

Originally posted by Pomai View Post

Plus, DLR is simply OLD now. We'll have to see if he still "got it" on stage.

I saw him on Ferguson a few months ago, singing a bluegrass-styled "Jump" with some pretty good musicians backing him. It was good. I mean, he was good. I think age has done him some good, as he seems now to sing the songs with a kind of gleam in his eye, like he knows it was all taken too seriously when he was young and stupid. And he was very, very stupid near the end there. I actually have no problems with what Roth will do with this band. I lament that Sammy's no longer with the band, as he was the superior singer and a real musician, but I like all three incarnations of the band, so this is cool with me.

Originally posted by zff View Post

I agree. I felt like their stuff went downhill after they lost DLR. Actually, I feel like they went downhill after "Women and Children First."

I can totally understand--and even agree with--this. However, I think Sammy took them to new heights in a completely better, different direction. I just think he's got a great voice, and some of the stuff Sammy does with "Finish What You Started" made the band better. Eddie seemed to be at his happiest during this period, and the band just rocked. I consider VH to be the best band in America when they play the way they played in the early nineties.

**LikaNui** · January 26, 2007, 10:18 AM

Re: Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

Yeah, at the end there, DLR was pretty much of a cartoon character. (Okay, remove "pretty much" from that sentence.)
I'm dating myself, but I remember seeing Van Halen when they were still just a garage band and were just starting to play at private parties and in some small local bars.

**tikiyaki** · January 26, 2007, 11:56 AM

Re: Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

Originally posted by scrivener View Post

Sham Halen is what they should call it. Scam Halen. Or how about just A**hole Halen?

LOL....I agree. Without the Michael Anthony harmonies, fuhgettaboutit.

What a friggin baby EVH is. He's HOW old and he's pulling this crap? Scew him and his dumbass striped guitars and silly overalls.

I'll put on the record if I wanna hear Van Halen...whatever it is they're taking on the road, won't be Van Halen, just some rusted old parts of Van Halen....squeak, squeak.

**zff** · January 26, 2007, 01:34 PM

Re: Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

Originally posted by scrivener View Post

I saw [David Lee Roth] on Ferguson a few months ago, singing a bluegrass-styled "Jump" with some pretty good musicians backing him.

I saw that same performance on Leno. Some digging online, and I found Strummin' With The Devil at Amazon.com, where you can hear samples of each song. It's all Van Halen covers done bluegrass style. You can probably find the entire CD online if you know where/how to look. I've heard the entire thing -- it's bizzare, but I think most VH fans will like it.

**Kalihiboy** · January 29, 2007, 12:59 PM

Re: Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

As far as I know VH has toured in Hawaii with all 3 lead singers, however on the last tour with Sammy they did not make a stop in Hawaii.

I'm a bit stunned Valerie is allowing Wolfgang at that young impressionable age to go on tour. He is obviously missing school, and will live the life of a rock star at such a young age with the constant influences of women, drugs and booze....hopefully Eddie has cleaned himself up, I know he was in treatment for booze addiction.

What puzzles me the most is the snub of Michael Anthony, if EVH was so mad at him for continuing to stay friends with Sammy then why did they all reunite for a tour last year? Or was it because EVH knew that if he hired Sammy back then Michael Anthony must be part of the tour. Michael either had a choice to stick close with the VH brothers or Sammy. I think he did the right thing, Sammy has always to me remained pretty cool about his dismissal from the band and the two brothers did nothing but badmouth him on interviews.

If VH comes to Hawaii I'm definitely going.....even if I dont agree with Edward Van Halen's choices....

KalihiBoy

**Pua'i Mana'o** · January 29, 2007, 01:20 PM

Re: Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

I think its marvelous how few bands in the world can illicit the degree of emotional responses like Van Halen can, and for the years it has!

Raise your hand if you have participated in at least fourteen heated discussions on the ramifications of Van Hagar.

Roth: villified hero or spoiled badass singer?

Michael Anthony: Whodat has turned into NoooooWaynotdaWolfPup!!

1980s, 2000s, it dooon't matter. It ain't a crime unless its dicking around with the Venerable Van Halen.

**Fat Jeff** · January 29, 2007, 02:16 PM

Re: Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

Originally posted by Kalihiboy View Post

As far as I know VH has toured in Hawaii with all 3 lead singers, however on the last tour with Sammy they did not make a stop in Hawaii.
KalihiBoy

I have a pretty vivid memory of their stop here on the Balance tour. The two previous times they had played the Blaisdell included the hottest concert I'd ever seen (temp & performance wise). But the Balance show...there was noticeable friction among the band. No chemistry, and if I recall a truncated encore. It's memorable to me because it came during a magical 6 week period were I saw Van Halen, Cheap Trick, & The Eagles. Never before or since had I hit a streak like that here.

Calling it a reunion without Michael Anthony is a farce, and just shows how "small" the Van Halen brothers are. The nerve of him wanting to go out and play music while Eddie stayed home with his meth pipe turning into a hermit and scoring porno movies. Soo Soo Sad...

**beaker** · January 29, 2007, 06:54 PM

Re: Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

I remember when Van Halen was THE hard rock band in the early-mid 1980's. 80% of outer-ring suburban 13-year-olds would have told you so. (Edging out Def Leppard by seniority) By 1986 they were almost forgotten. Total derailment. Nobody that followed the Roth era accepted the Hagar flavor neu-Van Halen as authentic or worthy. Lingering fan bitterness, style drift, unable to top "1984"...for various reasons the excitement was gone. Of course, things were also changing fast in the mid-80's, and the core of their fans had upgraded to metal. Van Halen 2.0 was much too "light" for late-80's tastes. At least that's how it played out in my high school.

Yow...25ish years later...they seem like a museum exhibit now.

**DiverDown808** · February 17, 2007, 11:05 AM

A Recent Eddie Van Halen Interview

Enjoy

According to a posting at VHLinks.com, Hit Parader magazine (web site) recently conducted an interview with VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen about the group's reunion with singer David Lee Roth and their upcoming North American tour. Part of the question-and-answer session follows:

Hit Parader: So how does it feel to be back?

Eddie Van Halen: Back where? I haven't gone anywhere.

Hit Parader: What have you been up to since your 2004 was tour with Sammy Hagar was cut short?

Eddie Van Halen: Oh, just writing, recording. Jamming with my kid [Wolfgang, new VAN HALEN bass player] and Al [Alex Van Halen, VAN HALEN drummer]. My son Wolfie, the kid's a natural. Started on guitar. Moved to bass last year, and we've just been jamming it up.

Hit Parader: Did you know from the outset that you would be getting Dave back in the band?

Eddie Van Halen: Y'know, it didn't really matter who it was. It could be Dave. It could be someone else. We actually had a couple of people come up to the house and sing. It could have been them.

Hit Parader: Or Hagar?

Eddie Van Halen: Nah. After the last tour, I realized that was sort of a mistake.

MORE: http://www.vhlinks.com/vbforums/showthread.php?t=36360

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Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

Van Halen reunites with Roth for tour

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