OT-VH REHEARSAL SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!

[piecesofeight]

Taken from someone who was at the rehearsal...




SPOILERS SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





On Saturday night a friend of mine got me in to see a Van Halen
rehearsal in Los Angeles. (I've been sworn to secrecy on certain
aspects of this story, including location. Someone else may fill in
the details, but it won't be me.)

Photos at: http://tinyurl.com/2yt2sg

We arrived to an empty arena (except for the VH staff) containing
VH's full stage setup. No one from the band had arrived yet.

The stage has a runway which snakes out into the audience in a giant
"S" shape, which mirrors the lighting rig above it. The "S"
continues behind and above the stage so a band member can walk to the
very top and be standing above Ed's rig. There's a giant video
screen the width of the entire stage, but neither the screen nor the
stage lights were tested tonight; only the house lights were used.
(It didn't matter in the slightest.)

We arrived about an hour before the band while the crew fine-tuned
the equipment. Drums were tested, guitars tuned, and pink noise
blasted through the P.A. The general mood of everyone seemed very
high with lots of smiles and friendly faces. Many people nodded to
us and said, "hello."

Eddie was the first to arrive, and very shortly after that, Wolfgang
and Alex. Valerie was with Wolf as were about five of his friends
from school, I'm guessing. (They all looked the same age.) Alex and
Ed spent about 15 minutes on stage noodling while Wolfie was showing
his friends the venue. The three of them then met on stage and Eddie
said into the P.A., "We're not opening with it, but let's play "I'm
The One" just to warm up. And that they did. A funny moment
occurred when Ed screwed up the bit right before they usually go
acapella. He spoke into the mic, "Did I mess that up?" Wolf
confirmed, "Yeah, you were late." Both were smiling.

After "I'm The One", there was a bit more noodling and then some
down time as people waited for Dave. I'm not sure if he was running
late or if that's just how the schedule was.

When Dave did show up, right from the start, he was all smiles. He
was dressed in tight, flared out leather pants and a black/striped
dress shirt.

The rest of the account is going to contain, for lack of a better
word, "spoilers" of the show, including the set list, all though not
in order. If you don't want to know, fair warning.

Dave addressed the crowd and treated us as if we were guests in his
arena sized house. He thanked us for coming and talked about how
excited he was to be here and what a "privilege and honor" it was to
play with his "brutha's from another mutha." (And yes, that's a
quote.) He then went on to great lengths to explain what we would be
seeing tonight: that it was a rehearsal where they would be stopping
and starting, testing things out, etc. (And he did this all very
eloquently with many one-liners, as only Dave does.) Right before
the band began, he explained, "Okay as soon as you hear the first
note, that's when the curtain comes up." He did that throughout the
show; stopping to tell us what we would be seeing if this were the
actual concert. The constant commentary and casual asides reminded
me of that story I've heard where at a concert he wanted to turn the
P.A. around so that "everyone could be backstage." That's how this
show felt. As if we were being let it on the secret.

The show started with "You Really Got Me." Dave was standing on the
high part of the "S" stage above Alex waving a giant Red flag as the
show began. Then he threw the flag down, and for the first time in
over 22 years, David Lee Roth sang on stage with Eddie Van Halen.

I'd say there were only about 40-50 guests there that night who were
lucky enough to get in. Most of us sat in the "5-star" section
inside the loop of the "S" runway, but there wasn't even enough of us
to fill it up. And there was a silly L.A.attitude amongst the crowd
of" Oh-I'm-so-hip- I-don't-need- to-sit-in- the-front- row" thing going
on, as if this event was an every day occurrence. (After the first
song, I couldn't stay away, and moved from the 5th row to right up
front, just off center towards Ed's side.) The stage setup has at
least 8 speakers just for the people in the first few rows, so you
don't have to worry about hearing only the echoey remnants of the
main P.A. You'll get the full mix nice and loud. But Holy God,
bring earplugs.

Wolfgang did a fine job, even providing decent sounding backup
vocals. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about him, but I'd be
lying if I didn't say that Michael Anthony was missed. While Wolf
competently filled the position, he doesn't have the same sound,
either in his playing or in his voice, as Michael. It's such a shame
that silly personal conflicts can't be resolved so that people can
finally see the classic lineup again. I do have to say though, it's
obvious how much Ed loves playing with Wolfgang. He would be all
smiles when he walked over to Wolfie and after one song, stepped up
to the P.A. and said, "Great job, Wolf. Great."

Over the next hour and a half or so the band played classic after
classic that VH haven't done in years. The Sammy Hagar era is dead
now, as far as I can tell. (All though when warming up, Eddie ran
the VH-stripped drill across his guitar as if he was was starting
"Poundcake", but no more than that.) I was surprised by some of the
gems they brought out. I'll post the songs I remember at the end of
the article, but the order will be completely wrong except for the
first song and the encore.

The great thrill of the show was seeing Dave and Ed interact. If
there's any animosity between them, it didn't show at all. Both were
constantly smiling, and Dave often did the schtick where he holds his
mic to Ed's guitar during a solo while he looks at the crowd, open
mouthed in astonishment.

That's not to say that Dave didn't get pissed, however. He was
standing out by the far tail of the "S" runway when, in the middle of
a song, he yelled at the soundboard crew with intense anger, "TURN
THE FUCKING VOCALS UP! Don't make me ask you again!" I turned to Ed
to see his reaction, thinking he would be pissed at Dave's behavior,
but incredibly, Ed just smiled even wider. As Dave walked past him
returning to the stage, they did a mini-hi-five, low and behind each
other's back. I don't know what it meant. I'm guessing it's one of
those things that only makes sense to two people who have known each
other for decades.

I never got to see Dave sing with Van Halen live. I got into the
band in 1984 when I was 12 and didn't see them until the OU812
tour. I've seen Dave solo multiple times, but am always wonderfully
caught off guard by his stage antics. He really is the clown prince
of rock 'n' roll, and I say that with as much affection as I can.
There's not a moment that goes by where he's not trying to entertain
you, whether it be with silly facial expressions, dance moves, jokes,
props or stories. He is the former 5 year old kid who ran up to
every new adult and wanted to show them everything he owned and all
the things he could do and wouldn't stop talking until his parents
told him it was bed time. And that attitude has never quite gone away.

Thinking about the whole experience, I can't help but smile. I was
going to write a few more details about the show, (like the brilliant
way Dave introduces "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" or the intensity from
Dave that makes "Mean Street" one of the great live VH songs) but I
think it's probably better to let you all discover that for yourself.

Song list (again, not in order):

******Song list spoiler space*******

YOU REALLY GOT ME
ROMEO DELIGHT
SOMEBODY GET ME A DOCTOR
I'M THE ONE
MEAN STREET
UNCHAINED
PRETTY WOMAN (No "Intruder.")
DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY
ICE CREAM MAN
BEAUTIFUL GIRLS
GUITAR SOLO - NOT the solo of the 2004 tour. Includes everything you
want to hear: Eruption, Cathedreal, etc.
SO THIS IS LOVE?
AND THE CRADLE WILL ROCK....
EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!
SECRETS
I'LL WAIT
RUNNIN' WITH THE DEVIL
LITTLE GUITARS
JAMIE'S CRYIN'
ATOMIC PUNK
FEEL YOUR LOVE TONIGHT
LITTLE DREAMER
ON FIRE
PANAMA
HOT FOR TEACHER
AIN'T TALKIN' 'ABOUT LOVE

ENCORE:
1984
JUMP

[Tomulator]

How was Dave's voice?????????????????????????????????????????

[AR]

Thanx for posting that.

I saw Dave quite a few times the past few years. All Van Halen set virtually. But that was for 20 bucks, and I'm not sure I'll pay $150 or whatever to see the revamped VH. Reserve the right to change my mind though and the setlist looks great!

[journeywoman]

Pieces of eight,You did a great job on this.I have waited for years for something even remotely close to this.I have been a Halen fan for many years,and I am glad to see the love of music has brought them back together and they have been able to iron out their issues.They have been able to do something very few bands have even possibly tried to do.My hat is off to you VAN HALEN!!! You make me proud,give us RocknRoll!!!!journey won't................

[scarygirl]

Pieces of eight,You did a great job on this.I have waited for years for something even remotely close to this.I have been a Halen fan for many years,and I am glad to see the love of music has brought them back together and they have been able to iron out their issues.They have been able to do something very few bands have even possibly tried to do.My hat is off to you VAN HALEN!!! You make me proud,give us RocknRoll!!!!journey won't................

AMEN! How did Dave's voice sound?

[AR]

Pieces of eight,You did a great job on this.I have waited for years for something even remotely close to this.I have been a Halen fan for many years,and I am glad to see the love of music has brought them back together and they have been able to iron out their issues.They have been able to do something very few bands have even possibly tried to do.My hat is off to you VAN HALEN!!! You make me proud,give us RocknRoll!!!!journey won't................

AMEN! How did Dave's voice sound?

Saw Dave last year. Dave is Dave. He sounds better now than he did back in the day believe it or not. The VH tour does depend on the backing vocals though and not having MA is a huge loss. Dave can hold his end of the bill though.

[CatEyes]

thanks PO8 for the great post .......

makes this old heart believe there may be hope for this business yet!!!

Cat

[Red13JoePa]

Secrets and I'm The One....

somebody get us this boot.

[NealIsGod]

Secrets and I'm The One....

somebody get us this boot.

Yes, there should be a prize for the first one to post a boot.

Sallee, don't you have a boot of that rehearsal yet?

[Moon Beam]

Grrrrrrrr, I wanna quote your post piecesofeight but
that critical error thing keeps boggin me down.
Anyway.....thanks for posting this, good reads, loved the part
about Dave being similar to a 5yr old.
That's one of the reasons I'd like to see them.
Also grand it was to see Little Guitars in the set list, that be my fave!

[lights1961]

Taken from someone who was at the rehearsal...




SPOILERS SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





On Saturday night a friend of mine got me in to see a Van Halen
rehearsal in Los Angeles. (I've been sworn to secrecy on certain
aspects of this story, including location. Someone else may fill in
the details, but it won't be me.)

Photos at: http://tinyurl.com/2yt2sg

We arrived to an empty arena (except for the VH staff) containing
VH's full stage setup. No one from the band had arrived yet.

The stage has a runway which snakes out into the audience in a giant
"S" shape, which mirrors the lighting rig above it. The "S"
continues behind and above the stage so a band member can walk to the
very top and be standing above Ed's rig. There's a giant video
screen the width of the entire stage, but neither the screen nor the
stage lights were tested tonight; only the house lights were used.
(It didn't matter in the slightest.)

We arrived about an hour before the band while the crew fine-tuned
the equipment. Drums were tested, guitars tuned, and pink noise
blasted through the P.A. The general mood of everyone seemed very
high with lots of smiles and friendly faces. Many people nodded to
us and said, "hello."

Eddie was the first to arrive, and very shortly after that, Wolfgang
and Alex. Valerie was with Wolf as were about five of his friends
from school, I'm guessing. (They all looked the same age.) Alex and
Ed spent about 15 minutes on stage noodling while Wolfie was showing
his friends the venue. The three of them then met on stage and Eddie
said into the P.A., "We're not opening with it, but let's play "I'm
The One" just to warm up. And that they did. A funny moment
occurred when Ed screwed up the bit right before they usually go
acapella. He spoke into the mic, "Did I mess that up?" Wolf
confirmed, "Yeah, you were late." Both were smiling.

After "I'm The One", there was a bit more noodling and then some
down time as people waited for Dave. I'm not sure if he was running
late or if that's just how the schedule was.

When Dave did show up, right from the start, he was all smiles. He
was dressed in tight, flared out leather pants and a black/striped
dress shirt.

The rest of the account is going to contain, for lack of a better
word, "spoilers" of the show, including the set list, all though not
in order. If you don't want to know, fair warning.

Dave addressed the crowd and treated us as if we were guests in his
arena sized house. He thanked us for coming and talked about how
excited he was to be here and what a "privilege and honor" it was to
play with his "brutha's from another mutha." (And yes, that's a
quote.) He then went on to great lengths to explain what we would be
seeing tonight: that it was a rehearsal where they would be stopping
and starting, testing things out, etc. (And he did this all very
eloquently with many one-liners, as only Dave does.) Right before
the band began, he explained, "Okay as soon as you hear the first
note, that's when the curtain comes up." He did that throughout the
show; stopping to tell us what we would be seeing if this were the
actual concert. The constant commentary and casual asides reminded
me of that story I've heard where at a concert he wanted to turn the
P.A. around so that "everyone could be backstage." That's how this
show felt. As if we were being let it on the secret.

The show started with "You Really Got Me." Dave was standing on the
high part of the "S" stage above Alex waving a giant Red flag as the
show began. Then he threw the flag down, and for the first time in
over 22 years, David Lee Roth sang on stage with Eddie Van Halen.

I'd say there were only about 40-50 guests there that night who were
lucky enough to get in. Most of us sat in the "5-star" section
inside the loop of the "S" runway, but there wasn't even enough of us
to fill it up. And there was a silly L.A.attitude amongst the crowd
of" Oh-I'm-so-hip- I-don't-need- to-sit-in- the-front- row" thing going
on, as if this event was an every day occurrence. (After the first
song, I couldn't stay away, and moved from the 5th row to right up
front, just off center towards Ed's side.) The stage setup has at
least 8 speakers just for the people in the first few rows, so you
don't have to worry about hearing only the echoey remnants of the
main P.A. You'll get the full mix nice and loud. But Holy God,
bring earplugs.

Wolfgang did a fine job, even providing decent sounding backup
vocals. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about him, but I'd be
lying if I didn't say that Michael Anthony was missed. While Wolf
competently filled the position, he doesn't have the same sound,
either in his playing or in his voice, as Michael. It's such a shame
that silly personal conflicts can't be resolved so that people can
finally see the classic lineup again. I do have to say though, it's
obvious how much Ed loves playing with Wolfgang. He would be all
smiles when he walked over to Wolfie and after one song, stepped up
to the P.A. and said, "Great job, Wolf. Great."

Over the next hour and a half or so the band played classic after
classic that VH haven't done in years. The Sammy Hagar era is dead
now, as far as I can tell. (All though when warming up, Eddie ran
the VH-stripped drill across his guitar as if he was was starting
"Poundcake", but no more than that.) I was surprised by some of the
gems they brought out. I'll post the songs I remember at the end of
the article, but the order will be completely wrong except for the
first song and the encore.

The great thrill of the show was seeing Dave and Ed interact. If
there's any animosity between them, it didn't show at all. Both were
constantly smiling, and Dave often did the schtick where he holds his
mic to Ed's guitar during a solo while he looks at the crowd, open
mouthed in astonishment.

That's not to say that Dave didn't get pissed, however. He was
standing out by the far tail of the "S" runway when, in the middle of
a song, he yelled at the soundboard crew with intense anger, "TURN
THE FUCKING VOCALS UP! Don't make me ask you again!" I turned to Ed
to see his reaction, thinking he would be pissed at Dave's behavior,
but incredibly, Ed just smiled even wider. As Dave walked past him
returning to the stage, they did a mini-hi-five, low and behind each
other's back. I don't know what it meant. I'm guessing it's one of
those things that only makes sense to two people who have known each
other for decades.

I never got to see Dave sing with Van Halen live. I got into the
band in 1984 when I was 12 and didn't see them until the OU812
tour. I've seen Dave solo multiple times, but am always wonderfully
caught off guard by his stage antics. He really is the clown prince
of rock 'n' roll, and I say that with as much affection as I can.
There's not a moment that goes by where he's not trying to entertain
you, whether it be with silly facial expressions, dance moves, jokes,
props or stories. He is the former 5 year old kid who ran up to
every new adult and wanted to show them everything he owned and all
the things he could do and wouldn't stop talking until his parents
told him it was bed time. And that attitude has never quite gone away.

Thinking about the whole experience, I can't help but smile. I was
going to write a few more details about the show, (like the brilliant
way Dave introduces "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" or the intensity from
Dave that makes "Mean Street" one of the great live VH songs) but I
think it's probably better to let you all discover that for yourself.

Song list (again, not in order):

******Song list spoiler space*******

YOU REALLY GOT ME
ROMEO DELIGHT
SOMEBODY GET ME A DOCTOR
I'M THE ONE
MEAN STREET
UNCHAINED
PRETTY WOMAN (No "Intruder.")
DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY
ICE CREAM MAN
BEAUTIFUL GIRLS
GUITAR SOLO - NOT the solo of the 2004 tour. Includes everything you
want to hear: Eruption, Cathedreal, etc.
SO THIS IS LOVE?
AND THE CRADLE WILL ROCK....
EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!
SECRETS
I'LL WAIT
RUNNIN' WITH THE DEVIL
LITTLE GUITARS
JAMIE'S CRYIN'
ATOMIC PUNK
FEEL YOUR LOVE TONIGHT
LITTLE DREAMER
ON FIRE
PANAMA
HOT FOR TEACHER
AIN'T TALKIN' 'ABOUT LOVE

ENCORE:
1984
JUMP

NOW THAT WOULD BE SOME AWESOME SHOW!!!! I saw VAN HALEN 4 times back in the day,
was one of my favorites... and it KICKED major butt back then, I bet it does NOW!!!!
especially with the DAVID LEE ROTH sound. HAGAR rocked VH as well...but something about
Hot for Teacher and Jamies Crying and the others from the Roth era that were just killer...

Rick

[NealIsGod]

That is possibly the greatest set list in the history of live music.

[conversationpc]

I've been trying to win free tix to the Indy show. There is no way I'm paying to go see this lineup unless Michael Anthony somehow gets back in the band. Anyway, I would love to hear them do "I'm the One". My favorite VH tune. The intro on that tune is just insane.

[lights1961]

I've been trying to win free tix to the Indy show. There is no way I'm paying to go see this lineup unless Michael Anthony somehow gets back in the band. Anyway, I would love to hear them do "I'm the One". My favorite VH tune. The intro on that tune is just insane.

I WOULD PAY IF GIVIN THE CHANCE!!!! Eddie is probably the BEST guitarist from the classic rock genre...besides
Paige, May, Clapton, Santana and Schon, I know I left out others...

[piecesofeight]

Secrets and I'm The One....

somebody get us this boot.

Yes, there should be a prize for the first one to post a boot.

Sallee, don't you have a boot of that rehearsal yet?

Not sure if it will be a boot that I will post since it will be a huge file and I am on dial up, but as soon as I get a boot on disc, which I will, I will share it with someone. It may not be the first show, but I will for sure be getting some of the shows on disc.

[xflajrnylvr]

TY i got 2 VH boots htis week with DLR on leads going to listen to later on

[heardonthestreet]

Thank you so much for this preview. Sounds like Eddie is back on the job.

[perryfaithful]

GREAT STUFF! thanks for sharing it with all the needy depressed Journey Fans....

Here's hoping that someday we will have this kind of excitement, once again, for a Journey tour!

[Eric]

Here's what you miss without Hagar is the thing:

1. Right now
2. Summer Nights
3. When Eagles Fly (Sammy/Eddie)
4. Top of the World
5. Mine all Mine
6. When Love Walks in
7. Dreams
8. Dream a little Dream
10. Humans Being
11. Judgement Day
12. Runaround
13. 316
14. Not Enough
15. Amsterdam
16. Can't Stop Loving You
17. Don't Tell me what love can do
18. When its Love
19. Poundcake
20. Only one way to Rock
21. Give to Live (Sammy/Eddie)
22. Best of Both Worlds
23. Finish What Ya Started

[NealIsGod]

Here's what you miss without Hagar is the thing:

1. Right now
2. Summer Nights
3. When Eagles Fly (Sammy/Eddie)
4. Top of the World
5. Mine all Mine
6. When Love Walks in
7. Dreams
8. Dream a little Dream
10. Humans Being
11. Judgement Day
12. Runaround
13. 316
14. Not Enough
15. Amsterdam
16. Can't Stop Loving You
17. Don't Tell me what love can do
18. When its Love
19. Poundcake
20. Only one way to Rock
21. Give to Live (Sammy/Eddie)
22. Best of Both Worlds
23. Finish What Ya Started

The go see The Other Half. Everybody's happy!

[piecesofeight]

I always post things here and then in the main forum for the topic. I always post here because it seems like this is the busiest section of the board.
Anyway, just for a hoot and to show how many hits Andrew must get in day. Go to the Van Halen forum and look at the view count there for this topic...
And most of that is views, not just views to post and then people rereading the new post. Amazing.

[Moon Beam]

Whole lotta readers round these parts huh piecesofeight.
Always bugs me a bit that more don't post.

[piecesofeight]

Makes more sense too now that I see the info link posted on the main page. Wasn't aware of that. Still means a lot of people visit his site. Very cool.

[Moon Beam]

Makes more sense too now that I see the info link posted on the main page. Wasn't aware of that. Still means a lot of people visit his site. Very cool.

Nore was I aware till I read 28's post in the VH thread.
Damn, this just means that enough people to fill a country know
I'm back asswards.

It really was a good read thanks again for bringing it over.