Synth Glitch Creates On-Stage Disaster For Van Halen

[dabstudio]

Gizmodo reports: "And now for a Friday musical interlude, we bring you VAN HALEN caught on its comeback tour, except there was one big problem and it involved gadgets. What happens when you play back a prerecorded synthesizer track at 48K instead of the intended 44.1K? The whole track plays back a little bit faster and at a slightly higher pitch, that's what. A dissonant musical mess ensues, trapping the guitarist and bassist in an on-stage musical hell with nowhere to go.

"See Eddie Van Halen launch into his famous solo on "Jump", trying in vain to somehow transpose to this otherworldly key that is nowhere to be found. This travesty of a performance happened earlier this month in Greensboro, North Carolina, and the funny thing is, the crowd was delighted with it. I shutter to think that no one realized something was terribly amiss, but those folks always were overly polite."

Check out the video footage at www.Gizmodo.com

[Mikey B]

That sucks, but they made due. Things are bound to happen and surprisingly, Dave keeps his cool and has to sing even higher!!

[ltbob]

Its gonna happen when you use a machine. But for all I have seen on the tube thanks to very cool people here I'd say they are doin GREAT! VANHALEN IS BACK

[Greg]

I was at that concert. Honestly, the guitar playing was so loud throughout the whole concert, that by the time they played Jump (as an encore) you really couldn't tell. It was more evident on you tube videos. I thought maybe the guitar techs had given Eddie the wrong tuned guitar. Never really noticed the pre-recorded keys being all that high.

[brandonx76]

I was at that concert. Honestly, the guitar playing was so loud throughout the whole concert, that by the time they played Jump (as an encore) you really couldn't tell. It was more evident on you tube videos. I thought maybe the guitar techs had given Eddie the wrong tuned guitar. Never really noticed the pre-recorded keys being all that high.

Yeah, I was going to say, his guitar (or his playing) is what sounds off, but comparing the keys to the Phili boot (10/1 or 10/2), they sound the same. I'm not so sure the keys are the prob. Any musicians out there that can confirm?

[stabbim]

I'm not so sure the keys are the prob. Any musicians out there that can confirm?

Here's a pretty thorough technical analysis:

http://warmowski.wordpress.com/2007/10/19/whos-right-slap-fight/

[bugsymalone]

Don't you imagine if it had been a seriously out of tune guitar, EVH could have swapped quickly?

I am totally not tech oriented with this kind of thing, but this was seriously out of whack somewhere, though David Lee did soldier on through. Yay, Diamond Dave!!

[shaka]

I've owned several Floyd Rose equipped guitars. I've also owned several different kinds of tuners. I'd wager the tuner got knocked out of calibration which resulted in the screwed up tuning. This problem is possible in everything from an expensive Peterson strobe tuner to the el cheapo Yamaha unit that sits in my pedalboard.

[larryfromnextdoor]

stunning!!! wow.. that would just suck!! wolfie seemed to recover....or be ok,, dave didnt struggle , im betting eddie was given a guitar tuned for another song.. IF that is a fact.. then he did pretty dang good re-figuring out that solo...

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/train-wreck/ ... 313005.php

[Bearded Clam]

I know that " Ice Cream Man" is tuned a half-step down. Perhaps he was using the guitar meant for that?

[EightyRock]

Wow, that was BAD! I bet Ed had a major fit after that was over.