Holy fucking shit. Just...holy fucking shit. I just witnessed the event I had waited for my whole life and had been counting down to for 6 months. The wait (and the $160/ticket) was worth it by a mile. To anyone who saw the 04 tour with Sammy Gaybar, that was like seeing a shitty tribute band. This was the real deal. From the opening riff of 'You Really Got Me' to the final shower of confetti on 'Jump', the show was two hours of intense power, energy, and magic.
David Lee Roth: I was a little worried about The Diamond One. I had heard rumours of his voice not sounding so spectacular, but he nailed every part. There were of course some high squeals and yelps he knew he couldn't hit, and he was smart enough not to try. He is such a brilliant performer, and his little story about suburban life (where they tear down trees and name streets after em) was great.
Alex Van Halen: At 55 years old, Alex did nothing to show his age. His drum solo was one of the best I've ever seen, with him and Eddie jamming a bit on 'Outta Love Again'. He held his own, and the rhythm section of him and young Wolfgang made every song heavier.
Wolfgang Van Halen: The kid's got it. He nailed all of the harmonies, and added a little spice to Michael Anthony's licks. He's starting to come out of his shell now too, which is great. I saw him after the show. We were walking to our truck at the back of GM Place and this cavalcade of 3 black SUVs came speeding out, and he was sitting in the last one. It was kinda funny.
Edward Van Halen: There are no words to describe seeing the greatest hard rock guitarist to ever live at his finest. His performances on every song were perfect, and his solo was possibly the best I've seen. He's so full of energy too. He played his new Fender Wolfgang, two new striped strats (white on black and white and red on black) and the legendary Frankenstein.
Sound: Flawless, but overpowering at times.
The Tunes: Every song you'd want to hear was played. The songs that really got me were 'Runnin With The Devil', 'Everybody Wants Some!!', 'And The Cradle Will Rock', 'Panama', 'Hot For Teacher', 'Unchained', and 'Ain't Talkin Bout Love'. Also, I almost cried when 'Jump' started.
The concert was the best I've ever been to. Ky-Mani Marley was a good opening act, and thanked the crowd for coming in a little early, even though they're there for Van Halen and not reggae. He did wonderful renditions of his late, great dad's hits 'No Woman No Cry' and 'I Shot The Sheriff'
The negatives: We sat at the end of the row, and the goddamned people in our row kept getting up. The guys in front of us were getting a little too close for comfort. Oh, also, it ended. That's the major bad point of the show.
I was floored, and shall speak of it for days.
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