2015-10-02 Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA

Hey Randy,
I have contacted people on you tube and have gotten a response back. I’m pretty sure this person will not respond. My buddy who records audio (FalconDave) you know him, also tried to contact him and no response.

cobohall76: Hey Randy, I have contacted people on you tube and have gotten a response back. I’m pretty sure this person will not respond. My buddy who records audio (FalconDave) you know him, also tried to contact him and no response.

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I’m not saying you can’t or won’t ever get a response. What I am saying is that I used to get a much higher percentage of responses before Youtube (Google) changed the messaging system.

Ah. Gotcha Randy.

http://lamusicblog.com/2015/10/review/show-review-van-halen-the-hollywood-bowl/

Show Review: Van Halen @ The Hollywood Bowl
It felt as good as 1984
October 5th, 2015
Anthony Marks

I used to watch Van Halen music videos on VHS when I was a child. That’s right. Friday night at the age of 8 meant a gathering of cousins and good friends, a nice session of VH music videos and live takes, jumping on the bed and dreaming of being a rock ‘n roll star (I’m still chasing that dream, but lost the VHS). Those were some of the best times of my life, and never in a million years did I think I’d have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the band, but Friday night at The Hollywood Bowl, my fantasy was fulfilled.

From the moment Van Halen came out swinging, the crowd was going ballistic. At many shows, the crowd only stands up during the hit songs, which is irritating, but the energy from Van Halen kept the audience on its feet, with everyone happily “[dancing] the night away.” The band members seemed almost immune to the audience’s ecstatic response, but also grateful for it. You could see and feel the energy instantly.

Before I joined that audience for one of the best shows of my life, I had the pleasure of photographing Van Halen for first six songs of their set, and I knew the night was off to an amazing start when Eddie and Diamond Dave looked right at me and posed for the camera as I excitedly screamed their names, thanking them for the inspiration and musical foundation that has since guided my musical path.

This show came near the end of a long summer tour, and I could tell Van Halen had spent a lot of time on stage this last year. Every song was a crowd-pleaser, and the set felt polished and effortless from beginning to end.

David Lee Roth was instantly twirling the mic stand and enjoying being the classic frontman that he is, while Eddie jumped around the stage and shredded through the guitar parts like only he can. Drummer and brother of Eddie, Mr. Alex Van Halen, hid behind his massive, double-kick-drum set, but played beautifully. He’s always been the shy one. Maybe it’s because he has no choice but to be, disguised by his fortress of a drum set.

The night was a family affair between the band and the audience, and I felt like a part of the family for sure, but it must be amazing to be Wolfgang Van Halen, who replaced Michael Anthony a few years back when the mudslinging between bandmates started. Your dad is Eddie Van Halen, and by the age of 15, you’re playing stadiums.

Wolfie may look more like his mom, Valerie Bertinelli, but boy do his chops come from his dad. How can you NOT pass down the gene? With that amount of talent, it’s impossible. Lineage aside, though, he did the band justice. His bass playing was heavy and on-point, and he and his father recreated the perfect, timeless Van Halen harmonies. Within the first minute of their performance, Eddie gave his son a high-five, which was endearing and showed that Eddie got exactly what he wanted with the replacement.

David Lee Roth’s humor throughout the night was appropriate and so were his dance moves. For being 60 years old, he still does the splits and other gymnastic-style moves of a kid. He had as many wardrobe changes as Cher, while also commenting on the stage antics of different frontmen such as Bon Jovi and Bono, and quite honestly, his voice was stronger than any other time I’ve seen the band. Now that they’ve been touring as this particular outfit for a while, he must have gotten some voice training because when I saw them in 2012…well, let’s just say he was struggling.

Eddie was playing through the songs so proficiently, he almost sounded better than he had in the band’s heyday. I give the credit to the fact that he’s sober now, so there’s no comedown or strange energy from him anymore. It’s just direct, rehearsed wonderfulness. His solos were colorful, and the performance of “Eruption” was extended to almost 10 minutes. He was having fun playing in his hometown, and everyone could feel it.

Oh, I loved that, too. I grew up in Pasadena, and so did everyone in the band. I think that’s partially why I’ve always felt a closeness to Van Halen. Coming from the same high school and middle school always made me feel extra proud and enthused. When David Lee Roth began his story of how they met and where they rehearsed in the San Gabriel Valley, I couldn’t contain my screams. “Me too!” I yelled and didn’t care how crazy I looked to the fans next to me.

Although the band has had their ups and downs (including 5-10 year breaks from talking), they seem to have buried the hate in the past. Roth, while telling one of his many between-song stories, even put his arm around Eddie and admitted, “The best years of my life have been on stage, next to you.” It was a touching moment.

I brought my mom with me to this show, and she couldn’t have had more fun. The only thing we were missing was a vial of cocaine but, oh, that’s right — it’s not 1984 anymore. This sober show was the best a fan could’ve asked for. The entire Bowl was sold out with dedicated followers of the band, many of whom have sung the lyrics and indulged in the finger-tapping since the start. I loved being around these people. Me and the ’80s had a great time.

Crue Head must have shot that with a 4K camera. It looks pretty amazing at times … although it looks like he used auto-exposure and it runs hot at times; especially Ed in his white shirt.