Hagar, Anthony, Satriani & Bonham on Howard Stern Show

First, Jason Bonham sounds amazing playing Al’s stuff. And on an electronic drum kit. Wow….

Second, Michael Anthony still can hit notes in the stratosphere. That is impressive for an almost 70 year old guy….

And then there’s Sammy. He has been very critical of Dave’s singing as of late, which is not unwarranted. But to say things like,

“the guy sang so bad last time he was doing shows, it was embarrassing” and “he doesn’t care about his voice, which drives me nuts, man. I care more about my voice than I do my dick. If my dick didn’t work a couple of times, I’d be okay with it — I’d be bummed out — but if my voice fucks up onstage, I’m fucking bummed, man.”

and then strain and warble like that when the band is playing the songs a whole step down from the original, he needs to look in the mirror and close his mouth. Those clips were embarrassing. At least Dave still murders the early VH songs at their original pitches. Ha….

PS – if anyone is wondering why I didn’t mention Joe Satriani, I just didn’t have anything say one way or another. He’s a great guitar player, technically. But he’s not Ed. I’ll leave it at that.

Rob, I respectfully disagree with your opinion. Dave is almost 70 (Sam is 76). Neither of them still has it.

Dave lost his cool, surfer dude persona in the 90′s when he started the weird, creepy, hyper smiling, Uncle Dave schtick. Add to that his trying to “sing” notes out of his range, which, truth be told, also started in the 90′s (as heard on the 2 “Best Of” songs), and it is understandable why so many fans have reacted so negatively to him for awhile. That being said, there are some out there who feel he “still has the mojo and melodic feel” he had in his heyday too. I don’t see it, but there are some defenders who do. I would only say that Dave can still hit all of the notes on the original 6 VH records (minus some of the ha yahs and falsetto screams); he just chooses to painfully attempt harmony notes above the ones he originally sang. That regrettable choice, especially prevalent after 2007, as you pointed out, has made many of the shows, ADKOT, and the live album, hard to listen to.

Sammy, on the other hand, still seems like the same guy, for better or worse, depending on your perspective. But the hard truth is, he CANNOT sing like he did as recently as 2004. His bands have given him the Robert Plant treatment and tuned down to help him, but he still struggles. Yes, he’s old, so it is understandable. What I don’t understand, is why he chooses to run his mouth in the press about Dave’s singing. It makes him look small, petty, and frankly, jealous. Bottom line: it’s unnecessary. And to me, it looks like Sam is projecting his own insecurities on Dave.

So, if you or anyone else wants to shell out hundreds of dollars to see either of them, have at it. I would just be happy to remember my favorite band as they were when I was young without Sammy and all of his defenders constantly talking shit about them. My .02.

PS – why the hell is Al “out of order”? He hasn’t said or done a thing. I don’t get that statement at all…..