I'll be representing the UMA on the first night of the Van Halen Tour 02-18-12

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

Any old school Van Halen fans out there? You probably know that David Lee Roth is back at the helm, and that "A Different Kind of Truth" proves the boys still have fire in their bellies. A newly re energized Van Halen will be going back on tour this month, kicking it off in my hometown of Louisville, KY at the KFC YUM Center Arena. They're bringing Kool & the Gang with them to "celebrate" their return to former glory.

I've got ringside seats to the spectacle, and my friends and I will be taking a LIMO to the show. First stop will be the Old Spaghetti Factory for my favorite dish of Spaghetti with Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter, and then it's off to the show. I'll report back with a setlist and a review if anyone's interested.

[Kev72]

Awesome Rod! man, I'm so jealous I hope you guys have a blast. Please post pics if you take them.

Kevin

[Scatter]

Def want pics!! BTW, your limo ROCKS!!

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

It's our Kentucky "stealth" limo. The interior actually looks like this:



We might as well Jump.

[Scatter]

Looks like Liberace threw up in there.

[Universal_Adam]

How the crap can a car look like that on the outside, and lthe oposite on the inside?! Lol

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

Alright, Adam, you got me. That limo interior isn't entirely accurate.

I added the stripper pole with Photoshop.

[Unknown Primate]

HAVE A ROCKIN' TIME, RRW!

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

Tonight is the night! I'll be getting in the limo in a little over an hour. The news from Louisville is that Van Halen knocked out the power grid in downtown this morning during soundcheck. The whole arena and surrounding blocks went dark. I'm guessing somebody at the YUM Center screwed up the brown M&M's clause in the contract.

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

Okay, our limo was actually pink! I found the biggest change in Van Halen in 30 years wasn't the band, but their fans. They've gotten old! I saw a lot of balds and beer bellies and women approaching 50 years old dressed in leopard skin spandex like they were going to a Ratt show in 1983. They also weren't as energetic. The section I was seated in barely wanted to stand up at all unless something like "Hot for Teacher" was being played. I've never been to a sit down rock show before, and I felt like if I stood up I'd be blocking the view of the middle aged beer drinkers behind me. Hell, I stood up anyway. You shouldn't come to a rock show and expect a Barry Manilow show. And stop texting! These tickets weren't free!

I met a couple from Forth Worth Texas who came all the way to Louisville for the show. They had intended to see Van Halen in 2007, but the band broke up (again) before they made it to Texas, and they weren't about to risk that happening again. I met a crazy guy who really, really hates David Lee Roth. It was quite a circus of 20,000 fans.

Some of the more casual Van Halen fans seemed to get a bit lost because the band played a lot of relatively obscure material (I even had to search my memory to recall "Romeo Delight" from "Women and Children First") alongside several tracks from the new album. David Lee Roth went off on a strange tangent about his dogs, including a home video of Dave at home getting his dogs to corral sheep, which eventually led to video footage of Dave's cows, which eventually led to "Ice Cream Man." I expected a bigger theatrical show for such a big arena, but the show was pretty stripped down and focused on the music. There were no pyrotechnics and the the confetti guns only covered the stage and the first rows instead of the whole arena. Dave forgot the lyrics of one song and almost fell on his rear end trying to do a karate kick during "Jump," but he laughed it off and all was right with the world. Overall, it was an epic return to form for the original Van Halen.

Here's the setlist:


You Really Got Me

(The Kinks cover)

2.
Runnin' With the Devil



3.
She's The Woman



4.
Romeo Delight



5.
Tattoo



6.
Everybody Wants Some!!



7.
Somebody Get Me A Doctor



8.
China Town



9.
Mean Street



10.
Oh, Pretty Woman

(Roy Orbison cover)

11.
Drum Solo



12.
Unchained



13.
The Trouble with Never



14.
Dance The Night Away



15.
I'll Wait



16.
Hot For Teacher



17.
Women In Love



18.
Outta Love Again



19.
Beautiful Girls



20.
Ice Cream Man

(John Brim cover)

21.
Panama



22.
Guitar Solo



23.
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love



24.
Jump

[Moonshadow]

Rod, sounds like you had a fun time, even if things have changed over the years! That's funny about Roth almost falling over. He looks so skinny nowadays. I can just envision him in ten years, coming out on stage in his walker and still trying to do some jumps and kicks. He's a showman.

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

He is THE showman. My favorite Diamond Dave moment in the show came during "Panama" when he very-matter-of-factly says, "Well, I suppose we need to deal with the compulsories." Then in a monotone, machinegun delivery says, "I guess we better reach down between my legs and ease the seat back." The audience erupted in laughter and then Eddie hit the power chord and they went right into, "She's runnin! I'm flying!," and the audience went crazy. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

You can experience it yourself. SEE Dave wear a skipper's hat! HEAR Dave's Jim Morrison imitation (tres funny)! FEEL the room quake as Dave deals with "the compulsories"!

Panama.MP4

[Prof. Hemispheres]

I watched films of the Louisville show on YouTube, and yes, I noticed all the folks looking old and sitting down.....no offense, but my first thought was, "Well, that's Kentucky for you." Laid back. People tend to be different in different parts of the country. I guarantee you're not gonna see anybody sitting when they come to Washington, DC or New York's Madison Square Garden....totally different crowds. I'm glad they are leaving the pyros out. They don't need it, their music suffices alone. I think it's cool there playing obscure tracks here and there.....those are the tracks I love. In fact, I'd love to see them do a show where they play zero hits and all deep album cuts. Their best songs were truly not their big hits. Think "I'm the One", "Light Up the Sky", "Loss of Control", "The Full Bug", "Girl Gone Bad".....now that's Van Halen.
Glad you had a great time, wish I could find tickets.