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David Lee Roth To Open On KISS Farewell Tour In 2020


crunchee

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I saw VH with Sammy Hagar singing at Sheffield arena in 1993, a sterile & joyless venue where we were kept in our seats and with a security guard posted at each corner of the blocks of seating, ready to pounce on anyone even for lighting a cigarette, I couldn't believe it.   I always considered getting baked at gigs part of the fun back then. Anyhow it was a very forgettable experience and the lack of DLR only added to the tedium.  In the footage above it's obvious the band are holding him up with his vocals, he appears barely capable of holding on to a note for any duration and the backing vocals only serve to make it more apparent.  DLR was a brilliant front man in his early VH days but what I've seen of him in recent videos is kind of embarassing and a bit sad.  That bullshit he talks in between some of the songs is particularly painful  I don't live in the USA but if I did I wouldn't part with my money to see this, well, whatever it is.  Some performers get to a certain age and should just stop, they become past it, this is a perfect example.   I remember reading somewhere recently that he's still doing coke, if that's true maybe that's the reason for this, he's blown his savings and needs the money for nose candy. Maybe some time in the next year or so we'll read that his heart exploded. I hope he has a few real friends who might get him to stop the coke if he is doing it and stop embarrasing himself with these sorry displays off past it-ness too.  

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9 minutes ago, Mr. Dave said:

I remember reading somewhere recently that he's still doing coke, if that's true maybe that's the reason for this, he's blown his savings and needs the money for nose candy. 

I doubt that’s true. Seriously. 

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5 hours ago, polara said:

When I saw VH in high school or just after, in the 80s, they were terrible. This actually sounded okay, but if the only way anyone can have an opinion is if they can do better themselves, then several million football fans will have to shut up. And I'll need to revise my opinion of the '78 Fiat I once owned, as I can't actually manufacture a better car :D

Anyone can have an opinion about anything, but that’s not what I’m talking about.  I’m talking about the people who seem to take pleasure in gleefully bashing anyone like Roth who isn’t performing at the same level he was back in the day.  It sometimes hints of jealousy; at the end of the day, he’s still David Lee fucking Roth.  
 

PS - I saw Van Halen 5 times between 1980 and 1984, and I thought they were great every time.  YMMV, obviously.

 

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57 minutes ago, Cary said:

Anyone can have an opinion about anything, but that’s not what I’m talking about.  I’m talking about the people who seem to take pleasure in gleefully bashing anyone like Roth who isn’t performing at the same level he was back in the day.  It sometimes hints of jealousy; at the end of the day, he’s still David Lee fucking Roth.  
 

I'm not sure I read anyone "gleefully" bashing him. What I read was people opting out of seeing him because of various reasons, mostly of which I could agree with. Yeah, he was awesome years ago. He may still be able to have a good show. There's just been more recently a lot of bad shows with bad vocals, and bad rambling out there that people here are opining on. Nothing wrong with that. If you're going to put yourself out there and want people to pay big money for a good show, better give them a good show, because if you don't, well.... you''ll probably wind up like Grace Slick and her former German fanbase.

I'm a fan. I hate to see someone whose once larger than life Diamond Dave persona that ruled all things rock onstage become somewhat awkward, out of tune and unrecognizable, but it happens to all of us. I'll be the first to admit I probably look more like Andy Reid these days than the young stud I once was. But if I get on stage and try to be Magic Mike, if I didn't get booed, I'd think there was something seriously wrong with the world.

 

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I don’t think there is any glee in this. I was in shock and sad when I saw that one video he did in Vegas. I saw a few others recently where it was the same. VH were a hell of a band and a game changer in music. But it just so happens they didn’t age well. No big deal it happens to many.  What surprises me the most is DLR not seeing it. He comes across as a smart guy.   I can’t imagine someone not telling him that it might be beneficial to not tour. . Maybe at that level of fame there are a lot of hanger on’s that are along for the ride. Or maybe he has a huge ego that many seem to have in show biz that makes the obvious oblivious. I have to think that the guys in the band are aware and are thinking well at least I’m not the weak link. 

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14 hours ago, Cary said:

PS - I saw Van Halen 5 times between 1980 and 1984, and I thought they were great every time.  YMMV, obviously.

This was - sorry, I'm not a big fan so I don't remember their albums so well - the Fair Warning tour, I think. Cobo Hall, Detroit. EVH may have been drinking, and possibly DLR, too. Loads of rambling stories from Roth that seemed kinda juvenile even to my 18-year-old ears, and they were just loose, all over the place.

I'll never say anything negative about EVHs playing - I don't care if a hundred YouTubers play FASTER, the man combines technique with melody, swing, and humor - and DLR was one of the great "aren't we having fun being rock stars" carnival frontmen of all time. Alex is a machine on drums, and we all like Mikey. I just wish more people would just accept that time changes our voice, our hairline, and our waistline (though Roth looks fightin' fit) and most importantly our way of looking at the world. DLR taking his deeper, more growly voice to new material, or at least a new interpretation of old stuff would be pretty cool.

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Saw vids from the tour, DLR was waaaaay better than the Vegas debacle.  Still not 1980 good, but what I saw was enjoyable.

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On 12/18/2019 at 9:31 AM, MCChris said:

Maybe he won't be performing music. Maybe he'll follow the lead of the painter guy who was their opening act last year and do a karate demonstration. 

I had a hard time sitting through the painting guy last year.  Instead, drank beer and smoked cigarettes.

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The NH clip is worlds better than LV...maybe we are hearing the result of modern vocal processing in NH...? I still felt embarrassed for him. And I hate that. He needs to reinvent himself as something else. He has the cred in the industry to pull that off if it is any good.

I saw VH several times BITD in the early years and tours and they were fab every time. Polara is right...he needs to take the low register growl and find a new niche.

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On 2/3/2020 at 4:27 PM, Cary said:

Anyone can have an opinion about anything, but that’s not what I’m talking about.  I’m talking about the people who seem to take pleasure in gleefully bashing anyone like Roth who isn’t performing at the same level he was back in the day.  It sometimes hints of jealousy; at the end of the day, he’s still David Lee fucking Roth.  

I saw Tool back in 2016 after having not seen them since 2001.  I regret it because I would rather have the last memory of them being that 2001 show.  

I don't think it's jealousy as much as a manifestation of our own coming to terms in our own ways with the fact that we're all not only older but also old enough to be cognizant of the sand left in the hourglass.  It's not just Dave's tattered vocals on stage; it's a reminder of how unreclaimable the past is.   It's brutal to watch the personification of that age old sentiment. 

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I saw the show last night.  DLR was good. 

His voice is what everyone is worried about.  He hit his notes most of the time.  He did drop a lyric early in the show, but he did that in his 20's.  There were none of the "hhhhhah" or "haaaahhhhaaaaahhh" screams.    Listening for bad notes, I really did not hear that many.  What I think is going on is Roth builds up to a note and then comes down from the note, so at some point he passes through the note at the right pitch. 

The band ended one song and began another.  Bam-bam-bam!  They did not go together like a medley, but the songs came rapidly.  There may have been a couple of times where Roth said hello to the audience or introduced a song.  There was little talk and more music.  Cutting out the talking probably allowed time for an extra song. 

The band was dressed in clothing that screamed "band for hire."  The two guitar players had long hair, and only one stepped forward of his mic stand a few feet a few times.  They played exactly like the original recordings and sounded like a recording.  That was bit sterile to me.  There was no light show, staging, or props.  It was just David Lee Roth. 

Roth was the one who was loose and moved around.  Instead of being part of a band like he was with Van Halen or having a band that could show off like in the days with Vai and Sheehan, Dave might as well have been alone up on stage.  The DLR swagger was what filled the stage, meaning his personality was what was the show, not his voice.  When you see Dave live you are not as worried about what he says as much as how entertaining he is when he talks.  That goes for his singing, too.  Again, he talked very little last night.  I can imagine Dave putting on a show for three people with no interest in him, and there he would be acting like he was in front of 18,000 people as the ultimate show host. 

I will see the show again on Tuesday. 

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@Steve Haynie, this is good news. The Vegas clips were  so, so bad I didn’t think any amount of rehearsal could fix it...the cadence was wrong, the very rhythm of the singing was AFU.  All that being said, Your report makes me happy. I hope it continues.

Aging robs us of youth by its very definition. DLR simply ain’t the DLR of 1981.  And nothing will bring that back as @LucSulla pointed out. But it sounds like you heard him sing at least passably, if not good. That is good.

You know back around the 1990s or maybe early 2000s, Springsteen!s voice and singing changed.....it sounded like he was mincing/talking the lyrics with a BS twang. At the time I thought his voice was just going. I hated the sound. Now I think he either chose  to sing that way or he had some medical condition that he kept quiet...IDK. But it ruined things like Thunder Road IMO. I saw him on the  River Tour in 2016 and he sang like 1980 again. I have a copy of the concert. He sounds older for sure but the 1980 style and tone is all there and is completely different from the 1990s  thing.

Why bring it up? Maybe something was up with DLR in Vegas  medical, or otherwise...who knows.Glad DLR was able to sing good enough to not embarrass himself and his legacy.

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On 2/9/2020 at 3:44 PM, Steve Haynie said:

...builds up to a note and then comes down from the note, so at some point he passes through the note at the right pitch. 

My favorite description of a singer EVER.

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On 2/9/2020 at 4:44 PM, Steve Haynie said:

builds up to a note and then comes down from the note, so at some point he passes through the note at the right pitch. 

 

4 minutes ago, hamerhead said:

My favorite description of a singer EVER.

Kind of like the lead guitarist that lives on the whammy bar, at some point he’s going to hit the right note.., 

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On 2/9/2020 at 3:44 PM, Steve Haynie said:

When you see Dave live you are not as worried about what he says as much as how entertaining he is when he talks.  That goes for his singing, too.

I agree, you have to be there. Hoping to catch Dave and Kiss on this tour.

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