This proved to be the best day of the whole trip, best snow and a great concert night!The day was spent skiing Snowmass, where the snow storm the day before dumped about 3 to 4 inches of fresh powder. So the morning was spent skiing the fluff on the groomers before they were tracked out, fast and light. In the afternoon I hiked up to the Headwall Bowl were even more, deeper powder was found in an area that only the advanced skiers will visit due to the steep "headwall" and the plunge into the trees. It was really fun stuff. Later in the afternoon I stuck to the steeper slopes near the Headwall and returned to the one summit with its fantastic view of the east face of the Maroon Bells. The sun and warmth only added to the excellent day of skiing.
I met Mr. Klaus Obermeyer on the slopes, the founder of a ski clothing line of the same name. A German-accented, white haired 89 year old gentleman who was still on the boards! I recognized him from an appearance he made in a Warren Miller ski movie several years back. I congratulated him on the fact that he was still skiing and told him that it was my dream to be doing the same when I reached his age. He reasured me that I would be.
Across the valley
Children playing on the slopes
Hear far off laughter
Last run of the day
Blue shadows are lengthening
The slopes are empty
By 4 PM I was on the road, beginning the few hour drive to the San Juan Mountains. Over McClure Pass, through Delta, Montrose, and Ouray. I drove the narrow highway between Ouray and Red Mountain Pass in the dark, cliff towering above on the left, cliff dropping off on the right with no guardrail for safety (would hinder snow removal). Arrived at the turnout atop the pass around 9 PM, parked and cranked up the tunes! This night I chose to join the boys, including Gary Cherone, at their concert on October 20, 1998 in Hiroshima, Japan. Excellent sound quality and set list. The songs off their Van Halen III album were not very memorable, but the old standards they played rocked! Stereo cranked loud, echoing between the high snowbanks and surrounding peaks, with no fear of disturbing anyone! I was especially hyped about this nights concert because I was back in these rugged mountains and was looking forward to skiing rad Silverton Mountain. A great end to a really good day!Bright stars shine above
Music echos cross the pass
Eddie shines below
Standing in the spotlight
Fast fingers caress the strings
Makes his guitar sing
Drove out to where Hihghway 82 dead ends in snow below Independence Pass. Dinner was cooked on the truck tailgate, Progresso soup fortified with Raman Noodles. Tasty! That night I went back to 1984, August 25th and Rasunda Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden. The quality of the bootleg probably rates a good audience recording. What was noticeable was that the performance was sloppy and seemed to lack the spontaneity of earlier concerts. Not surprising considering this was their 107th concert that began in January of that year. After Sweden they play in Switzerland and then twice in Germany. Their last concert as Van Halen happened on September 2, 1984. That marked the end of David Lee Roth and Van Halen I. So the quality of the Stockholm performance was indicative of a band in decline, influenced by conflicts of personality and creativity that eventual led to Diamond Dave's departure. This parting led to Van Halen's successful reincarnation with the addition of Sammy Hagar. The quality of this particular performance also emphasized for me how damn good the music was with Sammy as lead singer. Rejuvenated, the Phoenix rose from the ashes!
Ten long years running
Tonight's concert was "VAN HALEN LIVE: Right here, right now", recorded on May 14 and 15, 1992 at Selland Arena in Fresno, CA. Parked at the end of a snowy road below McClure pass, I cranked up the stereo, poured the tequila and lit the cigar for nearly 2 hours of rockin' music. Once again, this concert punched it for me when it comes to Sammy Hagar: I am now a firm believer that he had a positive influence on their music, bringing new life to the VH sound. And I loved every minute of it!
I picked up the remaining Van Halen CDs from Second Spin at discount prices. "5151" (released March 26, 1986), "OU812" (released May 24, 1988), "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" (also known as the F.U.C.K. album, released June 17, 1991), "Live: Right Here, Right Now" (released February 23, 1993), and "Van Halen III" (released February 24, 1998), each of which kicked off one of their world concert tours. I now have the pleasure of listening to them all, grooving on "brand new" music from the band. Although I had heard some of their post-Diamond Dave tunes, I now look forward to really enjoying their later music, song by song, following their slow evolution, you might even say maturation. I've already listened to a couple of the Sammy era albums (5150 and OU812) and have begun to appreciate his contribution to Van Halen - I sense they're more serious about the music, better lyrics, Sammy's voice is strong and a "tighter" feel overall. Whatever it was, it worked well because it brought the band their first number one record on the charts, followed by three others. I'm gonna really enjoy the next few days as I join the screaming crowds across the world enjoying the boys in concert.
