GEORGIA ON MY MIND

After spending the day trimming the interior of a couple windows I installed last summer, I was ready to party with the arrival of sunset! Saturday night, and with some hesitation I pulled a CD from Van Halen's 2004 reunion tour with Sammy Hagar. The reason I hesitate is because the shows on that tour were notoriously bad. Or at least they weren't that good when compared to the 1990's: 10 years later Sammy's singing didn't have the range and smoothness it did back in the day; Michael and Alex appeared to be going through the motions; and worst of all, Eddies playing was way off, probably the result of the fact he was back on the juice. Shows are described as "terrible". Eddie would apologize for his bad performance. Particular songs are identified as the worst example ever in their career. So with some reluctance I bypassed the great concerts of earlier years and picked one from 2004, not knowing what to expect.

Tonight's show was held at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 17, 2004. Two hours long. It was A+ when it comes to sound quality because it was a soundboard recording. Audience cheering was minimal. Surprisingly, the quality of the bands playing was easily an B+ or A. Sammy was a little rough sounding, not surprising considering he was 57 years old at the time. Michael's bass was largely absent and Alex played well, but it was unremarkable. The recording really emphasized Sammy's and Eddie's playing. Eddie did really well, although it did not have the fire of earlier years. Some may say that he was playing sloppy or forgetting notes: what I think was really happening was that he was "experimenting", using a more free style form of playing in which he was intentionally changing things a bit. Who knows.

What was interesting about this concert was that Sammy let Mike and Eddie lead on vocals every now and then. This made it clear why Eddie is lead guitarist and only does backup vocals! The band was clearly enjoying themselves on stage. The quality of the recording was so good that you could hear Eddie's fingers sliding up and down the strings throughout the show. During his guitar solo, Eddie stops and almost jokingly says "I'm playin something you kinda know" after which he launches into his classic "Eruption", a guitar solo he'd been playing since the early days 30 years ago. This instrumentals phenomenal finger work is what made the music world realize his genius back in the 1970's club days, everyone wanting to imitate his style, leading to their recognition that he was one of the best guitarists out there ever.

It was a long show, having to nurse the tequila and cigar to make them last. The truck battery was drained, but I'm now accustomed to this happening on 2 CD sets, so I aim the vehicle downhill and its an easy matter getting it rolling to pop the clutch. A cool evening, a front having moved through last night bring clouds but no rain. Back home by midnight.

Youth has escaped them
Bodies struggle to perform
Time's taken its toll

Many years have gone by
Try to recapture the past
The sound eludes them

Two thousand and four
The music sounds so damn good!
The flask is empty

During a serious moment this evening I was reminded of several of my friends who are experiencing ill health, particularly with cancer. It was one of many things that run through my head, all of which emphasize how much time has passed and how so little remains before us. Sobering thoughts that evoke deep emotions that particular Van Halen songs can bring out in the form of tears.

Enemy within
Fights a battle we don't know
Feels so all alone

EDDIE'S ONE IN A MILLION!!

It's amazing how many Van Halen bootleg recordings are out there being given away or traded. But it's not an endless supply. I stressed out this past week when I realized that all the easy downloads were found and turned into CDs for my weekend concerts. There are more out there, but they require access to registered sites that have specific rules on posting and downloading that I may not be able to easily satisfy. Mild desperation set in when I realized my stack of Van Halen CDs that I've listened to equals the stack I have waiting to listen to. I've reached peak "Van Halen", where the supply has equaled the demand and now I'm on the downhill slide towards "using up" the available supply. I spent a couple nights scrounging around for new downloads to keep the party going with no success. But then I carefully went through site archives, like looking for pennies in tall grass, and found a few bootlegs that eluded me on the first pass, surging my "to listen to" stack of CDs ahead of the other pile. My sense of desperation abated. The bootleg concert noted in this post came from my recent search through the weeds.

Cling to mountain peaks
Gray against the orange sky
Clouds in evenings haze

Birds greet the twilight
Songs drift across the grasslands
Eddie interrupts

Gathering darkness
Touched by the evenings cool breeze
Start the loud music

Friday night's concert was once again held out on the open grasslands across Hilltop Road. The sun set, leaving behind a very pleasant evening to stand outside and listen to Van Halen's concert "One In A Million". Live in Rotterdam on April 13, 1993, a time when the band was still riding a wave of popularity. Eddie and Alex were both born in Amsterdam, Holland so every visit to that country is like a homecoming, and the audience knows it and expresses their appreciation in a very, very loud way. This show was the 10th show in the Right Here, Right Now tour and Sammy lets the Rotterdam crowd know that they are the most energetic and loudest so far on the tour, making the band feel at home. There were times when the crowd chanted for Eddie and broke out in song as though it were a soccer game. Good quality recording and good set list, even though portions of the concert appear to have been edited out to keep it under 80 minutes and on one CD. There were times during the evening when I thought someone was sneaking up behind me in the darkness, only to realize it was people close to the guy taping the concert back then in '93.

Another blast from the past!

Enters the bloodstream
Interrupts the flow of time
Music turns it back

The mind is relaxed
Music provides the focus
Lost in the moment

Performs the ritual
Booze, cigar, Van Halen
High priests of music

His outdoor concerts
Looks at cathedral's ceiling
A sky lit with stars

Smiling on the stage
The thousands chant for Eddie
His guitar rewards

Really needs to score
Searches for the next download
A junkies craving

He's flying so high
Stereo speakers are cranked
Whole truck vibrates

"W" FOLLOWS "V"

A very nice evening, the sun setting followed by a cool breeze out there on the prairie. This concert venue I've been visiting is a subdivision that has yet to be built, with only a single home under construction (model home?). Normally the homes would be popping up like mushrooms. I guess the good thing about the housing construction slowdown is that nothing is being built in this subdivision. I'll be disappointed when the property where I've been parking is built on, with its wide open views of the mountainous western skyline and sparkling lights of Denver.

This nights concert was an early soundboard recording of Van Halen playing in Ipswich, England on May 28, 1978. A great quality recording! On this evening Van Halen was the warm-up band, the headliner being Black Sabbath. The band spent about 50 minutes playing their rocking tunes, almost all of them coming off their first album that was released only a couple months ago. D.O.A was the last song played after the encore, announced as one that would be coming out on their next album. Dave made a point of reminding the audience several times who they were because they were still new to the music scene, particularly to Europeans. Black Sabbath soon realized that Van Halen was a force of its own and was blowing them out of the water in some venues. By 1979, with the release of Van Halen II, they were touring as the headliner, if not the only act to take the stage. They had finally become a recognized act of their own, making the slow climb towards stardom over the next several years.

An eternal dance
Witness to Earth's history
Orange moon rises

Since this was a short concert and I was fully pumped up by the time it ended, I popped Weezer's new CD in the truck stereo and listened to it from beginning to end . I really like their music and was happy to see them come out with new music after several quiet years. My experience is that the music only gets better each time I listen to it. My expectation is that they'll go on tour to promote the album, in which case I will be there. Unlike the last Weezer concert, my alcohol consumption will be a little more controlled. I spent the night at a detox center the last time I saw them, almost 4 years ago, being released only after I blew "zeros". Not a fun experience.

MINE ALL MINE!

Before going to Home Depot this morning, I stopped in to pick up Weezer's latest release the "red" album. I also picked up a cheap remastered edition of "Van Halen I", their very first release. I listened to it on the way home and was impressed with what a great album it is, featuring some of their most memorable classics, many of which were old standards played at virtually all their concerts. Runnin' With The Devil. Eruption. You Really Got me. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love. Jamies Cryin'. Atomic Punk. Feel Your Love Tonight. Little Dreamer. Ice Cream Man. With the release of this album Van Halen came screaming onto the music scene (February 10, 1978) with a knock-out punch! It was this album that I heard being played in Randall, Washington, my introduction to the band.

I really like the Sammy era song "Mine All Mine", the first song they recorded for the OU812 album. It's a really rockin' tune that gets me pumped and hits an emotional nerve. You listen and judge for yourself. The Van Halen Encyclopedia says its an antidrug song , about fulfilling your future without letting drugs get in the way. But Sammy puts it this way in last nights A.F.U. show: "It's about yourself. You can't trust friends sometimes, you can't trust government officials, but you can trust yourself. You can trust yourself, trust your family."

In terms of lyrics, the Sammy era tunes are absolutely wordy and with substance when compared to the writing of David Lee Roth. Sammy was very thoughtful, while Dave was more interested in how it sounded in the end, and if there was a theme to his lyrics, it generally revolved around women. That's one of the big differences between the two lead vocalists.

Mine All Mine

Ow! Forgive me father, for I have sinned
I've been through hell and back again
I shook hands with the devil
Looked 'im in the eye
Looked like a long lost friend

Ow-ah, anything you want, any dirty deeds
He's got everything 'cept what I really need
Keepin' me temporarily satisfied
But not one thing I've tried
Filled me up inside or felt like mine
Mine all mine

Yeah, the search goes on
The more I look, my world keeps gettin' smaller
Staring at the sun, searchin' for the light
Almost ended up blind
Some only see what they wanna see
Claiming victory, oh but that's not me
Gimme truth, gimme somethin' real
I just wanna feel like it's mine all mine

(Ooh-ooo-ooh)
Ooh-oo-ooh, really mine
(Mine all mine)
Come on, 'n gimme somethin'
(Ooh-oo-ooh)
Somethin', that's mine all mine all mine

(Guitar Solo)

Mine all mine

All the words on the wall look the same in the mirror
Every riddle and every clue
Ow, you've got Allah in the east
You've got Jesus in the west
Christ, what's a man to do?

They'll find a cure for anything
Just kill the pain or numb my brain
We see a man speakin' the word of God
Provin' to be a fraud, his own church applauds
Stop lookin' out, start lookin' in
Be your own best friend
Stand up and say "Hey! This is mine!"

(Ooh-oo-ooh)
Ooh, all mine
(Mine all mine)
Yeah'N baby you've got somethin'
(Ooh-oo-ooh)
Uh! An', and I got somethin'
(Mine all mine)
Hey, and it's mine all mine all mine

Uh!
(Mine all mine)
Ooooh!
(Mine all mine)
Yes, I'm searchin'
(Mine all mine)
Uh-I got to have it
(Mine all mine)
Oooh ow!
(Mine all mine)
Well
(Mine all mine)
Got ta, got ta, got to
(Mine all mine)
Got to have it. Ow!
(Mine all mine)
Uh! Uh! Uh!
(Mine all mine)
You got! You got! You got! You got!
Mine all mine

FRIDAY NIGHT AND A.F.U.!!

A week has gone by and Friday night has arrived, the highlight being a trip out to the fields north of the house for a ripping Van Halen concert! This nights show was recorded in Osaka, Japan on January 25, 1989 with Sammy as lead vocal. Although the recording was at best "B" quality, it was still a good show to listen to. Distant thunder storms flashed all around, at least one tornado reported far east of me. Sammy raps with the Japanese audience in English, hoping they understand, and if not, letting the music do the talking for them. Seems to have working because the crowd was pretty loud.

Back home by midnight and off to bed. My arm appears to be getting better, sleeping a bit easier and not having to constantly pop Advils. But its got a long way to go to get to normal. The physical therapist I saw earlier in the week seems to believe I should be OK by the next ski season. She's leaving it up to the doctor I see in July as to whether I can resume the house residing project.

I've experienced a bit of a panic these last several days. I appear to have found and downloaded pretty much all the easy to get Van Halen bootleg recordings. I spent a good part of Thursday night trying to line up another set of downloads but found none. The thought of running out of new boots to listen to is frightening! This means I will be forced to access trading sites where there are rules and expectations on what members do to keep the music available for others. My fear is that I will have nothing to contribute to what they already have or it won't meet their quality standards. We shall see as I delve deeper into the Van Halen bootleg world.

Move in from the west
Storm clouds flash with lightening
Light up the night sky

Storm clouds flash with light
Illuminates their white hearts
Bright stars shine above

Clouds pass overhead
Distant lightning to the east
Moons light floods prairie



Drum and bass solo
Followed by Eddies guitar
Save the best for last