ARE YOU GUYS HAVING A GOOD TIME TOO?

Another week slips by. At a friends request, I've purchased tickets to fly into Portland, OR to meet two buddies in early December for a "reunion" of sorts. It's been over six years since the three of us have gotten together. There's a question as to how long we will have such an opportunity because both buddies have/had cancer. A decision was made that its now or perhaps never. I tacked on a couple extra days to the trip with the intent of skiing at Crystal Mountain in WA adjoining Mt. Rainier. If that happens, I MUST do a deep forest concert in Randal WA where I first heard of Van Halen, the deep bass booming from a Trans Am stereo, the opening sound of Runnin' With The Devil.

This night I decided to go to the beginning of the 2007 tour, their opening night on September 27th at the Bobcats Arena in Charlotte NC. The sound quality of this bootleg recording was very good to begin with but was subsequently remastered to make it excellent. Everyone was performing at their best for an appreciative audience. Dave sounded just like himself straight out of 1984. I rocked the night away on the prairie, dropping in bed in a darkened house shortly after midnight.

Turbulence filled screen
Yields a moment of silence
Faces of the dead

Another long week
The garbage is tossed around
The candidates preach

Week comes to an end
Fills the flask, picks a cigar
The music's calling

Across the empty gap
A face of gray dusty plains
A bright moon watching

A sound so unique
Unties his soul from the mast
Eddie's siren song

Waiting for so long
Twenty two years of silence
Explodes up on the stage

Quivering dark shape
Opposite the rising moon
Dance with my shadow

Ego and style
Dave prances across the stage
What we both wanted

No one there at home
Acts like there's no tomorrow
Runs with the Devil

He's so fucked up
Sent into the stratosphere
Launched by Ed's six strings

Dead embers in hand
The tequila is now gone
Flys over the edge

Grips the steering wheel
His mind's neither here nor there
Reality blurred

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=V7B5IZI2
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DCOJPQP2

SPRING TIME IN PARIS

I forgot to mention in the last post that the October 10, 2007 Cleveland, Ohio show was David Lee Roth's 53rd birthday. On Friday when I listened to that concert, he was celebrating his 54th birthday. This is what was written about DLR:

This Friday (Oct. 10th) marks the 54th birthday of rock'n roll’s number-two best front man of all time: (Diamond) David Lee Roth. I say number two, because it’s widely understood that Mick Jagger has held the top spot since basically the beginning of rock as we know it.

David Lee Roth’s signature vocals and screams, amazing stage acrobatics and zany off-stage antics have definitely secured his place in rock’s number-two slot, at least in my opinion.

And there’s not a Roger Daltrey or Robert Plant who can hold a candle to his bonfire of charisma.

That’s because Roth is/was the consummate California heavy metal rock'n roller. With his flowing blond locks, spandex stage wear, a bright smile and smart-ass quick wit, there has never been (and probably never will be)another example of “entertainment” quite like him.

Rolling Stone called him “the most obnoxious singer in human history, an achievement notable in the face of long tradition and heavy competition.” Ouch. In fact, most journalists at the time took everything Roth stood for with a grain of salt, largely due to his unapologetic pursuit of placing good times on the same level as good performance. And for him, it worked.

For the complete story, go to the Van Halen News Desk:
http://www.vhnd.com/2008/10/11/diamond-david-lee-roth-turns-54/


A cold drizzle prevented me from taking the truck out because I would have been soaked in a few minutes while standing outside. I instead dropped the CD into the home stereo, plugged in the headphones and rocked out on the darkened back deck of the house. This arrangement worked just as good as a trip out onto the prairie.

The show I had chosen took place on May 10, 1978 at the Le Theater Mogador in Paris, France. WOW! What a concert! Sound quality of the bootleg recording was Excellent! The band was hot, playing to an appreciative crowd. This is Van Halen at their finest! "Voodoo Queen" and "Summertime Blues" were added to their normal VH 1 album set list. Very few of their early shows can get better than this one!

Download the concert here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AI2359FN

By the time the music stopped close to midnight and I entered the house, everyone was going to sleep. I played the second half of the Van Halen DVD "JUMP LIVE!" on the upstairs TV. Clips of various shows during the Van Hagar era, mostly from their Live Without a Net performance in New "Halen". It came to an end, the flask was empty and I immediately dropped into bed for the night.

Face the damp wind
Cold droplets against the skin
Every one a kiss

Foggy nights drizzle
Cold front crosses the mountains
Coming winters breath

Earphones on his head
Distant echos still resonate
Loud, between his ears

Thirty years ago
Band gets the crowd to party
As they do today

Spring time in Paris
Dave and Eddie rock the crowd
Their music kicks ass

Wait for his solo
The undisputed master
Captivates the crowd

Oh! He's so gifted
Sounds like no other can make
Enter his cathedral

A YEAR TO THE DAY

Winter is making its entrance! The weather for this nights concert was cold, damp and under a cloudy sky. Wet weather predicted for the weekend, including the possibility of snow on Sunday. Time to stack some of the new cut firewood on the back deck!

I've begun the process of making decisions regarding what ski passes/discount cards I'd like to get this winter. Many to choose from. Aspen 4-pack for sure. I picked up a discount card to Loveland. Whether I get another 4-pack or two to some other ski areas remains to be seen. I may cut back on the skiing, or double up the weekends because the cost of fuel and lift tickets makes a day on the slopes a costly affair.

The music has had a year to age and the time has come to drink its sweet nectar! The Van Halen 2007-2008 Tour began on September 27, 2007 in Charlotte, NC. In celebration of the reunion and the fun I had during their North American tour, I pulled out their October 10, 2007 Cleveland,OH show at the Quicken Loans Arena (don't you love the corporate names of all these areas/stadiums/amphitheaters?!). A good bootleg recording that exemplifies most, if not all shows during the tour. Dave sang well, perhaps even better than shows during the 1984 tour, probably because he was genuinely glad to be back with the boys and was really trying to do his best for them and and the audience. He's back, rappin' with the crowd! Eddie played a bit slower and with less flourish when compared to the bootlegs from 1998 and earlier. But its still delicious to the ears! Alex keeps the beat while Wolfgang remains largely hidden in the background, in the shadows behind Dave and Eddie, just like Michael was. But it was a good show and I was rocking throughout it, bringing back memories of the four shows I attended during that tour. More to come!

I typically write these the day after the outdoor concert. Lately I'm noticing that its difficult to impossible to read my haikus that I've scribbled down on bits of paper during the show. It looked fine the night before while under the influence!

A year to the day
Arena long grown silent
But not in his head

Friday night party
Always playing for the crowd
Our spirits unchained

Invades his bloodstream
Powered by the loud music
Self induced coma

Does it every time
Aims with his six string guitar
Eddie hits the mark

Eddie plays his song
He sends our spirits soring
The flask has run dry

Alcohol's stiff fumes
The concert comes to an end
Grips the steering wheel

ANOTHER SHOT OF WHISKEY PLEASE

Last Thursday I met a friend and we both went to see the first of several ski movies that will play in the Denver area. A group of collage kids bought a 16 mm camera and filmed their days riding powder at a variety of locations in the western US. The most notable part of the flick was the music: all of it was written and played by a single blues artist out of Colorado Springs. He supposedly watched the movie and composed/played as the film was rolling before him. Bought the soundtrack following the show. These movies pump up my desire to hit the slopes, ski season being just around the corner

After listening to the 1993 anniversary show at the Whiskey A GoGo last night, I dug through my stack of unlistened to bootleg recording and found another show at that club, this one taking place on June 10, 1977 with Dave at the helm. VHboots says this about the recording:

"This is an "A-" audience recording of the early club days. A lot of Dave's rappin'/talkin' is in this one. A nice set of songs for 1977. A must if you can get your hands on it!! "

Although the quality of the sound was limited by the recording devices available in the '70s, it was a very good concert that had a feel similar to the 1993 show. You can tell it was taped in a small club, the audience going wild between the songs. A couple people had whistles that they were blowing in appreciation, the loud sound grating on the nerves after a while. Yeah, Dave raps with the audience, but I get the sense that its part of the stage act, still not entirely comfortable/confident of himself since they are still unknown outside the southern California music scene. It was only a couple months earlier that they signed up with Warner Brothers to produce an album. The Van Halen Encyclopedia says:

"On a rainy Monday night in May 1977, Marshall Berle brought Warner Brothers Chairman Mo Ostin and producer Ted Templeman to see Van Halen perform. Unbeknownst to the band, Templeman had also been there the previous night as well, probably scoping them in preparation for the following night's visit. Van Halen was offered a contract on the spot. They accepted it 24 hours later." The album they produced, Van Halen I, rocketed them skyward, their brand of party rock making them a national and then global sensation.

Youths nimble fingers

Played so fast and furious

Sound with a sharp edge

Friday night party

Crowd worked to a fevered pitch

Feelin' love tonight

Picks the guitar strings

Eddie's power fills the air

Juices up the crowd

Youths game is lacking

Maturity's confidence

Fight to reach the top

DRINK WHISKEY AND THEN GO GO!

Another week zips by, dropping me into Friday night. Earlier in the day while fueling up the car at the Conoco station, I saw a teen wearing a black Van Halen t-shirt from the 07/08 tour. Looked like his wrist was broken because he was wearing a cast, to which he stuck a McCain bumper sticker. Across the parking lot I motioned to him, first pointing to the shirt and saying "good", then to the bumper sticker and said "bad". He and his dad looked at me strange.

Physical therapy is proceeding well. The therapist really cranked my arm back this last visit, the discomfort of the movement merging into pain. But after I leave the office I'm buzzin', the arm feeling good. Must be those pain-relieving endorphins which act in a similar fashion to morphine! More physical therapy please!

I continue to download more music practically every night. I have a large stack of CDs I've burned that need to be labeled. After this surge in downloading, I once again see the drought showing up in the future, depending on random hits from different sources for new bootleg recordings. I'm not looking forward to those lean times.

All seems so endless
But it passes too quickly
Standing on the edge

Tonight's show was the secret anniversary gig at the Whisky A GoGo, a club they played in the very early days on their rise to stardom. This show was held a little more than three weeks before they began their Right Here, Right Now world tour. Here's what the Van Halen encyclopedia says about this show:

"Van Halen Celebrated their fifteenth anniversary on 3/03/93 by performing at one of the clubs they performed in before they were signed, the Whisky A GoGo in Hollywood, CA. 250 tickets were available for sale for $20. It sold out in fifteen minutes. Thousands of fans were left in the streets. Police riot squads were called. A live video for "Dreams" was made at that event."

This was an excellent bootleg recording of that occasion. The crowd was wild, chanting for Eddie after every other song. Sammy was unusually talkative, rapping with the audience throughout the show. The clarity of the recording was such that you could listen in on conversations of people in the immediate vicinity of the taper. I spent two hours rockin' away to this show, returning home after midnight.

By coincidence, I was short on tequila this evening, having drained the big bottle and filing up only half the flask. So I pulled out a gift bottle of Glenlivet, a scotch whisky that I poured into a second flask half way. The concert started by first swigging and then sipping the whisky before switching over to the other juice. So it was appropriate to start my night at the Whisky A GoGo with the alcoholic beverage of the same name! Thanks Mike for the bottle! I received it as a gift from a friend in exchange for my inviting him to the Van Halen show here in Denver last February 1.

Stands in their shadow
His four strings keep the bands grove
Michael's voice shines through

He's so into it
Every fiber in his body
One with his guitar

Unscrews the white cap
Flask held high above his lips
Flys besides the band

A tip of the wrist
Thrown into another world
His short-lived time warp