Van Halen - Live Tokyo Dome

[SF Metal Man]

The best thing I can say about this is that it sounds like an honest recording. They were horrendous on their last tour, and this recording reflects that. Possibly the worst official live recoding I've ever heard. Sound is muddy, Dave sounds drunk, and it leaves me wondering why they would even consider releasing this. Any greatness that Van Halen may have had in the past is ancient history. Listen at your own risk:

http://melodicrock.com/articles/new...et-audio-preview-posted#.VPZlwIsXDTE.facebook

 

[Sir Exar Kun]

I have never been a VH fan. I appreciate the ground they laid, but I came into metal around 87 and enjoyed the bands that followed them far more than VH themselves.

That being said....

I heard this clip this morning, and wouldn't have even recognized DLR if I didn't know it was him. The rest of the band sounds decent, especially the backing vocals, but the leads sound like someone singing karaoke who has never heard the original....

 

[Comic Book Dude]

Sounds pretty cool to me....too many live albums sound sterile and way over produced, while this sounds like a live bootleg. And Dave? Well, Dave is Dave....you either love him or hate him. I love him, but even I would never expect a pristine vocal from him. His voice is shot, but he's still out there giving it his all.

 

[TheLongshot]

To be honest, I wonder if he really sounded much better back in the day. He never was much of a singer, IMO.

 

[Scott B]

To answer the question of why would they release this, because VH fans have been demanding a livealbum with DLR on vocals since forever. Unfortunately the one they are getting now is not the band at their peak (obviously).

I've seen this incarnation of the band live twice and it takes a good 30 -45 minutes for Dave to get in voice. Most of the screams are gone now, as are the high pitched shenanigans.

Ed, on the other hand, seems to be in a really good place right now. There are shitloads of other guitarists who can out sling him, but Ed is Ed, and there is no greater experience as a guitar fan than seeing Ed solo through Eruption.

I saw the original VH a couple times, the last of which was '81. They have always been a sloppy band live. If you want to hear a record, listen to a record.

As for the two samples from the melodicrock page, Running With the Devil was pretty damn good. Panama was certainly a slopfest. In other words, classic VH. I like the sound. It seems genuine. I am looking forward to buying this set.

 

[espz]

I agree with most on here. I saw them in 1984 at their very peak and.....the sound was pretty terrible. DLR was drunk as F, and forgot words, slurred, stumbled, etc. But it was a hell of a SHOW. This was when they were competing with Queen to see who could put the most lights up. It was an amazing experience...but yeah, sound wise, not so much. I'll stick to the original albums.

 

[General Zod]

To be honest, I wonder if he really sounded much better back in the day. He never was much of a singer, IMO.

I saw him on both the Eat'em and Smile and Skyscraper tours and found his vocals to be exactly as I anticipated. Both were killer shows, especially the first one with Sheehan.

 

[Stevie WOnder]

I saw him on both the Eat'em and Smile and Skyscraper tours and found his vocals to be exactly as I anticipated. Both were killer shows, especially the first one with Sheehan.

Saw that first solo tour too with Sheehan but you forgot to mention Vai! One of the best shows I've ever seen and DLR's voice was perfect. Opening the show with the mid air split, fireworks and Shy Boy! Now that's a show!!!

 

[Scott B]

I saw them in 1984 at their very peak

Maybe at their commercial peak, but as a live band (for that era), the Fair Warning tour was probably their pinnacle. The show I saw back then is still in my top10 of all concerts I've seen, and I've seen...at least a few!

 

[General Zod]

Saw that first solo tour too with Sheehan but you forgot to mention Vai!

I was merely distinguishing between the two shows; both included Vai, only the first included Sheehan. Getting to see both of them together was special. When Bissonette replace Sheehan on the Skyscraper tour, it looked like he was nailed to the floor, while trying to play Sheehan's bass lines.

 

[Stevie WOnder]

I was merely distinguishing between the two shows; both included Vai, only the first included Sheehan. Getting to see both of them together was special. When Bissonette replace Sheehan on the Skyscraper tour, it looked like he was nailed to the floor, while trying to play Sheehan's bass lines.

LOL!!! Bissonette is no Sheehan for sure!

 

[TheLongshot]

Unfortunately, I was never old enough to see Dave in his prime live, and given the lack of live albums, I have nothing to go on. I'll take your word for it.

 

[MeTuLHeD]

It is one of the worst sounding releases I have ever heard from a major label. Do the label reps really think this sounds good? This makes 'Bridges To Babylon' sound like 'Abby Road'.

Note to Dave: Please. Quit. Now. While you still have some small semblance of dignity left.

 

[Pelata]

Do the label reps really think this sounds good?

Since when would they have? They care about what sells, and "Van Halen" sells a certain amount on name alone.

 

[PromisedLand]

I'm kind of surprised that they released samples before the pre-order window for the box sets was closed. There's no way anyone at Warner Bros said "hey! This sounds awesome! Let's let the fans hear so they can go nuts and give us money!"

 

[SF Metal Man]

I'm kind of surprised that they released samples before the pre-order window for the box sets was closed. There's no way anyone at Warner Bros said "hey! This sounds awesome! Let's let the fans hear so they can go nuts and give us money!"

I agree with you, but to my surprise there are some, even on this thread, who seem to think this sounds good. I don't understand it, but apparently it happened.

 

[MeTuLHeD]

Since when would they have? They care about what sells, and "Van Halen" sells a certain amount on name alone.

True. But then to allow samples to actually be heard pre-release...*cringe*. Surely no one thinks Dave sounds good here...?

 

[labrekk]

Damn, I surely didn't expect Roth to sound like when he was young, but he sucks bad on these 2 songs... And the sound quality is indeed very subpar...

 

[KingsGene]

VAN HALEN - "I'M THE ONE" FROM TOKYO DOME LIVE IN CONCERT STREAMING

 

[J-Dubya 777]

OOUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That hurt......