Van Halen - Tacoma Dome 5/5/12

I loved the show--though that was pretty much a given.

Venue            

This was my second T-Dome show. The other was "Barney's Big Surprise."  The sound 30 rows back on Ed's side, at least, was pretty horrible.  The bass was reverberating loudly and any sound in the mid-to-upper registers was lost in the mix. This was most notable, to me, during Cathedral when the lower-notes made the higher notes impossible to hear.  On the bright side, I got a new version out of the deal.  Barney had much better sound (which is good because Baby-Bop totally OWNS the "Clean-up" song).

Seats were uncomfortable, but seldom occupied, thankfully.  Me and the rest of the middle-aged set clogged up the concession and restroom lines nicely--to the point that a beer purchase prior to the show meant a 30-minute wait in line.


Dave              

I was hoping that, since we're at a mid-point of the tour, that Dave and the band would be relaxed, but not yet showing the negative effects of so many shows prior.  To the first point, the band was clearly looser, it seemed to me, than they were earlier in the year.  The rigors of the tour, though, seem to be wearing on Dave, for sure.

I thought his vocal work was pretty inconsistent.  Having watched his other 2012 perfomances, I was expecting that.  But the degree to which he struggled, at times, surprised me a bit.  It often seemed that he couldn't choose how to sing a song and would alternate between high, mid, and low tones--like he'd try one, decide it wasn't working, and then switch to another, which often wasn't working either.  I get the impression that it's easier for him to hit the higher notes, now, than the lower, as he often defaulted to singing about an octave higher than he did on the original recordings. I found his struggles most notable on Chinatown. At other times, however, he was spot on, though those times were more rare, for sure. When he got it "right," it was awesome--1981 tour all over again.

I'll be the first to say that I don't enjoy DLR-flavored-VH because of the amazing lead vocals.  I enjoy DLR-flavored-VH because DLR infuses every performance, live and recorded, with a soul the band's seldom been able to replicate without him.  That spirit was present in the arena before the show started and continued until the last bits of confetti fell on the stage.


Band           

The band plays better, now, than they ever have, as far as I'm concerned.  "Hot For Teacher," and "Everybody Wants Some," especially, were performed beautifully.

I can't really comment much on Alex or Wolf because of the sound issues, except to say that Al was as brilliant as ever.  I learned long ago to play every VH song, note for note, on the drums (yeah, Al was my hero, for sure) and as far as I can tell, he didn't miss a beat.  I really appreciated how he controlled the tempo, too.  Songs performed during earlier tours were frequently played at a quicker tempo than the recorded versions.  Not last night.  Al was a hyper-accurate metronome, throughout.

I must admit that I didn't care for the drum solo this time, as it really wasn't a solo anymore. All I heard was salsa music with lots of added percussion.  I thought the pre-recorded video that accompanied the solo was kind of cheesy.  I would've MUCH preferred a live video-feed instead of random video of Al's sticks flying all over the place.

As he has been for the entirety of this tour, Edward was perfect.   His solo was considerably shortened and I was okay with that. I've always preferred his playing within the context of his songs, so if cutting the 15-minute solo in half meant a couple of extra songs, I'm all the happier.

Overall, the band seems to have achieved some odd sort of peace with their music and the massive impact it's had on those fortunate enough to appreciate it. It's hard to explain what I'm thinking as I type that, but it's almost like they play the songs, now, as if they were proud parents.  They own the songs now instead of simply performing them.  It seems to me that sense of ownership pervaded the entire show, last night, and, perhaps, contributed to the very positive and friendly vibe that was the hallmark. To be sure, I missed the band's early 80's swagger, but they've filled that hole with a quiet and mature confidence that more than made up for the less aggressive nature of the performance.  It was a wonderful night in Tacoma.

Oh--Tacoma:  After being on your feet for the duration, you chose to finally sit during my favorite VH song, "Women in Love."  I will always resent you for the implication.  :)

Also--Be sure to view the rest of the m5150's fabulous photostream from the show.