Article Contributed on: 8/18/2007 3:44:13 PM
Van Halen has been a staple of mine since childhood. After my parents came home from a VH concert, I listened to a couple of their tunes and it just stuck. My company, 5150 Plumbing, was named after the first Van Hagar Album.
I don't need to rehash the long saga of VH because just about everyone knows who they are. Yesterday, I was doing a job for a lady who had to be pushing 75 years old and she asks, "Where did you get the name for your business?" I explained it to her and my jaw dropped when she told me she liked
Dave more than
Sammy. "I liked the jumps he did," she tells me. You go, Granny Van Halen.
Although VH has enjoyed worldwide success, Eddie's decisions regarding relationships within the band have usually been, shall we say, sketchy.
The instability of keeping a frontman has mired the group in mediocrity for the past few years. Roth will always be the ultimate of frontmen, but recently, watching him sing
Jump with a bluegrass band on late-night TV made me queasy.
Gary Cherone sang for the band's album
Van Halen III, which turned out to be VH's least-grossing in album sales. Cherone's funk style didn't mesh with the band's sound and he was immediately let go.
The Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar, has my vote for best live show. The man puts everything he has into his performances. If you've ever seen any interviews of Sam, you know he plays for the fans and nothing else.
All the firings and rehirings have left a bad taste in the mouths of long-time VH fans. Let's not say the results have been less than satisfying. I've enjoyed the limited material the group puts out. Nothing illustrates a band's willingness to make music for their fans than producing 12 songs every four years.
I understand Eddie is busy with rehab, showing up drunk to public appearances and exposing his 16-year-old son to the rock and roll lifestyle. It's a tough life when you have to make one hour of music and sell it for millions of dollars.
With Dave back in the group and
Micheal Anthony kicked out for touring with Sammy, the upcoming tour will probably do well if
Ed can stay off the sauce (if alcohol and not some other substance was really the problem). Replacing Anthony with his son
Wolfgang may be Ed's worst foul-up since not being paid for playing on
Michael Jackson's
Beat It.
Whatever happens, I'll probably pay the $100 and go see them anyway when and if they come to Denver. A stop here is not currently a part of the recently released tour dates. Go figure.
Later