Van Halen Playing Deep Cuts On Tour! (Updated Video)
(Set List Spoiler alert!)
Even though Van Halen’s 2012 tour has barely begun, they are already surprising us by pulling out some obscure fan favorites from their bag of tricks! At the opening show Feb. 18th in Louisville, they shocked everyone with “WOMEN IN LOVE” and “OUTTA LOVE AGAIN”. Two nights later, the Palace Of Auburn Hills in Michigan got orgasmic with “GIRL GONE BAD”, a song from “side 2″ of 1984 that die hard fans wouldn’t dare dream about hearing live again. Then tonight in Indianapolis, fans began fainting in the isles when the opening notes of “HEAR ABOUT IT LATER” rang out! And on top of that, the band kept “Girl Gone Bad” in the set!
To Van Halen: THANK YOU for performing these obscure classics which we all have been dying for! Even though the tour is just kicking into gear, the revitalized Van Halen is blowing our minds with these too-good-to-be-true gems!
Now, if we can just get them to play more than four songs from ‘A Different Kind Of Truth”!
Van Halen Interviews, Part 2 (Video)
The long-silent Van Halen is giving us another rare glimpse of the band behind the curtain! The band has just released another video with more fascinating interviews with the three founders of the band. Anyone worried about the tensions within Van Halen should have their fears erased by this. There’s a real brotherhood and shared history that’s very apparent here between David Lee Roth and the Van Halen Brothers. And everyone’s having a marvelous time.
Van Halen is doing a remarkable job of giving the fans front row seat to some relaxed and intimate conversations. This is some truly great stuff we are getting right here! Who would have ever thought we would get great videos like this, not to mention this incredible new album – a masterpiece!
Watch it right here:
This segment is simply called, “Interviews 2″. In “Interviews 1″, released 2 weeks ago, David Lee Roth interviews Eddie and Alex Van Halen about their music, family and influences.
It looks like we’ll get much more of these wonderful interviews to come! At least according to the “To be continued..” banner that pops up at the end of this clip.
“Outta Love Again” Resurrected! (Video)
During last night’s Van Halen Tour opener in Louisville, Van Halen surprised everyone when they suddenly ripped into “Outta love Again”, a deep track and fan favorite from 1979′s Van Halen II, which really showcases Alex’s powerhouse drumming style.
An amature video has surfaced, and it really is quite a treat! The footage is nothing more than a cell phone video, which, naturally, is shitty quality. But if you close your eyes and just listen to the audio – this is nothing less than a Van Halen performance captured in all their late ’70′s glory! Amazing!
Long before “Runnin’ With The Devil”, “Eruption” and “”Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”, there was “Outta Love Again”. It’s one of the very first songs the band ever wrote. It pre-dates the band’s 1977 Warner Bros. Demo, their 1976 Gene Simmons Demo, even their 1974 Hound Dog Demo! This classic, written in ’72 or ’73, was frequently on the band’s set list in the backyard party days. The band must love playing “Outta Love” again!!
Van Halen 2012 Tour Opening Night Reviews
Van Halen kicked off their 2012 tour with a two-hour blitz of classics and new songs on Saturday night (Feb. 18) in Louisville, Ky.
For the legendary group’s first trek in four years, in support of their long-awaited new studio album ‘A Different Kind of Truth,’ David Lee Roth and the musical Van Halen family (Alex, Wolfgang and Eddie) tore through 22 songs and left the sold-out crowd completely satisfied.
An excerpt from Ultimate Classic Rock’s review: “Van Halen hit the ground running …proving that a four-year layoff has done pretty much nothing to diminish their ability to delight a sold-out arena crowd with both old and new songs.
The 22-song set list featured four songs from the band’s new album ‘A Different Kind of Truth,’ and if we had to quibble with anything about tonight’s excellent show, it would be with which tracks from that album made the cut. We were really hoping for ‘Big River,’ ‘You and Your Blues,’ ‘Blood and Fire’ and especially ‘Outta Space’ in addition to early show highlight ‘She’s the Woman.’
Any one of the tens of thousands of fans in attendance could have easily named six more songs they’d still want to hear, but nobody could say we didn’t get our money’s worth.”
An excerpt from Courier Journal’s review: Singer David Lee Roth bounced around the stage like a big, 57-year-old kid, delivering a performance that was half burlesque, half living-room show-off, and all rock star. Alex Van Halen brought his usual thunder on the drums, and while diehards probably still miss original bassist Michael Anthony, Wolfgang Van Halen has become a serious replacement.
But the night belonged to Eddie.
Eddie Van Halen, the guitar-shredding heart of the band’s sound, was in peak form. His right hand was like a jackhammer all night as he showed utter command of his instrument, with no apparent ill effects from a 2009 surgery on his left hand. This was crucial, because while the band’s best material stands alone as seriously good, voraciously hard rock, Eddie’s guitar is Van Halen.
Eddie’s traditional solo showcase, which incorporated parts of “Eruption,” was stellar, but the night’s highlight was a pulverizing version of “Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love.” The song has lost none of its ravenous, anthemic edge.
Roth was plenty happy all night, and while he’s clearly lost an octave or two, his performance was a pretty great approximation of old-school Diamond Dave. He made up for what was missing in his upper register with a swagger that was more fun than sexual, and an endearing playfulness that was long on goofy charm. He even managed a few leg kicks.
Videos: Opening Night of Van Halen’s 2012 Tour (Louisville, KY)
Some of the better videos flooding youtube today:
Van Halen’s 2012 Tour: Opening Night Set List (Louisville, KY)
Here’s the complete set list for tonight’s (Feb. 18th) Van Halen Concert in Louisville, KY. This was the first night of their 2012 Tour.
| 1. You Really Got Me 2. Runnin’ With The Devil 3. She’s The Woman (NEW) 4. Romeo Delight 5. Tattoo (NEW) 6. Everybody Wants Some!! 7. Somebody Get Me A Doctor 8. China Town (NEW) 9. Mean Street 10. (Oh!) Pretty Woman 11. Drum Solo 12. Unchained 13. The Trouble With Never (NEW) 14. I’ll Wait 15. Dance The Night Away 16. Hot For Teacher 17. Women In Love (A First since 1980!) 18. Outta Love Again (A First since 1979!) 19. Beautiful Girls 20. Ice Cream Man 21. Panama 22. Eddie’s Solo 23. Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love 24. Jump |
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So, what do you think of the setlist? Share your thoughts in the Comments section. (More coverage of this show will be posted Sunday).
Van Halen’s “Recreational Director”
Listen to Dave Roth recount the best “Recreational Director” Van Halen ever had, whom Roth met in Tahiti. It’s a tale of bikini models, waffles, a costume store in Omaha, and a black Christmas tree.
