Van Halen
California Mid State Fair
Pasa Robles, CA
August 4, 1998

Set List - Click here!

Review by Scott Friesen - hachapitees@lightspeed.net

I am writing this right after the show, courtesy of tcsn.net in a booth at the Mid-State Fair. It was HOT and so was the band!! This is the third time I've seen them in a month, and they've blown me away every time! Anybody who doesn't like Gary is just a grouch. He sang the shit out of everything old and new, and he is a crazy man on stage--he is just interesting and fresh and cool!

And what can I say about the other guys except what everyone else has written times 10! There was no opening act, so the boys got right into it, and blasted us for two hours. This set included I'm the One and Josephina. The place was completely packed, and there didn't seem to be a Dave or Sammy grouch in the house. Everyone was singing, dancing, clapping and yelling from beginning to end.

If you can go, you should--you'll be glad you did!! It is really cool to see someone having fun with their job, because I know my job sucks. I'm glad they are having so much fun, because it sure rubs off. That was the quickest two hours of my life--I can't wait for them to come around again with another record!

Well Van Halen fans, I just got back from the guys last show of their first leg of the U.S. tour, and what a show it was! This show was 95% full and everyone was enjoying the killer music the boys performed.

The stage was a little smaller than usual and it wasn't as loud as the last 2 shows I saw in July, but it didn't matter. VAN HALEN ROCKED all night long! The only thing that was different than the other shows was that they didn't play Year To The Day, but they did play I'm The One, which was killer. The songs that drew most praise were Mean Street, Why Can't This Be Love, and Somebody Get Me A Doctor, with Mike on vocals.

There were several people sitting around me that couldn't believe he was singing lead. They loved it, as did I. Tonight Van Halen played with an energy like no other show I've seen in a while. If you don't dig the new album, I don't care, go see this show if they come to your area, it's straight forward rock and roll at its best. Long live the mighty VH!!!!

Great Show. A small town, such as Paso, does not get great rock n roll entertainment. We saw the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge tour in Fresno, and this show was just as good. Gary really knows how to get the crowd involved, and he has soooo much energy.

What we want to know though, is how Eddie can still manage to jump, and jive after his hip replacement. Those boys still have it after all these years.

Got a chance to meet and greet them backstage too, what a bunch of great guys. We thought maybe they would be conceited, but they were soooo friendly, and really into their fans.

Thanks for the great show!!!

Van Halen has been reborn in style, music, legend, and vision, to be one of the greatest musical interventions of the late 20th century. In all aspects of the musical theme they are consistently strong in live performance and overall talent. Their performance tonight proved once again that rock in still strong, and that on-stage performances can still be done in their original score rather than drum machines and turntables like we are all so used to.

This is the second time I had seen them perform in the last month. Their July 4th show in Devore, CA was a show not to be missed. But the performance in Paso Robles had a quality much to its own which was not evident on July 4th. This time the band seemed to be much more in tuned with the smaller crowd, consistently working with the fans on several occasions.

Their overall performance, even without the multimedia presentation backing them was still expectedly mesmerizing. Josephina, performed towards the later part of the show had a subtlety of it’s own which was a much nicer pick for the moment, rather than Edward’s brave concoction of piano works as in How Many Say I.

You could see the excitement in their eyes and how much they love their fans. Thank you Van Halen. Cheers to a band I have grown up with and many more albums to come with your great new singer.

I drove all the way from L.A., about four hours, and it was well worth it. Most of my frieds, unfortunately not VH fans, thought I was nuts. But I still went, despite their doubts and complaints of VH being a "band of the past."

Like a lot of fans, I was intially disappointed that Sammy was no longer with VH. But Gary really proved me wrong. Of all the concerts I've been to, Gary tops the list of really knowing how work the stage.

Being in the front and center stage area, I had a great view. Everyone around me was jumpin' up and down, cheering the band on, and singing along with the band.

Some funny and unexpected moments included Edward bending down to sign a kid's yearbook, and Gary throwing cigarettes that were thrown at him back at the audience, saying, "I don't want your f#@!ing cigarettes. I don't smoke! Give some to Edward, I think he likes Camels!"

To sum it up, the band really enjoyed themselves, and so did the crowd. As the saying goes, the sum of what makes VH3 a band is greater than its parts. You could tell that these guys enjoyed each others company, and it shined through in what makes VH3. Thanks guys. I only hope you come to L.A.