Review by Randy Jordan

Stubb's BBQ is the perfect little setup for a Van Halen tribute show like the one we just saw, starring David Lee Roth. The gates opened at 8:00PM, and my party was right in front of the line, so we were able to stake out a space up front, on the rail, three feet away from Dave himself.

Of course, he made us pay for our desire to be close - Dave and his band didn't take the stage until a quarter past 10:00, and we were tired of standing and waiting. All was quickly forgotten/forgiven as Dave came out with a HUGE smile that only left his face once in the entire show (while playing 'Little Guitars', he believed a fan on a balcony above him to have thrown down a drink - Dave stopped the music and cursed the accused until security forced him out. Unfortunately, Dave was completely wrong in judgement and some poor fellow lost the best seat in the house and missed the last 15 songs of a wonderful show because SOMEONE ELSE lobbed a cup toward the stage from way back in the crowd).

I could not possibly be happier to have been right up front, as David did his typical 'spewing Jack Daniels' routine in the middle of 'You Really Got Me' and the person he was flirting with and spewing on was MY GIRLFRIEND!!! The band was great, with incredible approximations of their actual Van Halen counterparts at every instrument, and David was so much fun to watch!!! He simply exudes fun constantly. He did every spinning jumpkick, every punch and jab and every female-directed-dirty-gesture that we've come to expect, including not one, but TWO flying jumpsplits off of the drum riser.

The one notable exception to his standard act: David fortunately did not try his ridiculous 'forgot the words' routine. He sang every song with all the flavor and furvor that we could possibly want. David Lee Roth is in his prime, my friends, singing and stripping and flirting with the pretty girls and loving every minute of it. Furthermore, the Austin crowd loved every minute of it.

It is clear that Dave is ready for the apparent challenge that so many would bestow on him. He was on top of his game tonight, and we really had a great time!!!

I saw the Austin, TX show last night, where Dave once again proved that he is the master of ceremonies. He did the same set list as before, did some of the same lines people have been mentioning, but all in all, he fuckn' rocks!

If you've ever asked yourself about Van Halen, or rock music in general, "where have all the good times gone?" well it is inside this man's being. He was up there on stage kickn', screamn', shuckn' and jibn'. Working the crowd.

I took some people who had never seen Dave live, much less heard old Van Halen. you know that younger generation, and they ate it up. Totally into the vibe. One of them actually admitted to me she liked Sammy VH better (anyone catch him on Leno? what a fuckn' clown!!!!).

Anyway, after seeing what Dave and real VH was all about, she was ready to run off with the guy, admitting Dave VH was the best. Freakn' women! And my other friends, they got to experience what real rock n' roll was all about.

One of the cooler moments of the show was during the first part of Little Guitars. Dave stopped the band and pointed to a hispanic guy up in this little corner of balcony that was on the side of the stage, and said something to the effect of "hey bendeho, did you just throw a fuckn' drink on me." He then raised his hand and gave the guy the middle finger salute and encouraged the crowd to follow suite. Which we all did while yelling and screaming at the lowly life form. Then Dave screamed, "from the top boy's," and the band started Little Guitars all over again. Very cool.

Finally, a guerilla looking security guy proceeded to climb up the balcony from the stage and escorted the guy out. Also prompting a closing of that part of the balcony.

My two cents worth: if you get a chance to catch Dave on this club tour, you have to go. I saw him open for Bad Company. That was cool, but to see him work a crowd in a club in such a close environment is to live and breath a few moments with absolutely the best front man that there ever was!!!!

One low point was some yellow bellied prick, sucker punched me in the back. Of course when i turned around to confront the guy, everybody played dumb. But the guy knows who he is. He's lucky he punched me in the back, 'cause if he did it like a man to my face, he would of been eatn' serious dirt. Not that I think this guy could read, much less operate a PC, but get a fuckn' life. and learn how to punch!!!!!!

Finally, this review wouldn't be complete without the usual VH bashing. Fuck you Eddie, Alex, and that no talent on bass. If they never pull their heads out of their asses, it's OK. Dave doesn't need those guys. Rock on!

Last night was the first time my friend and I saw David Lee Roth. We were probably the youngest fans there, we're both 20. The show was great, we were in the very front. Seeing Dave for the first time was a trip.

The crowd was very much into it, yelling Dave, Dave, Dave, before they came out. The whole show everyone was just getting crazy I have never experienced that much excitement for any show. Maybe it was becaused it was in a smaller place, but Dave kept the crowd going throughout the whole show.

I must admit, I really felt that they should have left Eruption out of the show, because that's for Eddie and him only. Dave's band rocked, but it still doesn't seem right to play all those old VH songs without the boys. Just like Gary singing Sammy and Dave songs, it doesn't feel complete.

I just hope Van Halen brings back Sam or Dave or hell both, because getting someone new would just hurt them even more. Hey Sam, don't change your number, man.

I can't believe David Lee Roth is 45 years old. He looked so great! The performance was top-notch, with the usual kicks, poses, faces, and other moves. He also didn't sound any different than he does on the old Van Halen albums. It was a great performance all in all.

What I didn't like about the show was the sound quality. I couldn't hear the guitar very much over the bass and bass drums. They also had tons of bass in Dave's voice, and all that put together made for a totally muddy, muffled sound.

Dave's band is really good, but they seem to lack that "certain something" that Van Halen has. They had the cocky "look, I'm a rock star and I know how to use a double-bass pedal and shred" attitude. But all in all, they really were and played well. The backup vocals were especially good.

One funny thing that happened during the show was when this guy from the balcony threw a full cup of beer on stage (why the hell you would do that is beyond me). Dave actually stopped the music, pointed out the guy, and said "how dare you throw a drink on me" or something like that. He then gave him a dirty look and said, "hey everybody, let's show this guy who's number one," and everybody gave him the finger. I think the guy deserved it.

The setlist was the same as the others. Seems like everyone wanted another song after "Jump". No one knew that Jump was the encore, I guess.

Don't get me wrong, I had a great time and I think Dave still kicks ass. As I said, the performance was top-notch and Dave doesn't perform like he's a day older. After I saw the show, however, I'm not sure Dave would be good back in Van Halen. I really don't know how to explain it, but he just seems like he wouldn't fit in anymore. I think Dave is good enough by himself anyway. He just needs a better sound system and soundman.

I am a lifelong fan of Van Halen's music with David Lee Roth. Only later in life did I realize that it was really Dave that MADE Van Halen what it was. On the radio, when "You Really Got Me" hit, it was the two and half minutes of Dave's voice everyone locked onto, and the 15 second guitar solo was, of course, the historic icing on the cake.

The Bogus Reunion was too bad. Two great songs, but too bad.

Now Van Halen is looking for a singer. I knew this would probably be an historic moment in VH history - to see Dave in Texas while Van Halen was in limbo. I already knew the setlist. I wanted to see if he could just sing the songs on key and with some of that old enthusiasm.

It was a perfect night in Austin for an outdoor venue. Stubb's BBQ is indeed a BBQ restaurant, but it also happens to have a large outdoor amphitheater-type place where big bands play. It holds about 2,500 people. We waited and waited and waited for Dave to start. He didn't start until 11pm. I might note that they paid off the opening band - Austin's Soul Hat - NOT to play. I guess they didn't want to deal with the sound system. Whatever.

I was wearing my brother's 1984 tour jersey, and my VH logo necklace that I had bought myself at the 1984 concert in Houston.

Finally, the band took the stage, playing a Van Halenesque intro: just jamming on one note, making noise, until the first song started. Then Dave walked out onto the stage, wearing an admittedly over-the-top silver and black outfit, which left nothing to the imagination. Suddenly, the band cut into "Hot For Teacher" and everyone went wild. As soon as Dave's voice hit on the verse, I had made up my mind. Yes. Yes, he can sing. He can sing as good as the songs are on the records. It is over. The debate is finished! Perhaps he lost his voice at one point, that is probably what happened. But let me tell you, it's back, and he's out to prove it with a vengeance. If I could nickname this tour, it would be the SEE EDDIE I CAN SING NOW LET ME BACK IN THE BAND TOUR 1999.

Dave's stage presence is not to be challenged. Within minutes someone's drink came flying to the stage and Dave immediately pointed the person out and had them ejected.

"Hot for Teacher" was incredible. Then came the rest of the setlist with no holds barred. Dave was in full form, full energy, full head-high 360 kicks. I thought to myself, here's that same guy I saw video of playing in front of 300,000 at the US Festival, and he's performing better in front of 1% of that at Stubb's BBQ in Austin!

During "Little Guitars" it got a little ugly. There was a small balcony section above stage left, and some guy spilled his drink on Dave, pretty much on purpose and while Dave was singing the first verse. He immediately stopped the music, and into the mic said, "Hey fucker! You came here to spill your fucking drink on me, pal?" Then he looked right at the guy and gave him the finger for about 10 seconds! Then Dave said to the crowd, "Hey, let's tell this guy what we think of him, huh? He's number one, huh?" Then the entire crowd flipped him off, and security took him away. Then instead of picking up where they left off, Dave had the band start the entire song over! It was intense. My buddy said it almost tainted the whole show, but to me it was Dave taking control of the situation. Enough of throwing drinks, damn! Drunk people.

He blazed through the songs, never taking more than about 5-10 seconds between songs. The band was fantastic, they truly reproduced the music. The guitar player even had an EVH haircut. The drummer was particularly good. There was very little banter between songs.

He never said a single thing about Van Halen's current situation - not one thing. If anyone says he did, well, he didn't. He didn't really say too much. Sure, he stuck the microphone down his pants a few times and shook a bottle of Jack Daniels all over some girls in the front row, but all in all, he didn't say too much.

Maybe it was because he was too busy smiling. The guy smiled his ass off. Anyone smiling this much has to be having a good time. If he's having this much fun playing these songs by himself, then playing with Van Halen again would like living ecstacy for Dave. And that's obviously what he wants. Just look at the setlist! It's all the best Van Halen songs!

He ended the show with a full-on toe-touching splits jump off the drum riser. He can jump, he can sing, he can perform. The crowd gave him a huge ovation and he just stood there for about a minute and just soaked it up.

It was a tremendous show, one of the best I've seen in a long, long time.

We've been Van Halen fans forever so we think that we have a right to post the following review of Dave's show in Austin. We've been to several Van Halen and Sammy Hagar concerts, so we thought we'd give Dave a chance. Big mistake!

After reading all these glowing reviews, we think it's about time someone set the record straight.

The concert can be summed up in three words -- pathetic clown show. This might have worked if the venue was a three ring circus, but even ten rings would not be big enough to contain Dave's ego. This became obvious when a fan accidentally spilled beer onto the stage. Dave stopped Little Guitars mid-song in order to deride the scared and apologetic fan in front of the crowd. He stooped so low as to waste 5 minutes of everybody's time so he could flick the poor confused guy off, after which he summoned a bouncer to remove the man from the circus tent. Another example of Dave's disgusting lack of grace was evidenced when he sprayed whiskey from his crotch all over a female fan who refused to turn her head while he drank.

Speaking of Dave's crotch, he couldn't seem to keep his hands, microphone, or whiskey away from it for the entire one hour concert.

If he had any self-respect, his set list would contain at least a considerable amount of material from his solo career and would have excluded a cheesy rendition of Eruption, pathetically wanked by his 30-something Eddie wanna-be guitarist. After fronting one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time, it was disgusting watching him try to make a comeback with three third-rate "musicians," who had obviously been told to recreate the Van Halen sound note for note. This is a daunting task even for people that know a thing or two about music (which Dave obviously does not).

It's no surprise the reunion in 1996 lasted as long as it did -- there's little doubt in our minds that the comments from the Van Halen camp regarding Dave's time-warped behavior were true. During the encore, for which he remained on the stage the entire time, Dave had the same shit-eating grin on his face as he did at the embarrassing MTV awards.

Lead singer disease, indeed.

Dave played at an Austin bar-b-que restaurant called Stubbs, in their backyard pavillion. The tickets at the window cost $28 a piece; a lot more than I expected, but I bought them anyway.

During "Little Guitars" someone in the balcony threw a drink on Dave and he got really angry and stopped the show and said "someone threw a drink on me," and called the person a "bendaho" then they were ejected by security. Then Dave said "lets take it from the top," and they started the song from the beginning.

Dave, dressed in a silver-metallic shirt and matching pants, played in top form and his voice sounded real strong. Dave poured a bottle of Jack Daniels out from his groin area on the front row proving he's still got his "Diamond Dave" wit.

Between songs, the crowd of 3,000 were chanting "Eddie Sucks"..."Eddie Sucks"..."Eddie Sucks"... It was a good show and I think after Dave finishes his tour he'll be in top form to get back with Van Halen.

Well, it started out bad enough. My friend and I lost our tickets, had to pay a scalper for more, almost got arrested, and on top of all of this, DLR was 3 hours late. Needless to say, I was already upset and looking for a reason to put Roth down in this review.

As you can tell, I'm not a Roth fan. Being a musician myself, (and in the front row) I could catch all the mistakes he would make.

I WENT AWAY A CHANGED PERSON!!!ROTH ROCKED!!!!

Mind you, this is coming from an anti-Roth kinda guy. I don't like what he stands for. (The whiskey drinking during songs, and smoke breaks between and sometimes during songs.) No wonder his voice has deteriorated. Yet, I found this show to be the best concert I've EVER went to. EVER!!! Better than the 3 tour, better than Rob Zombie, better than the mighty (shudder to say this) AEROSMITH!

OK. First off, the band. Bart Walsh (whose pick I caught) is a fine guitarist. Note for note, tone for tone. BUT - tone isn't everything in a band like the DLR Band. You have one of the greatest front men in the history of rock on the stage with you, you at least have to act like you're having a good time. He smiled at the most 5 times during the entire concert. Very little presence.

As for the bassist, he rocked. He had the look, the voice, and the skill. He often jammed right next to Roth, mainstage, while swiveling his hips, matching Roth's movements. At times, he even did the rock and roll lip pucker. Great bassist.

The drummer. His skill could have been better, but he got the job done good. He had great presence, smiling and singing the entire time. Great job. Now, for the meat and potatoes. Roth himself.

The man did an awesome job at entertaining the crowd. I've never heard a louder, more excited crowd in my life! He made the overweight girl to my right pass out! Swear to god! I was like, "Holy Shit! What am I supposed to do with this broad?!" She took out at least 3 dudes behind her. I'm serious!

Anyways, Roth made a great decision to have his vocals down during the songs, and have them pumped up between songs, as to throw out the wartorn one liners he is famous for. "You're so sweet, you must shit sugar!", "Wanna come on over to the hotel and fuck up the rest of my life, honey?!" And a touch of the old days, a little mexican guy kept throwing beer on Dave from the balcony. And in the middle of Little Guitars, he stopped the song and said, "Hey you fuckin' Pendejo! I fuckin' saw your ass throw beer on me, motherfucker! Fuck You!", and during this, he got right up in this guy's face and gave him the bird reciting afterwards, "Show him who's #1, Austin!" Inciting the entire crowd to flick the dude off. The crowd went nuts! I loved it!

I went to Austin expecting the worst. I left Austin a Roth fan. Vocally, he doesn't have it. (Quit the smoking, Roth!) Entertainment wise, I'd do it ALL over again, man.

Even if you aren't a Roth fan, check him out! He is one BAD ASS ENTERTAINER. Long Live DLR!!!!!!!!!!!WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE!!!!!!!!!!!

Hot For Teacher
Panama
Little Guitars
Dance The Night Away Mean Street
Runnin' With The Devil
Eruption
You Really Got Me
So This Is Love?
(Oh) Pretty Woman
Little Dreamer
Atomic Punk
Ice Cream Man
Everybody Wants Some
Yankee Rose
Tobacco Road
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
Jump

DLR Solo: 02
Van Halen: 16

Total: 18

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