Van Halen with Kool and the Gang at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia 3/5/12

[lynxwizard]

You know I am starting to get annoyed and offended at this assumption that if you like a hard rock band such as Van Halen or Led Zeppelin, then you shouldn't like funk or disco.

And let's clear one thing up right now: Kool & the Gang was not disco. They are funk, R & B...not disco. They've been around since before the disco craze of the 70s.

As for this insistence that Van Halen and Kool & the Gang is a strange match...someone likened it to Chaka Khan opening for Ozzy(in which case, I prefer Chaka to Ozzy Has-been)...I refer you to the fact that Van Halen used to cover Kool & the Gang songs back in their club days.

Van Halen is a PARTY BAND...Kool & the Gang is a PARTY BAND! What's not to love? I'm looking at that setlist for Kool & the Gang and I am thinking that's a sweet set! If today's audiences can't get down with that, they're even more racist and lame than I thought.

I give MAJOR props to Van Halen for picking a fun and interesting band to open the tour for them. It's better than picking some tired old dreary "classic rock" losers like Styx, Journey, Boston, Deep Purple, Chicago, Hootie and the Blowfish, Foreigner, Bon Jovi, Ted Nugent, Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special, ad nauseum.

Or some fellow LA Sunset Strip veterans like Motley Crüe, Quiet Riot, Warrant, blah blah blah.

None of the above bands, as presently consituted, are fit to share the same stage as Kool & the Gang, let alone Van Halen. I have a feeling many people seeing this Van Halen tour are going to be surprised how much they enjoy Kool's set. They can bring the funk and bring the party for sure!

'Losers Like Deep Purple?' Silly comment, I dont think they would open for Vah Halen, they have co-head lined before but not opened for anyone since 1971 I believe, anyone who has seen DP would not call them Losers, I did not know Vah-Halen were winners ? When Van-Halen first started they covered a few DP songs, go figure.

[Jahfin]

Even though I'm not a fan of some of them, I wouldn't call any of those bands "losers" myself. Sure, I'm tired of Classic Rock radio but just because some programmer thinks it's a good idea to play "Free Bird", "Stairway To Heaven" and "Smoke On the Water" 9000 times a day, it doesn't mean I think any less of those bands. When my local rock station quit playing new music sometime in the early to mid-90s I pretty much gave up on local radio. However, it wasn't until sometime around 2004 that I began subscribing to XM. Unfortunately they have started to water down channels like Deep Tracks in order to reach more listeners. Someone forgot that the reason most of us subscribed in the first place was to have an alternative to Classic Rock radio. Now they have Jim Ladd playing the same shit that drove me away from terrestrial radio to start with. Considering Ladd is lauded as an icon of album radio it seems like he would bring more to the table than the same shit any of us can hear on Classic Rock radio 24/7. Perhaps he didn't get the memo.

[dazedcat]

People don't want to let go what they loved as kids, so the Purples and Vanilla Fudges of the world continue to tour to rabid fans. I wouldn't call those people losers but I sure wouldn't care to pay good money today to see any of those bands today either.

Classic rock radio sucks beyond belief too. I use this app for Android called "IHeartRadio" which gives you online streaming access to radio stations all over the country. The other day four classic rock stations (NYC, Dallas, San Francisco and my local station) were all playing the same tune......at the same time. So much for variety.

[lynxwizard]

Not really.

DP were already an anachronism by the mid 70s, and when I saw them when they reformed in 85, I thought they were the most boring, dated band I'd ever seen. So fuck knows what they must sound like a further 27 years down their path to inconsequence, but I really have no interest in finding out, none at all.

I think Strider was wrong to call all those bands losers though. They are clearly not losers, because they are all (or mostly) still succeeding financially in convincing their fans that they still have something valid to offer three decades past their use-by date. IMO, that makes the fans the losers, not the bands. The bands themselves just suck, like they always have. Apart from Journey. Journey are cool.

Wow ,one of the more funny and incorrrect comments I have seen, and I am being nice in my choice of words here, An anachronism by the mid 70's ? they sold more records then anybody in 74, in 85 they were the 2nd largest grossing tour in North America, You must have been one of the very few to think they were 'Boring' the show in 85 was one of the best I have ever seen and I have been to many concerts, 250 plus , I was blown away by their musicianship, as were my friends, some of which are musicians, one of the tightest bands live you will ever see, and i challenge anyone to say otherwise, all top notch Musicians

Blackmores replacement when he left Steve Morse is top notch , they have made some very good music and you have missed out by not checking them out, here is something on him.

Morse is considered one of the hardest working guitarists in the world.^[5] He is widely known for his stylistically diverse compositional skills and guitaristically encyclopedic virtuosic abilities,^[6] and was voted "Best Overall Guitarist" by Guitar Player magazine for five years in a row,^[7] qualifying him for their "Guitar Player Hall of Fame", the only other members being Steve Howe of Yes and Eric Johnson. He is regularly cited by John Petrucci as a major influence. Guitarist Shawn Lane regarded Steve Morse as one of the most talented guitarist of his time.^[8] Morse has proven himself throughout his career as capable of playing highly complex chord structures in classical sequences, as well as being able to play fast, alternate picked arpeggios. He is well known for using harmonics and improvising them in songs during live performances, such as in Deep Purple's "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming". Morse continues to tell it like it is at Clinics (Ernie Ball) throughout the world and touches upcoming musicians directly through his words and indirectly through his compositions and recordings. (lords)

impressive most would think,

And you think Journey is a better band, now that is really funny

[lynxwizard]

P.S. Major Major I see you are in the UK, so I am guessing you went to their only UK show that year at Knebworth, a rainy day and the band were not very into it because of the conditions, not the best conditions for a outdoor show, you may have felt different if you saw one of the North American shows

[Strider]

I'm not going to get bogged down in semantics and derail this thread with a silly argument about Deep Purple. I'm sure they're nice guys who are kind to animals and feed their families...or vice versa. If you like 'em, fine with me.

Back on topic...here's some clips I have found from the Philly show...Unchained was always a great opening song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQqOwJf_hws&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[lynxwizard]

Oh diddums, poor DP...so the weather was more important to them than the fact that the lineup was playing on their home soil for the first time in about 12 years? That says it all really. At least they had a fucking roof to keep them dry...and the rain didn't seem to bother the Scorpions, who put on a great show and totally blew them away.

I also saw this which, if true, just goes to show what a bunch of tossers they were:

The acrimony in the main arena was mirrored backstage , with several members of Purple ( we can guess who ) having an altercation before the show which lead to their separate portacabins ( no pre concert socialising or bonding taking place for these guys ! ) having to be turned round so neither had to look at each other when they left or entered their palatial mobile homes....

Fuck Deep Purple.

True about DP's attitude on that show, it was poor, I will give you that But it was just one F****** show, to judge a band on one show and slag their history and then the last 20 years which you know nothing about is rather strange, but I see you could only defend one of your lame comments, go on loving journey, now as another poster said this in a Van Halen post so lets get on with that, I saw them in their prime, best time was when they warmed up for Montrose and Journey and they were great, a young hungry band, Montrose was also good, we left after 2 songs into journey, could not stand the new singers voice, I saw Van Halen again in 78 and they were very good, I would see them again but not for those prices they are asking.

Clips on You tube of them now sound good, only neg is Daves voice is not what it was, but he is older as we all are, never was so crazy about him, he tried to be Jim Dandy, but Eddie is fun to watch

[dazedcat]

I saw them in their prime, best time was when they warmed up for Montrose and Journey and they were great, a young hungry band, Montrose was also good, we left after 2 songs into journey, could not stand the new singers voice, I saw Van Halen again in 78 and they were very good, I would see them again but not for those prices they are asking.

I saw that same show, Van Halen then Ronnie Montrose and Journey at the Palace Theater, Albany New York. Van Halen was hot and hungry and their first album might have been out for a couple weeks. They played a 45 minute set and they just killed. There's nothing better than rock icons as a new uknown band with something to prove.

[lynxwizard]

I saw that same show, Van Halen then Ronnie Montrose and Journey at the Palace Theater, Albany New York. Van Halen was hot and hungry and their first album might have been out for a couple weeks. They played a 45 minute set and they just killed. There's nothing better than rock icons as a new uknown band with something to prove.

And for me it was the Civic Center theater (long gone now) St Paul Minnesota, and yes the new record has just come out, it was killer, those were the days, more great bands on tour then today.

[Jahfin]

There's lots of great artists on tour these days but not all of them are playing arenas and stadiums. Just because a particular artist is popular on the club or theatre circuit doesn't mean they aren't worthy of attention. I've seen my fair share of large shows and they have their place but I've come to prefer the intimacy of the smaller venues. Ticket costs are far less exorbitant (as are refreshments), plus you get to see some of your favorite performers up close and personal. You're just not going to get that kind of experience at the enormodomes.

Meanwhile, a couple of nights ago in Manchester, NH....

The incident above reminds me of my first Van Halen concert at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, NC back in '79 when Dave called out someone who threw a stack of NCSU cups at the stage, which ended up hitting Dave in the head. He threatened to drag the "motherfucker" up there and whip his ass as well as stating very clearly that if the cup throwing continued, Van Halen would stop performing. Thankfully, no one else threw any more cups at the stage after that.

[Strider]

Van Halen(classic Van Halen, that is) was good anywhere, but yeah, it was mindboggling seeing them at the Whisky or the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

So Wolfman, how was the crowd reception to Kool & the Gang? Any boo-birds out? Or were people digging it?

Speaking of odd pairings, when I saw Lou Reed in 74 or 75, I'm pretty sure Hall & Oates opened the show.

[Wolfman]

That was awesome Jahfin. Thanks for posting it. Too cool on Dave's part.

[Strider]

Sorry Wolfman, I got your name wrong in my previous post.

More Philly action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WRlPKfQvf4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Wolfman]

The crowd was mixed. Half of us where into it and the other half could care less. No booing though. Most of the crowd got into it during "Celebration" though.

[kaiser]

It's just silly. Are people a fan of "music" or just "genres" of music? I think Van Halen/Kool & The Gang are a great match & I'm sure it has the potential to be a high energy show from both bands. This reminds of when Grandmaster Flash opened for The Clash & Joe Strummer had to yell at the very least "biased" audience to give the music a chance or when Prince opened for the Stones & was pelted off the stage. Throw away your preconceived notions & just enjoy the music as that's what it's there for.