FAN REVIEWS

First of all let me say that I am a big Sammy fan and a big Van Halen fan so I was really looking forward to this show. I like all of VH"s stuff and had never seen them with Dave at the helm. I must admit that I was there to see Sammy, but was excited at the prospect of hearing the old VH tunes that I had never heard live. Dave came out first and opened with Hot for Teacher which was great. To his credit, he picked a pretty good set of songs. His band was pretty good and his guitar player pulled off Eddie's rifts pretty well. Ok enough compliments! After my excitement wore off (it took about six songs) I realized what I already knew coming in, Sammy Rocks and Dave is one cheesy washed up mother! He came out in a Gold leather suit ala Liberache and proceeded to do his now abbreviated roundhouse kicks (surprised he still has a hamstring) that he once made famous.

He couldn't hit the notes and at times just seemed to talk the words instead of singing them. I don't know what was worse, Dave's cheesy videos (playing in the background) or him doing his best impression of a high school girl in flag corp. ( twirling a baton) End result, Dave tried and was funny at times, but I was ready for the Real Deal. After a short break, Sam and the Wabos came out and opened with Shaka Doobie and just kept rockin. My highlights were hearing Best of Both Worlds live (first time since OU812 tour) and Runaround, Finish What ya Started and When it's Love. It was awesome to see Micheal Anthony out there with the Ritas. My favorite Sammy solo song was Eagles Fly. That was awesome. Sammy's acoustic playing was flawless and hearing the background strings on keys by Jessie Harms was a nice touch. I like also how the band launched into the electric version at the end of Eagles. Sammy's voice was incredible as usual. I don't know how he does it but his voice is always amazing. Vic was as on as I have seen him. The place was half full for Dave but got packed by the time Sammy came on! All in all, it was an incredible show probably the best show I've seen Sammy do ever. I just found out that my friends in Fla got to go onstage with Sammy for the whole show so I am a little jealous. Anyway Sammy wins by Tko. Can't wait to hear Planet Us.

-Later for now, Alex .

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I have to say that this was one of the best shows I have ever seen.

Dave open up, and he open up with a bang. You know I am sick of the Dave slander on the site. If you can't tell that David Lee Roth is Rock n' Roll how can you possibly like Sammy? He did all the classic tunes and moves. He gave the crowd exactly what they wanted. I have seen him twice before, once in Alpine Valley 1998 and a few months ago at the Midtown Music festival. This was his best performance (although the others were close). Dave IS back, and he proved it. Now how about a new album?

I have never seen Sammy live. I tried once in 1999 in East Lansing MI, but there are so many lame people there that they didn't sell enough tickets. I know, I still can't believe it either. Any way, I have the new DVD of him live and I thought that was a great show. Well he tore apart that performance. He was even better than I though he would be, and Michel Anthony was awesome added bonus. Sammy was on!

The show had everything you could want, including beautiful women. The competition has really brought out the best of both of them. I hope someone is out there taping this for a DVD!

Jeremey

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Hot Atlanta 8/4/2002
I just woke up from just a couple hours sleep and a 5 hour drive back from Hot Atlanta. Sammy tunes are still dancing in my head! Wow what a night! First of all, I must say I have been a true Red Head since 1977/78 (who remembers exactly as those days were really fuzzy)when I first saw Sammy with Ted Nugent. He blew Ted OFF the stage and I have been hooked ever since. Sammy is my all time favorite. I have been keeping up with all the reviews and news on this tour since the beginning so I knew what to expect overall from Diamond Dave. However, as most of us Red Heads have done, I went to the show with an open mind to give old DLR a chance.....

Well...DLR opened after a delay in the show for almost an hour...not sure what was up with that? DLR walks out on stage looking like the Tales from the Crypt dude on steroids, wearing a metallic gold outfit, the blue one must have been at the cleaners. I will say that DLR was actually a little better than I expected although it is clear he should be in Vegas, no high notes, no trademark screams, in fact I think I saw Sammy throw some jumps and kicks that were higher than DLR. He seemed to be going through the motions basically, no major outburst or fits. His band seemed to be pretty on for most the night and kept the momentum going in general. I was sitting front row center of the lawn and noticed most people were on their feet and receptive to DLR the whole show but he didn't get a huge cheer when it was over as most people had already started headed to the beer line! Give Dave a D+.

On to Sammy....what can I say! After the video intro showing his career, Sammy came on stage with all the fire and energy Dave will never ever have. Sammy was Sammy and kicked major ass!! (Were you expecting anything different?) His stage show has been bumped up a notch with the big screen behind him and some great visuals throughout the show. I loved his extra guitar solo in Eagles Fly, although some reviews thought this was a downer for the show, I loved it!! Michael Anthony played for 5 songs in the middle of the set and both Sammy and Michael were having a blast on stage together. Mona was looking extra fine since I saw her last,(pumping weights Mona?) She was all over the stage, cutting up and singing her heart out. Mona, you ROCK! Vic and the rest of the Waboritas were also right on!! The first song "Shaka Doobie" was a little off but they quickly got it together and rocked the house the rest of the night!! The crowd was mostly a Van Halen crowd as I noticed most of them did not know
Sammy's solo material but I honestly think after seeing the show, the Red Head base just grew a few thousand to say the least!!! What a night...well worth the 5 hour drive!!! Sammy gets a A+++!!

Got 6th row Sammy for Raleigh Tuesday night, just enough time to recover and do it all over again!
Sammy is the "Real Deal" ..... it was a "TKO", no questions asked!
Red Heads Rule!!!
Peace,
Mare

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I liked both guys, but I like the van halen songs more. Dave played almost all van halen, of course, and I think that is why I liked his show more. Dave looked like Steve martin, with a wig, but his singing was not that bad. its weird, but I did miss his signature squeals, that he doesn't do anymore. I didn't miss his acrobatics, as I don't remember them anyway. our local newspaper jagged him for wearing the same orange jumpsuit, from when he was recently here for midtown music, but who gives a crap! Three out of 4 of us liked Dave better. Dave's drummer smokes Sammy's, but both of their guitar players were awesome! Unfortunately Dave's sound setup was better than Sammy's, for one thing Sammy's vocal's were way too loud. would definitely see them together again, and more definitely need to get Sammy back with van halen!

Dave Merenda

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I attended the show in Atlanta. I enjoyed the hell out of it. after reading other reviews it tells me one thing, see for yourself. Dave came out exploding. other than the pants he was wearing he was pure vh. the energy was awesome the whole time. The fans were really into the concert. the only way this could have been better would be if Eddie and Alex were present. Sammy did a great job also. of the two i feel Sammy is better at telling the crowd what they want to hear. but none the less great job for both as far as picking a favorite they both are! they are both unique in many ways. thanks for the show.

pat

p.s. if they do it again ill be there.

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I went to the show in Atlanta. I am a "classic" Van Halen fan, but I liked the Hagar years as well. I went in with a big bias toward Dave. I was under the impression that Dave was the closer, but Sammy closed the show. I understand what "The Brothers" meant in 1996 when they said that Dave wasn't the same Dave from 1984. Dave put on a good performance, but he is a mere shadow of himself. His acrobatics were nothing like the late 70's and early 80's. He did not display the wit between songs as I knew him for. It was a plain Jane set with no frills. It was as if Dave was doing his 90 mins. to get it over with. His voice was adequate, but none of his patented screams. Dave's band played the Van Halen tunes well, but they had big shoes to fill. My overall grade for Dave was a solid C.

I enjoyed the halftime movie before the Sammy Show. Sammy's set was much more elaborate to say the least. It seemed Sammy was more interested in giving the fans their money's worth. I was really impressed with Vic Johnson. I also liked Mona's back up vocals. The crowd went wild when Michael Anthony made his presence felt. The plastic surgeons in Atlanta must have been proud. I have never seen so many artificial boobs in my life. While Dave's show left me hanging, Sammy wasn't what I remember either. Sammy's grade: B+.

One thing I must point out. Sammy and Dave are 50 years old. Sammy was trying to recreate what he did ten years ago. Dave was attempting what he did twenty years ago. I am 40 and I don't think I can do things I did when I was 30, let alone when I was 20. It was nice to see everyone and to hear those tunes again, but it would be nice to see Ed, Al, and Mike with Dave and Sammy.

- Thomas W. G.

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I have to say that this could have been the best concert I have ever been to. It was definitely the most entertaining. My friends and I had it figured that DLR was going to close that night, and we were a little disappointed. We tailgated for a couple hours before the show and jammed to a little 'Standing Hampton' with great anticipation. About 7:30 the lights went down and out came DLR dressed in a gaudy, shiny gold uniform that could have blinded a bat. He immediately attempted, and I say attempted, a spin kick that whipped the crowd into a frenzy as his guitarist started in on "Hot for Teacher." I must say that my expectations for Dave were none too high, but he exceeded them without a doubt. Even though Dave's voice was a tad bit shaky at times, his band picked him up and carried him through. I've never seen a guitar player lay down the whammy bar with more frequency and precision than this guy. His band was very tight. Dave's antics, including the feeble karat!
e kicks and lude comments to the women in the crowd, made me about piss myself. At one point Dave had a silver Ninja stick on stage and was spinning it around like he knew what he was doing. He damn near poked himself in the eye. It was absolutely priceless. The guy had video clips of himself throwing nun chucks around for crissakes during the show. You couldn't have asked for a better setlist though. If you were looking for pure early Van Halen and pure DLR, you got it. He went out with a bang after doing "Jump" for an encore. He stood on stage for about 2 minutes and admired himself as the crowd roared. I thought to myself that Sammy better have his 'A' game with him tonight if he was going to show up DLR. Sam did not disappoint. I saw him when he came through Atlanta a couple of years ago and he was unreal. The guy is 55 years and has the same pipes as he did when he was 25. I was amazed at how good he sounded, and I don't think there's any doubt who has more!
fun on stage. He immediately got the crowd into the show, and when Michael Anthony joined the band on bass, the crowd went absolutely wild. As opposed to the cover band performance of DLR, Sammy has a way of keeping his shows fresh, all the while belting out hit after hit. He has a good mix of Montrose, old solo, VH, and new solo material, and pours everything he's got into it. I felt Sammy could have played a little more solo material (what happened to "Baby's on Fire"?), but nonetheless he was definitely the headliner. You'd be hard-pressed to ever see a better live performer than Sammy Hagar. My hat comes off to him. I hope that when he's 65 that he's still touring, because I will be there, front row and center stage. Keep on rockin' Sammy.

-Todd D. G.

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What a great show!!! I took my neighbor who had never been to a DLR or Sammy concert, and she loved it. DLR opened. I thought his band was extremely tight and did a great job covering the vintage VH tunes. Dave did a good job as well, except I was a little disappointed in his lack of
involvement with the crowd, and I was expecting a little more power from his voice. In all, I thought it was very entertaining.

Then came SAMMY. Wow, he really blew our socks off. In all the years I've followed him, he has never lost the air of sincerity in his performance or in his interaction with the crowd. It was so refreshing to watch him work the crowd. No pretense, just INTENSE. It's obvious he really digs what he does, and the crowd knew it. Likewise, the band was amazing-- tight as could be-- and as expected projected a lot of fun and energy on the crowd. Super job. Then came Michael Anthony's appearance, after which I thought the roof was going to fall in on us. Thanks again for keeping the dream alive. ROCK ON SAM. WE loved ya!!

-Richard H.

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Having read the Sam & Dave concert review posts on a regular basis, I was anxious to see the event for myself and form my own opinion. From what I've read in the past, it seems like the majority of fans were chalking up the evenings to Sammy. My curiosity was at 11. Dave opened the evening, and his set was amazing. The set list remained basically the same as it has throughout the tour thus far, except with the unfortunate deletion of "Unchained." It was, however, an excellent choice of classic Van Halen, which is exactly what the fans want. Dave-era fans have been chomping at the bit for a reunion for eons, and he realizes this. With a brief nod to his solo career with "Yankee Rose," Dave unselfishly dedicated the rest of the set to the old-school Van Halen favorites the die hards want to hear. In my opinion, this is incredibly admirable. On top of that, his delivery was top shelf. Great vocalization, trademark yelps and spin kicks were gracefully laid on the table. His rapport with the audience has seemed to expand. He was downright hilarious in his classic ribald frontman mode throwing out oneliners and more sexual inuendos than an episode of "Benny Hill." He reeled in the crowd and kept them in the palm of his hand for the entire show. The assortment of bared and bouncing mammaries were certainly a testament to that. In short, he nailed it. Dave held on tightly to his title as one of the greatest rock frontmen of all time. He did so with a tight band and a minimalist stage set up. Roth proved that's all he needs. Sammy, however, pulled out all the bells and whistles. A nice intro video, hot Cabo Wabo waitresses, fans on stage, an A+ band, and the incomprable Michael Anthony provided a high-gloss rock spectacle. Decent set list,
although his Van Hagar selections leaned heavily toward "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge," and many of the best of the band's history were not
acknowledged.

Sam's performance was great. He's certainly milking the fun-loving, beach bum persona, and seems to be having a blast doing it. The result of Hagar's well-planned rock 'n' roll cocktail leaned more toward the higher-budget arena events from his not-so-distant Van Halen past.

Sammy put on a wonderful show and did so by throwing in everything but the kitchen sink. No fault to Sam. He threw one hell of a fiesta. I must say, however, that it was Dave who really displayed his cred as a performer. Sure, it would have been great to see Roth bronco busting an inflatable microphone or soaring above the crowd on a surf board, but he took the rock 'n' roll performance back to its raw basics and did so incredibly.
Both entertainers did what they were paid to do: they entertained. Both were absolutely terrific. I will say that Dave's performance only made me hunger for a Van Halen reunion even more. He proved he can do his thing and do it well even without any added glitz. Imagine throwing in Eddie, Al, Mike and a high-dollar production. It would be incendiary.

-jon & andrea w.

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I've read the different reviews and heard from friends who'd seen the show before me. They all said Sammy rocked and Dave was so-so. I thought both of them Rocked!! Dave was on the $$$ this night. He remembered the words and sounded great. Maybe being the second leg of the tour helped. Sammy was great also! He still rocks!! Having Michael Anthony show up was cool too!

sterimed

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My husband and I had a baby 11 weeks ago and sure needed some time out. Well, we got it!!!!! Saturday we had a baby-sitter in Nashville, we're from Montgomery, AL, and went to the show, my husband wasn't feeling well so we left after Sammy and didn't see David. Sunday we traveled to Atlanta and HAD to sit thru an embarrassingly nasty show that David put on. After having seen David we didn't feel bad at all that we had left before his show the night before. Actually, we were glad that we had left, we would have rather spent time with our new son. HOWEVER!!!! ! Sammy ROCKED both nights and in Atlanta they didn't have enough people to stand up on the stage so we were in the right place at the right time and there we went! Sammy came over and put his arm around myself and my husband and we sang, not very well, but we did. Before we went onstage, Sammy came over and High-Fived all of us and we wished him well. We had met Sammy 2 other times, once in LA and once in Cabo, he's always been great! I couldn't have asked for a better "after-baby" gift. Keep up the good work, the show was awesome. If I had had a baby sitter I would have gone on to Raleigh. I could see that show a hundred times and still not be tired of it. Keep Rockin'!!
Red Heads in AL,
Staci & Eric and now Aidan

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David Lee Roth / Sammy Hagar
Hi Fi Buys Amphitheater
Atlanta, GA – 8/4/2002
A review by Rob Dwyer (robbit@attbi.com)

On the day of the show, my wife Suzanna convinced to make the trek to the Roth/Hagar show at Hi Fi Buys Amphitheater in Atlanta. I was a little intrigued about this tour package when I first learned of Sam and Dave touring together, so I figured "why not"? They are currently on the 2nd leg of the “Song For Song: The Heavyweight Champions Of Rock” tour.

Thankfully, we were able to score some half priced lawn tickets in the parking lot ($15 a piece). Roth and Hagar will be alternating as headliners throughout the tour, but it was Hagar who headlined the Atlanta show.

As is customary and necessary for me now, I had my portable Sony MiniDisc recorder in tow. Even Suzanna is getting used to my usual drill of watching how the security people pat down the patrons and concealing the recorder, batteries, microphone and discs! Once you’ve recorded a few shows, it becomes sort of an addiction. If I DON’T tape the show, I end up kicking myself later for missing an opportunity! I even got into the practice of filming shows with my camcorder for a year or two, but that became tiring and troublesome. I’d much rather kick back, enjoy the show and settle for a crystal clear digital audio recording of the show! Plus, it’s much easier to get busted with a camcorder!

Although our tickets claimed that show time would happen at 7 PM, David Lee Roth took the stage at 8. It was still daylight and it was a sunny, but overcast day, so we didn’t suffer too much on the lawn. Roth and his band gave the crowd a non-stop workout of classic Van Halen tunes. He chose to play only 1 song from his solo album ("Yankee Rose"). This was a good decision under circumstances! If he wanted to compete with Sammy, then it was necessary to pull on the heartstrings of the hardcore Van Halen fans in the audience. And that wouldn’t happen with a rewarmed version of something like “Just Like Paradise”!

Now everyone has been rather critical of Dave’s appearance lately. Some people want to pick on him for wanting to look young again, but so friggin’ what? Actually, I thought Dave looked okay considering his age and the hard living he’s put his body through. The key to putting up with Dave is to never take him seriously. He just likes you to think that he believes his own hype. In fact, he always reminded of Steve Martin back in the 70’s with his “cocaine comedy”. Don’t believe the hype, it’s all in fun!

His band could be considered "one of the best VH cover band you ever heard in your life", since they did a great job at nailing these tunes note for note. In fact, lead guitarist Bryan Young used to play guitar for a well-known VH cover band called ‘The Atomic Punks’. Drummer Ray Luzien, who had joined David on the DLR Band album, was the oldest mainstay. Bassist James Lomenzo formerly played with the 80’s hair band White Lion.

Roth was his typical self, talking trash to the women in the front row, doing a few karate kicks and splits and even chugging on a bottle of Jack Daniels every now and then. He actually remembered the lyrics well this time around and sounded really good in general. But it's pretty obvious that his range is limited to the lower registers these days!

His set list was the following (in exact order):

Hot For Teacher, Panama, And The Cradle Will Rock, Mean Streets, Dance The Night Away, Running With The Devil, I'm The One, Eruption, Your Really Got Me, Beautiful Girls, So This Is Love?, Atomic Punk, Little Dreamer, (Oh) Pretty Woman, D.O.A., Yankee Rose, Short Intermission, Ice Cream Man, Everybody Wants Some, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love. Encore: Jump

Sammy Hagar did his best to top Dave's act by portraying himself as “the common man’s rocker”, as opposed to Dave’s “Ain’t I grand?” posturing. But in doing this, he actually got a little full of himself as well. His 5-minute introduction film served as a sort of resume that just accentuated the differences between he and Roth. It included clips of promotional videos from his career, interview clips and footage of his club, Cabo Wabo.

His stage décor included a tapestry of scenes from the southwest and Cabo Wabo (his club), a huge Tequila bottle that was suspended like a piñata at the end of the show and two small sets of bleachers, filled with lucky VIP fans that earned the chance to watch the show from the stage! To compete with Dave’s “life of the party” persona, Sammy had scantily clad waitresses bring him huge drinks to suck down throughout the show. He also took one shot at Dave when he mockingly quoted the “Reach down between my legs…..ease the seat back” section of ‘Panama” during the intro for one of his songs.

I wasn’t initially familiar with his backing band, The Waboritas, but they played wonderfully. I was amazed to see this lanky black guy nailing Eddie Van Halen’s solos with ease! This man is Victor Johnson, whose credentials go way back to the early 80’s in a band called The Bus Boys. Great guitarist! It was really cool to see 2 guitar players in one night that made Eddie’s licks seem so easy.

Hagar also has a female bassist named Mona, who has played with such artists as Tommy Tutone (“867-5309”/”Jenny”) and Gene Parsons. His band is filled out by Jesse Harms on keyboards and David Lauser on drums.

About 40 minutes into the show, Van Halen’s Michael Anthony came out to play about 3 or 4 Hagar era Van Halen tunes (“Finish What Ya Started”, “Poundcake”, “Best Of Both Worlds”). He also appeared at the end of the show to sing backup on “Dreams” and “When It’s Love”. Having Anthony there definitely gave Sammy a nice card to play, since it was literally half of VH! But it makes you wonder why Anthony didn’t sit in on any of Roth’s set?!

Sammy’s strategy also differed from Dave’s for the fact that he played a mixture of solo and Van Halen material. He pulled out old faves like “Three Lock Box” and “I Can’t Drive 55”, alongside classics from Montrose (“Rock Candy”) and VH. Unfortunately, he also made us endure some of his sappier ballads, most of which came from the Van Halen years. So the pacing of Hagar’s show alternated between ballads like “Where Eagles Fly” and rockers like “Mas Tequila”.

Who won “the heavyweight championship of VH singers” competition? I really thought both Hagar and Roth put on great shows, so it was a very close competition. I do think that Sammy worked harder to win the hearts of the crowd and seemed more like "the professional" of the 2. In fact, I drove home thinking that Hagar really had gone the extra mile to please the crowd.

I had read a lot of reviews before the show (on redrocker.com) that slagged David’s performance, so I wasn’t expecting Roth to be as good as he was. But in my heart of hearts, I’d have to give the belt to David Lee Roth, since he truly played the songs that everyone wanted to hear and did it well. I’m a sure that a Sammy Hagar fan might disagree with me, but I must admit a certain bias to the Roth era VH stuff. His set list made all the difference to me!

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The show in Atlanta was billed as DLR headlining, so it was a GREAT surprise to see the DLR stage set up on stage when I arrived. As for the Dave show I could have put in the VH discs and had the show at home. It looked like a Vegas review. When Dave wasn't singing, he wasn't interested. As for Sammy, The Redrocker logged more stage coverage in the first two songs than Dave did the whole show. When Mike did come on stage the fans saw the better half of VH. Dave 5 on a 10 scale, Sammy 11 out of 10.

Greg O.
Bethlehem GA

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The whole show was great. Dave opened the show, and he is in GREAT physical shape. It was amazing to see on the big screen that he has the same rock hard abs that he had in the Panama video 18 years ago. He can still do the kicks and the jumps, and the martial arts. Now, I don't know what other people have heard, but his voice also sounded great. And, with all do respect to the Waboritas, Dave's band was a much tighter unit. Again, Dave's set calls for more virtuoso type playing than Sammy's, since Dave's set is made up of almost exclusively VH material (and the one solo song, Yankee Rose, originally featured Steve Vai on guitar).

Sammy's set was great too, especially when Mike came out and took over the bass duties for a few songs. The only thing I thought was wrong with Sammy's set was the absolute stiffs he had on stage with him, in the risers behind the band. I dont know where he found these "fans" to be on stage and party with him, but they looked like they had just come from a funeral or a wake. It was rediculous.

Sammy talked much more to the crowd, but anyone who has been a Van Halen fan over the years, and has seen the band in all three of its incarnations, this isnt a surprise. It basically comes down to different styles. Sammy is a man of the people, he wants the whole thing to have a huge party vibe--Dave on the other hand is there to entertain you--to make sure YOU have a good time. My brother summed it up with a perfect analogy. He said that "Sammy Hagar is trying to be the Heavy Metal Jimmy Buffett and DLR is trying to be the Heavy Metal Frank Sinatra". I think that isnt too far off the mark.

In closing, I have to say that Dave's set was more pleasing to the fans, and here is my reason for saying this. I definitely got the vibe from the crowd here in Atlanta that there were no people who were only Dave fans, and there were no people who were only Sammy fans....we were all VAN HALEN fans. And since Dave's set is almost exclusively Van Halen, this really got the crowd going. Sammy on the other hand, played some tunes that I could tell the people around me had never heard before. Dave didnt have to introduce a single song, yet there were several times where you knew Sammy had to say "This was recorded in 1973 with Montrose--ROCK CANDY". And the most embarassing thing of the night, at least out on the lawn, was the MASS exodus to the concourse bathrooms when Sammy played Give to Live. In the end, both guys played great sets, I just think Atlanta is a DLR town.

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I like a lot of old school Van Halen fans bought tickets to the show mainly to see David Lee Roth. I think I just craved the old school VH. It's always been my favorite era of VH. Truth is I never really gave the Sammy era a chance.

I went to the show hoping Sammy would open. My thinking was that if I saw DLR first, in my mind the show would be over. Well DLR opened, but I stayed for Sammy anyway. Am I ever glad I did. While DLR satisfied that craving for old VH, Sammy's show was just f*%#ing incredible. Honestly it was one of the most high energy, fun, kick ass shows I've ever seen.

Sammy's band is outrageous. Mona and Victor totally rock!! The sound mix was perfect. Sammy was extremely energized (he may not be feeling so great today, lol). Michael Anthony played some songs with the band. He and Sammy seemed like they were old long lost party buds. The whole show was like being at a giant cocktail/rock n roll party. Come to think of it, that's the way rock concerts are suppose to be. Everyone was totally into it.

I'm not trying to take anything away from Dave. He made his mark back when and still has 90% of his voice, but he has definitely slowed down. Sammy looks and acts as if he's twenty something years old. I wish at 39 years I had half that energy and enthusiasm. I guess that's what happens when you do what you love for a living.

Sammy Thank You!!! I will go see you anytime you come to town. You have made a believer out of me and reminded me of what a rock concert is suppose to be! By the way, just what the hell were the VH brothers thinking anyway?

Do yourself a favor people, GO SEE SAMMY!!!!

Thank you,

-Bruce T.

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In a nutshell . . . Dave blows. Sammy shows.

If there was anyone still wondering who "The Man" is after last night's David Lee Roth/Sammy Hagar concert in Atlanta, then he/she is simply not a reasonable person.

DLR opened the show and strutted out on stage in a metallic gold suit. I'm pretty sure that low flying aircraft could spot his bleached hair. Was the hair real? Jury's still out on that one, but it was very thin. As "Hot For Teacher" was being belted out by a very sound band, Dave walked around and did a couple of very awkward looking spinning heel kicks. And that was about it. Dave had the tunes to rock the house, but never capitalized. He was typical 80s Dave, drinking Jack Daniels and screaming "Look at all the people here tonight!" The set list included, "Panama, And the Cradle Will Rock, Mean Street, Dance The Night Away (which got the biggest crowd pop), Everybody Wants Some, D.O.A., Beautiful Girls, Runnin' With The Devil, I'm The One," among some other VH favorites. Like I said, Dave had the tunes to really get the crowd going. But he was walking around the stage like he is "all that" and that he really didn't want to be there. All I kept thinking was, "C'mon Dave, give me a break." Then, as Dave closed his encore with "Jump," he jumped up on the drum riser and teased the crowd about doing his trademark "Russian" jumping split. Finally, after getting the crowd into it, Dave did the sorriest excuse for a "Russian" that I've ever seen. Obviously, Dave ain't as limber as he once was. Honestly, I've done better without thinking about it. Bottom line . . . Dave sucked. But his band was great and really performed the VH stuff to a "T."

After about 15 minutes of Sammy setup, a video started showing on the big screen. It was a pretty cool retrospective of Sammy's career, where he talked about his music, his bands, and his future plans. He was very modest and spoke only positively about everyone. Then, the lights went out and Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women #12 And 35" began playing over the house system as a curtain with the Cabo Wabo Cantina covered the stage. You could see people moving onto two sets of bleachers on the back of the stage. Obviously, these were contest winners who got to spend the show on stage with Sammy. The announcer introduces Sammy and the Waboritas who then kick out a jammin' rendition of "Shaka Doobie." The place erupted! Sammy was typical Sammy . . . having fun, talking with the audience, running all over the stage, mixing Waboritas, etc. They went right into "Runaround, Three Lock Box, One Way To Rock, and Heavy Metal." Then, as "Top Of The World" filled the air, none other than the great Michael Anthony ran out on stage and took Mona's bass. I was so happy, I cried. The massive quantities of Budweiser and Jack Daniels that I had consumed factored into that as well, I'm sure. But I literally cried at this concert. Mike stayed on and jammed on "Why Can't This Be Love (on which he and Mona traded off singing lead for a couple of verses), Right Now, Best Of Both Worlds (Yes, they did the 5150 walk!), and Finish What You Started." It totally rocked! Mike is the best. Of course, he drank his fair share of Waboritas while performing. Mike left and Sammy did "Eagles Fly." Then, the Waboritas joined in on "Rock Candy, I Can't Drive 55, Mas Tequila, and a couple more that I can't remember because I was really fucked up. Finally, the band came out for the encore. They started into "When It's Love" and Mike came back out to sing additional vocals. Then, he took over bass as the show was closed with "Dreams."

Fellas, Sammy grabbed the ball and ran over Dave like Bo Jackson did Brian Bosworth. It wasn't even close. Sammy was unbelievable. His passion for performing is still very strong and it's so obvious to the audience. Sammy also gets the edge, by what I estimate at a 5:1 ratio, on tits flashed during the show. This, of course, is extremely important. Dave just doesn't possess the same charismatic charm that warranted his alleged carrying of paternity insurance back in the 80s.

I strongly recommend seeing the show, but pray that you go when Dave opens.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to take some more aspirine and throw up.

Scott

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Man what a kick ass show! Myself and 3 good friends went to the show and we all thought it was great! Dave opened up the show and based on some of the other reviews that I had read I wasn't expecting much. What a surprise to see Dave actually put on a kick ass show. Dave's band is great and they definitely have the VH sound down. The Guitarist is excellent. If you closed your eyes your swear it was Eddie himself. The only problem they had was when they played "Yankee Rose". Dave didn't know the lyrics and they all seemed a little out of sync. Other than that and the fact that Dave is still the same old Dave I thought it was Van-tastic! My friend leaned over to me after the DLR set and said it was the best $50 he had spent in a long time. Now as for the Sammy set. Man o man Sammy still has it for sure. His entire set was tight and the Waboritas sounded great! When Michael Anthony came on stage the crowd erupted. It was one of the best shows I have seen in years. Thanks Sammy. Thanks Dave. This may be the closest thing we ever get to a true VH reunion so everybody needs to see this show. One thought I had was, why doesn't Eddie tour with both Sammy and Dave and have them do separate sets just like this show. Now that would truly Kick Ass!

Thanks Guys, I would do again in a minute!
Ken

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MOTHER HUNCHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just got home from the sam / dave show in atlanta.
I live 2 hours away and its 3:00am.
I am f!@#$ up beyond recognition.
What a badass concert!!!

Going into the concert, i thought that dave was going to sound like shit....act cheesy,.......and miss every note.
I thought Sam was going to have his act together and make dave look like a fool. But i was f!@$%g wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dave started at least 45 minutes late. When he came out, IT WAS F!#!$%%G LOUD!!!!!!!! The drums cracked and the guitars cranked. My first impression was, holy shit, what an awesome guitarist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bart Walsh was dead on the eddie shit!!!! Finger tapping and all!!!!

James Lomenzo was also perfect on the bass. I always liked white lion!! And the drums..........were f!@#%g hot!!!!!

Yeah baby!!!!! I am a drummer since age 3 (i'm 27 now). And i can say Ray was top notch. Very good drum sound, strong bass drums that thumped your chest!! And Dave was hot!!!

He played with the chicks and got them to show some tits which is cool for us guys. And , for the ladies, Dave had his abs rock hard.

Dave had an encore with Jump which really got thecrowd pumped. As he closed, he had the look of a king!!! He walked away in complete confidence.

DAVE IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now for Sammy.

Awesome. I saw Sammy last year at the center stage in atlanta. It was a small club which made it more of a party. He had the bar going on and I got so fucked up(along with the help of pain pills i had taken for a knee surgery), my friends had to carry me out.

I only remembered the beginning. I vowed this time I was gonna remember. Or at least not get as f!@#$d up!!! HA HA.

Sammy came out with his full Cabo gear. The place was a party. The first thing i noticed was how much more punchy the band sounded than at the centerstage last year. Victor Johnson (guitarist) was playing more like eddie then before. Very good Victor!!

I know Victors trip is to probably not imitate eddie to the point of looking unclassy. But, a little tonight didn't seem to hurt.

Mona was wonderful as usual! Mona had some good backing vocals for Sammy.

Dave Lauser was very good on the drums. I noticed Dave tends to avoid using double bass as much as possible, but still managed to imitate alex vh's licks here and there. Dave played pretty laid back which is hard to do with all the chicks watching!

Sammy's vocals were very strong as usual. He was red hot!! He sounded ballsy like he did with Van Halen. U could tell Sammy knew that his vocals were his strength.

Michael Anthony was definately a highlight. It's good to see him with Sammy. I think Mike will be the go between that Sam and VH need to get their shit straightened out.

Sam only gave compliments to his VH past. Sammy played some different songs like Black and Blue and Runaround. Very surprising.

Sammy kept the party theme going with his energy and crowd interaction. Sammy had the usual bleachers and fans in the background. Sammy also had better lights. I liked Sammy's I Can't Drive 55 video playing in the background to there performance of the song. COOL!!!!!!!!!!

Another highlight was Eagles Fly. Sammy had some keyboard backing, and excellent solo guitar section, and mona harmonizing. Michael Anthony was just the icing on the cake!! WOW!!!

Why Can't this be Love was bad ass with Michael sharing vocal sections with Sam. Just like in the VH days!!!!!

Sammy's show didn't seem to last very long. He exited quickly and came back for his encore during what seemed to me to be the middle of his show.

I believe that Dave delayed his opening show 45 minutes om purpose forceing Sammy to cut his show short. Sammy's encore seemed do have a flaw. The sound system or somthing had a noticeable buzz to it. Sammy went on like it didn't matter but I think

it affected the bands mood. All I could visualize was Dave backstage fucking up Sammy's sound system for a joke.

Dreams was the only weak vocal for Sammy. It seemd like he had screamed so hard up until that point that is voice was fading a little. But, he made up for it on the last few songs. The show ended at 11 pm. It really just seemd to be a short set.

I have to call it a tie between SAM an DAVE. I have always prefered the sammy days because he was there for my age group. But, Dave really impressed me. Sammy's vocals were the competitive edge over Dave. And Dave's guitarist was his.

I just don't know what to expect next if Sam and Dave can get along now.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, i play drums and i have got to have me a good guitarist like bart walsh!! So if anybody is interested and like to play VH, email me.

Its 5150 Time again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Justin C.