FAN REVIEWS

After reading many of the reviews of this tour, I was not sure what to expect of this show Aug. 22, at The Meadows Music Theater in Hartford CT. I had 12th row center and this is my review.

Sammy opens the show with a video and the usual set list. He had the margaritas flowing, and the fans on the stage. He did make a smart ass comment indirectly about Dave and the song Panama. His set was good but not as great as previously reviewed. There could of been song replacements with more rocking hits, but the crowd was into it, and so was Sammy. Sammy's band did rock and that Mona certainly kicked ass. Michael Anthony unfortunately was not at this show. Overall, Sammy is a classic rocker and his experience shined. His voice was in prime condition.

Now, the surprise of the night was David Lee Roth. Maybe it was because I was expecting DLR to be below average. DLR did have a two night break before this show which probably helped him perform above average. DLR had a straight forward stage set, with a band that definitely, note for note, covered classic Van Halen flawless. Dave sang pretty good for Dave. He was wearing a purple and black leather outfit, did the Jack Daniels routine, but no sound problems, and nothing was thrown at him from the crowd. In addition, the arena remained at capacity throughout Dave's set, which made the show enjoyable. Dave did look old but hey, you either love Dave or hate him. Remember, DLR has never sang great live from day one but he still has the attitude that made him who he is. Dave did great and the fans were loud and excited throughout his set.

This show is a Draw between these two heavy weights. Both Sammy and Dave rocked, the show was great.

ezrider

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This show was all Sammy! He kicked some serious ass. I've always been more of a Sam fan anyway , but I went into this show with a wide open mind. I had never seen DLR live before and was really looking forward to seeing him. The way I see it Dave was a singer trying to be DLR.

I'll give you another reason to prove Sammy rocked, the parking lot was half full at the end of the show. The Meadows Music Thtr. is never like this. Everyone stays to the end of shows. They all came to see Sammy!

His set list was "awesome"! He mixed enough of his songs with VH's , He did a really great job!

TIM CUMMISKEY
MANCHESTER, CT

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P.S. I still have his autograph from the party at the Hard Rock after the VMA'S back in 86-87 when he first joined those clowns in Van Halen. They should of "finished what they started"!
I've got two things to say and that is...... Thank you Ed so very much for taking me to this concert and SAMMY ROCKS!!! I was a die-hard DLR fan until I saw Sammy. His show was filled with such energy that it made you feel like you WERE at Cabo Wabo! The film footage that was played behind him was so cool. He didn't forget the words to songs, like someone else did, and every song was executed with precision. Sammy is truly the MAN who should front Van Halen if Eddie every decides to make GREAT music again.

-Hazel

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ALWAYS REMEMBER SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
What a great show!!!!!!!!! Well worth the $$$$$ for any rock and roll fan nevermind the diehard Van Halen fans like the the four of us S. Fitzgerald, B. Cormier,C. Stoddard and C. Sheridan. We sat in 200 row T straight on to the stage, the sound was excellent nice and LOUD!!!! Sammy started first and tore the place to shreds, I have seen him w/VH and this was as good if not better than any of those shows. Besides the VH material which was done very nicely, his solo work made it that much better (MAS TEQUILA and HEAVY METAL were the 2 best songs of the set) Best of Both Worlds and Dreams were the best VH tunes (my opinion) of the night. For those who bash DLR on this night (probably didn't see the show) I will say we didn't have any intention of staying for the whole Roth set "using other reviews made us think he wouldn't be very good" we stayed for the whole show and hats off to DLR he isn't as bad as people made it sound (some nights are better than others). BUT.... THE KING OF THIS NIGHT WAS BY FAR THE REDROCKER, GREAT JOB SAMMY!!!! COME BACK TO CONNECTICUT SOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-FITZ

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The concert started with a video of Sammy Hagar reflecting on his career and where he is going. He only had nice words to say about everyone, but did get a little choked up when talking about Van Halen. It was an excellent way to open the show. It showed old video footage as well as his Cabo Wabo place.Sammy Hagar ROCKED.

He is the ultimate show performer. He definetly blew dave out of the water.From the moment Sammy Takes to the stage you feel like your at one huge PARTY.

He mixed all his hits like, heavy metal, I can't drive 55, Eagles fly, Theres only one way to rock, along with vintage Vh songs. It was high energy from start to finish. He allowed guests to be up on stage during the whole show, and shared drinks with them. You can tell Sammy loves to perform for his fans. He doesn't stop for one minute, always talking with the croud and makes you feel like you are one big happy family. He simply put is the best.David closed the show and really stunk up the place. He showed his age. He looked really old and couldn't hit the high notes to save his life. He had no energy at all. He needs to retire. Sorry folks but the old VH is long gone. The Sammy version is here to stay and won't be long before they get back together.

MEADOWS MUSIC CENTER

Ed Field
Lisbon, Ct.

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Never forget 9-11-01
HARTFORD'S HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF VH ROCK-N-ROLL....SAMMY HAGAR!!!
Just wanted to let Sammy know that he made all of us Redheads proud by Red Rockin the asses off Hartford!! It seemed most of the croud was there to see DLR. (Where were all of them when Dave played the casino?? I was there and he hasn't improved any now!) Don't get me wrong, I was a big Dave fan in the past and I LOVE old Van Halen. But then I grew up and learned the meaning of being true. And that's what Sammy is! As a human being and as a musician, there is no comparison.

Well back to the show. Sammy went on first and played a little bit of everything -old-new-and in between. It's a big party and everyone's invited! I was one of the lucky ones at the Cabo Wabo Cantina. The sound was even incredible up there! Pretty damn good monitors!! The Waborita's rocked and Sammy doesn't miss a beat! I'm not worthy!! The only negitave comment I have is that Sammy never plays "Give to Live" when he's in CT!! Maybe next time!!?? And also..I hope that a few drunk assholes don't ruin it for the rest of us fans in the future!
And then there was Dave...Well the songs were awesome, Dave looked liked old times, the band was good (especially the drummer), and Dave can do a mean Harley imitation!! It really sucks to have to say-listen to your albums and/or CD's

I'm glad that Sammy went on 1st-because all of those people who were so addiment that DLR was gonna blow Sammy away got to see an incredible performance before they got dissappointed by Dave's show. A few of my friends included! It's kinda funny to see people go full circle on their opinions in just a few hours! Sammy was there for his fans-and we all know who Dave's lookin out for. Just ask the girl in front who got the Jack Daniels bath! I'm sure she would've rather had one of the Corona's Sammy was pouring for everyone! Keep on Red Rockin Sammy!! God Bless and Peace!

-Cathy M.

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Saw last nights Sammy Hagar/ David Lee Roth show. What an fantastic time. I can't ever remember having such a fun time at a concert. Sammy was on first and while the majority of the Hartford crowd seemed to be fans of DLR. By the time Sammy and the Warborita's had finished their
set. He had won over the crowd, With everybody in the place singing as one " Mas Tequila ". I have been lucky to see several of the Red Rockers shows, and Sammy never fails to deliver the goods, He opened his show with "Shaka Doobie " and just cranked up the energy level from there. His guitarist Vic Johnson did an great job of playing the Van Halen songs. And the rest of his band sounded tight. Near the end when Sammy
went into the audience and sang along with the crowd, it was truly a magical moment. Rarely do you see a performer get right in with the fans and interact like Sammy does. You can tell Sammy is having just as much fun as everyone else in the place. For the last song it was hard to tell where Sammy and the stage were, as the fans were allowed interact with members of the band as everyone sang along to " When It's Love ". What an incredible time, one I won't soon forget. Sammy always treats his fans right.

I wasn't sure what to expect from David Lee Roth, past reviews had been mostly negative. But I can say having never seen Roth perform before. I am definitely glad I got the chance to see him singing the songs of Van Halen. His band sounded just like Van Halen, that guitarist deserves all the accolades he gets, it is difficult for a musican to get up there and perform someone else's music, yet this guy did just that, and matching Eddie's trademark " brown sound " with an energy that was infectious. Yes Roth dressed like it was still 1984, but from the audience's response it was clear, everybody was willing to believe it was 1984. Roth, still in amazing shape, was able to do his jumps and leaps with no discernable vocal impairment.
Yes, his voice at times sounded rough, and he may have talked a line or two instead of singing. But he still put on a fantastic show, his set was filled with the entire Van Halen catalog it seemed. Opening with " Hot for teacher " to the closing well performed " Jump ". Roth, seemed to have a good time, something else I had read bad reviews about, but here at least he seemed to be having just as good a time as the crowd. Doing his jumps and twirling his baton. This show by the two former lead singers of Van Halen was as close as we'll get to hearing " Van Halen " anytime soon, sadly it seems. But it was more then worth the money. The two performed with an energy and excitement that just bought the house down.

If you have a chance to see this show, get out there and do so. You won't be disappointed.

-Michael S.
August 22 Hartford, CT

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I'll keep it short and sweet:

Sammy Rocked! Great band behind him, a lot of energy went into the performance.

Dave...well....it hurts to see a hero fall from grace. He came out in a bright purple jumpsuit he shouldn't have worn in 1988! He just sort of walked around the stage and did spin kicks ever so often. What was really embarrasing was the fact he forgot the words to You Really Got Me Going. An offensive note (literally) was his guitar player trying to rip off Eddie! Please...leave those solos to the pros!
I'm not even kidding people, get your glimpse of DLR and then leave to beat traffic.

-Eric D.

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First of all it is always a treat to catch Sammy on tour so I was ready for this show since late May. I was also anticipating DLR, I had not seen Dave since 1988 and seeing he was playing some of my most favorite songs I was quite anxious to hear them live again. Sammy kicked off the evening as always life of the party and non stop showman. Songs were performed to the usual standard of excellance; kudos to the Waboritas for making it a blast, would have been nice to see Mr Anthony on the stage as well but maybe another time down the road. And sadly all good things come to an end and Roth takes over.
Man, waht a friggin let down his band was hot. they were note for note when it came to the music the only problem is Dave was well the usual Dave, missing lyrics going on with stories about nothing and that all time classic move, jerking off a bottle of Jack Daniels to the unsuspecting faces of two women in the front row. So what we had was a great VH cover band with a sad version of DLR singing. Hope to see you again soon Sammy, always a pleasure

-Mick99mick

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Once again Sammy proved what an awesome musician he is. The waboritas kicked some major ass!!! This was the best Sammy show I have ever seen. Sam is a top notch performer who always gives 100% to his fans. Connecticut loves SAMMY!!!! My only complaint about the evening was David Lee Roth, the guy sucks! He should be arrested for inpersonating a rock star.The worst performer I have ever seen in my life!! We left early(along with 5,000 others} got to the car and popped in Standing Hampton, it was all good from then on. SAMMY RULES!!!!!!!

MPM from Shelton

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It was a close battle, so close I'm gonna call it a draw.

Sammy took to the stage at 8:10 pm, and promptly got the crowd of over 14,000 on their feet. He spent the next 90 minutes blowing through 15 smokin' tracks-- 8 of which were VH classics. Sammy had a blast with both the on-stage and off-stage crowds, whether he was sharing drinks with the Bleacher Creatures behind him onstage or sharing stories about writing songs with Ed with all of us, Sammy had a blast and made sure that everyone else did too.

I must say that Dave was equally as fantastic, but I think Sammy's to thank for that. About 1 hour before showtime, Sammy was being interviewed by a local radio station. The DJ said that he tried to get Dave to come on the show as well, but that he declined. Sammy said he wasn't suprised, and that he and the Waboritas were gonna blow him off the stage like they do every time Dave goes on last. I'm guessing that Dave was listening, and he definitely gave Sammy a run for his money that night.At 10 pm, Dave and his band crashed into "Hot for Teacher." As usual, it took Dave until the third song to get the sound mixed right (does his sound man NOT bother to mark the levels on the board so this doesn't keep happening?), but it was smooth sailing from there. Dave was as equally pumped as Sammy, and executed his trademark martial arts moves, drum riser splits, and high kicks with no problems. He, too, shared stories of the VH days, and knocked out 20 VH classics in his 90 minute set. As for earlier reports of him flubbing lyrics, it only happened once tonight during "you really got me," at which point he told the crowd and his band that he wanted to do it over and get it right. I expected a excellent show from Sammy, and I got it. I expected a lousy show from Dave, and he actually put in a great set. Thanks, Sammy, for pissing Dave off during your radio interview. It made the night one to remember.

-Ben P.

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I have to say Sammy is a "Rock God"!!!!I was blown away!!!!Pure energy,high powered rock n roll!!!Sammy delivered...........
I want to know....Hmmmmmm,Where were the police?David Lee Roth should have been arrested for impersonating a rock star!!!What a joke.Dave,please,put the microphone in the case and call it a career..............

Thank you,
Mike H