FAN REVIEWS

While Sammy was good, I must say that Dave rocked the house!!!!!!!!! Dave came out and just jumped on everyone,playing all the songs everyone wanted to hear....And his band was suprisingly tight and displayed a whole bunch of energy...While Dave may not be able to do all the moves he used to, ya gotta give him credit for trying.....And there are those who may say his voice isn't what it used to be, well he never had a great voice to begin with...It's all about the show,being silly and having fun,and Dave was that....Sammy was also good,although it seemed to take the crowd 3 or 4 songs to get into him....I just don't care for the endless advertising for The Cabo Wabo and Sammy's Tequila....And " Finish What Ya Started " took about 12 minutes to finish....Without the story he could've done 2 or 3 more songs......No diss towards you Sammy , I just felt Dave was better....

Anthony L. , New Windsor,NY

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The tour is called 'song for song, the heavyweight championship of rock and roll'.

the short version: Sammy won

The long version:

venue: saratoga springs performing arts center (near ALbany, NY)
attendance: 8000
seat location: 13 rows from the stage. I could have hit DLR with a snowball (and would have if I would have had one with me)
weather: cold and friggin wet

This was not the best concert ive ever been to, but it was the weirdest.There was no curtain at the front of the stage, so you could see the squids setting up the gear. Then all of a sudden, 3 dirtbags came out jamming.

THEN, you could hear a familiar song: "hey, that sounds like hot forteacher", and out walks David Lee Roth. On the way to the center of the stage, he dropped his mic. THis set the tone. They went through Hot for teacher (with his available catalog of tunes, that would not have been my choice for opener). Then "and the cradle will rock"
and 'panama'. After that, he was hitting on a 40 something woman in the front row--i dont think her or her husband were very impressed.

Did I mention that dave looks exactly the same as he did in 1984? well he does, except now he goes to the same barber as Kim Mitchell & Captain Stubing.

dave did all the the cool old VH stuff, plus "Yankee rose" from eatem and smile. The hightlights were Panama, and pretty woman. THe rest were ok. I would not travel to see him again, but im glad i did it this time. after DLR was gone (i got tired of looking at him, especially when he did a sword routine during the keyboard solo of 'jump', and forgot the words to'ain't talkin' bout love')

Then comes Sammy.

Holy crap he's good live. He definitely has the 'paul stanley' way of dealing with the crowd down to a science. He talked about how he wrote "i can't drive 55' after getting a speeding ticket in upstate new york (mentioning highway numbers and crap is right out of a simpsons episode).

Sammy looks great, and his band is amazing. He had these two scantily clad waitresses that would periodically bring him margaritas. This was much nicer than DLR quimming all over the front row with a JD bottle.

The highlights were "heavy metal", "mas tequila" "finish what you started" (complete with a whole EVH related story on how the song was written).

The ONLY weak point in the sammy show was the background vocals to "when its love". They just couldn't reach the michael anthony highs.

Othere than that, the show was flawless.

Sammy is king.

-Red
Hi,

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I went to the Sammy and Dave concert in Saratoga Springs, NY. It was pouring with rain that night, but Sammy was awesome.

David Lee opened up and although his band was awesome(Van Halen soundalikes) his voice is not all it used to be. Most of the songs were sung by his guitar player. All Dave could do was scream, yell and holler cat calls. His bass player, James Lomenzo, of the now extinct White Lion was wonderful, too.

As for Sammy, well, I can't put it into words. He sang beautifully and never hit a bad note. His show was electric and exciting. I was really blown away by the Waboritas and on how "together" they all were. I would definitely see them again. My husband and I are thinking of Cabo next year. Sammy rocks and always will!

Thanks,

Jo Ann
Oneonta, NY

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An amazing night. A staggering contrast in shows between David Lee Roth & Sammy Hagar. While I hate reading press on previous shows before I attend one, I couldn't help reading how Sammy was wiping up the stage with Dave. However, I'm not sure this was exactly the case this night. It is not as easy to make that judgement call.

First and foremost - this tour has established that Van Halen fans don't need to see certain faces playing certain instruments. Since Eddie made it fashionable to play a particular way, perhaps thousands have followed in his footsteps. Two guitarisis tonight were exceedingly successful and supplanting Eddie in VH tunes. Dittto on Alex and his tight snare drum. So that leaves us to the singers.

Not so fast. One thing that became hugely clear this evening is the crticial factor of backup vocals to VH songs. All players handled this with aplomb.

Now - the lead singers. Dave is a cartoon, albiet an obviously ailing cartoon. Sure his kicks were's as high. Unfortunately, his vocals were also not as quite dynamic as when the first VH records were recorded. But his voice was well worth the trek to hear him. In fact, on many songs, it was near-old form. Opening songs Hot For Teacher and Panama brought everyone's heart beat to the old days. Ice Cream Man told a fun story and surprised some with his acoustic guitar work. The song kicked-in with all the power and punch of the VH arrangement.

Sammy's vocals were equal or better than his VH days. How? I don't knos. Cabo Wabo? Perhaps. No matter - Sammy's stage presense and cool idea of bleachers on stage including significant interaction with those lucky fans created a warmth (and true jealousy) in many in the crowd, from conversations. Sammy's solo "hits" (55 and Mas Tequila) were highlights. I am curious about the story hSammy told about the origin or 55 and the Northway and a cabin in Lake PLacid. Talk to me Sammy....

However -

THE X FACTOR: The songs. As cartoony and aging as Dave may be, the VH songs in his era themselves carried his set in audience response and punch over those from Sammy's VH lifetime. Dave's lucky. I would like to see them switch set lists and see what happens. I think I can safely predict the result.

B. Whitney
Billsville, MA

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i saw the show last night in saratoga. i went to DLR and sammy, and was looking forward to seeing DLR much more. after seeing them perform, the red rocker clearly blows DLR away. he sounds better, the band is tighter and he kicks ass. great show.

Edward J.

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Lets see...it was a cold, rainy day in Saratoga Springs. The Travers stakes went off...but the track was very sloppy all day. Many horses scratched. I am so glad we had third row to see the show.

At 7:30, Dave went on. First I must say, I am a huge Sammy fan. Been so since 1981. And a big Van Halen fan also, so I at least went to the show with an open mind. Seen all the versions of the bands...VH, Dave, Sammy (Gary Cerone too, who I really thought did a great job on disc and live, but that's another review and argument). So I really knew what to expect.

Dave and his band came out...boy he still loves himself. He would not move from the camera filming for the big screen behind them. Yelled at his moniter engineer for about 4 or 5 songs. Finally got it right, and he smiled. Looked like they were having a ball. They played all the VH hits. Most of the crowd seemed pleased. I must say...he sounded better than he had back in 1991. But still his good years are way behind him (did he really have any good years though? He was never a good singer live anyway) They did their 90 minutes...chock full of VH favorites. One Dave tune, Yankee Rose. He did lift his leg once or twice, but it looked like it hurt. He poured 1 full bottle (minus 3 small nips) of Jack Daniels in the audience. Drank 2 or 3 more sips out of a new bottle. All in all...he is the perfect opener for the Waboritas. The show was a tad to long for me ( a long time Van Halen fan) just seemed to drag a little. So to beat the rush, we hurried-up to the beer tent...so we only heard his encore...Jump from the beer tent. Nice try Dave...I now can't wait for the main event!

On comes a 10 minute montage of Sammy hits and clips from the past on the big screen. Egging us on for what was to come.

It's 9:05, it's time too rock!!! On come the Waboritas...Sammy and two bleachers full of fans. Holy Shit...they crank out tune after tune...Shaka Doobie, Runaround, Three Lock Box, Right Now...he's got waitresses bringing waboritas to him...the crowd is going nuts. Like I said, we had third row seats. His band is amazing. Victor is so smooth, tastefully hitting Eddies licks with a little of his own stamp. Jesse singing and smiling like it's his first live show ever. David Lauser hitting them drums with such power...damn!!! And my favorite...Mona. I love her. She is the coolest bassist in rock. I had my eye on her more all night then I did Sammy...she must have known...she tossed me a pick to show her appreciation. Thanks Mona...I really do love you. Welcome to the Sammy Hagar family with open arms.

This show rocked all night, and was definately a party to remember. He talked with crowd...told us about how he wrote I Can't Drive 55, here locally. Hit after hit...Heavy Metal, Mas Tequila, Finish What Ya' Started, One Way To Rock...it was awesome. They did not slow down all night. Encored with When It's Love and Dreams...with my girl Mona hitting the highs with Sam. It was perfect. All I can say is Thank-you...we had such a great time. My brother said to me at the end of the night "how the hell could Dave go on and do a show after that?"

We know who the undisputed heavyweight champ of the world is...we knew it going in. But we went in open minded about it. We all should now put that stupid arguement to rest...We knew it back in 1985. Come see a show. There is no question...never was. We love you Sammy (and Mona too). When you do go back to the VH brothers...don't leave Vic, David, Jesse and Mona behind. Keep them records and live shows coming baby!!! PEACE.

Keep rocking!

-Michael L.

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Sat in the fifth row last night to see the Dave and Sammy show. This was the tenth time I have seen Sammy and the first time I have seen Dave. Now the comparison. Dave came out and put on a Las Vegas type act with a great guitarist accompaning him. His voice is not 100% but it passed. He is still the showman we have all grown to love and the crowd ate it up. His age is showing but his antics still were entertaining and his band was excellent. He forgot words, could not jump, and talked dirty to the women in the front row but still seemed to use his "I'm Dave" personality to win over the crowd.Great selection of songs didn't hurt either..
Now Sammy. He rocked the place from the word go and never stopped. Great band although Eddie was missed. Sammy was in tune with the crowd and they loved him. Sammy played guitar for many of the songs. His voice was better than ever. Sammy never missed a beat and was near perfect. No complaints although his show was only 1 hour and 20 min..
Who is the champ..? Two totally different acts. Voice- Sammy, Showman- Tie, Crowd pleaser- Tie(although Sammy seemed more respected). Nobody can sing the old VH better than Dave but Sammy has never tried too. Eddie needs Sammy and not the other way around. Dave don't need nobody- He's Diamond Dave.

Frank