FAN REVIEWS

WOW! This is the 5th time to see Sammy & the boys. I took my 11 year old daughter, she now understands why I love them so much. The band seemed to be really having fun. Its nice to see that the boys picked up where they left off. In my 30+ concert experiences, I don't think there is a more memorable moment then when Wolfgang came out with Eddie's guitar & played 316 with dad. That could be made into one of the VISA commericals as PRICELESS. Thanks for the memories boys and see ya next time. A loyal REDROCKER & VH fan.

Chris in Mayfield, UT

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I do a radio show here in Salt Lake City (KBER 101 FM). When I play VH I
generally refer to them as the greatest band of all time. They made me look
really good on Tuesday night! No one does it like they do. Period. They
seemed to be genuinely appreciative of the crowd's amazing response and as
always Sammy made us all feel like we were part of the show rather than just
being spectators.

Wolfgang's appearance was a very touching moment as part of one of my
favorite Eddie solos I've ever seen. It was like being a fly on the wall
watching him jam rather than a prepared solo piece.

They were tight, they were energetic.........they're the greatest band of
all time!

DARBY
KBER FM SLC
Nights/ Metal director

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I went to a long anticipated concert last Tuesday night with my wife. We met Sammy back in March in Salt Lake when I was up on stage with him. He was there doing a concert for a software company called Novell. It was the best concert of my life. I have also seen Sammy back in my youth on a VOA tour, It was great as well. I am a diehard fan and cherish the autograph he put on my cabo wabo shirt that I got down in cabo in 94. He is incredible!!! This all said, back to my first sentence. This concert was ok. Sammy does Sammy songs not David Lee Roth songs. I don't like Roth but Sammy's voice can not get down to that octave. 5150 forward please and I think Van Halen will grow forward.
He is a incredible performer !!!!!!!!!!

Dave and Bev Brown
Saratoga Springs Utah

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I was fortunate enough to be in the golden ring section on eddies side (thanks to radio station kber and Darby) and i must say it was an experience i will never forget, all the boys performed to ultimate exhaustion. wolfgang came out and jammed with his dad, during eddys guitar solo which was way cool, all in all i had the time of my life i think i sweated worse than the whole band did, during the show eddie handed me the half full cup, he was drinking out of, i grabbed it and splashed the remains on my face, eddie seen this and gave me a big s..t eating grin, something again thats going to be unforgetable. the opening band Shinedown was allright, it seemed to get everybody warmed up for the ultimate. one thing i have to say for upcoming shows is if you get a chance GO ITS WORTH EVERY 7,500 PENNIES YOU SPENT ON YOUR TICKET !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Steve Vega West Jordan

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This was it! This will go down in history as the year of Van Halen! They reunited, they toured, they released new music (great music, I might add) and I got my first (and only) tattoo of the VH swirl logo! I got tickets the second they became available for what promised to be a monumental event, even though it was at the Delta Center which is terrible for concerts. Play USANA amphitheatre next time damn it! We pre-flighted at a local pub before hand and timed it perfectly as we sat down right as Shinedown ended their set (nothing against them, but that's not why we were there). We were seated about 19 rows up in the lower bowl on Mike's side of the stage (stage-right). As the crew set up the stage and equipment for the main event, the crowd on Eddie's side of the stage would cheer wildly once and a while as they could see glimpses of the greatest guitarist of all time tooling around behind the scenes getting ready. The anticipation that I felt, knowing that I was in the same building as my idol, and the greatest rock band in history, is simply impossible to describe. I had seen them on 5 other tours, but the feeling never changes. The lights went down, Eddie started noodling, and the heavenly experience began. Other reviewers have complained about the set list. The set list in Salt Lake was the same as the previous shows, but who cares? It's a greatest hits tour, so their playing the greatest hits! The guys all looked great. Very energetic. Sammy was doing all the stuff you have read about in previous reviews. I just kept saying to myself that I couldn't believe they were all on the same stage again. That was the most important thing to me. I have heard mixed reviews on the individual solo's that they do, but I will say, it is a necessary part of the show. Al's solo was great. He re-solidified himself in my mind as a top 3 rock drummer of all time (Neil Pert, John Bonham). Mike's solo was more energy than substance, but that was ok, it was short and I know how great he is already. I have heard a majority of people say that they could have done without Sammy's solo bit, I say bullshit. Like I said, it's a part of the show. He played Eagles fly and something else that I had never heard before, but more than anything, it's his chance to connect one-on-one with the audience, and it's something that I look forward to. Then of course there was the crown jewel of the night: Eddie's solo. Recent reviews have said that he has appeared/sounded sloppy and disjointed. I couldn't disagree more. People are confusing sloppiness with improvisation. This solo was different than any he has done before. It is not structured. In previous tours, his solo was always extremely calculated. But this show I could see a conscious effort on his part to improvise and just play what comes to him at the time. If that happens to be scales and blindingly fast hammer-ons and tapping, or just dive bombs and lots of feedback, then so be it. I, for one, appreciated that. And the rest of the crowd did as well. Look, we all know how great he is, but that doesn't mean that we need to hear the same solo routine tour after tour. To me, this just proved to me more how great he is. He has let go of his self-consciousness and just plays. He did have a few cord issues (just dump it and go cordless!), but he played the intro to women in love, cathedral, parts of eruption, Spanish fly, and Wolfie came out and played 316 with him (big time goose-bump moment). It was all flawless! He should just change his name to Eddie Van-Christ. Once again, they ditched Learning to see. That's a great song and I don't understand why they don't play it, especially if their going to replace it with Seventh Seal (not even one of the better songs on that Balance album).

Overall, it was an awesome experience and well worth the outlandish ticket prices. My only complaints were with the stupid Delta Center acoustics and that the show was not sold out. I am very disappointed in Salt Lake City for that.
MATT LEWIS
Van Halen Enthusiast
Salt Lake City