Auuuuhhhhhhhhhhh hell yes.
Van Halen with DLR for the first time in 22 years. I know it sounds corny because it's the same line they're using to hype it but seriously...I never thought I'd get to see the day that it all came back together and I got to see it.
From what I hear, Diamond Dave's voice is as great as ever and Eddie can still tear the hell out of that guitar. I love it.
Van Halen represents to me the perfect mixture of two elements I love about music: showmanship and musicianship. A showy, flashy band doesn't mean anything if the guys in it can't play. Eddie is one of the most talented guitar players of our time, and David Lee Roth adds the sort of comedic, hammy, over-the-top presentation I wanna see out of a lead singer of this kind of band. Queen is another great example: a group of virtuoso musicians who also had tremendous stage presence. The feel of epicness. Freddie Mercury was an amazing songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Brian May was a fantastic guitar player. Roger Taylor a brilliant drummer. John Deacon, a great bassist. They all were masters of their craft. Not to take anything away from other bands I like, but bands like these consistently top the list because of their mastery of all aspects of the game. Hank Jr. belongs on there too and before you get all uppity, hear me out. The man plays guitar, bass, drums, fiddle, harmonica, piano, keyboards, and dobro (slide guitar to those who don't know). Not to mention he writes the vast majority of his songs, and the ones he doesn't write are covers of standards. His guitar playing definitely deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as plenty of other virtuoso performers, and as far as country pickers go, he blows 99% of em out of the water.
Oh, and while I'm at it, I'd like to use this as a soapbox against some of the misconceptions about popular music nowadays: the artist you are hearing on top 40 radio did not write the song they are singing, more than likely. In addition, bands consisting of actual, really talented musicians are rarer now. Don't get me wrong, there are some damn good groups out there that can really play, and really write. It's a corny example but Dragonforce is a good one; awesome, heartpounding guitar work. But really, I don't care who you like to listen to but just remember: something like "Holla Back Girl" wasn't written to send a message or be an expressive song, or to show off any musicianship. It was written to be a pop hit; nothing more, nothing less. That's the part that is hard to distinguish...is someone like Gwen Stefani an "artist?" I mean, as far as I know she doesn't play any instruments (although I'm sure someone could call me on that if I'm wrong) and she probably doesn't do a lot (or any) writing. Waylon Jennings is an artist. Randy Rhoads is an artist. George Lynch, Ronnie Van Zandt, Hank Williams Jr., etc...all these guys are artists. And I'm not just listing them because they represent genres I like. They legitimately are musical artists. I'm just hesitant to confer that title on someone who basically only has to go in the booth, sing, then go home.
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