Happy Friday Evening, my Darling,
I am at Pearl's and will be heading out at 6:30 to go see Van Halen at the Bowl, so I wanted to check in and say hi before I go. I hope you are enjoying your Friday night. I should be back from the concert by about 12:30 or so. Right now, a quick dogwalk before I go..........
See you in a bit. I Love You! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
12:15am : I am back. I actually made it to Pearl's at 11:50pm, an hour after the concert ended. Not too shabby, considering that I had to beat 18,000 people out of the Bowl (not easy!), then walk a mile back to the subway station (easy), then take the Red Line, then drive back from NoHo.
One of my easier trips home from a concert.
Well, Van Halen. I was thinking on the way down there, "what band has been with me the longest"? At least as far as concerts go? It's not Rush; I first saw them in 1978, so they've been with me 37 years, because I saw them this year too. So I am talking from first to last. It's not Ritchie Blackmore (in any of his musical incarnations), even though Deep Purple was part of California Jam, my first concert. That was in 1974, but Ritchie last played L.A. with Blackmore's Night in 2005, so that's just a 31 year span. I saw Black Sabbath last year at the Hollywood Bowl, and they were part of California Jam, so that would account for 40 years. Except that it doesn't quite count because Bill Ward the drummer wasn't part of the 2014 lineup.
So that leaves two bands, as I was thinking tonight. Sparks and Van Halen. Both L.A. Bands.
I first saw Sparks in 1975, and I saw them this year, so they are at 40 years, and they currently hold the record. But coming in a close second are Van Halen.
I can't believe I first saw them on New Year's Eve 1976, before their first record was even out. Eddie was 21 then. He's now 60. I think I've seen Van Halen about 20 times, give or take, in all that time. They have been with me 39 years.
Tonight was a blast. They played exactly two hours. I always check the time at the beginning and end of a concert, just for the heck of it. This one ran from 8:48 to 10:48pm, exactly. Concerts are exact nowdays, with all the lighting cues and such.
Roth was Roth. Some of the older fans don't like his performances these days. Grimsley is one. He didn't go tonight because he thinks DLR just goofs off onstage. And he does! But it's DLR doing the goofing, and if he doesn't sing as much as he used to, well, he was always like that. Part singer, part showman. Nowdays he's the same, but 62 years old and so he does it without all the jumping around. Me? I love the guy. He can do whatever he wants onstage as far as I'm concerned.
The real draw is the band, the songs, and Edward F. Van Halen. Van Halen the band is made up of all Van Halens nowdays, and man do those guys lock in together. On backup vocals, too. Eddie and son Wolfie are really the lead singers now. Their backing vocals never miss the mark and are strong and in tune every time. And they are on time, they hold the vocal melody together. Brother Alex on drums is a machine, one of the most underrated drummers in rock.
Then there is Eddie, the nuclear powered guitarist. He is the main reason Van Halen can still sell out the Hollywood Bowl for two nights after four decades. The guy is just over-the-top incredible. He went through a period in the late 80s through most of the 90s that would have finished most musicians, and it's a wonder he made it through alive.
But more than that, his playing and his music may have been what got him through. The guy just comes through on his guitar in a way that no one else does, a 100% original. He comes through : speaks through his playing, and he has complete control of his instrument. He can make it do whatever he wants it to do.
It's pretty astonishing to see, especially after all this time.
The sound was really good for an outdoor show, and the lighting gave a "circus-like" effect.
Sweet Baby, it's just such a trip for me, because so much time has gone by - 40 years! - but rock n' roll seems to make it's own rules. Time passes for the great bands, but only in a gradual way. Very gradual in some cases.
Man, I love those guys.
That's all I know for tonight, my Darling. Sweet Dreams and I will see you in the morning........
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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