web analytics

Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Van Halen

  • I Guess Roth Needs Some New Hairplugs?

    So, the Van Halen reunion is back on. Remember when this was a big deal earlier in the year, right before the band’s induction in the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame? Then Eddie went into rehab and…well, you know the rest. But Eddie’s out, and it looks like the band is ready to hit the road again. How long until it implodes?
    You know, I was cool with The Police reunion tour. Not only does it not seem like any of the three members are hurting for cash, but at the one performance I saw, it was obvious that they are trying to push their music forward, and it still sounds fresh. The band’s matured musically, and the technological changes over the past twenty years have brought a fresh wrinkle to their sound.
    VH? The whole thing just seems kinda desperate. Well, just about anything David Lee Roth does nowadays seems desperate, but I’m saying. Besides, how can you take this whole thing seriously when Van Bertinelli’s teenage son is playing bass?
    Of course, 40-ish yuppie types who have fond memories of being the high school badass will revel in this reunion. Me? I’ll chill at home with my copy of 1984 and be perfectly happy.
    Besides, after seeing Roth perform “Jump” in a bluegrass stylee earlier this year on TV, does anyone have great expectations for this reunion tour? Seriously!!
    Van Halen’s website: http://www.van-halen.com/

  • Rock Hall Parties, Welcomes New Inductees

    For an attraction located in Cleveland, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sure throws some cool parties in New York. This time, ordinary folk got to watch, including the fabled jam session that closes each session.

    And as in previous years, some folks made headlines by attending and others made them by staying away. Bill Berry rejoined his REM bandmates for the first time in a decade after the group was inducted by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. Another group with a cult following, Van Halen, showed up in disarray with David Lee Roth reportedly refusing to attend after plans for a summer reunion tour were canceled and mainstay Eddie Van Halen entering rehab for substance abuse issues last week. The band was represented by first replacement singer Sammy Hagar and fired bassist Bill Berry, who the Van Halen brothers replaced last year with Eddie’s teenage son. (A side note to Bill Berry on class: being an international rock star for 20 years only to be fired and replaced by the boss’ teenage kid sucks. Showing up as the only original band member with enough class to honor the award – shows class and style).

    Jay-Z was on hand because music events don’t “happen” without Jay-Z on hand. He inducted Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five while Zack De La Rocha from Rage Against The Machine inducted Patti Smith. And if you told someone at the start of her career that Patti Smith would be inducted, they would have laughed at you. Perhaps laughing loudest would have been her. Finally, Rolling Stone Keith Richards inducted The Ronettes (sans creator Phil Spector who stil has that nasty murder thing going on a couple of thousand miles away).

    No more bootleg videos. No more slice and dice for television bits and pieces. The Rock Hall finally became accessible to fans all over with this year’s broadcast, albeit on a borderline cable station. It’s a start.

    Tune in next year to see who shows up and who doesn’t. And speaking of showing up, was that really Stephen Stills on guitar?

  • Rock Hall Inducts Van Halen and REM, Among Others

    Might as well jump.

    According to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Eddie, Davy and the boys can be buddies again on stage in New York before they are enshrined in Cleveland. Joining them will be The Ronnettes, who won’t be their baby, REM and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Patti Smith.

    The eclectic group is going to be overshadowed with Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar on stage at the same time. In more positive news, Reuters is reporting that REM drummer Bill Berry, who left a decade ago (!) will rejoin his mates on stage.

    Spinning In The CD Player Today
    A ripped copy of REM’s original EP (yes, I still have the original) featuring the wonderfully poppy Boxcars.