By
Tokemaster General,
Contributor
Wednesday, September 24, 2003 @ 1:40 PM
Diamond Dave Live at the Oneid
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REVIEW BY: Bryan Hoban
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I have to say a was not too excited to go see "Diamond Dave", but a friend had tickets and asked me to drive, so I did... and am I ever glad I did... Dave and his band put on one hell of a show.
They opened things up with a very loud, kickass version of “Hot For Teacher” -- what a great tune to open as show with. Dave seemed to be a bit rusty during the first couple of songs -- he missed a few high notes and flubbed a few lyrics, but then he seemed to loosen up, and actually did a few round house kicks... not bad for an old guy...
They blazed through “Running with the Devil” and “You Really Got Me,” but the pleasant surprise was some of the classics he hit that I didn't expect, like... “Somebody Get Me a Doctor,” “Mean Street,” “Everybody Wants Some,” “And The Cradle Will Rock”... He of course hit the cheesy solo stuff, like “Just a Gigolo,” “California Girls,” and “Crazy From the Heat.” They also kicked butt on “Panama,” “Dance the Night Away” and “Unchained,” plus did a kick ass version of “Yankee Rose” and “Just Like
Paradise.” He did do one new song, I don't recall the name... it was cheesy, and probably the low point of the show for me. They finished the show with all guns blazing.. “Ice Cream Man” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”... the encore was “Jump.”
All in all it was a great show -- it was so good to hear all those great Van Halen classics, the band was loud and very talented... I don't know their names, but all of them sang back up very well. The drummer kicked ass, and the lead guitarist was amazing... this guy never missed a note -- he played Eddie’s solos flawlessly, (in fact he played them better than Eddie did the last time I saw them.) If you closed your eyes, you really thought you back in the early eighties listening to Van Halen live... It brought back alot of great memories for me...
David was rusty at first, but is still a first class show man, what a front man should be -- he was very funny, still wild, still drunk.... but more importantly to Van Halen fans... still "Diamond Dave"... I highly recommend seeing Dave if you are a Van Halen fan... his show is tight, and his band kicks ass... It was worth the trip.
