As the Sam & Dave tour rolls along it’s fun to read some of the interviews.
Dave has not changed one iota, and still seems to be in the throes of ADHD. It somehow seems less endearing and more “Ha, ha, look at the silly monkey” now. For Dave it’s still about more bang for your entertainment buck. “You bought a ticket to a show, and I’m gonna give you a show!”
Sammy on the other hand, just seems like a tired old rocker who just wants to get onstage and get his groove on.
Questions like, “Who would win in a fight, you or Sammy/Dave?” seems to be as deep a line of questioning as anyone is interested in asking. Then again, who really wants to hear what either of these guys has to say anymore?
It is however, almost a guarantee that I will be there, waxing nostalgic, waiting to see Dave perform on the big stage again though. I’ve seen them both perform with Van Halen and as solo acts. The Red Rocker (Hah!) holds no interest for me, and my only interest in Dave is to see if he can still pull it off.
On a related note, I seem to remember Eddie Van Halen saying, “If people don’t dig this, I’ll take up tuba” when referring to the music he was making with ex-Extreme frontman Gary Cherone. I sure hope he’s enjoying his time in that polka band now.
9 responses so far ↓
1 Ray // Jun 27, 2002 at 5:57 pm
This is what men sound like, after half a life lived without any responsibility for themselves. Dave’s the worst of the pair. His mind has grown soft from idle time.
The guy’s a raving idiot.
2 michael // Jun 27, 2002 at 7:49 pm
He always was. It seemed cooler when he was in his twenties. Now it just seems sad.
3 JoanieRock // Jul 2, 2002 at 8:30 am
Heh, be curious to see if Diamond Dave has still "got it"!!
4 Ken Williams // Aug 2, 2002 at 2:44 pm
I saw Sam & Dave last night (8/01/02) in Tampa. I haven’t been to a concert in years & loved it. Dave came on first & did about everything you would expect, except he can’t get his leg up as high anymore on those roundhouse kicks. He didn’t sing all of the words but he never has & I saw them (V.H.) for the first of 5 times in 1979.
Then it was Sammys turn & although I’m a big Roth guy Hagar put on a better, more energetic show. His vocal is as close to the studio as any entertainer you will ever see & Michael Anthony on the backup vocal 80% of the time didn’t hurt either.
If I could have had it any better let me add this little tidbit. Van Halen the band has run it’s course & then some. The Sam & Dave show wasn’t the same without the boys backing them up. If the V.H. family is in need of some cash (like for instance helping Eddie fund his divorce proceedings) I would suggest a real Sam & Dave show. One in which Dave comes out first with the original Van Halen boys backing him, & then turn the reigns over to Sammy for the 2nd half. Now that would be a show! Seeing replacement players no matter how good they are, will ever replace the boys.
Ken in Lakeland, Florida
5 tdixnc@ aol.com // Aug 7, 2002 at 1:25 am
im going to see sam and dave in charlotte on the 8 th. i hope dave rocks!!!! ill post another comment after the show . i won tix off the radio so if it sucks at least i diddent pay see ya.
6 tdixnc@ aol.com // Aug 9, 2002 at 12:29 pm
went to the show last night ,heard that sammy was opening but dave took the lead. let me tell ya dave has still got it,from the first roundhouse kick to halfway thru his bottle of jack danials he diddent let up for a second.and dave diddent lie about his band they kicked ass, eddie who? no just kidding eddie is still the man!!!!! hope he tours soon hopefully with dave .but we all know that wont happen.mike anthony played 3 or 4 songs with sammy but i would love to have seen him with his jack bottle bass but sammy is a teqila man so that wouldent fly.sammy is all about a party and thats what his show was like . had a great time hope they come back soon.
7 michael // Aug 10, 2002 at 12:12 pm
Glad to hear you guys had a good time. They’re both entertaining performers, no doubt, and it would be cool to see them, but I guess I’m still just a little put off by their attitudes. That and the fact that Dave hasn’t changed his schtick since ‘79. I’m sure I’ll still go see the show though.
8 chaz // Aug 19, 2002 at 8:39 am
I attended the Sam and Dave show on Friday, August 16, 2002 and was blown away by both performers.
Hagar’s voice was powerful and his show was entertaining, especially the tecquilla girls……wow. Sammy even gave the audience a treat by having the girls flash the audience, I felt like I was on the set of " "Girls Gone Wild, rock show edition". The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly Diamond Dave’s performance. He walked on stage and immediately began mesmerizing the audience with his charm, savy, and acrobatics. I was expecting a vegas style act with guest walk-ons and plenty of story telling to distract the audience. However, It was quite the opposite, Dave rolled through a set-list of calssic VH tunes and sounded as good as he ever did. It appeared as if the " Ultimate Showman" were cryogenecially frozen in 1984 and brought to life without missing a beat. The DLR band was also impressive, they were more than adequate and did not interrupt Dave’s face time. By the end of the show the audience was looking for the coolade and ready to convert to Dave’s holy house of hard rock.
9 Jim In Syracuse, NY // Sep 2, 2002 at 9:18 am
They cancelled the last 2 dates of their tour !! This is B.S. Sammy looked OK @ the MTV VMA’s two nights ago… I am inclined to think that Mr DLR, being the dick that he is, finally pushed the right buttons and pissed off Sammy. Hence the cancelation ! I have waited sooo long for this oppurtunity. I camped out 5 days ahead to get 2nd row seats, spend $150 printing t-shirts to mark the occasion, made banners, etc … ONLY TO BE STIFFED !!
I used to look the other way with a grin everytime I heard one of DLR’s off-the-mark comments promoting his ego. Now I must say "GROW UP MR ROTH" ! and "THANKS FOR NOTHING" I’ll be sending you a bill for my lost wages, useless t-shirts, and every CD I own with your prepubcent sreaching on it ! GO PLAY VEGAS !!
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