VAN HALEN - San Diego and San Jose, CA 2007

People, this will be my last post...

until the next one in two weeks. I'm headed outta town, while noting the second anniversary of this blog. With that in mind, I hereby post TWO big big Van Halen Reunion Tour concerts!

Van Halen booties will always make a good birthday present for the Chick, since it was the feverish hunt for VH's legendary, Gene Simmons-produced "Zero" demos that first sent me down the rabbit hole into this whole wide world of online bootlegs. Although, where bootlegs are concerned, the words "rabbit hole" scarcely imply "underground," since nothing is easier than acquiring bootleg music if you know where to look. (Speaking of which, my very first post link is still good...)

The 2007-'08 VH 30th anniversary tour kickoff roughly coincided with the birth of this blog; I saw them twice in three weeks at L.A.'s Staples Center. These boots are both from right around that time, one in SoCal and one in NoCal.

Since neither the setlist nor Diamond Dave's stage banter varied one iota, it's all about sound quality where VH reunion boots are concerned. Some performances might be looser and gnarlier (like these two), others might be slicker and smoother (like the second Staples Center show I saw), but the songs remain the same. With nice ambience, good balance and 320 bitrates, these both sound pretty great, especially where it matters most: EVH playin' that ol' gee-TAR!

I must say I'm still amazed that no official CD/DVD was released from this hugely attended tour; Roth and the boys of classic VH actually have quite a talent for leaving money on the table. But then, I guess that very lack of official live, demo or B-side material from them is what prompted me to give life to the Chick in the first place...so it's all good now, innit?

VAN HALEN
Cox Arena - San Diego, CA - November 25, 2007 (AUD @320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2 / DOWNLOAD 3

HP Pavilion - San Jose, CA - December 16, 2007 (AUD @320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2 / DOWNLOAD 3

PS -- Spock and the gals wish you a Happy Green Alien Turkey Day!