A bootleg long gone circulating among the iconic band's followers, VAN HALEN's performance in Toronto, Canada in August 1995 is now officially out via Showtime Movies. As usual, only the actual gig is depicted - no extras or even a plain sheet is around - and the filming is not matching today's standards, as you can imagine. In a smart price you can deal with it anyway, I guess. Supporting the release of their Balance CD - the final album with Sammy Hagar on vocals - VAN HALEN performed enough songs from it (with Mine All Mine being a personal zenith) plus a fair amount of older classics (I do not know if the original setlist was any longer). If you've seen VAN HALEN onstage with Sammy Hagar in the 80s/90s you know what to expect, I imagine: high-octane American hardrockin' music with a top level instrumentation and a sensational frontman holding the key to the crowd's satisfaction. As for the rest of the band, there's not much to commend on: Eddie is the wizard himself, having a t-e-r-r-i-f-i-c sound, while the sensational Alex/Michael duo bleeds hard for a grand show. I'd love to see more older material performed too, but - in any case - Live From The Molson Amphitheatre is a good DVD to have in a fair price.
P.S.: Alex's drum solo is the dream-that-died for any drummer…
Tracklist:
Right Now Big Fat Money Top Of The World Not Enough Amsterdam Mine All Mine Drum Solo Can't Stop Lovin' You Feelin' Eagle Fly Guitar Solo Why Can't This Be Love Dreams Poundcake Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do) Panama
Lineup:
Eddie Van Halen - Guitars Alex Van Halen - Drums Michael Anthony - Bass Sammy Hagar - Vocals