We had 3rd row. I snuck a camera in under my shoe! Don't ask how I did this, I just looked all crippled till we got to the ladies room! I only took 3 or 4 pics because really the stage was too far away and plus there was 2 security dudes right by me and I didnt want to lose my camera and stuff. It was kewl though cuz you couldn't smoke or drink where the seats were so I actually went to a concert without coming home reeking of smoke or having beer spilled on me! This was my sister's first concert ever, too, so I was glad she didn't have to be inhaling pot and shit.

Anyways...on to the good stuff!

Sammy wore these AWESOME bright electric midnight blue crushed velvet pants with this funky multi-colored long silky shirt. His ensemble was completed with these totally wacky shoes, like white loaferish tennis shoes studded with like rhinestones or something glittery. Total Sam-esque! He always has had a kewl unique style all of his own. His hair was lookin' really curly! Really Sammyish! : ) He looked really healthy, he even commented on how he was taking all these vitamins and stuff... He said something about the vitamins are making him sweat and stink and he was actually kinda glad that there was this big barricade around the stage that kept the people back a bit... : )

He only took off his shirt once and that was just real quick to put on a tee thrown up by a fan. I yelled, "take it off, take it all off"! ; ) Just kidding, I didn't yell it..I just said to myself. We all know blonds arent my type. But Sam aint a real blond! HA! Usually he changes alot from the shows I've been to, but this time it was the same outift the whole night. *pout* You all must admit, the man has a *killer* bod for being 49 and 3/4 years old!

It was SO loud...maybe I am getting too old...I mean I am 21, but geez..my ears were dyin'...maybe it was the 2 guitars, I dunno..but it was loud to the point that you couldn't sometimes enjoy it...I think its cuz we were so close...I was feeling like crap cuz I actually thought to myself, "I have to save my hearing for VH concerts" (cuz I always think this at concerts) and then I realized where I was at...THE GUILT! I was actually really depressed at the show. I kept looking up at the stage and thinking, "where's Ed? where's Al? where's Mikey?" It was like a nightmare or something. Not that the show didnt rock or that his band wasn't good...it was just so unreal, so unnatural, so scary to realize that Sammy really *is* gone from VH, that the VH I grew up on is no more. Maybe I had been in denial all this time, but seeing him up there alone, so to speak, hit me hard. It was like I couldnt see Sam onstage without having VH concert flashbacks...like waiting for the chant of "Ed-dee, Ed-dee"...it was spooky. And sad. Sam said he's happier than he's ever been in his life, but...I dunno...I mean if it's hard for me to even *see* him onstage, it must be hard for him to go up there and play (a major tour) for the first time in what.. 12 years withOUT VH. I was happy to see him, yes, but I wasn't like freakin' out how I had been at VH shows in the past. I guess I still wasnt used to the fact that "Van Hagar" is gone.. but as I said, at the Cleveland show, I was more used to it and could enjoy the show much much more...

He opened and closed with MTM, the song. It was really cool when they first came out, tons of lighting and strobes and stuff. *Really* loud, really. It's so weird to see SH play guitar. He played it on most of the songs. Wasnt the last time he really got to play guitar like the 5150 tour? I remember reading something online about some guy overheard Ed's first meeting of Sam, way back when Sam was still solo, post-Montrose. And Ed said, "hey man, Montrose was cool, why'd ya quit?" and Sam said, "cuz they wouldn't let me play guitar, man" Isn't that crazy? Sam seemed really happy to be playing guitar again, I think he digs it alot. In some ways (like this) I am glad he is solo again. And he is such a happy guy, ya know? That's so rare in music in this day and age. He's so positive and full of life. He knows how to make people share in that attitude of his. Sammy Hagar, The FeelGood Concert of The Year! : )

This was like a greatest hits tour (besides the new songs) which I didnt really dig, but then again, we all can't be hard core die hards that wanna hear "Little Star" and "Space Station #5" : ) But I did love hearing all those songs live that I had never heard before... I was just standing there like...listening to solo Sam tunes and thinking, "I never thought I'd ever hear these live in my life" And I remember how early last year how I was saying, "I wish I'd get to hear this solo Sam song live, etc"...I never thought it would come true... not like this...god, not like this...be careful what you wish for I guess. I dunno...He outta have a concert in some centralized location called "Die Hards Only" and play stuff that we'd want to hear..not like only the staples..."One Way To Rock", "I Can't Drive 55", "Heavy Metal", "Three Lock Box", "I'll Fall In Love Again" (all of which he did play and were great) ; ) Or do an "album concert", like play MC or Red or DZ in its entirity! Now that would be too kewl! : )

The crowd was like a lot of older people. Like people Sam's age or in their 30's. A lot of younger fans too, that prolly knew him cuz of VH. I sat next to a couple who brought their son, he was only like 10! He got this shocked look on his face during the famous line in the live version of FWYS! HA! He tole that kewl story of how he wrote that with Ed...that was sad to hear him say, "this was during the good times". Oh some people made anti-VH banners..that sucked big time...

Gosh, so much happened, I am trying to remember it all. He played from like 8:10 to 10:45...really long show... Let me remember the songs. Um..from Montrose he played "Bad Motor Scooter" and "Good Rockin' Tonight" that was too kewl...

Um...he did Kama acoustically. I still think that's so funny that no one gets it..Kama Sutra! HA! The Art (or Rules) of Love! : ) He did Little White Lie and Salvation on Sand Hill (he grabbed himself when he sang "between the legs" and I put my hands over my sister's eyes! *grin*) but my FAVE that he did live from MTM was "This Yogi's So High, I'm Stoned" he was rolling around on the ground and everything (I *still* think this is about the breakup in some ways too...esp after how he acted on this song...and how he screams "I swear", etc) Anyways, we didnt have time to prepare like I wanted to, to make banners or anything, so before the show we went and bought a MARS candy bar..and my sister through it up onstage and Sammy saw it and held it up and smiled with those famous tooths of his! : ) Later he actually ate a bite! (right before "Dreams" mind you...I just kept thinking, "I've never heard SH do Dreams after eating something that was in my purse! HA!) My sister was like, let's throw something else up! She had a pack of gum...guess what kind? BIG RED! HA! So she flung it up and it barely hit the stage..but he somehow saw it...picked it up, said something about he's never gotten gum onstage or something, and proceeeded to hand out a piece to each band member and they were all jompin' away! HA! Victor was doin' his solo and you could see him chewin! hee hee! : ) Victor was really good...he seems like a happy guy. I still cringed during like the Dreams solo and stuff.... I just couldnt deal with it not being Ed...*sigh* "Right Now" was sooooooooo sad too..cuz they all came out towards the end of it and I was just like..."this is not right...Sammy should be doing this with VH...this is meant to be Ed and Sam doing together..." not that it wasnt good, it was great, but it just was sooooooo weird... so strange...something I never would have ever guessed could happen....

Sammy is such a wonderful performer... he has so much appeal..in so many ways... you cant help but dig the guy (unless you are a diehard DLR fan, in which case..um.. nevermind! *grin*)!!!!

Off the new album he did MTM as I said and he closed with that again (with the radio contest winners up their singing and dancing---it was so funny! these people were going nuts...he took like 5 people up from the crowd..one of which *almost* was my sister, but he couldn't get her up before the guards pulled her down...but he did grab her arm! *grin* this was her first concert, btw, and she didnt know any of the songs, cept a few VH ones) It was kewl cuz the whole crowd was like screaming when he was singing, "Is there life in the Universe? Is there God is the Universe" (umm, sure there is.. duh, dont you remember? EVH exists! *grin*) Seriously, it was so kewl to see people gettin' off on that concept...like as we drove home through this like bad part of time, I imagined that Sam energy, that MTM blasting through the darkness and suddenly Life seemed good and happy, like that music can change your perspective so much... God Bless Sammy Hagar!

Thanks to Julia Anne for this review!

WHO WENT