Sammy Hagar
FirstMerit Pavilion at Northerly Island
Chicago, Illinois
August 23, 2013
Source: Church Audio CA-11 cards => UGLY pre-amp => Tascam DR-2D (24/44.1)
Transfer: DR-2D => WAV => Magix Audio Cleaning Lab => FLAC (level 8, dithered to 16-bit)
Location: Second row, stage right
Disc one (46:22):
(1) Intro (0:13)
(2) Space Station #5 (2:37) =>
(3) Rock Candy (3:08) =>
(4) Bad Motor Scooter (5:18)
(5) Red (4:18)
(6) I Can't Drive 55 (5:00)
(7) Banter (2:11)
(8) There's Only One Way To Rock (4:27)
(9) I'll Fall In Love Again (3:15)
(10) Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy (2:38)
(11) Banter (2:16)
(12) Three Lock Box (4:10)
(13) Right Here, Right Now (6:43)
Disc two (56:53):
(1) Why Can't This Be Love (4:13) *
(2) Best Of Both Worlds (4:56) *
(3) Banter (1:54)
(4) Top of the World (4:20) *
(5) When It's Love (5:46) *
(6) Cabo Wabo (tease) (1:23) * =>
(7) Finish What Ya Started (5:58) *
(8) Heavy Metal (4:34)
(9) Mas Tequila (4:44) => *
(10) Knock Down Drag Out (3:33) *
(11) Encore break (2:36)
(12) Fire hydrant presentation (2:37)
(13) Winding Down (2:39)
(14) Eagles Fly (5:27)
(15) Good night (1:10)
* w/Michael Anthony
Comments:
Sammy's "Four Decades of Rock" tour came through Chicago last weekend, and I felt compelled to see the show via discounted "obstructed view" seats which (like the previous week's Black Crowes/Tedeschi Trucks Band show) weren't obstructed at all. Altogether, definitely got my money's worth relative to the people two seats over who paid three times as much for tickets. Sammy put on a very entertaining show which exceeded my expectations and whipped the crowd into a frenzy on a beautiful night in a beautiful setting.
The setlist roughly followed his discography, with an introductory medley of Montrose tunes, followed by a batch of his hits from the 1980s. A six-pack of Van Hagar songs followed, five of which featured a very animated (and possibly overserved) Michael Anthony on bass and backing vocals. The last section of the show featured his recent solo material with the Wabos, including (I think) a couple of yet-to-be-released tracks. The band was animated and very tight; Sammy didn't seem to have spent a lot of time rehearsing, but his flubs were forgiven by the adoring crowd who partied as hard as they could during his 105-minute set. His voice has lost a little edge over the years, but he still delivers (and has much better range than the former/current VH vocalist, Diamond Dave). Really fun show.
In terms of sound quality, this was the loudest show I've seen in awhile, and I could feel every bass drum kick thudding in my chest. You can pick this up on the recording; the low end is really powerful and crisp. Vocals and guitar kind of go in and out in the mix; they're not as prominent as they should be, but good enough. Sound quality is a lot better than I expected being close up. There may be yet another source released that was recorded in the back; this one lacks some of the "ambience" of the setting, but there's a great immediacy to the recording where you feel like everything is happening right in front of you. If you're a Sammy Hagar fan at all, you'll find this worth the download. A couple of random comments:
* Jim Peterik (formerly of Ides of March and Survivor) makes a 30-second cameo at the end of "Heavy Metal" singing backing vocals and high-fiving the band. Sammy introduces him and mentions they wrote the song together. Who knew?
* Michael Anthony's backing vocals are too high in the mix, and shall we say, "tough" -- he really should stick to bass, IMO. He's singing in the wrong key most of the time; perhaps due to his level of excitement (which was very high). He was really animated during his brief appearance and his bass parts sounded great. His off-key vocals were apparently managed better during the reunion tour in '04 than they are here.
* There are periodic bursts of static and distortion in the VH mini-set, I think because there may have been a short in Anthony's vocal mic (or perhaps it was overloaded). I don't think this is the fault of the taping gear or the sound system, and you can get used to it (though it's annoying).
* I've never seen anyone sign merchandise during a show before, and it was funny that people were passing t-shirts and vinyl albums up to the stage for him to sign throughout the show. The most fan-friendly thing I think I've ever seen during a show; at one point, you can hear him direct audience members to pass a signed Blackhawks jersey back to the right audience member (he pointed to the fan and said, "It's his").
The show was a fun party, and I think the atmosphere translates well on the recording. If you like his music (with and/or without VH), you'll probably find this well worth the download. For my part, it was 105 minutes well spent.
http://fp.io/fdcccc33/
