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Van Halen - Live Without a Net Actor: Van Halen Number of Items: 1 Audience Rating: Unrated Studio: Warner Strat. Mkt. Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2004-09-14 Buy from Amazon

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.0 "Finally!!" For hard core Van Halen fans this was a long time coming. This 1986 gem was originally aired live on MTV and finally saw the light of day on VHS shortly thereafter. However, it has been unavailable on DVD until now and fans of the band are rushing to add it to their collections. This was Eddie, Alex, Michael and Sammy at a time when they were all getting along and having a great time on stage. It's fun, full of great songs and is just a great concert. Fans of the band from this era will love the memories and the song selections. "Van Halen on DVD - AMAZING music, not a great DVD." The never ending debate regarding Van Halen's singers (David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, Gary Cheone, and most recently, Sammy Hagar again), doesn't seem even close to ending and fans are just as rude towards each other when battle lines are drawn as they were back in 1985-86. None of this affects the DVD you see on this page, however. DLR may have been the original, but Van Halen never played better than on the 5150 tour with Sammy. Edward, Alex, and Michael seem tighter than they have in years, especially compared to the 1984 tour where things with Dave were deteriorating, the band was playing especially ragged then. The X-factor here is Sammy Hagar, a fantastic rock vocalist whose voice seems to perfectly fit the Van Halen mold. Outwardly, the band seems happier and more relaxed with Sam on the mic, and they play like maniacs, though the playfullness seems a bit forced at times. Although the Hagar era seemed to favor releasing keyboard heavy power ballads, Van Hagar released some fantastic mega-metal cuts as "Get Up", "Summer Nights", and "Best Of Both Worlds", and when combined with Sam's more than passable take on classic Roth era tunes as "Panama" and "Ain't Talking Bout Love", make this a riff-rock maniacs must have DVD. But all is not well. The sound on this DVD is not great. Ed's guitar sounds thin (for him, most guitarists would still kill for something this good), Alex's drums are all electronic with the exception of his snare, and Mike is relatively buried in the mix, though his backup singing is classic VH goodness. There are also a few weak cuts, such as the aforementioned keyboard tunes, "Why Can't This Be Love" and "Love Walks In". It's really too bad that the Hagar-ized version of VH relied so heavily on releasing keyboard tunes, because their guitar oriented tunes were so much better. There's also next to nothing in the way of extras, something Van Halen is, sadly, well known for. Nonetheless, the disc is worth having if you're in any way a fan of Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Mike Anthony, and Sammy Hagar. If you're a DFF (Dave Fan First), then you probably won't enjoy it very much. "A Great Concert on a Great DVD" I have been a fan of Van Halen since I was in the fourth grade, and when it comes to Van Halen, the worst decision the band ever made was to hire Gary Cherone to be the lead singer for the band after Sammy Hagar left (it was a dissapointment to see David Lee Roth go, but Sammy Hagar was a good choice as a replacement). So now, along with Van Halen's reunion tour that brought Sammy Hagar back and their new greatest hits album, another thing that was needed for that finally came to DVD is the "Live Without A Net" concert, which, while it was originally released on video, thanks to the great world of technology, it is now also available on DVD. This concert was filmed in 1986 at Connecticut's New Haven Coliseum, and this was when David Lee Roth had been fired from the group and Sammy Hagar had been hired as the new lead singer. As already mentioned, some die hard David Lee Roth fans might not like this. But if you like Sammy Hagar and you are a loyal Van Halen fan with either David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar (the only Van Halen material not worth having is the Gary Cherone stuff) then you will probably like this DVD. The songs on here are songs that were originally recorded in a studio with both David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar, and if you are fan of Sammy Hagar's solo material, then you are in for a treat: One song performed live on this DVD is "I Can't Drive 55", one of Hagar's most popular and best known solo songs. Here you will also get to see Michael Anthony's bass solo, Alex Van Halen's drum solo, and Eddie Van Halen's guitar solo (when it is time for Van Halen to do his guitar solo, after he smokes a cigarette, he does his solo with a cigarette at the top of his guitar). The best part on the whole DVD-by far. We have been waiting for this legendary concert to be released on DVD for years now-if you get the chance to buy this DVD, don't turn it down. "Awesome - This never gets old -" For the true fan this is incredible - All the songs sound great, the footage is great and Eddies solo is the best I have ever seen. I have picked up quite a few DVD's in the past of old material, but this solo section is the top of the line. All in all, it is well worth buying if you had the VHS in the past and lost it - but if you still have the VHS its probably not worth buying since it is EXACTLY THE SAME VHS AND DVD. However, DVD sound quality would be cool I suppose if you have a large screen TV and sound system. "Van Halen at their best" Eddie Van Halen was one of the guitarists who first inspired me to pick up a guitar and amaze me with his two handed tapping technique. So this DVD has its place in my DVD collection. This DVD really highlights the band in their hey day, enjoying themselves and showing the energy playing in front of a crowd can bring induce. Despite the absence of Roth, they were still able to find success with 5150 and ride that wave of success and churn out plenty of 5150 tunes. Sammy still manages to sing a couple of pre-5150 tunes and shows he is not unfamiliar with a fret board. The footage is good enough for me. The sound though is not the best, but considering this was recorded almost 20 years ago, you cant expect the same recording quality as today due to technological advances. Anyone who likes Van Halen will appreciate them not just for their ability to compose good music, but also becuase Eddie is a legend amongst guitar circles for his innovative playing. I think this shows Van Halen at best, having a good time, working the crowd and playing good music. Throw in some 80's fashion and glam and you've got an entertaining DVD.