Yes, even rock stars get nervous. And as Van Halen gets ready to rock once again, one band member got vulnerable with fans during a smaller, more intimate show at a historic venue.
As Pollstar reports, Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth and the band took the stage at the Cafe Wha? in New York and Roth told the crowd, as he recounted that Bob Dylan had played on the same stage, that “I’m more nervous about this gig than I would ever be at [Madison Square] Garden.”
Why Intimacy Rocks
It’s kinda cool to hear an artist like Roth say something like that. It’s also interesting to think about what happens to the mood and feeling of a show when an artist is vulnerable and honest about the fears and emotions they’re experience at that moment because it really does make the performance more intimate.
And it just goes to show that the size of the venue, how close the band is to the fans, and what legends played before on the stage are all important factors to how and what an artist feels during a show.
It’s Why We’re Addicted
And regardless of how experienced they are, the emotions are still there and very real. And when the artist does get vulnerable the fan is almost always the one who benefits the most because that emotional exchange is what we hope to experience at every concert. It’s why we’re addicted to live music.
But will this sort of small venue intimacy be achievable on Van Halen’s 2012 area reunion tour? And after watching the video above, I REALLY hope, for the fan’s sake, that the live show will be better than “Tattoo,” the first song off the new album.
Who knows, maybe the flood of nostalgia and memories that will be flowing through fans minds and hearts during the show will make up for any rock the band’s lost over the last 28 years.
What’s Your Van Halen Story?
Are you excited about this Van Halen tour? Got a cool live show story? Share your concert experiences and thoughts in the comments below, on Twitter @livefixmedia, on Facebook or call the concert fan hotline at 773-609-4341, and we’ll include them in a future episode of Live Fix Radio.