Van Halen - Greensboro - oops...

WolfeMacleod · 03:51 PM

What happens when the sound engineer pushes the wrong button?

Woops...
Listen closely..

Was anyone there? Although it's wounldn't surprise my if this were real...there seems to be a lot of overdubs popping up these days...

Icemaster · Icemaster's Garage

I think I heard a couple extra "Jump"s but other than that just general has-been over the hill never shoulda retaken the stage suckiness.

Gogar · 10-20-2007, 04:18 PM

My $.02 for the audio-nerds:

Sounds to me like the computer that was playing the backing tracks was playing a 44.1kHz file, and the system was mistakenly clocked to 48kHz. The result? The keyboard tracks played back too fast, and in a key somewhere between C# and D, when the band was playing in C. And, DLR had to try to ding a few steps higher, but unsure who to follow, the BAND, or the COMPUTER, just started doing some sweeps and stuff.

My other guess? the guitar tech is F---IN FIRED.

I guess they did the best they could in a really bad situation.

rouxroux · 10-20-2007, 06:07 PM

I think the guitars were tuned by the "Beauty Pagaent Star Wars Trumpet Girl"~~~~

Gogar · 10-20-2007, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rouxroux

I think the guitars were tuned by the "Beauty Pagaent Star Wars Trumpet Girl"~~~~

OH DAMN. Diet Pepsi through the nose on that one.

rouxroux · 10-20-2007, 06:33 PM

My guess is that there was a new sound engineer for the next show (if not the next SONG). What a horrible feeling. I'm sure he did not re-tune hoping the "consolemeister" would hear it and clock it back to 44.1.

The "suck" knob was turned up on that one for sure.

Sonic dB · Sonic dB's Garage

Quote:

Sounds to me like the computer that was playing the backing tracks was playing a 44.1kHz file, and the system was mistakenly clocked to 48kHz. The result?

That is what it sounds like, and probably true...but if they had been synching
to a master clock, like an AardSync or Big Ben that should have never happened...unless someone set the wrong clock rate...

could be that one song Jump they were using the sampled keyboards on...
which would explain the gaff better cause they didnt have it set up properly
why not just get a keyboard player?

Ed sounded like he was trying to find the right key there...but was totally flat
should have made the adjustment better

Dave actually sounds pretty good staying with the improper key.

Gogar · 10-20-2007, 08:34 PM

Well my thinking is that they WERE synching to a master box like you say; thusly the DAW "trusts you" to pick the correct clock on that master. If you're syncing to an external source like you said, the DAW doesn't really know what it's syncing to and will play right along.

OR that guitar tech is F---IN FIRED.

slodave · slodave's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gogar

Well my thinking is that they WERE synching to a master box like you say; thusly the DAW "trusts you" to pick the correct clock on that master. If you're syncing to an external source like you said, the DAW doesn't really know what it's syncing to and will play right along.

OR that guitar tech is F---IN FIRED.

Hey Gogar,

Do you know anything about this stuff or are you making it up??

the · 10-20-2007, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gogar

My $.02 for the audio-nerds:

Sounds to me like the computer that was playing the backing tracks was playing a 44.1kHz file, and the system was mistakenly clocked to 48kHz. The result? The keyboard tracks played back too fast, and in a key somewhere between C# and D, when the band was playing in C. And, DLR had to try to ding a few steps higher, but unsure who to follow, the BAND, or the COMPUTER, just started doing some sweeps and stuff.

My other guess? the guitar tech is F---IN FIRED.

I guess they did the best they could in a really bad situation.

Huh?!?

I thought this was a rock concert, not a video game convention!

Anyways, ol' Dave is looking pretty geriatric these days. Looks like he could use a little prune juice to loosen up before the show.

Gogar · 10-20-2007, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slodave

Do you know anything about this stuff or are you making it up??

No, I don't know much about it, but I slept at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

On second look, it's still up in the air for me. As posted on YouTube, if you look at the Philly show from a few weeks ago, the song is in the same key (C#), but everything's fine.

I think that guitar tech is F---IN FIRED.

Or something happened to the bridge of that guitar right as the tune started, or broken string, or whatever. But how come no one brought him a replacement in the first 20 seconds?

Strangely enough, the real "jump" is in the key of C. All white keys. Easy for Eddie. It's also the song I won the Junior High Talent show with, on my Prophet 600. Chicks for days, man.

kstar · 10-20-2007, 09:44 PM

What's up with Dave riding the big inflatable mic?

Did anyone else think that just wasn't "right"?

Best,

Kurt

Sonic dB · Sonic dB's Garage

Who knows what was going on in Ed's monitor... if he was playing a guitar tuned 1/2 step down, which is common for him...then all he had to do was slide his playing up a half step higher on the guitar... it would seem obvious to do IF he was listening or could hear what was going on around him..

PS anyone get the obvious phallyic reference with that big microphone that Dave was riding around on? Oh that jokester...still just a gigalo

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Man, that sounded. . . well. . . bad.

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

What a train wreck....

VaSteve · 10-21-2007, 04:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonic dB

Who knows what was going on in Ed's monitor... if he was playing a guitar tuned 1/2 step down, which is common for him...then all he had to do was slide his playing up a half step higher on the guitar... it would seem obvious to do IF he was listening or could hear what was going on around him..

PS anyone get the obvious phallyic reference with that big microphone that Dave was riding around on? Oh that jokester...still just a gigalo

Hasn't that mic riding thing been going on for years? Cool when you're in your 20's. Now, not so much.

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

wow. I've played a lot of gigs over the years, but I've never played in the wrong key for the whole song. Even when I was doing a lot of drugs.

Sorry, but he should have been able to do an on the fly retune if it was a quarter step off or just transpose if it was a half or whole step off. It's rock, not bach...

911Rob · 911Rob's Garage

You do drugs on stage?

Ahrggg! That was bad!!!
Help me here; I saw Van Halen in about 1979 in Vancouver and they were excellent!
This was not that band; surely?

ed martin · 10-21-2007, 01:04 PM

Ever hear music over a digital phone? My guess is that it was recorded with some inferior digital recorder. I don't think that Ed could hit some of those notes without cringing or running to his amp or effects box. Gaging the audience reaction I don't think they heard what we heard.

Icemaster · Icemaster's Garage

Never ask a guy with a tin ear to critique music.

I never picked up on the completely wrong key. Just thought it was pathetic has beens trying to play music again.