For the first time in nearly 30 years, David Lee Roth‘s incredible Eat ‘Em and Smile band is ready to get back together and play out live.
But there are a couple of important caveats. Guitarist Steve Vai, bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette are reuniting for one night only — a special free show, Nov. 25 at Lucky Strike Live Hollywood/Highland in Los Angeles — and instead of backing up Roth, they’ll be playing with Steel Panther vocalist Ralph Saenz. Still, even if it won’t be quite the same as seeing the band play with Diamond Dave, the event promises to assemble an unfair amount of talent on a single stage.
The show comes courtesy of Ultimate Jam Night, a weekly show co-founded by former Quiet Riot bassist Chuck Wright whose house band features veterans of Mr. Big and the Edgar Winter Group. Billed as a 30th anniversary tribute to Vai, Sheehan and Bissonette’s work on Eat ‘Em and Smile, the concert promises to “re-create†performances from the album and tour.
As Roth fans are sadly aware, the Eat ‘Em and Smile band started its slow dissolution almost as quickly as it came together — something that Vai suggested he saw coming during a 2012 interview with Examiner.com. “Dave got the best musicians he could, who he thought was the best. And I thought it was a hell of a band,†he recalled. “It was one of my favorite times in my whole musical career, because we were rock stars, you know? And touring with somebody like Dave, you can’t even imagine what it was like. It was just glorious, man. And I knew it was fleeting, and I knew it was something that I wasn’t going to be doing my whole life, because my brand of music in my own head is very different.â€
I'd love to have went to this show. Seeing the EEAS lineup(with Roth) has always been on my pipe dream bucket list. I was one of the few people hoping Roth would do this in the early-mid 00s before VH pulled the trigger on a reunion. Of course Roth is a joke now so I doubt many wanted him to even appear now.
If these three guys were willing to do it at some point, why wait 30 YEARS? Why not 20?
I think it was one of the best albums of the 80s. It was my soundtrack to the summer of 86. Just a fun album that doesn't take itself seriously and it brings back a lot of great memories. Roth really screwed the pooch by letting this lineup fall apart. I think he only created this supergroup to try and show up VH and while this album was successful, he saw it wasn't going to be the next VH and basically said fuck it. His solo career has sucked ever since.
Skyscraper was a pretty good album as well but not nearly as good Eat Em and Sheehan had already bailed and Vai was on fumes, didn't care, and was headed to Whitesnake right after that.
All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.
Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future.
I'd love to have went to this show. Seeing the EEAS lineup(with Roth) has always been on my pipe dream bucket list. I was one of the few people hoping Roth would do this in the early-mid 00s before VH pulled the trigger on a reunion. Of course Roth is a joke now so I doubt many wanted him to even appear now.
If these three guys were willing to do it at some point, why wait 30 YEARS? Why not 20?
I think it was one of the best albums of the 80s. It was my soundtrack to the summer of 86. Just a fun album that doesn't take itself seriously and it brings back a lot of great memories. Roth really screwed the pooch by letting this lineup fall apart. I think he only created this supergroup to try and show up VH and while this album was successful, he saw it wasn't going to be the next VH and basically said fuck it. His solo career has sucked ever since.
Skyscraper was a pretty good album as well but not nearly as good Eat Em and Sheehan had already bailed and Vai was on fumes, didn't care, and was headed to Whitesnake right after that.
Those videos were a HUGE deal back then...at least as I recall.
"It was like I was in high school again, but fatter."
Sure was. Yankee Rose was #1 on that Dial MTV countdown for weeks during the summer of 86. You're lucky you got to see them. I was 11 when this came out. Didn't go to a concert until I was 15.
HAHA yeah I thought that about the title. Wish Roth was in good shape and didn't act like a clown. I guess he couldn't do it anyways as the VH brothers would veto it.
I think I saw this tour. I think I thought it was good. ;-)
At my show, Roth was rolled out in a small chest which he popped out of in the middle of arena to wild applause. My 15 year old mind never saw this coming. He stood there for a few minutes with his hands in the air while the place cheered in approval of this masterful feat. I'm guessing her sang after that, can't remember. I do remember that I was really impressed with Vai playing "Lakeland kicks ass" on his guitar. Woahhh...
Also the lead singer to Tesla did the snake dance Axl move. So when I saw Axl do that a few years later I always thought of Tesla.
.Also the lead singer to Tesla did the snake dance Axl move. So when I saw Axl do that a few years later I always thought of Tesla.
So Tesla ripped off the singer from Shark Island too?
I remember him doing it in one of their videos back then(Call It What You Want?). Also remember an interview with Slash in Circus or one of the other mags back then putting him down for it. Didn't name him specifically but it was obvious who he was directing it at.
All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.
Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future.
Oh yeah, when that video was in constant rotation I used to say that line "Gimme a bottle of anything with a glazed donut...to go" to my mom a lot when I'd come in the house after playing outside. I bet she got sick of that really quick.
So Tesla ripped off the singer from Shark Island too?
I remember him doing it in one of their videos back then(Call It What You Want?). Also remember an interview with Slash in Circus or one of the other mags back then putting him down for it. Didn't name him specifically but it was obvious who he was directing it at.
I did a quick search for Davy Jones and this came right up, haha
Sucks that something really cool and what was probably going to only happen this one time got derailed. They NEVER should have said it was free and if so, shouldn't have promoted it everywhere. Many people have fond memories of this band. Some people flew in from Texas to see this.
Roth is a clown but how could anyone not love the guy? Roth says they'll try to do it again at a bigger venue. I have my doubts. It needed to happen last night.
A quote from someone there..
Alright, I was there last night. To say how it all played out is beyond stupid is being nice. It had to be the dumbest concert, event, or show I have ever been to.
Like DJ Will wrote it was confirmed Roth was going to be there. The only hitch was if he didn't show (for whatever reason) other musicians had to learn/know a few more songs to cover if he didn't make it.
I got there around 6 or so to make sure I got in. You had to rsvp to get in, but that did not guarantee you entrance. And if you did not rsvp, that didn't mean you weren't getting in. Huh?
The place was beyond packed. If you weren't within the first 10 feet or so of the stage, you couldn't see. I got lucky I found a spot towards the back where the video cameras were on a platform so I just stood there above the crowd.
Before Roth & others were to play ( that was never announced they just would say something special was going to happen) I see a couple of firemen walking around & they go to where the kitchen & bathrooms are. A few minutes later the host of the show Tommy G or Paulie Q or Jimmy Z or whatever his name is comes out & tells the crowd that there are too many people in the room & the fire marshall says that unless half the people clear out of the room, they will shut down the show. So this guy asks people to leave he says "I'm not telling anybody to leave, but I am asking you to leave. We cannot continue the show unless people leave. Please if you have seen the show, let people that haven't stay and enjoy. If you are part of the All Star Jam family, please leave". Etc etc blah blah blah. The problem was nobody was leaving. Everybody just stood there. So this went on for about 10 minutes or so with the host pleading people to leave. It gets to a point where he says if you leave they will take your name & number & you will get a special table for a future show. People were leaving, but in no way the amount that was needed to continue the show. At that point I said to myself "screw this" & I left. I figured the fire marshall was serious & since no one was leaving, they were going to shut it down so I didn't want to be part of the herd of cattle being escorted out of one exit. When I got outside there were more people outside wanting to get in, and a half dozen or so fireman waiting to do their job. Didn't know if plug got pulled or not until I hopped on Metal Sludge to see that it was. What a clusterfuck!
Also to add to this....Capacity was over by appx 300 folks (regular wed crowds reach 725)
Unlucky Strike must have thought no one was going to check the door clicker or something but all the added TV coverage KLOS Radio plug was 100% unecessary...there is enough word of mouth/social media out there to fill every Wed no matter what.
Fire marshalls can easily do the eyeball test to see it was waaaaay over.
Feel bad for all the folks from out of town that drove/flew in only to get denied. I know of 4 SF/NY/TX/SD
p.s. the real DLR DID show. Confirmed. would have been epic but...John 5 was last act to play before the shutdown.
LS dropped the ball. Also no need for a Red Carpet on this which was set up.
All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.
Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future.
