Van Halen/Osaka, Japan 1998

VAN HALEN at the time of Gary Cherone, who was struggling during the hard rock era of great adversity. The precious Live in Japan is now available. VAN HALEN welcomed EXTREME’s Gary as the third singer, but disbanded after only one album and one world tour. As a result, we entered an era of foam. Their final performance location is here in Japan. This work is the best audience recording of the “October 23, 1998: Osaka Castle Hall” performance. First, let’s check the show’s position from the tour schedule, which was the largest in their history of visiting Japan. ・October 20th: Hiroshima Sunplaza ・October 21st: Fukuoka International Center ・October 23rd: Osaka Castle Hall [This work] ・October 24th: Nagoya Rainbow Hall ・October 26th: Iwate Industrial Culture Center・October 28th-30th: Nippon Budokan (3 performances) ・November 2nd: Yokohama Arena A total of 9 performances. VAN HALEN has visited Japan six times to date, but this time is the one with the most performances. Although it is not as big as 1989, when there was a Tokyo Dome performance, it was a date that showed off Japan’s deep-rooted popularity in an era when it was struggling. The Osaka performance of this work was the third concert. This work, which records such a show, is truly the finest audience sound. Although it is not so close that it can be mistaken for a sound board, its core is extremely strong and the details are delicate. Best of all, it has a neat sound. The guitar is clear, even the slight scratches on the strings, and the vocals are clear, even when Gary and Michael Anthony harmonize, down to every single word of the lyrics. There’s a reason why it has that kind of sound. In fact, the recording artist of this work is a person who produced a series of masterpieces in Osaka from the end of the 1990s to the beginning of the 21st century. We have introduced many original recordings of this taper at our store. For example, BON JOVI’s masterpiece “OSAKA 2003 1ST NIGHT)” and IRON MAIDEN’s “DEFINITIVE OSAKA 2004”, as well as Richie Sambora, RAINBOW, AC/DC, SYKES, Yngwie Malmsteen, THE BLACK CROWES, etc. Recently, DEF LEPPARD’s masterpiece “OSAKA 1999” has also received great acclaim. This work is the latest work that shows the skill of such a master. The show drawn with such a sound is the pinnacle of American HR that would be too wasteful to end on a sour note. The highlight of that time was, of course, a huge performance of a Dave Lee Roth era number that Sammy didn’t want to sing. In terms of balance, about half of the songs are from the Dave era: 9 songs from the Dave era, 4 songs from the Sammy era, and 5 songs from III. During his comeback tour in 2004, Sammy started singing a little more, but he also performed plenty of songs that he didn’t get to hear there, such as “Mean Street,” “Jamie’s Crying,” “Dance The Night Away,” and “Feel Your Love Tonight.” It is. Of course, we now know about the original Dave return tour, but the key point here is Gary’s singing voice. A classic style that is closer to Sammy than the super unique Dave. The vocalization makes you think, “What if Sammy sang more of Dave’s songs?” The style of the song seamlessly jumps between melodic and hard rock’n’roll. All the songs are rare Gary versions, but the most valuable among them are “When It’s Love,” “Jamie’s Crying,” and “Dirty Water Dog.” Speaking of the classics of Gary’s era, the pro shot of the Sydney performance and the sound board recording of the Hershey performance are the classics, but these three songs are not played in either of them. In “When It’s Love,” he sings magnificently, just like Sammy, and in “Jamie’s Crying,” he rocks passionately, just like Dave. And, in “Dirty Water Dog”, a new heavy and profound sound that is different from either of them peeks out. When this happens, the numbers in “III” suddenly come alive. Although the album was filled with dark colors, the lively songs from Dave’s era really pulled the show, and the combination of the melodic Sammy era and the heavy “III” number made the entire show extremely diverse. In complete contrast to the monochrome album, this show can even be called the most colorful in VAN HALEN’s history. If they had taken advantage of this sense of balance in “III” itself, and if they had stuck with one more album, the Cherone era might not have been called a black history… Although it is now, you can experience a wonderful show with the best sound that brings out such regret. VAN HALEN from the Gary Cherone era, which is remembered as the flower of the times. However, even though the album had mixed reviews, on stage we were treated to an unparalleled paradise of American HR. This work is proof of that sound and is a superb record of a valuable live in Japan. Now that there is no movement in the essential VAN HALEN, we are reminded of the fulfillment of the Cherone era. Live at Osaka-Jo Hall, Osaka, Japan 23rd October 1998 TRULY AMAZING/PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1(66:43) 1. Unchained 2. Without You 3. One I Want 4. Mean Street 5. When It’s Love 6. Fire In The Hole 7. Why Can’t This Be Love 8. Jamie’s Crying 9. Drum Solo 10. Dance The Night Away 11. Feel Your Love Tonight 12. Humans Being 13. Somebody Get Me A Doctor Disc 2( 55:54) 1. Year To The Day 2. Guitar Solo / Year To The Day (Reprise) 3. Right Now 4. Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love 5. Dirty Water Dog 6. Panama 7. Jump Gary Cherone – Vocals Eddie Van Halen – Guitars, Vocals Michael Anthony – Bass, Vocals Alex Van Halen – Drums