Alex Van Halen "Top of the World" in Atlanta, GA (LIVE) enhanced Drums - September 17, 2004

Alex Van Halen "Top of the World" in Atlanta, GA (LIVE) enhanced Drums - September 17, 2004
Van Halen - Live in Atlanta, GA September 17, 2004 (128 kbps).wav Top of the World-Eb-130bpm-441hz
Van Halen Tour 2004 is a Tour by Van Halen
Start date: June 11, 2004
End date: November 19, 2004
Legs: 4
No. of shows: 80
Personnel:
Sammy Hagar - lead vocals, guitar
Eddie Van Halen - lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Michael Anthony - bass guitar, backing vocals
Alex Van Halen - drums, percussion
Additional musician:
Wolfgang Van Halen - rhythm guitar (during "316")
The Van Halen Tour 2004 was a North American concert tour by hard rock band Van Halen. It was the band's first tour since 1998 and saw the return of lead singer Sammy Hagar, who left the band in 1996 after tensions with lead guitarist Eddie Van Halen.
Tensions between Hagar and Eddie Van Halen were rekindled during the rehearsals before the tour even started and continued until the last show. The 2004 tour marked the last time that Hagar would ever perform with Van Halen. Some points of contention between the two included Eddie's increased struggles with substance abuse and Sammy Hagar’s promotion of his personal Cabo Wabo tequila brand. The tour also signaled the declining relationship of bassist Michael Anthony with Eddie and Alex Van Halen. During the 2004 tour, Anthony was forced to lose his licensing rights to the band and to take a pay cut due to tensions with the Van Halen brothers.
While commercially successful attendance was an issue, the tour generally received poor reviews from critics, with some alleging that Eddie was sloppy, unfocused, and the band was past their prime. The tour’s legacy has been similarly poor as well, especially regarding the off-stage developments involving Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony. Nick Deriso of Ultimate Classic Rock called the tour “disastrous."
Controversies:
Hagar’s reunion with the band, and relationship with Eddie Van Halen, began well. In August 2004, Hagar said that he and Eddie Van Halen were going to “Pretend like it [the feud] never happened. We’re going to rise above it.” In an early review of the tour, Hagar was described as “undeniably delighted to be back together” with Van Halen. However, Hagar and Van Halen’s feelings of goodwill proved short-lived.
Hagar accused Eddie of drinking too much, despite Eddie's denials: "It was horrible to know a person that was in that kind of shape." In his memoir, Hagar wrote that during the tour Van Halen was “unkempt, hunched over, frighteningly skinny” and “drinking wine straight out of a bottle." Van Halen was reported to have collapsed during the tour as well, in addition to playing poorly due to his struggles with substance abuse. Eddie Van Halen said that he was “an alcoholic” and that in 2004 he became a “very angry drunk,” although he claimed that Hagar’s memoir was “definitely embellished."
Another point of contention during the tour was Sammy Hagar’s promotion of his Cabo Wabo tequila brand, to the displeasure of Eddie Van Halen. Bassist Michael Anthony said that “he [Eddie Van Halen] was never happy about that, the whole Cabo Wabo thing.” Anthony claimed that Sammy independently contracted with arenas to sell the tequila, which “would create some tension onstage and offstage." Hagar claims he was told by the Van Halen brothers, before the tour, that he would not be allowed to promote his Cabo Wabo tequila, so he purposefully “got a Cabo Wabo tattoo” on his arm and “wore short sleeves."
The tour also caused controversy with Michael Anthony, the band's longtime bassist (performing with them until 2000 when they went on hiatus, but still officially a member in 2004). Anthony was hired as a touring musician rather than a 'real' member of the band, resulting in being paid a reduced commission. Initially, the Van Halen brothers did not want him on the tour at all, but Sammy Hagar refused to tour without him.
September 17, 2004
Van Halen at Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA, USA
Tour: Best of Both Worlds Tour (2004)
Setlist:
Jump
Runaround
Humans Being
Up for Breakfast
Bass Solo
Somebody Get Me a Doctor
Poundcake
It's About Time
Drum Solo
Top of the World
Unchained
Why Can't This Be Love
Eagles Fly (Sammy Hagar song)
Tropic of Capricorn (Sammy Hagar song)
The Seventh Seal
Best of Both Worlds
Guitar Solo
Dreams
Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love
Right Now
Encore: You Really Got Me (The Kinks cover) and Panama
Encore 2: When It's Love