DLR ~ Contract Employee 07?

[i1sum2!]

As some of us seem to think the VH Bros are, shall we say, devious and underhanded with all things Halen, it could be that Diamond Dave may be forced to be a contract employee for the upcoming tour. They did this to Michael Anthony in 2004, and they may be doing this again to Dave. Is it right, or does it matter?

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/pos...oth_Offer.html

Now, I hear from reliable sources that the reason Dave has not taken them up on their offer is that he is not being asked to join as a member, but as a paid sideman. Wolfgang, however, has been made a full-fledged member. So even though it would be ¾ of the original classic lineup, and they’d likely be playing all material that Roth co-wrote, Diamond Dave stands to make less money than Eddie’s 15-year-old son...who has been playing bass for three months!!! IF this is true, then no friggin’ wonder Dave ain’t steppin’ up to the plate to sign on th dotted line!!! But of course, this is all rumors and speculation on my part, and I certainly wouldn’t know what I’m talking about…

[wannabemandolinhero]

This is a slap in the face big time! A paid sideman making less than Wolfgang who has only been playing bass for three months? Dave should just retire from singing Van Halen completely and not give those pricks the satisfaction.

Hopefully Dave's ego will keep him in check. I think there's more dignity in being a paramedic in NYC than being reduced to a hired hand in a band you played in central role in shaping.

I knew there was an angle to Eddie's invitation; and now he's making Dave look like the jerk. Fuckin' cutthroat Dutchmen!

[unchainedguitars]

I had read somewhere that Gene Simmons had spoken to Ed recently (was it posted here?) and this strikes me as something Gene would suggest.
Simmons did this with Ace & Peter for the big Kiss reunion of 1997, or whenever it was, and both Ace & Peter were paid a salary.
It was a pretty bold move on Gene's part because without Ace & Peter rejoining & agreeing to a makeup reunion, Kiss would not have made the obscene amounts of money they did. Yet Ace & Peter only stood to make a fraction of what Gene & Paul took in. Simmons logic was, "Well, hey, they quit in the first place, while Paul & i hung in there."
Still, i thought it was devious.
If this is in fact true about Dave, which i'm not so sure, i'd be dissapointed in the brothers.
By Dave re-joining they stand to clean up just like Kiss did with their original members, maybe even moreso.
Without Dave, they can tour arenas, but it won't be full houses & multiple dates in each city. So in one sense they do need Dave if they want the huge paycheck.
Still, Dave is really stuck in one heck of a predicament!
He can take the supposed offer, and lose compensation he deserves, but he'll gain the spotlight and ego fullfillment he desires (and i don't mean that as harsh as it sounds, Dave has those needs.)
By refusing the offer, which personally i would because it would not be right, he'd sort of sink back into a 'where are they now' staus.
Still, the brothers would have a lot to lose because then Dave could expose them and the offer, and a billion fans would rip eddie even more than they already do.
What to do???
Somebody get me a lawyer!

[unchainedguitars]

This is a slap in the face big time! A paid sideman making less than Wolfgang who has only been playing bass for three months? Dave should just retire from singing Van Halen completely and not give those pricks the satisfaction.

Hopefully Dave's ego will keep him in check. I think there's more dignity in being a paramedic in NYC than being reduced to a hired hand in a band you played in central role in shaping.

I knew there was an angle to Eddie's invitation; and now he's making Dave look like the jerk. Fuckin' cutthroat Dutchmen!

As much as i love Ed, if this story is in fact not a fabrication (which i hope it is), i would have to agree with what you just stated.
Dave did play a central role and him being on the ticket is a huge, huge, huge selling point for a reunion tour.
I'm not concerned about mike if i'm a realist (as far as from a business standpoint is concerned), but DLR is the equivelent of Ace & Peter with Kiss. Without him, it's half-full arenas.

[wannabemandolinhero]

DLR is the equivelent of Ace & Peter with Kiss. Without him, it's half-full arenas.

Have you ever considered what effect it might have on Eddie if - for the first time in nearly thirty years - he was forced to play in smaller, more modest venues? College campuses, fairs, bars, and so on? He has an ego too. Dave and Sammy and Mikey are familiar with "more intimate settings (an euphemism of sorts)", but Eddie has been top ticket for nearly thirty years ... a top ten tour earner only two years ago. It would probably hurt a lot more than being dumped by Warner Brothers. I still think Eddie's best bet at this point is to do a solo album in a Santana-like format with guest singers and musicians.

[IronicA]

Hypothetically, that's a shitty thing to do - the VH Bros., to me, don't come across as cut-throat businessmen ... the public profile, the lack of it, of CVH proves that ..this smacks of Music Industry Lawyer's & Management.

I run a Rock Venue/Theatre here in the UK - I never talk "Turkey" with the bands, its always with the Company .... the "Man". The majority of the Artistes I come in contact with aren't business "Savvy", so your speculation re; Dave 2007 & enlightenment re; Mikey 2004 is very interesting, sum.

Again, in terms of public profile and selling the tour, its a stupid thing to do...set's the wrong vibe to any potential paying punter.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wannabemandolinhero

Fuckin' cutthroat Dutchmen!

Wannabe, expect a good "clogging" anyday soon ! LOL

[i1sum2!]

About the only positive I see here is that if Dave is a hired gun so to speak, he can opt out to play any gig he wants without the usual BS that goes along with being a full fledged member. On the other hand, Dave has always said that a reunion had to be all the original members. He's maintained that the whole way too. If he agrees to step on stage with Wolf on bass, he goes against his word. His integrity is at stake here if you ask me. Maybe he is holding out for Mike after all. Let's hope.

The person who wrote this, I have no reason to doubt them whatsoever. They were at the big Ed bash and were around numerous insiders that night. Plus, the fact that it's no secret about Michael Anthony getting this treatment in 2004. Oh, the games the rich play!

[Sugar-Dave]

if this is true then eddie van halen is a prick

[Ice Cream Man]

Maybe it's the difference between being 16 and on the brink of 36, but it seems like rock n' roll isn't what it used to be. I just read a few months ago that Ozzy/Sharon Osborne charge the bands $100,000 apiece to play Ozzfest! Was this kind of thing always going on and we just didn't read about it in Hit Parader? Did Metallica pay to open for Ozzy back in 1986? Has this been going on all along?

This is one good thing about the Internet, they can't pull this kind of crap in the dark; we all read about it. I have a feeling Dave will do whatever it takes to feel like it's 1984 again. I agree with Mandolin, far more dignity in being a paramedic.

[Outtalove]

Maybe it's the difference between being 16 and on the brink of 36, but it seems like rock n' roll isn't what it used to be. I just read a few months ago that Ozzy/Sharon Osborne charge the bands $100,000 apiece to play Ozzfest! Was this kind of thing always going on and we just didn't read about it in Hit Parader? Did Metallica pay to open for Ozzy back in 1986? Has this been going on all along?

This is one good thing about the Internet, they can't pull this kind of crap in the dark; we all read about it. I have a feeling Dave will do whatever it takes to feel like it's 1984 again. I agree with Mandolin, far more dignity in being a paramedic.

all this shit has been happening for decades and decades. when you hear about bands selling millions of albums and getting nothing, do you think this is a new thing? it's called the music BUSINESS. all that bullshit is one of the reasons Frank Zappa started Barking Pumpkin, so he would have not only artistic control, but financial control as well. his wife Gail ran the business end, he was the creative force. I was just mentioning to SUM the other day that Frank would sell a relatively small amount of albums, but the guy was making like $8.00 or $9.00 dollars off of each one, where VH gets a quarter.