Van Halen jumps into a train wreck

Posted October 19th, 2007 by eric

This live version of “Jump” recorded a few weeks ago at Van Halen’s reunion tour stop in Greensboro, NC is such a train wreck it’s uncomfortable to watch. According to RW370, who originally posted the video, the keyboard is running at 48k instead of 44.1k, which makes the notes 1.5 semi-tones sharp, so poor Eddie Van Halen cannot for the life of him find matching frets on his guitar because difference in pitch is non-musical. Thems the breaks for using off-stage, sampled keyboards. To the band’s credit, though, Van Halen tries to soldier through the mess as though nothing is wrong, and it’s funny as hell.

After a boost in traffic, RW370 has relished the catastrophe with hilarious commentary:

“Let me explain: this song’s ridiculous, obvious major-key swells, as used for the the ground under guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s histrionics are intended to be stirring and uplifting. Indeed, this is how most appreciative listeners experience these moments, I’m just not that lucky.

This is the clip’s genius: when the anthems’ most triumphant peaks arrive with an alarming leviathan groan instead of the intended sound of angels gently urinating arcs into the sky, it throws, finally, the overt phoniness of this wretched song into sharp contrast. The dissonance highlights exactly where you were supposed to be most elated, most manipulated by greeting-card level sentimentality — but instead leaves you appropriately laughing. Bless you, Van Halen.”

Tags: video

1 response so far ↓

  • 1 patrick // Oct 20, 2007 at 11:31 am

    ouch. that sounds like the worst of van halen cover bands. someone’s ass got fired after this.