Tokyo Dome Live in Concert explained

Tokyo Dome Live in Concert
Type:Live album
Artist:Van Halen
Cover:Van Halen - Tokyo Dome Live in Concert.jpg
Alt:A painting of a steam liner coming toward the camera
Recorded:June 21, 2013
Venue:Tokyo Dome (Tokyo, Japan)
Genre:Hard rock, heavy metal
Label:Warner Bros.
Producer:Van Halen
Prev Title:A Different Kind of Truth
Prev Year:2012

Tokyo Dome Live in Concert is a live album by American rock band Van Halen, released on March 31, 2015. It is their first live album with original lead vocalist David Lee Roth and second live album overall after 1993's . It is the final Van Halen album released during Eddie Van Halen's lifetime (he died on October 6, 2020) and is also their last release as a band.

History

The official press release announcing the album arrived on February 5, 2015. This was only after the information leaked a couple days earlier and after months of speculation.[1]

The album is Van Halen's first live album with their original lead singer David Lee Roth and third bassist Wolfgang Van Halen. The album features songs from every Roth-fronted Van Halen album, including their 2012 release, A Different Kind of Truth. However, the album has been criticized for Roth's vocal performance.[2]

According to Eddie Van Halen, the band originally wanted to remix 25 original song demos that Van Halen had done before they were signed to a major label, however, the original tapes could not be found. They then considered releasing recordings of their early club performances, but the sound quality was deemed too poor. As a result, it was decided to choose a concert recording from their A Different Kind of Truth Tour. According to Eddie, they had a Pro Tools workstation attached to their mixing board each night of that tour. The rest of the band left it up to Roth to pick what live performance would be released, and he chose the Tokyo Dome show.[3]

The cover artwork is an update of an existing 1935 painting of the SS Normandie by Cassandre.[4]

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2015)Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] 67
Japan (Oricon)[6] 19
Scotland (Official)[7] 57
US (Billboard 200)[8] 20
US (Billboard Rock Chart)[9] 5

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Van Halen’s Definitive Live Album & Remasters — FULL DETAILS. Van Halen News Desk. 7 February 2015.
  2. Web site: CRR Review - Van Halen - Tokyo Dome in Concert . Classicrockrevisited.com . 2018-08-05.
  3. Web site: Eddie Van Halen Speaks! Five Things We Learned in a Rare New Interview. Ultimateclassicrock.com. 2015-06-20.
  4. Web site: Normandie by Cassandre, 1935. Victoria & Albert Museum Online Collection. 2020-03-26.
  5. Web site: ARIA Albums: Spirit Of The Anzacs Is No 1. Noise11.com. Ryan. Gavin. April 11, 2015. April 11, 2015.
  6. Web site: オリコン週間 CDアルバムランキング 2015年03月30日〜2015年04月05日 11〜20位. Oricon.co.jp. 2015-06-20.
  7. Web site: Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100. Officialcharts.com. 2015-06-20.
  8. Web site: Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Ed Sheeran Scores His Second Million-Selling Album. Billboard.com. 2015-06-20.
  9. Web site: Top Rock Albums . Billboard.com . 2015-04-18 . 2015-06-20.