Checked out Techmeme and saw the top linked story was from the New York Times: YouTube Is Purging Copyrighted Clips:

The site late last week began purging copyrighted material from Comedy Central, including clips from YouTube stalwarts like “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” “The Colbert Report” and “South Park.”

Yesterday I learned that Van Halen might be — rumor alert, folks — going on a reunion tour in 2007 with original frontman David Lee Roth. This is a reunion many doubted would ever happen but Roth firmly claimed was “inevitable.” Apparently Eddie Van Halen, who clearly is the leader of the band, told Howard Stern it could happen. It seems like since VH was put on the ballot for possibly being inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 the timing is right. No album it sounds like, though, just them on tour playing the hell out of the old stuff.

Doing some additional digging I learned that David Lee Roth and his band will in fact be at the Emerald Queen casino in Tacoma, WA this coming Saturday night, November 4. Tickets are still available as of this writing around $45 USD from Ticketmaster. On Roth’s website he shares the setlist which includes many classic VH songs and his solo hits.

I wondered what Diamond Dave sounds like these days. Does he still have the pipes?

I’ve seen some pictures and Roth has lost the long, 80s style blond hair and looks a little like author Dean Koontz. Roth had a brief, unsuccessful stint as the guy who replaced Howard Stern in terrestrial radio. There is a Fox News clip with Roth being interviewed as to whether CBS gave him a “raw deal” on YouTube.

And speaking of Youtube, I was able to quickly and easily locate recent clips with every song in the David Lee Roth Band setlist except for Beautiful Girls. The oldest clip was Yankee Rose from 2002. If you are wondering what David Lee Roth sounds like in 2006 like me YouTube has most of the goods, although the sound and video are clearly bootleg quality.

I’m curious if Roth and company will order these clips taken down from YouTube or if they will want them to stay for promotional value? If you see the video links below get removed or taken down (what happens when you embed a video to something on YouTube that gets taken down?) then you know the answer.

1. Hot For Teacher - Brazil October 2006

2. Meanstreet - House of Blues 2005

3. Just Like Paradise - Brazil Oct 2006

4. Runnin’ With The Devil - Brazil Oct 2006

5. You Really Got Me - Brazil Oct 2006

6. California Girls - Detroit August 2006

7. Beautiful Girls - unavailable(?)

8. Somebody Get Me A Doctor - Detroit August 2006

9. Jamie’s Crying - Detroit August 2006

10. Cradle Will Rock - Mobile, Alabama August 2006

11. Just A Gigolo - Brazil October 2006

12. Unchained (Pork Pie Hat) - Detroit August 2006

13. Panama - Arkansas October 2006

14. Dance The Night Away - Brazil October 2006

15. Yankee Rose - Charlotte, NC 2002

16. Ice Cream Man - Oshkosh, WI July 2006

17. Everybody Wants Some! - Detroit August 2006

18. Ain’t Talking ‘Bout Love - House of Blues 2005

19. Jump - Brazil October 2006

Do these (infringing) videos make you less or more likely to buy tickets to the concert?
In my case the presence of these videos on YouTube made me even more intrigued by the David Lee Roth band. The clip quality is so suspect that it’s hard to tell how Roth sounds these days. His guitarist is smoking and the music sounds great. A few times Roth tries to make some of his signature kicks and seems a little sluggish, but hey the guy is over 50.

I can see dropping 45 bones plus tax to see the show firsthand. I never got the chance to catch Van Halen or Van Hagar in concert and this would be pump me up for the reunion — if it happens — next year. I told my wife I wanted to go. We’ll see if we can make it.

Does seeing this video make it less likely you’d want to see the show? I guess that’s the bottom line financial question to probe. I don’t think these type videos hurt the artist, but I’m curious if we’ll see this type of content on YouTube being purged in the coming days. Maybe Diamond Dave should share some professionally produced clips along with his text-based setlist or heck, even take it a step further and provide a fan section on his website linking to these fan videos. Or sell the music from each concert like Pearl Jam and Metallica have done in the past. I’d have thrown down some $$$ for a higher quality, professionally produced version of the concert.

Did this post make you go hmm?

Related Posts

• Diamond Dave drowned out by his band
• Tickets to David Lee Roth concert locked and loaded
• 3/4 of original Van Halen in Seattle 12/3/2007, barring another Eddie eruption
• Led Zeppelin one off concert reunion in works?
• YouSued
• Van Halen finally gets nod into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame