DLR performed a blue-grass styled ‘Jump’ on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday 6/6/06. Diamond Dave was promoting a new Van Halen tribute album, Strummin’ With The Devil, that he appears on.
DLR looked good, looked healthy, looked normal. He had short brown hair, dressed in jeans and a shirt, and that trademark wide smile. Surrounded by acoustic guitars, banjo, standing bass, fiddles…..Dave delivered a “different” take on a good old tune. It was good, I liked it.
I’ve always dug DLR. If I had to pick the ultimate frontman, it would be Dave. I like him with Van Halen, solo, on the radio, doing show tunes, writing books, and just talking. I get what Roth is about, I understand, and not many people do. Dave was one of those early Rock heroes that I still cling to today, even when he’s not at the top of his game (Sam & Dave Tour Mansfield, MA….Hagar was better even though Dave was good). DLR is one of those guys I gladly pay to see live and I run out and buy his releases the day of. I bought that last album, Diamond Dave, and I thought it was genius!
So what will I be doing later today if I can get my ass out of bed and into the car? I’ll be at the record store buying my copy of Strummin’ With The Devil!
