Tuesday - 2/21/12 

Details from Van Halen's first show on 2012 tour. Frampton films DVD. Seger sets September deadline for album release. The latest from Black Sabbath. Texting makes you bad at reading. Canadians listen to music during sex. Big raises for oil and gas workers. Questions to ask before moving in together.

VAN HALEN

Van Halen kicked off its 2012 North American tour on Saturday night in Louisville, Kentucky, treating fans to a 22-song set list that featured a handful of songs from the new A Different Kind Of Truth album, most of the hits and classic tracks one would want, and a few rare gems that have not been played live for decades.

Launching the show with "You Really Got Me" and "Runnin' With The Devil" -- just like they did on their 2007/2008 world tour -- Van Halen delivered the goods on a simple, streamlined stage with a massive video screen behind them that flashed footage of the band as well as other visual imagery.

Ultimate Classic Rock wrote that lead singer David Lee Roth, roaming the stage with a headset microphone, was in "strong voice throughout," while the Van Halens -- guitarist Eddie, bass player Wolfgang and drummer Alex -- performed "with precision and fire all night."

Four songs were featured from the new disc: "She's The Woman," "Tattoo," "China Town" and "The Trouble with Never."

A surprise treat for fans was the inclusion of two long-unperformed songs from 1979's Van Halen II, "Women In Love" and "Outta Love Again." On the other hand, tracks played on the 2007 tour like "Atomic Punk," "Jamie's Cryin'," "So This Is Love" and "And The Cradle Will Rock" were left off the list this time.

The opening night set list of Van Halen's tour was:

"You Really Got Me"
"Runnin' With The Devil"
"She's The Woman"
"Romeo Delight"
"Tattoo"
"Everybody Wants Some!!"
"Somebody Get Me A Doctor"
"China Town"
"Mean Streets"
"Pretty Woman"
Drum Solo
"Unchained"
"The Trouble With Never"
"Dance The Night Away"
"I'll Wait"
"Hot For Teacher"
"Women In Love"
"Outta Love Again"
"Beautiful Girls"
"Ice Cream Man"
"Panama"
Guitar Solo
"Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"
"Jump"

PETER FRAMPTON

On Saturday night Peter Frampton filmed his upcoming live DVD showcasing his Frampton Comes Alive 35 tour at New York City's Beacon Theater. The night was something of a family affair, with former wife Barbara and daughter Jade in the audience, along with son Julian joining the band for his recent collaboration with his dad on the song, "Road To The Sun" -- and later on, a rousing rendition of the Humble Pie standard, "I Don't Need No Doctor." The highpoint of the evening, which featured the entire 1976 double album played in its entirety, was Frampton's onstage reunion with his 1954 custom Les Paul.

The long lost 1954 custom Gibson Les Paul guitar went missing in 1980 when a cargo plane crashed while bringing Frampton's gear to a show in Panama. The guitar was used on such legendary Humble Pie albums as Rock On, and Performance: Rockin' The Fillmore -- as well has his first seven solo albums -- including Frampton Comes Alive. The guitar, which was recently brought back to life at the Gibson headquarters in Nashville, was unveiled just prior to Saturday night's version of  'Do You Feel Like We Do' -- which was the only time it was used all evening.  

BOB SEGER

Bob Seger has given himself a self-imposed deadline of September 24th for the release of his first studio album in six years. While attending The Grammy Awards earlier this month in L.A., Seger told Ultimate Classic Rock: "I came here to get stoked up, see a bunch of great talent, and I'm gonna fire up the writing pad tomorrow night." Seger, who began a three-month songwriting block on New Year's Day has already finished one new song for the album, called, 'Ride Out.'"

Previous sessions featured collaborations with Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock.

Although heisn't the type of guy to announce a farewell tour, Seger who turns 67 on May 6th, said  that he may be done with the road: "I don't know if I wanna do this when I'm 67, y'know? I would remain writing songs, I don't know about recording, y'know? I think I'd write for other people. The recording takes a lot more time than the writing, y'know? And I think I could better use my time writing and turning them over to someone else."

BLACK SABBATH

Black Sabbath has essentially canceled all its announced tour dates save one due to guitarist Tony Iommi's ongoing treatment for lymphoma. According to a press release, Iommi will still join fellow original Sabbath members Ozzy Osbourne on vocals and Geezer Butler on bass at the U.K.'s Download Festival on June 10th. But the rest of the band's scheduled European summer shows will be replaced by "Ozzy And Friends," at which the singer will be joined by Butler, former Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde and other special guests, including Slash on selected dates.

Butler will join Ozzy during the shows for a set of Sabbath songs in honor of Iommi. The 64-year-old guitarist continues to make "excellent progress" in his battle with cancer, which was diagnosed earlier this year.

Iommi, Butler and Osbourne are in London continuing to record their first album together in 33 years, although without founding drummer Bill Ward it is not the original Sabbath reunion announced last November.

Ward has been sitting out the sessions due to being offered what he called "an unsignable contract" in an open letter to Sabbath fans.

Last Friday, Ward posted an update in which he said he "remains hopeful" for a positive outcome to the situation and is "prepared to go to the U.K. and record, and later tour with the band." It is not clear whether Ward issued his statement before the news broke about Sabbath's plans being

TEXTING MAKES YOU BAD AT READING

 Frequent text messaging may damage reading skills, according to new research comparing text users with people who preferred to read newspapers and books. Researchers found that heavy texters were less able to understand new words -- and less willing to accept them. People who read 'traditional' printed language such as books, magazines and newspapers are much more comfortable with accepting and understanding new words. (Daily Mail)

CANADIANS LISTEN TO MUSIC DURING SEX

 A new survey found that 53 percent of Canadians prefer to have music playing during sex. "Emotions have a stronger link to our auditory stimuli versus visual so what we hear, or don't hear, during sex has the ability to affect what happens between the sheets," said Josey Vogels, a sex and relationships expert. The survey also found that preferences for sexy tunes differ drastically depending on where you are in Canada. People on the coasts, like in Quebec and British Columbia, listen to oldies or jazz and blues when they're getting intimate, while those in the prairie provinces like Manitoba and Saskatchewan like pop and country. (LimeLife.com)

BIG RAISES FOR OIL AND GAS WORKERS

 Oil and gas workers will get the biggest raises this year. Research from management consulting firm Hay Group indicated that the average worker will see a 3% salary increase this year, standard for middle management, executives, clerical workers, and supervisors in most industries. Oil and gas workers will fare slightly better with a 4% median increase, the upper end of the norm pre-2008, when workers could expect 3.5% to 4% pay increases. Health care workers are expected to fare the worst -- likely to see increases around 2.5%. The data comes from Hay Group's annual survey of 300 American businesses, which the firm has conducted for over 30 years. (AskMen.com)

QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE MOVING IN TOGETHER (Women's Health)

Are you willing to wait? Unless you've already discussed a wedding date, don't assume that moving in together will make picking out china patterns and sending out invites happen any sooner. In fact, according to a report from Rutgers University, only 40 percent of couples were married after living together for five to seven years. So if marriage is on your agenda, talk about it. Uncomfortable bringing it up? Beware. "Intense anxiety about whether he'll pop the question can signal underlying concerns about his commitment to you," says Judith Sills, Ph.D., author of The Comfort Trap. Until that anxiety fades, keep your own pad.

How's his credit rating? Though it can be one of those prickly relationship chats, the who-pays-for-what conversation needs to happen before you cosign a lease, says Adriane G. Berg, author of Financial Planning for Couples. Disclose your respective salaries and debts, then make a plan for divvying up the bills. Berg suggests using a proportional system (for example, if you earn 30 percent more than your man, you pay 30 percent more of the rent) rather than trying to split everything down the middle.

Are you ready to rumble? Don't be afraid to end the honeymoon phase by hammering out your differences. It will help you gain a deeper understanding of each other, Berg says, and build a stronger relationship in the process. While some experts recommend keeping a gratitude journal, Berg advises tracking fights. Jot down when you and your man fought, what you fought about, and the outcome. It can help you recognize patterns and identify serious issues. Keep in mind, Berg says, that the entries are learning tools, not ammunition for the next round.

Do you own a blindfold? You may discover that cohabitating actually results in less quality time. And when you do hit the couch together, there's nothing sexy about it (Babe, are you sitting on the remote?). An easy fix, says WH advisor Yvonne K. Fulbright, Ph.D., is scheduling romance from the get-go. "Decide on a weekly date night before you finish unpacking your boxes," she says. And don't be shy about trying new seduction techniques. Surprise him with breakfast in bed--wearing just an apron.

Thanks for listening to The Eagle while you work. Keep it fabulous, Houston!

xoxo,

Jennifer Tyler

Fabulous Mid-Day Diva