Eddie Van Halen doesn't wing it into town for just anybody. But Sunday night at a benefit concert at the Riviera, the legendary guitarist looked humbled while he honored his terminally ill friend, Jason Becker.

Becker was, by all accounts, a world-class rock guitarist even before he could shave. A nimble-fingered California speed demon, Becker's lightning chops dropped the jaw of David Lee Roth, who in 1988 recruited the teenager to wield the ax front and center in his band. For Becker, it was the dream of a million teenagers, a dues-free bite at all the delicious decadence rock 'n roll's fastest lane guaranteed.

But the Roth gig was about the last free-and-clear good news that Becker ever got. Soon after, the prodigy was diagnosed with the rare and always fatal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Though the ailment wrecked Becker's musculature and nervous system, he continued to write and record music, using an intricate computer setup to cut his first album, "Perspective." He also continued to build an army of friends and admirers, many of whom rank among rock's guitar gods.

It was these friends who filled the sold-out Riviera with a seven-hour barrage of tremolo-drenched, eyes-skyward guitar heroics. And while warm-up performers such as Zakk Wylde, Vinnie Moore and Marty Friedman provided punchy (if uneven) mini-sets, the vocally partisan crowd treated much of the opening material simply as Prelude to Eddie.

When Eddie Van Halen hit the stage, pandemonium rippled up and into the last balcony row. Though new Van Halen singer Gary Cherone had been expected to make his debut at this show, he never materialized. No matter. The now-frenzied crowd would have hailed even the arrival of Michael Bolton. As it was, the 2,300 in attendance were in for one of the raunchiest, rawest pure power sets in a long while.

Opening with a raucous version of "Wipeout," Van Halen and bandmates Billy Sheehan (bass), Steve Lukather (guitar) and Pat Torpey (drums) served notice that the night's song list would stay rewardingly distant from the usual Van Halen fare.

They followed with a searing version of Led Zeppelin's "Good Times Bad Times," then shook the building during the Van Halen classic, "Ain't Talkin 'Bout Love." Eddie's opening riff on this number was as effortless and immediately distinctive as on the record, and he transfixed the crowd by working it inside and out when the band backed off. A cover of the Beatles "I Want You/She's So Heavy" provided ample room for Van Halen to show his blues chops, while a manic rendition of Hendrix's "Fire" nearly tore the roof off the place. Though the set lasted only 30 minutes, it's hard to imagine a truer, more heartfelt testament to an ailing friend.