By John Voket
LiveDaily Contributor

David Lee Roth tells the story in concert like it was yesterday. As a teenager, you would often find him hanging around his best friend's suburban New Jersey home sitting among a circle of classmates, "... passing joints in both directions."

As the hazy nights would wear on, he said everyone would become focused on a wall around his buddy's dartboard where errant darts had chipped off the paint. Except, under a black light, those chips would become a field of stars, and suddenly everyone was sharing a mutual experience of deep space flight.

For me, a common teenage experience involved driving out into the country, and parking my VW Rabbit under a blanket of stars. Standing on the hood with a worn out 8-track blasting, I would play endless air guitar solos along with Eddie Van Halen's amazing "Eruption," and most of the rest of the band's 1978 debut project.

Last weekend, a million "Eruptions" later, the Mohegan Sun arena in eastern Connecticut became a Mecca for thousands of heavier, balder and ostensibly more mature party maniacs and air guitar champions as the latest, and possibly greatest incarnation of Van Halen hit the stage for an incomparable 26 song marathon.

From the opening licks of "You Really Got Me," through the 10-minute guitar solo that ended with a modified and rapturous "Eruption," to the echoing final power chords of "Jump," the band delivered the goods. Certainly anyone who came through the door with doubts about Van Halen's ability to "a-satisa-fy," had to depart the building with a whole new attitude about this hard rocking and hit-making act.

With Eddie's 16-year-old son Wolfgang nailing the bass and high harmonies spot-on, the band is more Van Halen than ever before. And it looks like Wolfie's youthful energy has greatly enhanced and not detracted from the formula--despite all the Michael Anthony fans who assumed the departed bassist was irreplaceable.

Song after song, Wolfgang Van Halen's contributions became more evident, as memories of whiskey swigging Anthony faded into the distance. From the constant ear-to-ear grin on father Eddie's face, and frequent approving nods and smiles from Uncle Alex and prodigal frontman David Lee Roth, the band's approval was shared from the inside out.

While the set list has been pretty much established since opening night of the "Van Halen Reunion" tour, seeing it in print versus hearing it roll out in its glorious whooping, screeching, power chord glory is something like seeing one of those panoramic postcards of the Grand Canyon versus standing along the edge of it.

Having been among the rock drummers who pioneered the double-bass thump, Alex has taken his extensive kit to new extremes with, count 'em, four bass drums and some electronics that helped enhance his few minutes in the solo spotlight. The heart-pounding pump and clang of the cymbal bell, which was so prevalent in most of the early Van Halen, material came through loud and clear on every number.

Switching off on a variety of colorful axes throughout the show, brother Eddie reaffirmed his status as one of the world's greatest rock guitarists. He was not only one with the instrument, his stings and leads were perfectly integrated with each number.

Casual fans, if there are any, may chalk up the astounding fretwork on Eddie Van Halen's studio tracks to carefully pieced together recording sessions. But once again, as it rolls out in a live format without a net or a particular former singer/guitarist to back him up, Eddie's Hall of Fame status becomes validated.

His manipulation of the instrument is better than ever, and was as much of a draw as the prospect of seeing Diamond Dave strutting and kicking up his heels again after more than two decades. Having seen each configuration of the band including the anomaly of Gary Cherone at the microphone, it was almost strange to see Roth back in the saddle. With a combination of doll-face leering and some pretty campy dance moves, Roth has nonetheless earned the right to belt out a generation's worth of Van Halen numbers many long-time fans thought they would never hear in concert.

Roth's best work was showcased on "And the Cradle Will Rock," "Atomic Punk" and "I'll Wait." By the time he pulled out the vintage acoustic guitar to accompany himself for the first segment of "Ice Cream Man," he had everyone in the arena eating out of his hand.

While the latest configuration of Van Halen is certainly not a truly reunited band without Anthony, the current line up deserves all the credit it has coming. The band may have hosted a revolving door of lead singers, but, in the process of becoming one of rock and roll's most dysfunctional families, Van Halen has come full circle to give purists as well as newcomers a taste of vintage musical wine.

To simply say it has improved with age, however, would be a gross understatement; despite shaking the foundations of rock and roll back in 1979, Van Halen in 2007 may be better than ever.

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