October 18th, 2007
From: http://www.freetimes.com/
Quicken Loans Arena, Wednesday, October 10
By Jeremy Willets
If you had told David Lee Roth 30 years ago that on his 53rd birthday he'd
be playing a sold-out arena gig with Van Halen - with Eddie's 16-year-old
son, Wolfgang, on bass - he'd probably have called you crazy. A Van Halen
reunion with Roth seemed unlikely all but a few months ago, but time (and
the promise of a huge payday) has obviously healed any rifts between Roth
and the Van Halen brothers. There was enough hugging and kissing between
Roth and Eddie Van Halen throughout the show to reinforce that point.
Perhaps the genuine feel of the proceedings was the reason so many turned
out for this chance to see, as Roth put it, the "three-quarters original,
one quarter inevitable" lineup run through 25 pre-Sammy Hagar cuts. The
set list obviously skewed toward the hits, but there were lesser-known
cuts like "Romeo Delight," "Atomic Punk," and "Little Dreamer" thrown in
for good measure. Songs rolled by at breakneck pace with few pauses
between them. "You Really Got Me" gave way to "I'm the One," which was
followed by "Runnin' with the Devil." Excellent renditions of
"Unchained," "I'll Wait," "And the Cradle Will Rock" and "Hot for
Teacher" anchored the latter part of the set.
Where most bands conserve energy by scattering ballads throughout their
set list, Van Halen opted for a different route. Alex Van Halen rattled
off a five-minute drum solo mid-set, while the rest of the band left the
stage. He got a break when Roth picked up an acoustic guitar, noodled
around for a minute, and told a story about rolling joints on a Pink Floyd
album cover that eventually led into "Ice Cream Man." Was the energy the
band exhibited anywhere near where it was during its peak? No way. But it
was certainly better than what's been passed off by other high-profile
reunion acts that have toured this year. Having a younger face like
Wolfgang up there seemed strange at first, but certainly helped shake the
image of a geriatric arena act. And for those who were worried about his
abilities, don't be. He deftly handled the backing vocals and bass lines
of exiled original bassist Michael Anthony.
Sammy who? Roth and Van Halen together again.
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