January 27th, 2008
From: http://www.star-telegram.com/
By MALCOLM MAYHEW
Special to the Star-Telegram
DALLAS -- Van Halen's fans have certainly been through a lot over the past
several years, from enduring changing-of-the-guard lead singers to wading
through some fairly awful albums to waiting out the constant infighting
that has kept the original lineup off the road for more than 20 years.
The payoff, however, came Saturday night when the California-reared rock
band returned to Dallas, its original lineup mostly intact. Playing to a
sold-out American Airlines Center, the band was a far cry from its MTV
image. Singer David Lee Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen have short hair
now, and neither of them zoomed around the stage as they did 20 years ago.
In a way, though, age has worked to their advantage, at least for this
tour. It forced them, and their fans, to focus solely on the music.
Instead of trotting out hit after hit, they punctuated their 20-song-plus
set with a number of lesser-known songs -- I'm the One, Somebody Get Me a
Doctor -- that seemed to further prove that the music was just as
important as the money.
Eddie and drummer brother Alex Van Halen played exceptionally well. Any
thought that the legendary guitarist, who turned 53 on Saturday, might
have lost his touch was wiped away as he peeled off solos from Romeo's
Delight and Runnin' With the Devil with grit, ease and his signature two-
handed tapping.
In the center of it all was Roth, clowning and kicking. What he lacked in
stamina, he more than made up for with a robust voice and his jester's
smile. Actually, they were all smiling -- it's about time.
Their long hair is gone, but David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen proved
Saturday that they still have their chops.
STAR-TELEGRAM/RALPH LAUER
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