Van Halen
CoreStates Spectrum
Philadelphia, PA
May 24, 1998

Set List

Review by Steve - welchse22@hotmail.com

When I first heard the new Van Halen on the radio, I didn't think too much about Gary. Boy, was I amazed. He was all over the stage. Sounded great, live. The whole band deserves credit for a job well done.

Before I went to the show, I was reading the set lists from this web page. I have to say that in Philadelphia they did a lot more old Van Halen then what was stated from other reviews. One song that I was hoping they would play and did is Mean Streets. Is it because the band knows about Phila. reputation?

Anyhow, I have to say that Van Halen is the best Rock band of all time. They gave us twenty years and I hope they will give us twenty more.

Keep up the good work guys.

Well -- the Van Halen show concluded about an hour ago and all I can say is WOW! The boys were in awesome form tonight, playing a set highlighted by such great hits as "Unchained", "Without You", "Why Can't This Be Love?", "Right Now" and MANY others!

Some other highlights include Wolfie Van Halen running on stage twice and hugging papa Edward during his guitar solo and Edward's guitar going dead in the middle of what I recall to be "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", but don't quote me on that.

The crowd was louder this time than at the April '95 Balance show and we were all absolutely crazy! A great time, some great music and Gary Cherone is great on stage. Michael Anthony is an incredible piece of this band, as well, something I admit that I truly didn't comprehend until I saw his performance tonight.

Thanks for a great show VH and I hope to see you guys again on 8/22 at the E-Centre in Camden!

I couldnt believe my eyes, and I couldnt believe my ears!! The Mighty Van Halen rocked with a vengence!! I have seen all three incarnations of Van Halen, but I have never seen a better show than tonight!! From the first sound of Unchained, Van Halen has never been in better form!! The band played a killer set, with a sound more fierce than I have ever experienced before!!

I have never heard Eddie sound more hungry!! Absolutely Awesome!! The band left nothing to desire pulling out all stops! Gary Cherone not only held his own with the classic material, but was able to breath new life into the old songs that I have never heard before!! From beginning to end Van halen totally captivated the crowd pulling an array of songs from all aspects of their vast catalogue.

The set list included many classics not heard in these parts for many years!! The band started off the night with a killer rendition of UNCHAINED, almost more than I could stand, I could tell it caught most of the audience quite off guard!! The band followed with WITHOUT YOU, ONE I WANT, and THE ALLMIGHTY MEAN STREETS!! Than came WHEN ITS LOVE , the new single FIRE IN THE HOLE, followed by WHY CANT THIS BE LOVE on which EDDIE, MIKE AND GARY shared vocals!! The band went into a breathtaking version of the classic I'M THE ONE, with Alex doing the most awesome drum solo I have ever heard!! The band followed with HUMANS BEING, & DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY, wich was a true crowd favorite, we never saw our seat again!!

Killer versions of FEEL YOUR LOVE TONIGHT, and SOMEBODY GET ME A DOCTOR with Mike on lead vocals followed!! YEAR TO THE DAY, showed Gary's brilliant vocal talents, which lead to the greatest Eddie solo that I have ever witnessed!! Eddie expanded on CATHEDRAL to include every lick known to mankind!! The boys flew through a trong version of RIGHT NOW followed by AIN'T TALKIN' 'BOUT LOVE, this was absolutely more than we could ever have expected!!

The encores began with a srirring rendition of the brilliant JOSEPHINA with Eddie on acoustic guitar! This totally captivated everyone! The band treated us to more encores of PANAMA, followed by JUMP!! By this time he audience was completely drained and amazed!! The band hit us with one more classic tune SHOW YOUR LOVE to round out the night!! I still cant believe it, VAN HALEN proved without a doubt they are stronger than ever!! I have just witnessed the GREATEST ROCK BAND ON EARTH!! LONG LIVE THE MIGHTY VAN HALEN!! If there are still any doubters left out there, take it from me Van Halen 3 is the best Van halen ever!!!!

The show rocked!! Cherone is the real thing, full of spark and energy. Mike did a great version of Doctor with the vocals. Eddie is Eddie!! Alex did a drum solo that rocked the fucking house down. The crowd was worked. Same exact set as New York. The last song was a killer, I'm the One. Van Halen killed Philly!!

I have seen Van Halen four times (this is my 4th), and let me tell you, this blows away the rest. The guys always seemed to be having fun while they were up on stage performing. During Al's solo, he was laughing along with the crowd, as was Ed during his solo. Seeing and hearing them play songs like Unchained, and I'm The One was phenomenal. The band played for about 2 hours with two encores...Josephina, Panama, and Jump was the first, and then they came back with I'm The One. Josephina, by the way, was performed by just Eddie and Gary played acoustic, and it sounded unbelievable.

I could go on forever talking about this show, but I'll stop. Let me just say this...when I left the show, I was speechless. If they stop in your town, you would be a fool not to see them.

The last show in Philly was AWESOME!!!! A local band, FUEL, opened for V.H. and they were good. When we heard the first chords to "UNCHAINED", the Spectrum went NUTS!!!

I was a little bit skeptical on how Gary would do. He did an excellent job on all songs. I was glad to see Edward's hair is back to normal. Mike was great singing "SOMEBODY GET ME A DOCTOR" and the J.D. Bass was back. Alex' solo was pure Alex. Gary was flying all over the stage.

A lot of older material was done with a mix of new. The first encore was an "acoustic" (not really) song with Gary and Edward sitting on the stage doing "JOSEPHINA"!! But the highlight was a "3rd" encore, of course no one was expecting it and people were leaving.

I was impressed with Gary. He fits in well! One minor draw back was during one song (sorry, I forget which one!) Edward's guitar went dead. It looked like a cord problem, since he does not use a wireless on this tour.

Again, Van Halen rocked and no one went away disappointed!!!!! Great job guys and welcome to the family Gary!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just returned from the Philadelphia concert, which was excellent. Gary Cherone's voice sounded super, and Michael Anthony and the Van Halens were also outstanding on their respective instruments. Some of Cherone's stage moves were questionable, but overall he is an excellent frontman who deserves few of the criticism he has gotten.

I was slightly disappointed by the lack of new songs (I was hoping "Once" would have been added for the U.S.). "Josephina" seemed to be lacking something without Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen, but it was interesting, and it's great that they are playing it. (If only they were playing "Once" as well.)

Other highlights: "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" (Anthony's vocals were impressive) and "One I Want." The second encore of "I'm the One" was a pleasant surprise, and the return to "Year To The Day" after Edward VH's guitar solo was quite effective. Overall, it was a spectacular performance.

One final note: the attendance was high. I kept hearing how this tour would bomb, but at the Corestates Spectrum in Philadelphia, there must have been close to 15,000 people. Even if it's not what the band is used to, it's still high.

This was the 7th time I've seen VH and it turned out to be their best performance! I was at the Madison Square Garden show on Friday night, which was good, however the Philadelphia show was much better. The set list was virtually the same as their previous shows except for the fact that they played two encores! The crowd would not let them go home.

Highlights included all of the older material not seen live for 20 years, ie; Romeo Delight, I'm The One, Dance the Night Away, among others. Michael Anthony singing lead on Somebody Get Me A Doctor was great! Wolfgang Van Halen was on the side of the stage the whole night; he ran on stage to hug his father as he played 316.

Gary Cherone pulled off all of the Roth/Hagar Era songs as if he wrote them himself. Something Sammy Hagar never had the balls to do.

Long live Van Halen 3.

Van Halen Rocks Philly!!!!

This was the last U.S. date before the band returns to Europe and they certainly showed it. They kicked Philly right in the ass!!! It was total energy from start to finish. I do not remember the set list, I was too wound up in the energy of the show, but it rocked. They played for 2 1/2 hours.......Did encores and most of all, during Eddie's guitar solo, when he was playing "316", his son Wolfy ran out on the stage and gave Ed a big kiss on the cheek....2 times!!!!

Eddie was really caught off guard. The crowd went nuts! It was a great way to spend a Memorial Day weekend. I am planning on going to the Hershey show on July 26. I'm looking forward to it already!!!

It was definitely a special show in Philadelphia tonight! It was my fifth time seeing the band, and tonight's show was more than just a rock concert. The band's performance was mature, sincere, and spiritual. It also "rocked" more than the previous four shows I saw with Hagar at the helm. Gary is just who the band needed. This became evident to me during the ending of "Right Now." Gary and Eddie definitely connected musically and vocally at the conclusion of this song. I honestly wasn't too thrilled at first to hear the song when they kicked into it, but there was something special about the way Gary's vocals and Eddie's harmonics meshed during the ending of the song. Now I understand why Eddie calls Gary his "musical soulmate." Their connection really moved me. I can't explain the feeling, but its deep! I'm sure other VH fans or musicians would understand-ponder the lyrics to "Once" or "Without You."

Eddie, Alex, and Mike have always affected me with their music, but for the most part, I never felt Dave or Sammy blended well lyrically with the band. Being a guitar player, I can understand the depth of their music. But Gary has filled the void!

Tonight there certainly was a comradery between the members of Van Halen that never existed before Gary joined the band. For the first time my favorite band, Van Halen, was able to move me vocally, musically, and spiritually with their performance.

Highlights - Right Now, Mean Street, Romeo Delight, I'm The One, Dance The Night Away/Feel Your Love Tonight, Somebody Get Me A Doctor (Way To Go Mikey!)