Van Halen
The Canyons
Park City, UT
July 14, 1998

Set List - Click here!

Review by Doug Fox - The Daily Herald

When Gary Cherone married into the Van Halen family, he knew there would be intense scrutiny.

Following messy breakups with its two former frontmen - the flamboyant David Lee Roth and popular Sammy Hagar - Van Halen introduced its latest addition to an enthusiastic audience at The Canyons Tuesday night. As the third wife, so to speak, in the V.H. wedding gallery, Cherone did the smart thing Tuesday by not trying to emulate either of his predecessors. There were no party-line monologues or Samurai sword exhibitions in the vein (or, perhaps, vain) of Roth.

Likewise, there were no introspective introductions or the acoustic guitar solo spots made popular by Hagar.

No, Cherone carved his own niche, did his own thing. Just what exactly that "thing" is, however, is open to debate. There were times Tuesday when you'd look at the waifish Cherone and wonder, "What in the world is Gary doing with his hands?" Or, "What's going on with that leg?" Answers to these queries will not be forthcoming in this review.

There were no questions, however, about Cherone's voice as he performed powerful renditions of Van Halen classics from all eras - which in the long run will do more to endear him to the band's fans than anything else. Indeed, the most enjoyable aspect of Tuesday's performance was hearing guitarist Eddie Van Halen roar through songs from the Roth regime that Hagar flat out refused to sing during his 12-year stint at the mike.

Cherone's vocal renditions of "Mean Street," "Romeo Delight," "Dance the Night Away" and "Feel Your Love Tonight" paid well-deserved homage to the band's beginnings and allowed Eddie Van Halen the opportunity to revisit some of the licks that helped elevate him to guitar-god status. In fact, one of the night's biggest highlights was when Cherone stepped aside, permitting bassist Michael Anthony to take over lead vocals on the dusted-off relic "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" - something Hagar's ego never would have allowed. Listening to Eddie's crystal clear power riffs sear through the night air on this tune was nearly worth the price of admission itself.

Drummer Alex Van Halen also had his minutes (nine of them to be exact) in the spotlight, with a highly entertaining solo segment. Wearing a neck brace for a separate back problem, he appeared unhindered by a recent forearm injury - which saw the band's European tour cut short when a cinder-block sized chunk of ceiling fell on him during a sound check. The band's new material, recorded with Cherone, also shined. Songs like "Without You," "One I Want" and "Fire in the Hole" all exposed an added edge when played live.

"Thanks for indulging us in the new songs," Cherone said a third of the way through the 1-hour, 45-minute performance. "Now we're going to play some old songs. And if you really get crazy, we'll play some real old songs." From the opening strains of "Unchained" to the closing "Jump," the band delivered on that promise.

In a phone interview last week, Eddie Van Halen stated he was happier now than at any time in his life. It certainly showed on stage as the guitarist, exhibiting no side effects of hip problems that plagued him on recent tours, smiled and bounced around most of the night. He even broke out more than a half dozen of his patented scissors jumps - dubbed "Flying Eddies" by the V.H. faithful - while casually throwing in additional licks at unexpected occasions.

His 12-minute solo break, as always, was another highlight - beginning and ending with segments from "Eruption," the 1978 guitar creation which opened a whole new genre in rock music.

For his part, Cherone, a bundle of energy the entire night, was much closer to vocally matching material from the Hagar era. The fact he chose to put himself on the firing line with a willingness to resurrect Roth standards bodes well for the future of the band. After all, let's not forget the legacy of Van Halen never has and never will revolve around vocals - or who's handling them. Van Halen hinges on guitar. And, as evidenced Tuesday, that aspect remains in good hands.

I've seen Van Halen numerous times from "Monsters of Rock" to them playing in bars. I definitely miss Sammy and his stage presence. I don't want to see Gary do any damn ballet moves while Eddie is whaling away "Romeo Delight." Save those curtsey, pirouette dances for Extreme.

Please, for the love of God, do not massacre the "classics" with that "Lord of the Dance" crap. I'm really not sure which way Gary is swinging when he kept pointing to his ass and trying to kiss Eddie. The true fans of Van Halen do not want to see this.

Gary Cherone was great! I feel confident that he will be the best singer yet. I hope he stays around, even if problems come up. It would be nice if the band could find a way to get along.

All the songs were awesome, especially the ones from 3 and from the Roth era. Gary excells at the older ones, but doesn't sound quite as good on the Sammy era songs. His voice is as good as Sammy's, but he doesn't quite have the range that the Red Rocker has. He's very entertaining to watch, with all his tumbles and dancing.

Eddie had a flawless performance and was very impressive, especially on his artfull guitar solo and on Josephina.

Mike was as amazing as a rhythm bass player can be. His vocals were very impressive. Alex showed that he is the best drummer around with a flawless performance on his solo as well as the songs.

I was dissappointed that the band didn't play A Year To The Day. It's a far stronger song than Josephina. I was also dissappointed that Eddie didn't play the keyboards. I was really looking forward to him playing Once, Right Now, and Jump on keyboards. It would have added a LOT to the concert, with which I have no other complaints.

Don't take too long to release another record. You are the greatest band of all time! Your best CD is F.U.C.K., on which every song is awesome! Keep it up, guys.

Van Halen continues to prove that it is a band embracing two powerful qualities to ensure continued success in a fast-paced business which ruthlessly eliminates the vulnerable, less-talented musicians in a brutally competitive environment. These dominating qualities are genuine talent, and the ability to overcome adversity.

The band's ability to continuously write diverse, yet appealing and complex music truly demonstrates extraordinary talent. Moreover, the band members works extremely hard. Sammy Hagar once said that Alex: ".....is the hardest working person I have ever known......" What's more, they have been doing it for a remarkable twenty two years. Only a few talented bands and musicians have achieved this no matter what the musical genre.

Still, this band possesses another quality that continues to serve them well over the years. That is they are able to handle adversity proficiently. In fact, from my perspective every time Van Halen has encountered a significant challenge, the band returns to the forefront only to have grown beyond its original boundaries. Consider when David Lee Roth left Van Halen after the 1984 tour. This was a crossroads that would have no doubt challenged the strong momentum of a band that had a unique image which was partially influenced by "Diamond Dave." Not knowing whether their music would be marketed without Roth's influence, no doubt crossed the remaining band member's minds. Even Roth's comments implies that it was indeed his performing abilities, and his talent alone, that made Van Halen a success early on. For instance, Roth predicted that 10 years after his leaving Van Halen, one day he would get a call from Ed, asking him to "return" to Van Halen. As Roth put it, he would: ".....politely pause, then say ‘screw you, Edward,' and then hang up....."

Instead of Van Halen's demise, the band not only maintained its popularity, but transcended its former musical boundaries with the added new dimension of singer, Sammy Hagar. Songs like Dreams, Love Walks In, When It's Love, Right Now, Can't Stop Lovin' You, are prime examples of Van Halen's musical growth.

I was devastated when Sam and Van Halen broke up, and mortified at the thought of Dave reuniting with the band for good. Still, I believe Me Wise Magic sung by Roth was powerfully inspiring, which appeared on Van Halen, Best of, Volume I. I also think that the song truly optimized the very best of what Van Halen and Dave could accomplish together. Still, Van Halen has a great deal more to offer. VanHalen has grown in a very different and positive direction since Roth left them fourteen years ago. "And that is life." We all change (hopefully for the better).

After attending a "new" Van Halen concert in Park City, Utah, I firmly believe that the band has progressed to yet, another higher level. Indeed, Gary fits in well with Mike, Alex, and Edward. And he quicky develops rapport with the audience. Gary's magnetism on stage is even more enthusiastic than Sammy's (and Sammy is a great performer)!

Clearly, Van Halen has worked very hard at making their concerts even more exciting than before. Most noticeably, the band works very hard at making sure that the audience are active participants. I have attended many great concerts of a variety genres during the past twenty years, and this concert is as close as I have ever felt as being part of the actual performance.

Also noticeable is that Van Halen completely lacks the pretentious, arrogance of many performing musicians.

I am but a mere layman in that I do not have a great wealth of knowledge of the nuances music. But I am confident that my intuition is correct in that Van Halen writes and performs music creatively and flawlessly. They more than deserve the best of all possible, positive reviews that could be written of not only themselves, but of any band.

I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank whomever is responsible for giving us back the old Edward Van Halen that was lost for a few years. When I attended the Balance tour, I thought all was lost, as the Guitar King gave a lackluster performance, standing still as he played. The Edward we saw last night was a 180 degree turnaround, dancing and jumping and grinning from ear to ear and PLAYING like a man possessed. I couldn't help but notice that he looked a lot like the classic EVH from the 1978-1979 era (he's finally got his HAIR back!!)

Upon hearing the opening strains of "Unchained," the audience was on its feet, cheering and pumping their arms in time to the music. We all sang along so loudly that Gary Cherone could have taken a seat backstage and just watched. However, Mr. Cherone chose to strut, prance, and just plain SING his ass off! To all unbelievers, let me just say--Sammy WHO?? David Lee WHAAAT?? (Just a sidenote--Sammy Hagar can go to hell, Mr. "Cancel his show in Salt Lake the night before he's scheduled to be there due to "laryngitis" but he's got no problem making his umpteenth LIVE appearance the same night on Politically Incorrect") Gary had no problem whatsoever going from vintage tunes to Sammy-era to the new album, making each song his own.

Two small complaints: First, FIRE the guy at the mixing board. Gary was often drowned out by the rest of the guys. Granted, we all came to see Eddie, first and foremost, but Gary's such a great singer that it would be nice to be able to hear him better. Second, substitute "Ain't Talking 'Bout Love" and "Right Now" for songs that haven't been done live in a long time. Suggestions: "Ice Cream Man" (wouldn't that just kick some major ass?), "Hot for Teacher" (they could go into that at the end of Alex's solo), or "5150" (a great, underappreciated tune).

The crowd was absolutely pumped. We gave Eddie several requisite "ED-DIE, ED-DIE, ED-DIE" chants, but also gave Alex quite a rousing "AL-EX, AL-EX, AL-EX" chant after his solo (something I've never heard before in the 5 times I've seen VH live). To hear classic tunes like "Somebody Get Me A Doctor", "Feel Your Love Tonight", and "Mean Street" was worth the price of admission alone, and everything else was icing on the cake.

All in all, this was an unforgettable, ROCKING show and I would encourage everyone to check out the new and improved Van Halen when they come to your town.

Van Halen is the coolest band ever!! Eddie was awesome and so were the rest of them. The crowd was wild the moment they stepped on stage. I was going crazy when the first sound of Unchained reached my ears. Eddie did some of the famous Eddie jumps and his solo, well what can I say, it was unbelievable!

It's been 20 years since their first album and Eddie's still as good as he was, maybe even better. After the guys played their last song, they thanked the audience and left the stage. I crowd was yelling and screaming. The cheer of "Eddie" began. Then they guys came back on stage and performed Josephina, Panama, and Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love. Then they thanked the crowd and left the stage again. The crowed was still screaming and yelling "Eddie". A few people started to leave but most of the crowd is still screaming and yelling, including myself. Then they came back on stage one more time to performed Jump. I was jumping through out the whole song. So was everyone else!

Van Halen kicked ass! The best concert I've ever been to.

What a killer show! Last night's concert was probably my best Van Halen concert yet. From the opening notes of Unchained to the second encore of Jump the crowd really enjoyed the concert. Gary Cherone gets better with each show. Both Dave and Sammy blew their chances as lead vocalist, and now Gary is taking advantage of the situation.

There was not an open seat at the Canyons last night, Utah loves Van Halen! Van Halen didn't play Year To The Day, Eddie went straight to his solo after Right Now. Alex even stayed at his drum set throughout so I thought they were going to play You Really Got Me after Eruption but they continued with Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love after Eddie's solo.

The only disappointment was that they didn't have the Jumbotron screen behind the stage. They used the cover of the F.U.C.K. album as a backdrop about midway through their set.

I took a friend with me last night who had never been to a Van Halen concert before. All that he talked about after the concert was over was how awesome Van Halen and Eddie was, and that he couldn't wait to see them again. Thanks for the great show guys! See you in Denver.

This show was awesome!! If this wasn't their best performance on the tour, then I'd like to see it. Gary completely filled the shoes of Sammy, plus some. Him, along with Eddie and Alex's solos, and Michael's amazing vocals, put out a huge success.

Van Halen walked out to a packed crowd (I'd guess about 15,000) who were already revved up and ready to go. What better way to start out the concert than with "Unchained"? Once they got on stage, no one saw their seat again. When the concert was seemingly over, the crowds kept banging the seats and cheering for more. They came back out and played an awesome accoustic version of "Josephina", and "Panama".

They left the stage once again, only to have the crowds pleading for more. So, they re-entered, and played "Jump." That's the best way to end a concert. My favorite songs were "When It's Love" and "Panama." What a show!

This was my third VH concert I have attended, and I must admit that it was my favorite. After listening to Kenny Wayne Sheppard, I was ready for the real thing!

The great thing about this show was the blend of old and new music. They played a lot of music from Dave's era, a similar amount from Sammy, and strategically worked in some new material. I've listened to Ed jam my whole life and I don't think that I've ever heard him play as cleanly. I was admitidally nervous going into this show, wondering how the band would do with the new chemistry. My fears immediately vanished as they opened with "Unchained".

The stage set, Ed reminded me once again why he is the greatest guitar player ever as he jammed nonstop all night under the Park City stars. The man was in full effect, even if his solo session was a bit short for me. Another highlight was Alex's drum solo.

Finally, I was impressed with Gary. He is a trip, but I thought he did the old stuff right on and sounded way better live with the new stuff than he did on the CD. All in all, it was a great night. I only wish they'd played a little longer.

Favorite songs for me included: Unchained, Mean Street, Dance The Night Away, Panama, Right Now, When It's Love, and of course, Jump!

Two strange things happened on Tuesday Night at the Canyons. First off, after Van Halen had belted out a few tunes, they broke into Why Cant This Be Love. All of a sudden, in the middle of the song I thought, he didnt some long-curly haired guy used to sing this song? I had almost completely forgotten about Sammy Hagar.

Then later as I was struggling to get out of the horrendous parking lot, I popped in "Best Of". As Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love roared through my speakers a shutter came down my back as Dave Lee Roth Started to "sing".

Van Halen 3 blew my mind.

What a show. The only thing I could say as I left was "MORE". The only other Van Halen show I have seen was Balance, and that was dull compared to this.