Van Halen
Walnut Creek Amphitheater
Raleigh, NC
August 18, 1998

Set List - Click here!

Review by Joe Slade - satch1@hotmail.com

True to the lyrics in their second encore, Panama, Van Halen is alive and kicking. After a stellar opening performance by Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the boys from Amsterdam wasted no time hitting the stage in style.

What turned out to be two hours of non-stop rock seemed like an eternity to the crowd in Raleigh, NC. The band opened with "Unchained", followed by a duet of "3" songs: "Without You" & "One I Want". Then came the biggest crowd teaser of them all. Eddie began the opening lyrics to "Mean Streets", only to stop in mid chord and leave the locals screaming for more. Then Gary bursts into lyrics and the show never slowed down.

They played songs from virtually every album, including old favorites like: "Somebody Get Me A Doctor", "Romeo Delight" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" as well as some newer ballads like "Humans Being", "Right Now", and "Why Can't This be Love".

Alex had a great solo that lasted about ten minutes and Eddie brought down the house with three solo songs: "Cathedral", "Eruption", and "316", all in the middle of "Year To The Day". Also, we were lucky enough to hear "Jamie's Cryin" for only the second time in fourteen years!

All in all, it was the most fun I've had in a long time. The band showed no signs of fatigue, so anyone who's gonna see them this season, be prepared for a helluva show.

The show last night at Raleigh was undescribable. First of all, Kenny Shepherd is bad!! This dude can play. But when Eddie first came on stage with the opening licks to Unchained, my legs started shaking. It was so amazing. And it was my first show ever. That made it that much more special.

I'll admit, I liked Gary Cherone because he made Eddie happy and he sang old stuff but I always thought he acted a little on the faggity side. But live it's different. Maybe because I was in such awe because it was my first show, but he was really great. Hearing stuff live on the internet and on that MTV thing, and hearing it live in person are two different things.

If I had one complaint (which really doesnt count because of how great everything else was) it is that the whole show was short. I'm sure a lot of that had to do with it being my first show and everything seemed to go by fast, but I really do wish the guys would extend it to two and a half hours at least.

But other than that, superb!! I'll look forward to them coming to Mayberry again.

The only thing hotter than the weather last night was Van Halen. From the moment they were introduced the place went crazy. Eddie was amazing. He hit every note the entire show. Tha band sounded the best I've ever heard them. Gary's voice was great he sounded great on all of the eras they covered.

Gary, Eddie and Mike had the crowd into the show getting them to sing along, clap or wave their arms. You could tell the band was having a great time. When they started Mean Street, Raleigh went crazy. The band was non stop from the start of Unchained, and when they did Jamie's Cryin' the place erupted.

Mike sounded great on Somebody Get Me A Doctor. He hit the high notes with ease and was having a ball doing it. As soon as the song was done Kevin gave him the JD bottle. They slowed it down alittle with Year To The Day. Eddie's solo was great. He did an amazing job with Cathedral. The crowd really got into Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love.

Gary and Eddie did an acoustic version of Josephina for the first encore. The song sounds great acousticly. They finished with Panama and Jump, leaving the crowd totally pumped up.

Van Halen put on an amazing show, and you should definitely go see them. You will not be disappointed.

Great Show! It took a little while before Gary really got into the crowd, but when Michael and Eddie each sang a verse in Why Can't This Be Love, it really started cookin'. It seemed that the speakers were turned down most of the show until Year To The Day, then with that song, the solo, etc, pumped way up.

I've seen them four times (3 with Sammy) and probably put this as overall the best. Gary has no ego - he said "Let's play something more familiar" before going into Why Can't This Be Love.

Alex looked like he was in pain most of the show with his neckbrace, but put on a great performance. He seemed fine after his solo when walking around.

If you have a chance, don't miss this tour. The old stuff really rocked, Sammy's stuff was vividly entertaining, and as a loyla VH fan, really got off on the new stuff.

Any doubts I had about Gary Cherone's abilities as the frontman for the greatest rock and roll band of all time were quickly dismissed last night.

The show started with "Unchained", with Eddie's guitar feeding back and a delivering a furious barrage of notes. The amphitheater went wild. The band blazed through "Without You" and "One I Want" from "3" next, followed by an incredible version of "Mean Street".

The tunes and show has definitely tightened up since the MTV Sydney performance. The next song was "When It's Love", which Gary handled admirably. (Sammy who?) The first surprise of the evening was "Fire In The Hole". In-freakin'-credible! I was disappointed though that Eddie didn't do that cool outro from the album. Gary then blew the doors off of "Why Can't This Be Love".

The second surprise of the evening was "Romeo Delight"...it was undoubtedly Raleigh's Delight. It is so fantastic to hear songs that have been ignored for fourteen years!!!

Alex's drum solo was next. He did the "Latin"-thing again, except, this time I picked up on what he was actually playing...it was "Latin" version of "Outta Love Again"!! Another crowd pleaser, "Jamie's Cryin'", worked the venue to a fever-pitch again. Then the band went into "Humans Being", followed by Mikey doing the lead vocals on "Somebody Get Me A Doctor"!!! Me and my friends were going nuts!

The show seemed to slow a little with "Year To The Day" but that was deceptive. Eddie was flat out blowin' on the solo. This had been my least favorite song on the new album, but live it takes on a whole new life. Especially since Eddie's solo spot is sandwiched in the middle of it. The solo started with "Cathedral" (with a little added wah pedal toward the end...really neat effect actually) then moved on to a rearranged version of "Eruption" and finished the solo spot with a revamped version of "316".

The band then played the obligatory "Right Now", which, although I love the song, it's been overexposed and probably should have been replaced by another track from "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge". The last song of the set was "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" (My lifelong favorite).

Gary and Eddie returned to do an excellent all-acoustic version of "Josephina" followed by the entire band doing "Panama" and "Jump". At the beginning of "Panama", the band teased us with "Everybody Wants Some". Clearly, from the crowd reaction, "Everybody Wants Some" could easily replace "Panama" in the set list and hurt no one's feelings.

My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed this show and have the privilege of seeing them again tonight in Virginia Beach. I'm looking forward to it...especially to see what changes there are to the set list.

Trust me. Don't judge the band by what you saw on MTV (after all, MTV doesn't even play VH's videos). This may be the tightest Van Halen has been since 1981!!! The months of touring have made Gary and the boys jell into a very cohesive unit. Don't miss this tour!