Van Halen took the stage at the Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, NY Thursday night, (Aug 13th).
We quote some of the Newsday.com review, by from David J. Criblez (former writer for The Inside VH magazine):
In a nonstop two-hour performance, VH blazed through a well-balanced mix of classic rock hits (“Everybody Wants Some,” “Runnin’ With the Devil”) and obscure fan faves (“Light Up the Sky,” “Drop Dead Legs”). Judging by the 40- to 50-year-old male-dominant crowd, it was clear that they were recalling some high school moments, creating a comfortable blanket of nostalgia.
Van Halen doesn’t need special effects. Roth’s enthusiasm and spunk conveys the band’s spirit while the trio of Van Halens — Ed, Wolf and drummer Alex — keeps the music tight. However, Roth can be challenged vocally at times. He floated by on “Hot For Teacher,” in which he cracks wise as the band cooks. But when he has to sing out on “I’ll Wait” or “China Town,” he lets Ed and Wolf do the heavy lifting on background vocals. That’s when he winks, spins and cartoons his way through the show — hoping you won’t notice.
Eddie makes up for Roth’s aging pipes with his power chords, which haven’t lost a step. While his hair and goatee may be graying, his fingers are still very much alive and limber, which is why the crowds still come.
“This is one of the best shows of our whole season,” declared Roth with a smile to the sold-out crowd. “As it should be.”
After the show, Wolf tweeted, “Night 1 at Jones Beach killed! Thank you!! See y’all again on Saturday..”
LIVE GALLERY:
FAN GALLERY: (Keep emailing your personal photos from the concerts to news@vhnd.com and you’ll see yourself on VHND!)
I was singing along while shooting and #DavidLeeRoth want me to join in #VanHalen
A photo posted by Kevin Mazur (@kevinmazur) on
A video posted by @nick_buonomo on