One of the biggest disappointments of my childhood was when my parents wouldn’t let me see VAN HALEN on the 1984 tour. I remember the recap on the bus on the way to school the next day about how awesome the sold-out show at the Philadelphia Spectrum was, and I made a promise to myself that I would see Diamond Dave and the rest of Van Halen when they came back. Sadly, that wasn’t meant to be, as Dave took off for a solo career later that year, the Jimmy Buffet-like Sammy Hagar joined, and the “Dave vs. Sammy” debate raged throughout the schools, parking lots and bars of America (for the record, Dave - always Dave).

When it was announced that Roth was coming back to front Van Halen earlier this year, I took it with a grain of salt, since an earlier attempt to re-bond with Van Halen ended disastrously, and there was no way the tour would last longer than the first few dates. Not to mention, wasn’t Dave kind of a joke that had taken to singing bluegrass covers of VH songs on the Tonight Show? Fortunately, my fears of Van Halen sucking in 2007 were completely unfounded and one of my childhood dreams was realized as I got to see most of the original lineup play the Garden.

First, a few words about Van Halen in 2007. Dave is an amazing performer. While he isn’t quite as capable of the acrobatics he was back in the day, he’s cut, has a full head of hair, still has plenty of moves, and sings much better than expected. Wearing several different top hats, twirling a silver sword, and tucking the microphone into his pants, DLR was the ultimate party host, which is what he’s always been good for. Eddie Van Halen, following a stint in rehab, looks rejuvenated and younger than he has in years, and his guitar playing was incredible. The finger tapping during his solo and his use of the tremolo bar hearkened back to a time when guitar heroes played guitars, not video games. Alex Van Halen looked a little worse for the wear, but still hit every fill perfectly. And then there’s Wolfgang Van Halen. Musically, there’s nothing bad to say about him. The kid is perfectly capable of playing bass and even got a bit of a solo during “So This Is Love.” But with the larger-than-life personas of Dave and Eddie, the 16 year-old Wolfgang looked more like a chubby goth kid that was discovered at a Hot Topic than the luckiest bassist in the world. In fact, Michael Anthony’s unmistakable sampled backing vocals had more stage presence than Wolfie. Then again, it’s his first band, and when I was 16, I was playing garages and high school assemblies, not playing the Garden with Van effing Halen.

As far as the music, it was a non-stop greatest hits medley. The six albums featuring Roth were the soundtrack to my childhood, and most people in my age bracket were inundated with them through rock radio. “Running With the Devil,” “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love,” “Unchained,” “Panama” - they were all there. Starting out in chronological order, the foursome blazed through a few songs from each of the band’s first six albums. Dave was in fine form with his witticisms, calling the band “three quarters original and one quarter inevitable,” and constantly reminding the 30 and 40 something crowd that there was “no parking on the dance floor.” After “I’ll Wait,” VH broke the chronological order and played another eight songs before coming out and encoring with “Jump.” While a lot of reunions seem like pathetic cash-ins, Dave and Ed seemed to be genuinely enjoying brushing off the cobwebs of Van Halen. If they’re really having as much fun as they appeared to be onstage, and half as much fun as the audience was having, it’s inevitable that they’ll be back.

Van Halen | Madison Square Garden, NYC | 11.13.2007

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