Van Halen Play Nice, Shred Hard at High-Energy Tour Opener
Despite harsh words in the press, Eddie and David Lee Roth share stage like old pros, not old enemies, delivering set of hits and rarities
By Robert Ham July 6, 2015
The thousands of Van Halen fans assembled at White River Amphitheater on Sunday evening to catch the opening night of the hard-rock band's first North American tour since 2012 had plenty of questions for each other as they waited in line for overpriced beers. What songs from the group's late Seventies/early Eighties peak would make the set list? Would David Lee Roth's voice sound as shaky as it did when the reunited band played on Ellen and Jimmy Kimmel Live!? The most important concern though was simply: How long is this reunion going to last?
For one tattooed couple from Canada, the less than generous comments that Eddie Van Halen made recently in Billboard about his band's limber-limbed frontman led them to wonder if this seemingly friendly détente between the two musicians would hold for the whole run of summer dates, one night or even the entire set. Not that a further tear in the already threadbare fabric of their favorite band really concerned these two B.C. twentysomethings; they seemed more excited about the idea they could potentially be at the last ever Van Halen concert.
If there were any friction still being sparked up between the guitarist and vocalist, it wasn't apparent for any part of the group's two-hour set. From the moment the two men and their bandmates, Alex and Wolfgang Van Halen (Eddie's brother and son, respectively), ambled on stage with zero fanfare, it was all business. Well, all business for the three instrumentalists at least. The Van Halen brothers moved much slower than they did during their heyday but still brought ample amounts of energy and power, even as they were shaking off the rust in the early going.
Roth, on the other hand, was as hammy and corny as ever. With that beaming smile fixed to his face throughout and a section of slick wooden flooring under his feet, he slipped and slid about, did some quick pirouettes and contorted his body into all kinds of angular shapes. Gone were the reverse karate kicks, replaced with play-acting that his mic stand was, at various times, a baseball bat, a golf club and a weightlifting bar. He also continued his reign as the king of stage banter with some truly funny asides and head-scratching attempts at comedy. While the band tore through "Dirty Movies," from 1981's Fair Warning, he marveled that so many Van Halen songs are about sex and girls. "That just how it's gone down," he said, grabbing his crotch. "We've been doing this for 40 years and it's not gone down once."
As for his voice, well, Roth is never going to be the nightingale he once was, but he hasn't seemed to come to terms with that. On otherwise fine performances of classics like "Hot for Teacher" and Kinks cover "You Really Got Me," he brayed when he could have crooned. And throughout he seemed to be working on his own internal clock, which seemed to throw Alex Van Halen off a bit during the show's opening one-two punch of "Light Up the Sky" and "Runnin' With the Devil."
When Roth eased up on the throttle and locked in with the rest of the band, Van Halen sounded positively unbeatable. "Everybody Wants Some!!" (from 1980's Women and Children First) was a tribal monster that sent the singer into a shimmying, shaking frenzy as he flew a little off book with his vocals. Their loose run through the 2012 single "She's the Woman" was held together by Eddie's delirious wah-wah heavy solo. Both Fair Warning's "Unchained" and Van Halen II's "Beautiful Girls" were hurricanes of snapping rhythm and bloodthirsty guitar noise. And of course Eddie gave himself a run in the spotlight with an extended "Eruption" that swung from finger-tapping frenzy to a delicate passage that was almost new age in its timbre.
No mud was slung, no hard feelings were on display, and for good chunks of this opening night set, all felt very right in the world of Van Halen. In fact, Roth seemed to make a point of being gracious to his longtime bandmate, skipping over the first couple of lines of "You Really Got Me" to instead say "Great solo, Ed." It was a tiny gesture amid the lights and volume of an arena-rock show, but hopefully one that will help keep their relationship intact for a few more months, at least.
Set List:
"Light Up the Sky"
"Runnin' With the Devil"
"Romeo Delight"
"Everybody Wants Some!!"
"Feel Your Love Tonight"
"Somebody Get Me a Doctor"
"She's the Woman"
"China Town"
"I'll Wait"
"Little Guitars"
"Dance the Night Away"
"Beautiful Girls"
"Women in Love"
"Hot for Teacher"
"Dirty Movies"
"Ice Cream Man"
"Unchained"
"Ain't Talking About Love"
"Eruption" > "You Really Got Me"
"Panama"
Encore:
"Jump"
Light Up The Sky
Dirty Movies
Drop Dead Legs
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Wow! What a set list....Drop Dead Legs? Light Up the Sky? Dirty Movies? Damn, if you're a classic VH fan, you gotta be itching to hear these deap cuts. I'm know I am.
Wow! What a set list....Drop Dead Legs? Light Up the Sky? Dirty Movies? Damn, if you're a classic VH fan, you gotta be itching to hear these deap cuts. I'm know I am.
Oh yeah!!! I hope they keep that up and mix in more tracks like that for the tour. I think the last time they were out "Full Bug" got dropped in ....thats one of my fav's.
I know they would never do this, but I can go without hearing You Really Got Me and Running With The Devil or at least mix them in and out. Wont happen though.
I think it wold be cool for them to come out and play Women And Children First or Fair Waring in they're entirety and then mix in some others. The could have a very strong rotating setlist of every song from the Roth era.
[Edited on 7/6/2015 by jszfunk]
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
After watching those clips, I must say Roth doesn't sound too bad....The Van Halen's sound very tight as well. Is it me or does Al look more and more like his father as he grows older? For a 60+ year old he sure plays the skins nearly as well as when he was young.
I agree , he does look alot like his dad.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Wow! What a set list....Drop Dead Legs? Light Up the Sky? Dirty Movies? Damn, if you're a classic VH fan, you gotta be itching to hear these deap cuts. I'm know I am.
Oh yeah!!! I hope they keep that up and mix in more tracks like that for the tour. I think the last time they were out "Full Bug" got dropped in ....thats one of my fav's.
Totally agree. Awesome setlist, and love seeing new deep cuts being pulled out. They are still in the mentality that certain hits must be played every show (Panama, Jump, You Really Got Me, Runnin' with the Devil, Dance the Night Away, Ice Cream Man). I know they're not a jamband and never will be or have a desire to be, but I wish they'd take a little bit of an ABB approach to their deep catalogue. They can play 2/3 of a show that are hits but still rotate them around so it's not the same hits every single night. As much as I'd love to attend a VH show and hear obscure songs like Dirty Movies, I'd also love to attend a VH show and not hear Jump.
Anyway, yeah last tour had The Full Bug. And Hang 'Em High, Girl Gone Bad, Mean Street, Atomic Punk, Bottoms Up all made appearances too. A handful of times anyway.
I've always thought Alex Van Halen was a greatly underrated drummer, especially live. It's easy to be overlooked when your brother is EVH.
I TRY TO LEAVE...AND THEY KEEP PULLING ME BACK IN!!!
I swore off VH after being so disappointed in them for the last two tours. Now they bust out these deep cuts and I find myself wanting to see them again!
Their songs are so short, that they could easily rotate in some deeper stuff with their hits. Or maybe have Eddie stretch out a really long solo.
I guess I can leave after Eruption.
[Edited on 7/7/2015 by tfhello]
Wow! What a set list....Drop Dead Legs? Light Up the Sky? Dirty Movies? Damn, if you're a classic VH fan, you gotta be itching to hear these deap cuts. I'm know I am.
Oh yeah!!! I hope they keep that up and mix in more tracks like that for the tour. I think the last time they were out "Full Bug" got dropped in ....thats one of my fav's.
Totally agree. Awesome setlist, and love seeing new deep cuts being pulled out. They are still in the mentality that certain hits must be played every show (Panama, Jump, You Really Got Me, Runnin' with the Devil, Dance the Night Away, Ice Cream Man). I know they're not a jamband and never will be or have a desire to be, but I wish they'd take a little bit of an ABB approach to their deep catalogue. They can play 2/3 of a show that are hits but still rotate them around so it's not the same hits every single night. As much as I'd love to attend a VH show and hear obscure songs like Dirty Movies, I'd also love to attend a VH show and not hear Jump.
Anyway, yeah last tour had The Full Bug. And Hang 'Em High, Girl Gone Bad, Mean Street, Atomic Punk, Bottoms Up all made appearances too. A handful of times anyway.
Totally agree with every point above....I've been saying for years they should drop the individual solo spots, and Jump, Panama, etc. and toss in a couple extended jams on a few deep cuts and allow Ed and Al too really let loose. Like "Take Your Whishey Home" or even a funky long jam version of "Mean Street" after the vocal parts are complete.....I Just think it'd be exactly the kind of thing the Van Halen's would really enjoy as would the fans.
I've been saying for years they should drop the individual solo spots, and Jump, Panama, etc.
The extended individual solo spots are too 80s arena rock. I agree. $hit-can them. But I think they should spread the short solo guitar sections throughout the set. Put the Little Guitars Intro...mmm, right before Little Guitars. An extended Mean Street intro before....Mean Street. Do a 3 minute Spanish Fly before a VH2 song in the set. Put Eruption before You Really Got Me (or after RWTD). Etc.
They dropped the bass solos with MA's departure, and I think doing the same with drums solo would be good too.
I've been saying for years they should drop the individual solo spots, and Jump, Panama, etc.
The extended individual solo spots are too 80s arena rock. I agree. $hit-can them. But I think they should spread the short solo guitar sections throughout the set. Put the Little Guitars Intro...mmm, right before Little Guitars. An extended Mean Street intro before....Mean Street. Do a 3 minute Spanish Fly before a VH2 song in the set. Put Eruption before You Really Got Me (or after RWTD). Etc.
They dropped the bass solos with MA's departure, and I think doing the same with drums solo would be good too.
Yeah I agree.. get rid of the solos. I think the should come up with about a 5 min instrumental jam that Ed, Al and Wolf can go off on(featured segments) and call it at that.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Wow, that's probably the best setlist they could probably play. Eddie sure seems to be back on his "A" game. Dave, not so much. Wish this show happened about 30 years ago.
While it's a Hagar era tune and so will probably never be considered, I've often thought a long jam of "Pleasure Dome" off the F.U.C.K. album would be just awesome....Like an 8-10 minute version with each player doing an extended solo within the longer jam.
There's something about the groove of this tune and the incredible musicianship that has always grabbed me. Great drums, bass (perhaps some of Mike's best playing in my opinion) and two great solos from EVH....It just screams "Jam" to my ears..
[Edited on 7/8/2015 by Chain]
Set list = amazing
Music and backing vocals = on point
Lead vocals = pitifully horrible
After seeing Roth on those opening night videos I can honestly say that I wouldn't go see them live if I were given free front row tickets. No way I could sit through Roth and his version of a dying hyena!!!! I would rather see those classic songs played without lead vocals than to have to endure Roth. At this point Roth ruins them!!!
Even though I said I am not a big fan of the solos anymore 😉 😉 😉 😉 😛 😛 ....
I love when he plays "Cathedral" around the 5:20 mark.
(you can see Wolf, I think ,around the 30 sec and 1:35 mark on drums.)
Front-Row Video Footage Of EDDIE VAN HALEN's Guitar Solo From VAN HALEN's Ridgefield Concert
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
