When Van Halen, whose founding members are all past the age of 60, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel in late March to announce a new live album and summer tour, it looked as if the best days of the band had long passed.
Lead singer David Lee Roth hit himself in the face while twirling the microphone stand, which led to him needing bandages and attempting the song a second time, while missing enough notes to upset even the most patient fans. In addition, Billboard Magazine reported some tension in Roth and Eddie Van Halen’s relationship days before the tour began.
The stage was set for a potentially tumultuous tour before a single note had been played.
All these worries were quickly abandoned as soon as “Light Up The Sky” kick-started the show at Amphitheater Northwest in Ridgefield, Washington on Tuesday night.
The second stop on the 41-date tour found the band in top form with the instrumentation of the three Van Halens, Eddie (guitar), Alex (drums) and Eddie’s son — Wolfgang (bass) — for the entire duration of the two-hour show.
“Runnin’ With The Devil” followed, and though it was clear that Roth’s squealing vocals had deteriorated, the long golden locks of blonde hair have turned to a bald spot and the high flying gymnast kicks that once propelled Van Halen in the early days have become stationary kicks, he still knows how to front a band convincingly.
Instead of attempting to hit every high note, he stretched out the words or let the audience sing. It sounds like cheating, but it was an effective way to cover his voice’s shortcomings.
The set emphasized the band’s 1978 debut album, “Van Halen II,” as well as “1984”. Standouts included Alex Van Halen’s drum solo, “Dance The Night Away” and “Somebody Get Me A Doctor.”
During “Hot For Teacher,” Roth’s stage performance seemed to find another gear as he rediscovered his voice and swagger, matching the rest of the band in the high-quality performance. Every song after “Teacher” had increased energy, including the rarity ‘“Dirty Movies”’ from the album “Fair Warning,” the classic “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” and The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.”
Roth sat alone on stage with an acoustic guitar propped on his lap and a harmonica to sing “Ice Cream Man.”
Interjections about the U.S. Women’s World Cup Soccer team’s victory paved the way for a surprisingly eloquent speech about women’s rights and how the team broke down gender barriers. In honor of the two years he has lived in Japan, Roth translated each verse into Japanese in hopes that the Japanese team, and the country as a whole, will one day have as much freedom as the women of America.
He also promised to eat ice cream after the show.
“Eruption” solidified Eddie Van Halen’s status as a guitar god. The extended, blistering guitar solo let Van Halen boast his unmatched skills and knowledge of every possible sound a guitar can make. The solo showcased his speed, his signature gut-wrenching shrieks, masterful use of feedback and his ability to make music by tapping the back of the fretboard.
As expected, the final two songs were “1984’s” highlights — “Panama” and “Jump.” With everyone in the crowd singing along and the young-at-heart actually jumping along to “Jump,” the night came to a close in a show that far exceeded all expectations.
The largest demographic in the not-quite sold-out audience was middle-aged men, but a surprisingly wide range of ages was present. Kids who were dragged to the concert by their parents slowly conceded that they were having a good time.
By the end, the majority of the kids who clearly felt they were too cool to attend found hope that maybe, just maybe, their parents may actually have been cool in the ‘80s.
Click here for the full setlist.
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Van Halen far exceeds expectations in show near Portland
Craig Wright
July 7, 2015
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