Van Halen
Starplex
Dallas, TX
May 14, 1998

Set List

Photos by Dan Herron - dherron@theshop.net
© 1998.

Click on the images for full-size versions (approx 1MB per image).

Review by Mark Young - littledreamer@att.net

OH MY! I am in total shock over what I just saw. Van Halen put on one HELL of a SHOW tonight. The evening began as the roadies finished putting together the stage props and EDDIE whipped out his "Elephant Call" and other scratches and noises from backstage.

The crowd was going nuts, chanting "Ed-die, Ed-die!" He kept this up off and on for about 30 seconds, then the lights went down...and the next thing I heard was the opening of "Unchained"! Van Halen was ON tonight!! (but when aren't they?)

They ran through songs I have never heard live like: "Humans Being," "Somebody Get Me a Doctor," "Mean Street," and "Dance the Night Away". They played more old stuff than new stuff. What was also cool was that Eddie broke a string during "Why Can't This Be Love" and Gary's mike kept going out, but the show went on and it was wonderful.

Gary, man, he has one hell of a voice and sang great all night. He has a huge range! Gary brings in a lot of great energy. Eddie is by far the best guitarist I have EVER seen. EVER! Thanks, Ed! Eddie played a purple Wolfgang (I got one, too), a creme Wolfgang with the Trans-trem, and the Sunburst Special with the Fernandes Sustainer.

Mikey, well there ain't enough to say about him, he's so crucial to VH and he sang on "Doctor." He is so cool! Alex made me deaf for the next day or two! He did a great solo with some cool latin stuff and boy was he on tonight! Wow, this is the best Van Halen concert I have ever seen and I am still so psyched! If there was any love lost between Eddie and the fans, it sure wasn't shown tonight!!

Thank You VAN HALEN, I love you guys!!

If anyone has any doubts about the latest incarnation of Van Halen, I strongly urge them to see this band live! This was, without a doubt, the best concert I have ever seen! The energy, excitement and enthusiasm from everyone on stage was infectious. Everyone was on their feet from the dynamite opening of Unchained to the equally impressive close of Jump. Gary Cherone proved himself to be the ultimate Van Halen lead singer, giving his all on everything from Feel Your Love to Right Now to Without You. Absolutely Freaking Spectacular!

Michael Anthony was, of course, equally impressive. His lead vocals on Somebody Get Me A Doctor was one of the highlights of the show. Also, the presence of the legendary "Jack Daniel's" bass was a welcome sight. Only disappointing thing was there was no bass solo. Whassupwitdat?

Alex's magnificent drum solo came a little earlier than expected, but who cares? It was incredible! Better than I remeber it being on the last couple of tours. Last tour, the addition of the pre-recorded music did not impress me much, but this time it was great! He proved, that even at 45, he is still the greatest rock & roll drummer in the world.

And last, but in no way least, Eddie's performance was absolutely magnificent. I am still reeling at his performances on Mean Street, Romeo Delight, Year to the Day (which included his solo) and a host of other tunes. I had given up on seeing him play his famous red-and-white-striped guitar on stage, but tonight, you could have fooled me. When he played the old songs on the new guitar it sounded perfect! The perfect example of this was when he played Cathedral during the solo and, again, it was perfect. It looks like Eddie (and the whole band) is having fun onstage again, something which seemed to be lacking on the last tour. Plus, you have to admit, Eddie looks wonderful. He looks ten to fifteen years younger than he did previously and his stage presence is stronger than I have ever seen!

Needless to say, I was completely blown away by tonights performance and look forward to seeing Van Halen again ASAP!

All I can say is BAD ASS!!!!! I have had the pleasure of seeing VAN HALEN W/ DAVE & SAMMY and am a die hard fan. I was really worried about all this stuff W/ GARY and after seeing the show I cannot wait for the next time they come back. I was blown away! It was one of the best VAN HALEN shows I have ever seen. I have seen them 13 times and this one ranks in my top 5. They sounded great, looked great, and for the first time since "86" I see the guys laughing and actually having fun on stage.

EDDIE seems to get better W/ age and the sound of the band could not be better. EDDIE'S solo was amazing and I was also suprised by the set list. I have seen every show since "84" and for the first time in 14 years I heard the OLDIES. YOU CANNOT MISS THIS! If you are a die hard fan, this is a must see! The crowd was really into it and the guys were VERY ENERGETIC! I just now got back from the show and could not wait to give my review. The only thing I wanted to hear that they did not play was "Hot For Teacher" & "Running With The Devil."

I give the show a 11 on a scale from 1-10! One funny thing did happen when they played RIGHT NOW, the video was being played on the screen and SAMMY was seen! The crowd went crazy. You could tell that SAMMY is still loved! VAN HALEN KICKED ASS IN DALLAS!!!

It's the day after and I still can believe it. Last night I saw one of the most awesome concerts that I have ever seen. Being a HUGE Van Halen fan from as far back as I can remember, I had been anxiouly awaiting for the 14th of May ever since I found out that they were coming. I have seen Eddie and the boys 7 times before, and like the others, this time didn't disappoint at all.

It's almost surreal now that I think back. With the crowd chanting, "EDDIE, EDDIE, EDDIE," and the dim of the lights, everyone knew what was about to happen, but no one knew what to expect. As Eddie wailed through the first licks of "Unchained" I knew that I and the 20,000 others were in for one hell of a night.

Later, songs like "Somebody Get Me a Doctor" and "When It's Love" electrified the entire crowd. Alex was on top of his game and his solo was definitely his strongest to date. New songs from III came off as smooth and as classic as the greats of yesteryear. "Without You" and "Fire in the Hole" came off without a hitch and one of my new favorites, "A Year to the Day," which includes Eddie's unbelievable solo, sent chills down my spine as the music and lyrics flow to create one explosive package. Remarkable!

Like all good things, it had to end sometime, and it appeared that the boys were having such a good time, they didn't want to leave either. After finishing up with a great acoustic version of "Joshephina" and then the one-two punch of "Pamama" and "Jump," I was beggin' for more. The band recieved their standing O and worked the crowd in great fashion. My first impression of Gary is that of a great frontman with only the promise to get better with age. Age is one thing that hasn't stopped the greatest band, and Eddie and the boys proved to me that even with a new set of pipes, Van Halen still puts on the best show and still can rock your socks off!

I have seen each show in Texas including the Texas Jam when they had to rent their stuff. It has been two days since the show and I am still rocking. Come back soon.

It has been a long wait to see VH again, and it finally was here. On May 13 Houston, Texas welcomed VH back to the states.

The set list was right out of my own dreams. They played some old tunes from the Dave days, some tunes from the Sammy days, and of course some from the new disc with Gary.

I can't possibly tell you about everything, but here are a few things I want to say. The energy on stage was through the foor. One song that I wanted them to play wasn't until they came out for an encore (I won't say what it is because it ruins the surprise).

Lastly I must be honest. I was excited when I first heard that Gary was the new vocalist. I was also excited and pleased with the new disc. There is no denying that Gary sings his balls off. However, someone HAS to tell Gary to quit dancing around on stage like a fag. I say this with all the respect in the world ( I really like Gary), but he looks like a fag up there.

All things considered, VH once again KICKED ASS!!!

I have seen Ed and the boys many times, but this was the best ever! Hearing all the old songs that you thought would never be played live again - Words cannot express the greatness that was displayed. And, as far as Gary goes - The man can sing it all....Even if III is not your favorite album - GO SEE THEM LIVE!!!

I had seen the band several times with Sammy. Nothing can compare to the treat Dallas got Thursday night. VH at a new level. I can remember when Sammy lost his voice at the Texas Jam. I was at the free concert in Dallas. No VH show I have seen could compare to last night.

Gary is an amazing vocalist on the record as well as live. To sum it up, two hours into the concert, Gary's voice was golden, flawless, and amazing. The first encore was Josephina from VH3. A great song that was transformed to a work of art when Eddie and Gary did the entire song as a duet and acoustically. WOW!

The VH set list brought up tunes that I had never heard in concert. Romeo Delight and Somebody Get Me a Doctor were killer. Hearing the power of Unchained to open the show was captivating. The solo was note for note from the album and the crowd ate it up. I almost couldn't hear the solo over the roar of the crowd when Eddie tee'd off.

Anyone reading this is obviously interested in VH. Do yourself a favor and go see the show. Anybody doubting ANYTHING about this band has got another thing comin'. It was the best VH in Years, and should be around for many more.

WOW! My questions are answered! Anyone out there who has doubts about how this band works live (and you know who you are BP,SE), put those silly, inane thoughts out of your head! These guys rocked last night! The band sounded incredible and Eddie's guitar has never sounded so good (anyone know what that strange contraption Ed is shackled to on his guitar? It appears to be two separate plugs into his guitar).

I have been a VH fan for almost 20 years and have seen them on every tour since 1984, sometimes twice in the same tour. This has to be one of the best VH shows I can remember! Forget the freakin' melodrama of who the singer is! This is rock and roll, not saving lives! It was fantastic to hear some old Van Halen songs that I have never heard played live before. Gary is a great singer and is a good showman as well. He sang all of the songs with intensity and never seemed to miss a note. He even had the guts to hit ALL of the notes regardless of how high, something Sammy was slowly eliminating from his live act. Don't get me wrong, I was just as jazzed when the Right Now video clip showed Sammy for just a nanosecond. Everyone loved him with this band, and the crowd reaction proved it, however the guy hasn't hit all the notes in recent concerts!

The only down side to the show was that Eddie's solo was shorter than usual, Al's solo was too long, and Mike did not have one! I guess these guys are getting to the stage that the obligitory solo is kind of passe. However, I will always want to hear my favorite guitar player, Eddie, wail! The longer, the better! The guy is just amazing! Whether or not the guy is an ego maniac as some people have said he has become, it doesn't matter. This guy comes up with some really powerful music. Always has, always will. He was, is, and will continue to be the heart and soul of this band. Without him there is no such thing as Van Halen.

The new stuff sounded great live. I am glad they stuck to the harder tunes like Without You, Fire in the Hole, and Year to the Day (what a solo on that song!). The only thing I could have done without (even though its a nice acoustic piece) was Josephina. I don't like that song on the CD or live. Other than that, the song selection was great and the band played 2 encores that built to a frenzied finish with Jump. Judging by the crowd reaction, no one was disappointed. Say what you will about the new lineup, but this band SMOKES live!!!

Having seen every incarnation of Van Halen to date as well as David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and Extreme tours I am pleased to announce that the Van Halen III tours ROCKS! Unchained, Mean Street, Panama, Why Can't This Be Love, Right Now, Humans Being, Without You or Fire In the Hole, pick your era and they will play you a song as good or better than they have ever played it before.

Eddie - Eddie is the original article, the real deal and playing better than ever. Old stuff, new stuff it all RIPS at the hands of Edward Van Halen. Embellished versions of Cathedral, Eruption and 316 made up the bulk of the guitar solo, which was too short, but captivated the audience just the same.

Alex - Alex Van Halen in a neck brace is still Alex Van Halen. Alex pounded on his drums like his life depended on it, all night long. His solo was innovative and well played, much better than the last couple of tours.

Mike - Mikey put on a hell of a show. Somebody Get Me A Doctor was great! With a base in his hands Michael Anthony is a man possessed and he shows no signs of exorcism on this tour. No solo though :(

Gary - Gary? That's right, the new guy… Well, you would never know it from last night's show. At the end of the evening I had to convince myself that it wasn't those four who had written ALL of those songs together. Gary's vocal talent is huge and he adds his own unique energy to Van Halen's tunes old and new.

Highlights - MEAN STREET!!!! Year To The Day!!! Josephina (all acoustic)!! Feel Your Love Tonight!

Ok, so you're a VH fan but you have your doubts about the new lineup... GO TO THE SHOW!! Or, you're a VH fan but VH III just isn't your favorite VH album...GO TO THE SHOW!!

Van Halen is back and they ARE playing better than ever.