The statute of limitations on anyone willing to give their right arm to see David Lee Roth back with Van Halen expired with the parties' second botched reunion attempt back in the early '00s.

Yet another announcement earlier this year that Roth and Van Halen were joining forces once more, which was quickly followed by a postponement when Eddie Van Halen checked into rehab for alcoholism, certainly didn't help matters.

Still, that didn't make last night's show at the Wachovia Center - the third of their reunion tour which finally got off the ground last week - sound any less sweet, or keep anyone from going stark raving bonkers when they heard the opening riffs to classics like "Unchained" and "Panama."

As Roth - sporting short hair and packing strong pipes - explained early on, this wasn't really a reunion, per se. He called it "The New Van Halen. Three-parts original" (Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Roth), "one part inevitable" (Eddie's 17-year-old son Wolfgang, who replaced fired original bassist Michael Anthony). Roth then compared this "new" Van Halen to "watching 'Dragnet' on your iPod."

That rap came early in the two-hour show, in which Roth kept his trademark shtick to a minimum (save for the hilarious memory lane preamble to "Ice Cream Man"), allowing the band to move from song-to-song with little hesitation.

Some more Roth spice would've been nice, but it's hard to complain when the "less talk, more rock" approach made room for chestnuts like "Little Guitars" and "Atomic Punk."

The band established their rapid-fire m.o. right from the start. So show opener "You Really Got Me" quickly segued into "I'm the One," which roared right into "Runnin' With the Devil."

Eddie, looking as though he just came off the beach in white shorts and Chuck Taylor sneakers, flashed mile-wide smiles all night. He grinned with paternal pride as Wolfgang held down the bottom end and delivered the high harmonies to "Jamie's Cryin'" and "Dance the Night Away" like a seasoned vet. And Van Halen laughed as Roth looked on with typical mock amazement whenever Eddie casually tapped and picked his way through the innovative, dexterous solos that made him a certifiable guitar God.

Fans might have been forced to wait too long for their liking to see Roth and the Van Halens fire up their signature brew of stellar musicianship, timeless melodies, and hammy showmanship again. But as confetti rained down over the Wachovia Center and Roth rode a giant, phallic microphone at the conclusion of the show-closing "Jump" it seemed as though all was forgiven.

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