BY BRIAN MCCOLLUM
FREE PRESS POP MUSIC CRITIC

They don't make them like Van Halen anymore. We weren't even sure if Van Halen made it like Van Halen anymore.

But on a Saturday night that had all the feel of an old-school rock night in Joe Louis Arena, the reunited group served up a sizzling, swaggering set that certainly felt as if the band had never lost a step.

Two decades older, with a little less hair and a lot less spandex, Van Halen Version 1 -- sort of -- hit the Joe three weeks into a tour many thought might never happen. It was out with the new, in with the old, as vocalist David Lee Roth reclaimed the spot that had been bestowed to Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone.

"It Ain't Van Halen Without David Lee Roth," read one T-shirt slogan Saturday night, and for fans who like their VH topped with a splash of vaudeville showmanship, that might well be rock 'n' roll doctrine. The wide-grinning front man was spunky in his spangled jackets, high-kicking like he'd shaved 30 years off his 53, and looking clearly gratified to be back out of exile from his beloved band.

As a vocalist, Roth is lucky: During the band's earlier heyday, he'd largely stuck within the comfortable part of his range. Few moments during Saturday night's set proved overly demanding, and you could often close your eyes and feel like it was some era long gone.

But then you opened them and realized it's not. There are many, of course, who would say it ain't Van Halen without Michael Anthony, and the snubbed bassist has been replaced by Wolfgang Van Halen, son of Eddie. While the 16-year-old was proficient in his bass duties -- about the most that could ever be said about Anthony's work -- his presence was the only thing stopping the night from being a truly magical piece of time travel.

"Three-quarters original, one-quarter inevitable," Roth said early in the night, as Wolfgang's mom and Eddie's ex-wife, Valerie Bertenelli, watched from the soundboard.

A wiry but healthy looking Eddie Van Halen looked as reenergized as Roth, shirtless and animated as he whipped up his guitar heroics. His touch was lithe and potent as he coaxed the familiar old high-voltage glory out his guitars, and whatever peaceful spot he's found after years of substance struggles is a welcome one.

Brother Alex Van Halen was characteristically industrious at the drum set as the band chugged through a set of classics -- opener "You Really Got Me," "Dance the Night Away," "Hot for Teacher," "Jamie's Crying" -- all deposited at ear-splitting volume. "Playing here brings back a lot of memories," Roth told the Joe Louis audience of about 15,000, which had come primed with reliable Detroit-rock moxie.

Van Halen can get away with this sort of tour in ways that not every aging band can. There were few pretensions to art back in the day -- for Van Halen, it was all about the show. And so it was Saturday night, led by ever-on-the-edge-of-cheesy Roth, giddily manning the stage with a giant inflatable microphone under a shower of confetti as the two-hour set closed with "Jump."

The reunited band isn't done with Detroit yet: After some inevitable star sightings out around town the next 24 hours, fans will gather at the Palace of Auburn Hills for another round of loud nostalgia. If Saturday night was a hint, they're in for a treat.

(KIMBERLY P. MITCHELL/DFP)
David Lee Roth performs with Van Halen on their reunion tour at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Saturday.

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