David and Eddie show was a high-volume, scissor-kickin' expression of eternal youth
T'CHA DUNLEVY, The Gazette

Sparks flew as David Lee Roth joined old bandmate Eddie Van Halen and family for a stop on Van Halen's reunion tour last night before 14,400 fans at the Bell Centre.

The band last toured in 2004 with singer Sammy Hagar, but it is Roth's first stint with his old mates in over 20 years. And surprisingly, where there was once tension, there now appears to be - could it be? - camaraderie between him and Eddie Van Halen.

The wailing guitarist was beside himself last night, giddily shredding his way through the set, flanked by his brother Alex, and his 16-year-old son Wolfgang, who recently replaced longstanding member Michael Anthony on bass.

"We've got the brand new Van Halen, here," Roth announced, "three-quarters original, one-quarter inevitable."

It was the David and Eddie show, as the two buff 50-somethings took turns proving their eternal youth, while playing songs from their shared heyday.

They opened with their old version of the Kinks' You Really Got Me, the first of three straight off Van Halen's self-titled 1978 debut. Roth stood on a raised platform waving a giant red flag, while Eddie unleashed an opening solo. Roth's infamous scissor-kicks weren't far behind, and the night was under way.

The band stuck strictly to its early era repertoire over the next two hours, not playing anything from after 1984. But that still left lots to choose from. Runnin' With the Devil rocked hard but suffered from distortion, as Roth walked the circular catwalk twirling a red top-hat.

On Romeo Delight, from 1980's Women and Children First, he went from twirling his microphone stand to practicing mock-martial arts moves, while Van Halen ripped out another riff.

Beautiful Girls was a dumb, fun, shout-it-out anthem, and Dance the Night Away swung with radio-playlist accessibility. The Roy Orbison cover Pretty Woman was a crowd-pleaser.

Alex Van Halen got a chance to shine in a mid-show drum solo. The band returned, revived, for Unchained, in which Roth delivered a few roundhouse kicks before strolling onto the catwalk for the '80s-synth-laden I'll Wait.

The sound was an ear-bleed-inducing mess most of the time, particularly for And the Cradle Will Rock, during which the vibe took a serious dip. It returned during the high-speed Hot For Teacher.

The sheer volume, Van Halen's guitar grandstanding and Roth's flamboyant antics offered diversion, but not enough to mask the fact there was something missing. These guys were sputtering when they should have been launching into orbit.

"Is this a good show tonight or f---ing what?" Roth asked. The crowd replied with the requisite roar, and a good show it may have been. But it was far from great.

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