Peter Hartlaub, Chronicle Pop Culture Critic

A few minutes before most of the original Van Halen returned to the Bay Area for the first time in decades, Valerie Bertinelli strolled across the concert floor, smiling broadly and waving at a few fans as if she didn't have a care in the world.

Were Bonnie Franklin and Pat Harrington Jr. in the crowd, too? Would the audience walk outside and see gas for $1.09 a gallon? Could we all turn on Top 40 radio and once again hear 30-second-long guitar solos and songs about nothing but sex?

Could it really be 1984 again?

Bertinelli was at the HP Pavilion in San Jose with a different boyfriend, most likely there to see her 16-year-old son with ex-husband Eddie Van Halen (young Wolfgang has taken over as bassist for the groundbreaking rock band). But while the past is the past, Sunday night's sold-out show proved that Van Halen has aged as gracefully as anyone could have realistically expected. This is definitely the way to do the nostalgia tour, offering something new, just enough of the old and at least one really hard-rocking Roy Orbison cover.

The fact that original singer David Lee Roth and the Van Halens have made it this far - more than 20 dates into their 2007 American tour, which continues Saturday night in Oakland - speaks to either their maturity or some particularly strong legal language in their touring contract. Roth has bailed or been jettisoned from the band at least twice, while successors Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone have at least three more departures between them.

But the Van Halens and Roth were all hugs and kisses the other night, even if the act seemed more than a little scripted. More important, the band sounded quite good, seeming to feed off the youth of Wolfgang and the enthusiasm of its aging audience members, many of whom brought their own small children.

Eddie and Alex Van Halen sounded sharp, which was probably to be expected. Even during Eddie's darkest hours, he could still knock out "Eruption" from muscle memory. Eddie also looked really good, replacing that just- crawled-out-of-the-trash-bin look of last year with whitened teeth, short hair and a lean, toned body that looked as if he had been working out with Iggy Pop's trainer. Only when the camera pulled in tight did his 52 years show a little, mostly in his gnarled and scabby "Old Man and the Sea" hands, which are still fast if a little less precise.

As for the underrated Alex Van Halen, Eddie's two-years-older brother still has the quadriceps of a 20-year-old. Even in 2007, he can pummel the bass drums so hard that it sounds as if a 1970 Mercury Cougar with no muffler is revving through the arena.

The real surprise, though, was Roth, who spent much of the evening strutting across the stage with his mouth agape, looking like the lottery winner that he is.

Part of Roth's charm has always been an underlying self-deprecation, but it was still a relief to see how well he had grown into his Diamond Dave role. No longer able to jump off the drum riser like a Cirque du Soleil acrobat, he's adapted to the role of Cirque du Soleil clown, marching around and mugging while being careful not to take off more than his shirt. (Roth's buttless chaps, thankfully, seem to be retired - no doubt on their way to the Smithsonian.)

Roth's voice has lost a little power, but he's adapted well, singing in slightly lower ranges but still showing some panache. His little spin kicks and karate moves now look a little too much like the Elaine- from-"Seinfeld" dance, but that's part of his new charm. The hottest guy at the party has grown into the older letch who never misses ladies' night at your local bar. Still very entertaining.

With no album of junky new material to push, there was very little filler in Sunday's set list. Starting with "You Really Got Me," "I'm the One" and "Runnin' With the Devil," the performances got better as Roth and the older Van Halens limbered up.

The band ripped through a two-hour, 10-minute set that was reportedly picked by Wolfgang, who apparently doesn't own "5150," "Van Halen III" or any other albums after "1984." A prowling version of "Everybody Wants Some" was a highlight, and the only huge misstep was the decision to play a few synthesizer-heavy songs near the end - with no one onstage playing keyboards. "Jump" may have been their biggest hit, but "Panama" should have been the encore.

Original bassist Michael Anthony's presence was missed - he always fit in well as the nice guy among the rogues. (Van Halen without Anthony = "MASH" without Radar.) But his instrument was played nicely by young Wolfgang, who learned the bass only last year and is already showing some of his father's flourish. Even better was the interaction between father and son, including a kiss on the head by Eddie Van Halen that was far more convincing than any of his embraces with Roth.

Wolfgang Van Halen's stage presence was a lot less developed, but that was OK, too. If you were 16, and your mother was in the audience, you wouldn't be trying any pelvic thrusts either.

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