By Jim Harrington, STAFF WRITER

IF A LAS Vegas odds maker were to have handicapped the Van Halen tour prior to its start, the line would've probably read something like this:

Even money: Promoters cancel tour after selling only eight tickets in Albuquerque

2-1: Vocalist David Lee Roth cries when fans start chanting Sammy Hagar's name

5-1: Embarrassed by his namesake band's performances, drummer Alex Van Halen changes his name to Dudley Frankenmuth.

10-1: Guitarist Eddie Van Halen decides to fire Roth and hire Kevin Federline on lead vocals

20-1: Eddie's 16-year-old son, Wolfgang, leaves band and issues the statement, "Biology class is more fun than playing bass in this crappy band!"

30-1: Roth cries when fans start chanting Gary Cherone's name

1 million-1: Tour turns out to be a huge success

Given what we know about this Van Halen -- a band with a history that would seem dysfunctional even to Axl Rose or Courtney Love -- there's no way that this tour should have amounted to anything more than a train wreck with a few stellar guitar solos thrown into the mix.

Talk about beating the odds. This version of VH -- the one that, with due respect to original bassist Michael Anthony, fans have been waiting since 1984 to see -- has been wowing both fans and critics with its reunion shows. The buzz has been so strong that people are now calling Van Halen, not the Police, the rock reunion of the year.

On Saturday, the legendary SoCal band finally made its way to the Oracle Arena in Oakland and the result was a show that surely surpassed the wildest dreams of even the most hopeful Pollyanna in the capacity crowd. This group wasn't just good -- it was, once again, great.

Following an opening set by Ky-Mani (son of Bob) Marley, Van Halen took the stage and immediately went about obliterating any lingering doubts about the band. It just took one song -- the group's great cover of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me," recorded on VH's 1978 eponymous debut -- and everyone in the house knew this was going to be a fun night.

There was a real sense of urgency to the music as the quartet motored through "I'm the One," "Running With the Devil," "Romeo Delight" and "Somebody Get Me a Doctor," as if the group was trying to make up for more than two decades of lost time in one single night.

"After 22 years, that this tour should take place -- I believe in miracles!" Roth exclaimed to the crowd.

Nobody had a better time than Diamond Dave, whose career languished while the rest of Van Halen continued to rock with Sammy Hagar. His smile went nearly from ear to ear as he bounced about the stage, working the crowd with the enthusiasm of an Amway rep. He acted like he'd just won the rock lottery -- when, in fact, the real winner was the unproven Wolfgang, taking over on bass for Michael Anthony.

While Roth and Eddie Van Halen get the lion's share of attention, the real motor that drives Van Halen has always been the rhythm section. Alex Van Halen, one of rock's most accomplished drummers, was as good as ever as he dropped the type of thunderous, complicated beats that should take four arms to create. That was no surprise. What was a shocker was how well Wolfgang Van Halen did in place of Anthony.

Then, of course, there was Eddie Van Halen. He's a technical marvel, especially when it comes to pure finger speed, but his style appeals to those who prefer parlor tricks to hot licks. He can fire off a zillion riffs in a minute flat, yet none will strike with as much soul as a single note plucked by Keith Richards, Trey Anastasio, David Gilmour or B.B. King.

A Van Halen show, however, isn't about soul. It's about cutting loose and having fun. And, against all odds, this concert delivered in a mighty big way.

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