By Sean Piccoli | Sun-Sentinel.com

SUNRISE - Gone so long -- banished, really -- David Lee Roth practically qualifies as Van Halen's new lead singer. And doesn't he know it. The huge smile tattooed on Roth's face on Tuesday night at sold-out BankAtlantic Center gave him the look of a disbelieving contestant, as if he'd just won the job on a reality show.

Van Halen proved it didn't need "Diamond Dave," their first frontman, to prosper and carry on as kings of radio rock. But his return, on a tour reprising the Roth/Van Halen years (1978-1985), gives this band a motivating kick in the backside and a reason to exist -- besides money -- that otherwise might not have presented itself.

There's a lot of music to be played and reclaimed -- songs that held up well enough with Roth's successor, Sammy Hagar, at the microphone but never sounded ideal. Hagar is a power vocalist; Roth more of a showman employing theatrics, timing and a bit of comedy. The first six albums depended on the sound of Roth sparring with the Van Halen brothers -- guitarist Eddie and drummer Alex -- and then-bassist Michael Anthony.

Roth's position in Van Halen might or might not be provisional, but if he doesn't own the job free and clear he certainly owned his performance on Tuesday in front of more than 15,000 people. With his voice sounding not- unpleasantly rough, and his vocals getting little or no sweetening from the soundboard, Roth sang, yelped, blustered, barked and crooned his way admirably through 23 songs in two hours of stage time.

Even his occasionally awestruck demeanor helped: Roth, 52, seems to be rediscovering what a fun band Van Halen is to be in. The mix of joy and relish he brought to being the frontman again was one of the concert's most appealing features.

And apparently, he doesn't want to muck it up. He was charming in the care he took when interacting with his bandmates, including new bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie's teen-aged son. It was as if Roth wondered how much horseplay was appropriate, how much he could presume on the old relationships.

The trio of Van Halens looked and sounded happy in any case to have Roth back in the fold. They performed with as much spirit and engagement as he did, from the slashing first strokes of "You Really Got Me" to a buoyant encore, two hours later, of "Jump." The new, familial rhythm section of Alex and his nephew attacked the band's pumped-up, pop-savvy rock songs expertly. "Unchained" contained the only miscue, insofar as something caused the youngest Van Halen's bass guitar to slip audibly out of tune.

The set contained just about anything a Roth-era Van Halen fan could have asked for. There were signature hits such as "Runnin' with the Devil" and "Hot for Teacher." There were "deep tracks" of the kind that separate casual fans from the devout, such as "Romeo Delight" and "Mean Street."

Eddie Van Halen's guitar work was the most essential ingredient in all of these, and he played as he always does -- like a race driver with the hood off the engine, the better to reach into the guts of the machinery to get every rev to its absolute peak and to put every ounce of power at his disposal. There's also a case to be made that having Roth as a spur made Eddie Van Halen that much sharper and faster around the course.

Van Halen plays the BankAtlantic Center again on February 20.

Van Halen set list for Feb. 12 at BankAtlantic Center

You Really Got Me
I'm The One
Runnin' with the Devil
Romeo Delight
Somebody Get Me a Doctor
Beautiful Girls
Dance the Night Away
Atomic Punk
Everybody Wants Some
So This Is Love
Mean Street
Pretty Woman
(drum solo)
Unchained
I'll Wait
And the Cradle Will Rock
Hot for Teacher
Little Dreamer
Little Guitars
Jamie's Cryin'
Ice Cream Man
Panama
(guitar solo w/ Eruption and Cathedral)
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
Jump

Van Halen at the BankAtlantic Center Photos

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