February 19th, 2008
From: http://www2.tbo.com/
By CURTIS ROSS, The Tampa Tribune
TAMPA - Kids - mere kids, I tell you - were bombing down the Forum's lobby
Monday night, whooping "Van Halen!" at the top of their lungs like it was
1978 or something.
These kids - babies, really - were nowhere even near conception when some
in the crowd of 16,853 were wearing the oxide off cassettes of "Van
Halen" and "Van Halen II."
They should thank classic rock radio or dad's record collection for
hipping them to one of the finest over-the-top rock acts ever.
But they - and those of us who never got any closer to Van Halen than
blasting the tapes in our cars - mostly should thank Eddie Van Halen and
David Lee Roth for putting aside veritable rivers of bad blood and finally
touring together for the first time since 1984.
Whatever their personal differences, guitarist extraordinaire Van Halen
and showman's showman Roth looked genuinely pleased to be sharing the
stage again; almost as glad as the crowd was to see them there.
The band - including drummer Alex Van Halen and Eddie's son, Wolfgang, on
bass, replacing the departed Michael Anthony - ripped through most of the
high points from the six albums the original foursome recorded between
1978 and 1984.
Roth and Eddie Van Halen, both 53, were in fighting trim, both displaying
torsos that would do a man half their age proud. Roth even executed a few
high kicks with apparent ease.
Still an amazing guitarist, Van Halen's playing combined speed and
technique with inventiveness and a wicked sense of humor.
He demonstrated that on "Everybody Wants Some!!" when he and Roth engaged
in a duel imitating the sound of a car engine, with Roth, for once,
conceding defeat.
Of course Roth isn't known for modesty, and he preened and pranced like a
man born to the stage, vaudeville or rock. In his spangled coat and top
hat, he strutted like a raunched-out Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Wolfgang, just 16, kept his head down and played mostly, but he sounded
just fine both on bass and handling the backing vocals.
Highlights depend on your favorite Van Halen song - if they played it, it
probably sounded great, but from my seat, "Atomic Punk," "I'm the One" and
"Romeo Delight" were tops.
Van Halen Concert Photo gallery
[Return to Current Headlines]
The Van Halen News Desk: Serving up Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar news since 1996
