By Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The people spoke and the people wanted this: Eddie Van Halen with David Lee Roth.

Even the critics who never liked them to begin with - because they were so busy with their Elvis Costello records - wanted it. It took more than 20 years. They endured - from a distance - bad blood between old friends, they endured Sammy Hagar, they endured cancer and alcoholism, divorce, rehab, Gary Cherone, bad talk radio, bad vibes all around.

Finally, we got David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen in the same arena together, in Pittsburgh, a heavy metal town.

The lights went down, Eddie hit the riff to "You Really Got Me" and the three- quarter-original version of Van Halen was back in action.

How was it? Eh, it was all right.

Something was missing from Van Halen at the nearly sold-out Mellon Arena last night.

Maybe it was bassist Michael Anthony, who was pushed aside in favor of Wolfgang, spawn of Eddie.

Maybe it was all that flowing hair that used to be on top of Eddie and David Lee. Now, it was cropped. And when Roth unbuttoned his shirt and pumped out his chest - shaved!

Or maybe it was the fact that Roth just doesn't bring it. Let's face it, he never was the world's greatest singer. Why do you think he did all those effects-laden screams? Now - maybe because he's talked so darn much he's lost a good bit of the high register, and it's enough to suck some of the life out of Van Halen.

In fact, his leg kicks were flying higher than his notes. OK, Roth, obviously tight with his personal trainer, still has some swagger.

Eddie has the sizzle. The nice thing about playing guitar is that he'll be able to play those thunderous riffs and dazzling, finger-tapping solos until he's 70-something. And brother Alex is still a beast on the drums.

On a relatively no-frills stage (for such a major tour), they played a 25-song set all drawn from the seven years (1978-1984) they recorded together. They plowed through hits like "Runnin' With the Devil," "Dance the Night Away" and "Everybody Wants Some" while tossing in deeper album cuts like "Mean Street" and "Little Dreamer."

Alex took a flashy solo. Roth had his moment on the acoustic guitar intro to "Ice Cream Man." And, after "Panama," Eddie, looking like a member of Jimmy Buffett's band in his plaid shirt and white pants, did an ear-splitting, skull-crushing solo, blending atmospherics and killer speed.

The crowd, made up of people who saw them there in '82, was oddly subdued. There were only a few high-five-your-buddy moments and they all belonged to Eddie, like when he mimicked the sound of a hot rod engine revving on guitar.

It was nostalgic. It was musical. It probably doesn't have to last.

John Heller/Post-Gazette
David Lee Roth, left, Eddie Van Halen, lead guitar and Alex Van Halen, right on drums play "I'm the One"

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