Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

A 'Jump' back to Van Halen's roots, reunion worth the wait

By Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published February 2, 2008 at 12:30 a.m.

Text size  
Eddie Van Halen, left, Alex Van Halen, center on drums, and singer David Lee Roth perform during Van Halen's reunion tour at the Pepsi Center on Friday night.

Photo by Matt McClain / The Rocky

Eddie Van Halen, left, Alex Van Halen, center on drums, and singer David Lee Roth perform during Van Halen's reunion tour at the Pepsi Center on Friday night.

Related Links

More Music

More stories »

Map my news

It's the reunion they blew in 1996. Then again in 2000 and '02. Then it was announced last year, but with Eddie Van Halen's son on bass. Then Eddie went into rehab.

The Van Halen reunion has been messed up so many times in so many different ways that it's amazing that the band is rolling across the country in 2008 as a tight unit, ripping through some of the biggest songs in classic rock.

Fans wearing "David Lee Roth IS Van Halen" T-shirts in the crowd saw that it's partially true, partially not.

Having Roth, one of rock's finest frontmen when he wants to be, back with the band and songs he made world-famous is a great, great thing. But equally great is having Eddie Van Halen back on top of his game, looking night-and-day healthier than his last stop through town.

Then again, maybe it's musical comfort food. By definition, the band couldn't play anything past 1984, as Roth left the band a year later, so the show was a throwback to simpler times. Simply seeing EVH and DLR sharing a stage - happily so - is a sight many fans thought they'd never see again.

Halfway through the opening You Really Got Me, the band simply paused and the exhilarated arena let out a lusty cheer, thrilled to see the band in close to its original incarnation.

What was lacking was any sense of a false reunion. Sure they're pulling in the cash on this sold-out tour, but cash has never been enough to make them put aside their egos. At the very least they're willing to put up with each other to make this happen.

Despite the fact that they're endlessly on the radio, one forgets just how many huge hits the original band put out in its six years of fire before implosion.

Favorites like Hot For Teacher and Beautiful Girls were obvious picks to bring down the house, but album tracks like Mean Streets and Everybody Wants Some kept the crowd just as rabid. With the biggest big screen ever and lasers aplenty, Van Halen put on an old-school rock show, fearlessly blasting through hits and rock star poses (though I don't think anyone would have objected to more shirts, less skin).

Teenaged Wolfgang Van Halen was the revelation, handling bass and vocals deftly with a style obviously derived from his father but not cloned. Hard-core fans say it's not Van Halen without Michael Anthony on bass, but no one was complaining Friday night.

At press time, big hits like Jump and Ain't Talkin' About Love were still to come, but with the VH reunion, apparently the fifth time's the charm.

Van Halen

* When: Friday night

* Where: Pepsi Center

* Grade: A

Comments

  • February 3, 2008

    2:45 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    ramblinrose writes:

    Having hit songs does not constitute being a good artist; doesn’t mean all the people that like the hit song have good taste. Playing a lot of notes quickly doesn’t mean the player of those notes is the greatest guitarist in the world. Van Halen's set was lack luster at best. The guitar jams lacked emotional, sensitivity, lacked passion and melody; just a lot of notes. The sound-check caused a prediction that the crowd would love the show, but I can name at least 10 other bands who deserve more kudos , attention & $ than the worn out, played out songs Van Halen gave us! Van Halen is NOT worthy of the millions they will make this year. Michael Anthony related in an interview, that he hadn't even known he'd been fired or replaced by "Wolfie" until he read so in an article announcing the tour. Rather have enemies than friends like that! Somehow I can’t see Van Morrison singing "Hot for Teacher." I cringe when I think of Eric Clapton strumming to "Running with the Devil" Playing those songs in your twenties is predictable but intolerably embarrassing when played by grown men (sans Wolfie). There’s been no artistic development from Van Halen hence the only thing they are capable of is T&A songs. Eddie has been called the greatest guitarist in the world, please! Wolfie, he's got a long way to go before being equal of such famous sons as Dweezil Zappa or Zak Starkey (Ringo's son on drums for The Who) even Jason Bonham (covering his father on skins for the latest Zep show) whose a shadow of his father, still has a lot more going for him than Wolf) ! Wolfie is not capable musicianship from young artists such as Derek Trucks (Butch Trucks’ nephew, Butch and Derek from Allman Brothers Band)! Wolf did nothing to earn a coveted position as bassist for a world touring band as Van Halen other than to be born Eddie's son. Mr. Brown's article lacks professional knowledge of music and the music industry. Rather it reads as a gushing fan attempting to gather the attention of an adored artist. This article lacks logic. Those that likeVan Halen will blow off my comments good! But Mark Brown is supposed to be reporting to us on a show. Telling us fans are happy and giving us a moment of musical commentary on the bassist does not tell us WHY Van Halen is good. He barely brushes on such concepts as technique other than to tell us Wolfie is not cloning anybody's style. The Macarena was a huge hit proving that anything can become a hit. Mass media and the average fan will always buy anything packaged well enough. Consider yourself ripped off if you saw this show. Save your money for Eric Clapton with Derek Trucks or for another CrossRoads show, even better the hopeful Led Zeppelin reunion tour. But calling a Van Halen Reunion worth the wait?! Nah! What's ripping off the American public at $35. or $40.'s a shirt! Van Halen says it perfectly."ain't talkin' 'bout love, my love is rotten to the core" rotten to the core indeed! Ugh!

  • February 4, 2008

    4:14 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    ham writes:

    Somewhere, in the preceding post by ramblinrose, he/she claims that the article lacks logic. (pause) I don't think it's the article lacking logic here.

  • February 4, 2008

    2:14 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Chizel writes:

    I would have to agree with Mr. Brown, the show was well worth the wait and better than I had hoped for. Ramblinrose wants to impress us all with his/her "rock education" and ripping the musical stylings of EVH and the technique of Wolfgang. If this music is not your style, then why attend the show? Wait for Zeppelin to tour - you're comparing apples to oranges. For any true fan of Van Halen attending the show, I think it delivered and left this fan satisfied and glad the wait for the reunion was over.

  • February 5, 2008

    12:02 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    sundogsbd writes:

    ROCK&ROLL,,,never forgets..
    Too bad people do.
    Rock and roll isn't about "which" notes are played.
    Rock and roll isn't about How "other" bands do it.
    Rock and roll is a feeling , an emotion,if you were there to see Van Halen then anyone would understand.
    What makes you get out of your seat and DANCE,,,
    Doesn't matter ,,,who,,,or how,,,,ARE YOU DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY ??
    I was.
    If you didn't "get into" the VAN HALEN show...check your heartbeat...SOMEBODY GET HIM A DOCTOR...
    AAAHHH,,,,Older doesn't mean wiser...sometime it just means older....
    Ramblinrose....smell the roses,,,,