Van Halen
May 11 2008
Gwinnett Arena

I thought I'd be writing this review in February, but two postponements and three months later I find myself at the keyboard, and it was worth the wait. On Mother's Day 2008, much to the joy of my mother, I was off to see Dave, Eddie, Wolfgang (who for those of you who don't know is Ed's son and replacement for Michael Anthony) and Alex perform. Ever since the reunion was announced I was bewildered and excited because finally Van Halenwould reunite with their real lead singer, not Hagar or...uh....that other guy.

After navigating the traffic of a suburban area instead of the gridlock of downtown Atlanta for a change, I entered the Gwinnett Arena full of anticipation. The traffic I avoided, though, caught up with me at the merch stand. This is where I had the amazing idea that women should have their own separate merch stand where they can put the shirts up against their body and ask their friends if they look alright without holding up the whole line. An express lane would be a good idea, too, "Mrs. 7 Shirts Lady". I got my shirt and headed on into the stadium. I have to say, The River takes pretty good care of me, and I'd like to thank them for seats about 20-30 feet from Eddie's side of the stage adding to my anticipation.

Eventually, the lights went off and there were cheers, but no one really got up. It was just the opener. However, this was probably the best opening act I have ever seen at a concert. His name was Ryan Shaw and he had a soulful reggae vibe to his music, performed with lots of feeling. In addition to his originals, he threw in some well performed cover songs. Explaining that he grew up in a deeply religious family, he said he would perform a popular Beatles song he often used as a prayer, and the band started Paul's beautiful mom-inspired (appropriate, huh?) ballad, "Let It Be", with Ryan substituting the words "Holy Spirit" for "Mother Mary". His version was very good, which is saying a lot because I am extremely critical of people covering Zeppelin or the Beatles. Shaw also performed Janis Joplin's hit, "Piece of My Heart", with wails so intense one could close their eyes and think they were listening to Janis herself.

Following the opener, the lights went on as the roadies started preparing things for Van Halenin front and in back of a curtain covering the stage, giving us accidental little peeks at the setup from time to time. One thing I spotted was the stack of new 5150 III amplifiers, by Ed, adorning each side of the stage. Mechanically guided zeppelins sporting the Roth era "VH" logo floated around the arena, met by cheers, and sometimes nervousness, when a blimp would come swooping down at the crowd - which didn't seem planned.

Before long the lights went out again, this time with a huge uproar as people stood up out of their seats and were met with the wail of Ed's guitar and lightning fast solo as Alex pounded away, Wolf pulled out a killer bass line, and Dave stood atop a lighted walkway waving a giant red flag. This swell of instrumental bliss gave way to Van Halen's famous cover of the Kinks song, "You Really Got Me". Dave energetically navigated across the stage in black and yellow snake-skin-like pants, button up black shirt, and an extravagantly designed yellow jacket, wailing his lyrics while dealing with a bit of mic difficulty that was quickly fixed. Eddie was, as always, smiling away as he played a new white "Wolfgang" model guitar by his guitar company, EVH. This song was followed directly by a fan favorite off of 1978's Van Halen, "I'm The One", signaled by its blistering fast opening guitar riff. The song paused in the middle where the harmonized "bop-shoo-wop" normally goes which, by the way, is another phrase that sounds a lot cooler when it's not spelled out. As the song came to a close, Wolf ran up the walkway to the top platform, held up his "Franken-bass", and bellowed out the opening bass notes to another classic off their first album, the ever-popular "Runnin' with the Devil". Dave belted this one out adorned with a sparkling red top hat. (You know, just in case you were wondering.) Eddie and Wolf did a fine job with the high backing vocals, probably due to the youth behind Wolf's voice combined with the high range of Eddie's vocals. Their harmonies were right on, too.

After "Runnin' with the Devil" finished, Dave talked to the crowd for the first time. He talked about how he was in his room last night, and talked about values and that God talked to him last night, asking him why they were still going. He threw out several reasons like money, which he denied, and fame, which he also denied. He also mentioned trashy girls, which he followed with "Ok, maybe a little." He then said that it was really for the audience, mentioning that some musicians say, "I'd play even if no one came to watch me" - to which he replied with an expletive and "I wouldn't be here if you guys weren't." Then he proposed a toast: something about what his Russian grandmother used to say to him about living to be 120 and dying in someone else's bed. Following this dialogue, Ed played the heavy intro to a favorite off of 1980's Women and Children First, "Romeo Delight". In the middle of the song, there was a pause as Wolf replayed the intro on bass, including tapping and harmonics, which is pretty darn talented. The kid didn't just get in because he was Eddie's son, though I'm sure that helped. He can really play! Dave knew that someday this would happen, calling the new Van Halen"Three parts original, one part inevitable." After this, the band went into a little of the Who classic, "Magic Bus", before going back to the rest of "Romeo Delight".

When Dave yelled out "Yeah! Somebody Get Me A Doctor!" it was obvious they'd play either "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" or "Dancin' In The Street". Thankfully it was the former, enhanced with cylindrical metal things surrounding the stage and walkway, glowing red and blue. The band showed lots of energy until things slowed down in the middle and Ed began a bluesy jam, eventually morphing into the Robert Johnson song famously performed by Cream, "Cross Road Blues", before the end of "Somebody Get Me A Doctor." This was followed directly by the last song off of 1979's Van HalenII, the classic "Beautiful Girls", which Dave sang rather low and in a different fashion than he normally does.

"Beautiful Girls" finished and Alex started playing a familiar beat on the cowbell. Everyone knew it was "Dance the Night Away", Van Halen's first top 15 hit, also off of Van Halen II. It was punctuated by Eddie and Wolf's aforementioned well performed backing vocals, but Dave seemed to slack off a bit during the chorus. Maybe it was how high the singing was, or maybe he just didn't want to, either way it didn't really mess things up. Directly after this hit, and three songs from Van Halen II, Eddie dead picked on his guitar with heavy modulation the indescribable beginning of a heavy favorite off the first album: "Atomic Punk".

Dave walked off stage as Alex started to beat away the rhythm to "Everybody Wants Some!!" Eddie grabbed a drill, decorated with his signature Frankenstein stripes (to match his Converse), and held the side of the spinning part of the drill against the strings above the pickup, making screeching and wailing noises explode from his guitar and building excitement. As he went into the regular riff, Dave came out from backstage and began to sing. The song was immediately followed by "So This Is Love?" a song off of Fair Warning that Wolf has said is one of his favorite songs to play because it's 'just him' for a bit. He, however, doesn't like bass solos. In fact, Wolf only agreed to play with Van Halen if he didn't have to do any. Dave sounded a bit drowned out during the song, so he asked twice for someone to turn him up, the second time a little sterner.

Following "So This Is Love?", Eddie started to tap wildly on the fret board creating the trippy sounds that precede "Mean Street", the opening song off of Fair Warning. He extended the intro, much to the pleasure of guitar players in awe of his talent. The band showed a good amount of energy during the song and the song went as usual until it got to the middle where there's the whole "You see, a gun's real easy..." part, and that's when it changed. Instead of these spoken words, the band transitioned into their 1982 cover of the famous Ray Davies song, "Pretty Woman", leaving "Mean Street" unfortunately unfinished. This was disappointing. "Pretty Woman" is alright, but I'd rather see an original take its place (such as "In a Simple Rhyme" which wasn't played). Ed seemed to be having technical problems, taking every break in the song to mess with the pedal board beneath him. What he was trying to do, I don't know.

After "Pretty Woman", Alex started to drum again, but this time the band left the stage, signaling a drum solo. It was around this time I began to feel sorry for drummers, considering people can stand through a 20 minute guitar solo, but immediately when a drum solo begins, they sit. I'll admit that was me, but I was tired, man. The solo was quite good, and it was enhanced in the middle with the most insane strobe lights I've ever seen. The drums had effects so he could produce synth-like sounds, and he played the chorus to "Outta Love Again" before ending.

There was silence and the stage lights dimmed to a light purple, as they often did between songs. All of a sudden, the blisteringly heavy guitar riff of "Unchained" burst through the speakers as the lights came on and the band was met with another uproar. I'm not sure what you think, but this song never gets old to me, and it was excellently performed, even with Wolf responding to Dave's famous lines in the middle with a meek, "Come on, Dave. Give me a break!" After another purple lit silence, the opening keyboard part to their 1984 hit, "I'll Wait", flowed from the speakers. Eddie emerged with one of his new Charvel reissues of the famous "Frankenstein", with the word Atlanta printed across the body of the guitar. Dave yelled, and lasers shone out from the top of the stage as the heavily modulated opening guitar riff to "And the Cradle Will Rock" filled the arena, with Eddie playing a jangly guitar fill that isn't heard on the studio version. Another Charvel reissue guitar was brought out for this song, this time the yellow and black 'Frankenstein", which also had Atlanta circled around the single knob on the guitar. The song was really well performed, and was one of the best of the night. Ed even played a "Smoke on the Water" tease at the very end.

This was shortly followed by a classic off of 1984, the famous "Hot For Teacher". Dave yelled right after the main riff kicked in, "I heard you missed us, we're back!" a line from later in the song promoted to the beginning as an obvious nod to their reunion. The exclamation was met with cheers, and followed by "Let's see what the teacher looks like this season!" before the heavy part kicked in. After the first chorus, Dave also commented, "I don't think any of us actually even did our homework....so I don't know where that lyric is from." This classic from their last album with Dave was followed by one from their first, "Little Dreamer". The song was performed with Dave on top of the dressing-room-like square thing at the end of the walkway (I don't know how to describe it) and ended with just Dave singing in silhouette against the bright light.

Gripe: Later, I found out that at every concert BUT the one I went to, they played my favorite song, "Little Guitars" next. That was cold, Van Halen. That was cold.

One performance of "Jamie's Cryin'" later, the lights went completely off. Dave, to the side of the stage under the only light, a dim old lamp, started playing a little on his acoustic. He proceeded to come back to the center of the stage and started talking about what he was doing. It's called flat-picking. He said that in the summer one would stay outside practicing it, every day, trying to get faster and faster. Finally, it got too hot and one would start playing it slower, and aiming it at girls. He talked about how the next song was originally sung, "Stick out your can, I'm the garbage man, stop me when I'm passing by" before they changed it. Immediately after, he started to play the slow beginning to "Ice Cream Man", and before you knew it, the band kicked in for the heavy rest of the song. All the guys were energetic throughout the show, but they were really into this song.

Just when I thought I saw them at their most energetic, after "Ice Cream Man", Wolf and Ed took spots on top of the drum risers as they hurled the opening riff to "Panama" at us, jumping off at the climax of the riff.

Next came something hard to describe with words. Dave left the stage, and Eddie, Wolf, and Alex remained as they played the crashing beginning chords to one of the greatest guitar songs ever, "Eruption". Soon after these chords, Alex and Wolf left the stage, leaving Eddie on his own. What followed was indescribable as Eddie maneuvered his hands all over the neck of the guitar, his fingers flying faster than lightning. In the middle of the guitar classic, he included another guitar opus of his, the church-organ-like "Cathedral", involving heavy manipulation of the volume knob on his guitar to create his sound. After this, he went back into the recognizable licks of "Eruption" but of course added some improv here and there. To get a better idea of this, here's a video of his solo on Sunday night: Eruption Live 5/11/08.

The opus that is "Eruption" ended and the rest of the band returned to the stage. Each got into their position and Eddie dove into the opening bars of "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" and, although overplayed, it had a fresh sound live. After the finish of the song, the members handed their instruments over to the roadies, gathered together in a line at the front of the stage, and took a bow. The crowd roared with approval, and the band left the stage. However, the lights stayed off, and before long, the keyboard solo "1984" that opens up 1984 played through the speakers. Dave entered onto the top platform, waving the huge red flag again. A disco ball lowered over the middle of the arena, sending rays of light everywhere adding to the anticipation, because everyone knows what comes after "1984". After the solo faded out, the members took the stage, as the quintessential eighties song's famous keyboard intro exploded from the speakers. As Eddie, Dave, Wolf, and Alex performed "Jump", their biggest hit, you could see the energy just radiating off of them. Once again I believe Eddie was jumping around during the chorus, appropriately. Dave did few kicks over the course of the evening but he pulled out a couple during "Jump". Towards the end of the song, the man whom many call the greatest front man of all time twirled his mic stand around his body at light speed, evoking cheers and yells. As the song was coming to a close during the last chorus, Dave walked along the walkway that jutted into the crowd, carrying a humongous inflatable microphone emblazoned with the Van Halenlogo, as confetti covered those in the arena having the time of their lives. Then, before we were ready, the band took a final bow and left the stage. Lights came on, and we all headed out pleased with the night's performance.

Dave sang "...we're in for a very long night..", and he was right. It was great, though, considering some reunion concerts last for only an hour and a half. Van Halen's concert lasted nearly three hours, and it could not have been better (unless you count the whole not playing "Little Guitars" thing). After those well spent hours, we bade farewell to Van Halen- until we meet again. Happy Trails.

Special thanks to VH guru, Bill Kenyon