Photos by Tim Dwenger
The Scene: Rock legends Van Halen gave nostalgia seeking fans a thrill with a nearly sold-out performance at Red Rocks that served as a fitting metaphor for the band’s career. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” said an overserved fan as we headed out of the venue and I could not have agreed more. Despite having to deal with a pretty heavy pre-show dose of rain and an insanely drunk crowd, the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famers delivered a hit filled, high energy show that had my ears ringing for a few days after the fact.
Van Halen: Lets be honest, David Lee Roth was never renowned as one of the greatest voices in rock history. That said, the frontman built his reputation as a sort of Clown Prince of Rock and though the acrobatic stage antics from the 80’s have given way to shaky leg kicks and odd microphone stand twirling routines, Roth still has what it takes to command the attention of a sold-out crowd. Whether or not he makes the most of that attention is an entirely different conversation. Roth took full advantage of his time in the spotlight and on just about every tune had some sort of story, joke, or just words of advice for all in attendance. Ranging from his old school low rider, wet t-shirt contests from the band’s early days, partying too hard with Ozzy Osbourne (he called Osbourne a “schlemiel” and swore it was an endearing term), his upcoming autobiography “50 Shades of Dave” (which I don’t think will top his first one Crazy From The Heat, The David Lee Roth Story), and even explaining why every Van Halen song has a quiet breakdown section in the middle, Roth seem to have it all covered but despite getting a few solid laughs, these little talks seemed more like the ramblings of a crazy person than a way to hype up the crowd. Add that to the fact that DLR looks like a weird mix between a male figure skater and one of the puppets from Team America World Police and it is very hard to not be simultaneously enthralled and embarrassed by his antics. Judging from the way Eddie Van Halen looked pretty much any time DLR sauntered over his way and said something to him, I don’t think I am alone with that sentiment.
Despite Roth being Roth, any time the show seemed to hit a lull, and there were a few cringe worthy moments, the band would bust out one of their mega hits and the crowd would go nuts. For every flub or moment of “What the hell is DLR doing?” there was one of pure, ecstatic Rock and Roll bliss. It’s impossible not to pump your fist and sing along to tunes like “Hot For Teacher,” “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love,” “Unchained,” “Everybody Wants Some,” “Running With The Devil,” “Beautiful Girls,” and all the rest of the songs that have defined the DLR era of Van Halen’s career. I mean why else would you go see a band like this except to rock the fuck out to their hits? To their credit, the band delivered on that expectation and while the lows were certainly low, those highs eclipsed any negative thoughts, at least in the moment.
One thing I was extremely curious about heading into the show was how Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie’s son and the band’s current bass player, would fit in, especially from a vocal standpoint. Former bass player Michael Antony, aside from “being one of the greatest Rock n Roll bass players ever” according to former bandmate Sammy Hagar (you can see a pretty heated video of Hagar sticking up for Anthony after some less than flattering remarks by Eddie here) was the one singing the high end on all of those iconic harmonies that help make Van Halen songs what they are. While Wolfgang’s bass chops are nothing special, he did do a great job of hitting those harmonies which was a more than pleasant surprise. That said, aside from being the butt of more than a few of DLR’s jokes, his presence was pretty much non existent especially in comparison to the energy and joy Michael Anthony used to bring to their live show.
With all of that in mind, anyone telling you they went to the show to hear DLR sing or Wolfgang play bass is a liar. There is one reason and one reason alone to go see Van Halen these days and it’s Eddie Van Halen. Even with all the rain, botched parts (especially when playing to a very out of place backing track), rambling DLR nonsense, drunk idiots in the crowd, and everything else that was going on, when Eddie would take a solo or rip one of those iconic licks, it seemed as if time itself would stop. The shear amount of jaw dropping, “Holy Shit” moments made everything else worth it. This culminated at the start of the encore when Eddie, finally alone on the stage, ripped into the iconic “Eruption” and showed all in attendance why he is still one of the all time legends on guitar. It’s easy to forget that at one point in the late 70’s/early 80’s EVH was the greatest guitar player in the world and that his unique brand of finger tapping, screaming bends, and all the other pyrotechnics he has up his sleeve, influenced an entire generation of guitar players. Aside from maybe Slash and Guns n Roses, there is not a single 80’s metal band, and this includes every single one of those shitty hair bands, or guitar player from that era that didn’t blatantly rip off Eddie’s style, technique, and sound at least a little bit. For about 10 minutes, in the spotlight on stage at Red Rocks, Eddie reminded us all why. The crowd was a sea of people with their mouths’ agape and their hands on their heads in wonderment. Even the most cynical of critics would have been in awe of the guitar wizardry going on in front of us.
Once Eddie finished erupting the band jumped back on stage for “You Really Got Me” before bringing it home with what was without a doubt the best song of the night; “Panama.” When I heard Van Halen was playing Red Rocks all I could think about was headbanging and singing along to “Panama” and, while I am sure it doesn’t touch some of the versions from the band’s prime, it absolutely brought the house down and had every single person in the crowd raging like it was 1984 all over again. At that point there was only one song left to be played and when the iconic keyboard lick of “Jump” pumped through the sound system, yet another wave of Rock n Roll joy washed over the crowd. This was another song where the band was playing to a backing track and while it’s almost impossible not to smile and sing along to a song like “Jump,” something was definitely off and it did not culminate things like most (ok myself) were hoping. This was a prime example of the aforementioned Tale of Two Cities dynamic going on for most of the night.
Seeing a band like Van Halen at this point in their careers is all about expectations. I went in expecting some rough patches and to rock my ass off to some of the songs that first got me into Rock n Roll. To that extent my expectations were met and after so many drunken hi-fives, fist pumps, air guitar licks and all the other antics you’ll find yourself doing in a crowd like Van Halen’s, to say the night wasn’t a huge success and a shit load of fun would simply not be true. If you get a chance to see one of your favorite bands, even if they are way past their prime and you have to go by yourself, DO IT. You won’t regret it.
Energy: B-
Musicianship: B
Sound: C+
Stage Presence: C+
Set/Light Show: B
Overall: B-
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