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van halen concert review - raleigh

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 Van Halen displays more polish in second trip to Triangle in eight months

Last September, I made the drive to Greensboro to see the second night of the latest incarnation of Van Halen. This version includes original frontman David Lee Roth, and mainstays Alex and Eddie Van Halen. New to the mix is bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, son of guitarist Eddie Van Halen and actress Valerie Bertinelli.

I raved about the Greensboro show last September, and considering their contentious history, I never dreamed they would still be touring eight months later. The Raleigh show was rescheduled from April due to an undisclosed medical condition on Eddie Van Halen.

I am not really sure of the final numbers, but the crowd seemed a little thin, and I noticed an exorbitant number of scalpers including one that was attempting to give away a ticket free.

If I am not mistaken, the set list was identical to the Greensboro show. The evening started out with You Really Got Me, and the band played such hits as Runnin' With the Devil, Beautiful Girls, Dance the Night Away, Everybody Wants Some, So This Is Love?, Pretty Woman, Unchained, And the Cradle Will Rock, Hot for Teacher,  Jamie's Cryin', Ice Cream Man, Panama, and Jump, just to name a few.

The show was nearly perfect, in my opinion. I actually thought the band was even tighter than their Greenboro show, and again, I really enjoyed that show. David Lee Roth's flexibility was the biggest in the Raleigh show. Although nowhere near as active as when in his younger days, Roth was all over the stage last night doing his all-familiar kicks and jumps, and I thought his voice was as good as ever.

Another big difference in last night's show was the stage presence of 17-year-old bassist Wolfgang. The Greensboro show was only the second live performance with Van Halen, and he definitely seemed more comfortable on stage last night. I was very impressed with Wolfgang's guitar-playing skills. The kid was more than an adequate replacement for original bassist Michael Anthony, and added yet another Van Halen name to the band.

Eddie Van Halen, in my opinion, is one of the best guitarists in rock and roll history, and he didn't disappoint. There were moments during the show when I couldn't help but just shake my head in amazement. I think the videographer did a great job of showing close-ups of Eddie's guitar to show how much work goes into those amazing riffs. I was tired just watching him.

There was one bit of excitement during the show. During Eddie's guitar solo on "Ice Cream Man", a crazed fan managed to jump onstage, and make it all the way to Eddie. This lunatic "hugged" Eddie for what seemed like 5-10 seconds before Diamond Dave grabbed the guy by the neck and tossed him to the stage before security finally caught up with him. Much to my surprise Eddie didn't even miss a note. Very impressive considering the fan's intentions were unknown at the time.

The show ended with an encore of  "1984" and "Jump", and once again, I enjoyed this show just as much the second time around!

What did you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Filed under: Music