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Van Halen
Revisits History, Erases Doubts
The Bank Atlantic Center,
Feb. 20, 2008
By Cameron Berkman
The shriek of Eddie Van Halen’s guitar heralded a reunion of epic proportions for 20,000 rock and roll fans in South Florida, signaling the end of a long 22-year wait. And when a clean-cut David Lee Roth appeared at the top of the multilevel stage waving a red flag, the passing of time was completely forgotten.
It was clear the band hadn’t missed a beat since Roth had first departed the band on April 1, 1985, when they burst into a dynamic version of "You Really Got Me," a cover from the 1960s pop rock band, The Kinks. The first half of their set also featured such hits as, "Running with the Devil," "Beautiful Girls," "Dance the Night Away" and "Unchained."
The lineup was described by Roth as, "three quarters original, one quarter inevitable," referring to the newest and youngest member, Eddie’s son, Wolfgang, who took over official bass duties after the band mysteriously fired Michael Anthony last year.
Regardless of the changes, Van Halen’s energy level was consistent throughout the two-hour set, which was quite a feat for these aging rockers. Eddie was animated and vitalized, Alex was flawless on the drum kit and Roth was throwing his signature high kicks throughout the show. Even Wolfgang got in on the action, running up and down the ramp and contributing some impressive backup vocals.
The chemistry of the band has never been tighter. Eddie was obviously thrilled to have his son on the road with him and time seems to have healed all wounds between Roth and the Van Halen brothers.
The last half of the show was full of the same playful, wild attitude that Van Halen was always known for, as well as a couple dazzling solos from the likes of Alex and Eddie Van Halen, the latter lasting for 10 plus minutes.
All formalities were spared at the end of the show with the dead air between the encores lasting no longer than 30 seconds (not even long enough to get a respectable "Van Halen" chant out of the crowd). They rounded out the night with "Hot for Teacher," "Panama," "Ain’t Talking ‘bout Love" and a truly amazing version of their biggest hit, "Jump."
Along with an unlikely and talented opening act Ky- Mani Marley, a son of Bob Marley and table tennis champion Anita Belnavis, who played some of his father’s hits like "No Woman, No Cry" and "I Shot the Sheriff," the concert was nothing short of spectacular. As Van Halen took their final bow of the night, they left a lot unanswered regarding the future of this rock juggernaut. But the sold out crowd was sure of one thing: They had witnessed something special.
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