Earlier this month, the unspeakable happened at New York City’s Madison Square Garden: a Van Halen reunion with original front man David Lee Roth . Roth spoke of this reunion early in 2006, when he labeled it “inevitable.”
Such a statement made rockers euphoric at the thought of seeing “Diamond Dave” leading the band again. It was not until more than a year later that rumors of an actual tour began to spread.
In April, to the dismay of many, the planned summer tour was abruptly derailed when Eddie Van Halen checked himself into a rehabilitation facility. Fans wondered if this tour, which many of them had been waiting for years to see, would ever begin.
Finally, in August, as most fans were convinced that this tour would be another of many Van Halen disasters, a press conference announced that Roth had rejoined the band and planned to embark upon his first tour with it in more than 20 years. At that moment, thousands of rockers would have sworn that a miracle had occurred.
There was, however, one catch.
As the result of a falling out between the band and original bassist Michael Anthony, Eddie Van Halen’s 16-year-old son, Wolfgang , would play on the tour. Fans all over the world worried about whether Wolfgang would be able to duplicate Anthony’s bass parts as well as his distinct background vocals.
After the band had a short-lived reunion with Roth in 1996, most Van Halen fans considered the days of a Roth-led Van Halen officially over.
The band continued unsuccessfully with a third singer, Gary Cherone , and in 2004 achieved moderate success on tour with Sammy Hagar once again. Unfortunately, during this tour, Eddie Van Halen faced apparent addictions to drugs and alcohol, and the tour ended with intense feelings of hatred between the Van Halen brothers and Hagar and Anthony. This left fans frustrated and unsure if there was any future for Van Halen at all.
During the late ’70s and ’80s, Van Halen was one of rock music’s greatest forces. In 1985, fans were shocked when Roth left the band and was replaced by singer Hagar. While Van Halen persevered with Hagar, many of the band’s true fans have held the belief that Roth is Van Halen’s only true singer.
Flash forward to its reunion concert at Madison Square Garden. The band opened the show to an unprecedented hysteria, as it wailed through its version of The Kinks’, “You Really Got Me.” It was obvious that the band was ready to rock in a way rarely seen with today’s rockers. Also, hundreds of middle-aged adults glowed from ear to ear watching a sight they thought they would never see: Roth and Eddie Van Halen amicably sharing a stage.
The band flew through hits including “ Panama ,” “ Dance The Night Away ,” and “ Hot For Teacher ,” as well as album cuts such as “I’m The One, Little Guitars,” and “ Ice Cream Man .” Roth showed that he is back to his old tricks again with karate kicks, top hats and a huge inflatable microphone; more importantly, he has not lost any vocal abilities.
The newly rehabilitated Eddie Van Halen has finally returned to playing like the guitar god he truly is. Wolfgang proved himself up to the challenge, as he played his bass skillfully and handled the critical background vocals admirably. Finally, Alex Van Halen reminded all how much of an underrated rock drummer he is.
The feeling in the air was one I had never experienced before, as everyone watched firsthand one of the biggest reunions in rock history. The night was one that all those in attendance will certainly remember for the rest of their lives.
Van Halen Reunion Tour will continue through next year with stops all across the country. The band returns to NYC in March.
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