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Van Halen
((Forum; 17,505 seats; $ 35 top))
Band: Edward Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar.
Playing a rain-check show in front of an SRO crowd to make up for the canceled stop during the May day riots in South Central L.A., lead singer Sammy Hagar admitted that the band had been thrown by the turmoil/cancellation and vowed to make up for it with a super show.
Unfortunately, it wasn't until three-quarters of the way through the two-hour extravaganza that the band kicked into gear. Show opened with "Poundcake" and "Judgment Day," which seemed to support the adage "If you can't make it good, make it big." Flanked by 16 guitar and 12 bass amps, the resulting tonal affront seemed muddy and unfocused.
"Runaround," from band's current Grammy-winning double-platinum Warner release "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge," didn't fare much better, but the fans didn't seem to mind. Standing on their chairs throughout, they sang along on "When It's Love" and "One Way to Rock.""Panama" and "Right Now"--the chart staple from their latest album--were the best of the bunch.
A gothic synthesized bass solo by Michael Anthony was followed by a quantum-speed demonstration by drummer Alex Van Halen. But the linchpin of the evening came when Eddie Van Halen, whose guitar riffs up to this point had shown only hints of his brilliance, took center stage and launched into a 15-minute solo that alone was worth the price of admission.
Playing his radio-miked guitar as if it were connected to an inner voice, he dazzled with his alligator growls and Mozart-like melodies in quadruple time, his 10-finger fretboard style simply stellar. Creating sounds that ranged from a space shuttle having engine trouble to horses neighing, the Michael Jordan of lead guitar had the perfect flying touch.
His performance seemed to galvanize the band for the remaining 30 minutes. A driving "I Can't Drive 55" was topped by "Best of Both Worlds," which was capped by an all-stops-out "Top of the World."
Hagar's references to the rioting in L.A. seemed hollow, but he was able to lead the screaming crowd through explosive encoresof "Jump" and "Dreams Over" that ended in a shower of riot-echoing pyrotechnics.
Four-piece band Baby Animals opened the show. Playing with more attitude than content, the Aussie band, led by Suze DeMarchi in a feather boa and knee-high patent leather boots, marched through a 45-minute set that included "Painless" and "One Too Many" from their self-titled Imago release.
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