Promoted by Avalon Attractions. Reviewed April 5, 1994.
Bands: Van Halen: Sammy Hagar, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony. Collective Soul: Ed Roland, Dean Roland, Ross Childress, Will Turpin, Shane Evans.
A Van Halen tour stop is always one of the concert season's most eagerly awaited events -- especially in Los Angeles -- and with good reason: Fans who packed the Forum on Tuesday night were treated to a red-lined, fifth-gear rock 'n' roll performance devoid of pretense and posturing, and one that further cemented Van Halen's reputation as the nation's premier have-a-good-time party band.
The sold-out show -- the first of a two-night stand -- marked the band's return to the Southland after a nearly four-year absence and the first tour since the death of their longtime manager Ed Leffler.
Armed with a new Warner Bros. disc, "Balance," that has sold nearly 3 million copies in less than two months, and with a major tour, the quartet shows no signs of slowing down or diminished popularity.
Although a Van Halen show changes little over the years, and is more often a greatest hits offering peppered with new tracks from its latest disc than a reinvention, the self-effacing yet no-holds-barred presentation makes even the dusty material register as fresh.
The laborious solos are still a component of the otherwise exhilarating live perf, but have been trimmed to more tolerable lengths.
The band roared through its best-knowns, including "Round" and "Top of the World," and lead singer Sammy Hagar -- who would later proclaim "Violence Is Out" as a mantra for the '90s -- used the gig to offer an explanation and presentation of "Amsterdam," during which he blasted MTV for making him alter the drug references in lyrics to make the tune vid-channel suitable.
Less than an hour into the show, the band trotted out its current single, "Can't Stop Loving You," a driving, radio-friendly track.
But the show's galvanizing moments came toward its end, with "Right Now" and "Higher," the set and show finales, respectively, prompting fans to cause the cavernous venue to rock under the weight of their enthusiasm.
Ironically, the evening's loudest and most sustained applause came on the heels of Hagar's pronouncement that Eddie Van Halen was playing his first L.A. show sober.
Large video screens flanking the stage kept the action close for those in the nosebleed seats, while a huge screen backdropped the mammoth stage. Gone, however, is the laser light barrage, signaling a welcomed emphasis on the stage action and music rather than technical advancements.
Hagar sounds as good as ever, though by the two-hour show's end his voice expectedly thinned in the upper registers.
His trademark yells and banshee screams remained in top form throughout as he tried on every T-shirt offered by fans, without missing a beat or losing the rhythm.
As expected, Hagar's spotlight solo featured the signature chestnut "When Eagles Fly," and Eddie's guitar solo was a display of unbridled and uncompromising riff-mastery.
Michael Anthony's bass solo was embarrassing and awkward, and Alex's drum solo offered nothing new, unless you include a non-moving drum riser. (The band has in the past used the solo time to either elevate, rotate or obfuscate the riser during the final moments, but on this night it remained static.)
Opener Collective Soul put forth a valiant effort, warming up a tough L.A. crowd with selections from its debut Atlantic disc, "Hints, Allegations & Things Left Unsaid," and its latest self-titled album.
The Stockbridge, Ga., natives proved capable of assuming the rock god mantle with straight-ahead, '70s-eets-'90s fare, and were particularly impressive on "Smashing Young Man."
Contact the Variety newsroom at
news@variety.com
Date in print: Wed., Apr. 6, 1994