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Van Halen (3 stars) — August 6, Mandalay Bay Events Center

Josh Bell

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who prefer Van Halen with David Lee Roth, and those who prefer Van Halen with Sammy Hagar. The Hagar people were delighted when the singer announced earlier this year that he was reuniting with guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony after leaving Van Halen in 1996. They were excited to hear the three new songs the band recorded for Best of Both Worlds, their recent greatest-hits compilation. And they were out in full force for the reunited group's show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on August 6.


The Hagar reunion is much more musically fruitful and satisfying than the short-lived Roth reunion that followed Hagar's exit in 1996. Over the course of more than two hours, Van Halen proved they still have the musical chops to pull of a fun and energetic live show, and showed off a back catalog rich in rock classics from both the Roth and Hagar eras.


What they didn't do was give much of an indication of looking forward. The show was structured like it occurred a decade ago, with outdated traditions like solos from each member. Eddie is one of only a handful of rock guitarists who warrants a 10-minute spotlight, but Anthony's bass "solo" was a laughable cacophony that consisted primarily of his turning up the distortion and literally pounding on his instrument. As with any reunion tour, the audience came to hear the hits, and the band dutifully provided, with most selections culled from Best of Both Worlds' band overview.


There were a few surprises, including "Humans Being," the last song Hagar recorded before leaving the band, and the Roth-era album track "Somebody Get Me a Doctor," sung by Anthony. Eddie's son Wolfgang, barely in his teens, strolled onstage during his dad's solo to play a little rhythm guitar that was more heart than talent, but made for a nice moment.


Hagar's bizarre preoccupation with donning every shirt, hat and banner thrown on stage and signing autographs while in the middle of a song at times made the show seem less like a concert than a rally, and the most distractions somehow always occurred during the Roth tunes. The band was clearly in good spirits, their bad blood behind them, but for the first time they felt like a nostalgia act, a band content to trade on the past. At least they, and everyone else in attendance, were having a great time doing so.

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