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June 23, 2004
ROCK AND ROLL NEVER FORGETS
My ears are still ringing, but I don't care. My bad leg is throbbing, but I don't mind so much. I saw Van Halen last night, and they turned back the clock.
Tim and I have developed something of a little tradition over the last couple of years. We go see a concert by a band that was huge when we were teenagers. Last summer, it was Metallica. Last night, it was the reunited Van Halen. Now, I think Tim may have been a bigger Metallica fan; but for me, it's this simple: I liked Metallica, but I loved Van Halen. So I was looking even more forward to last night's show than the Metallica show last year. And I wasn't disappointed.
First, I should acknowledge that I have become what I once disdained: an aging rocker who goes to concerts by 50 year olds whose glory days are fifteen years behind them. I used to spew bile at baby boomers who paid money to go see the Rolling Stones play in the late 80s and into the 90s... "They're old! They're has-beens! Their last hit was 10 years ago! And besides, rock is a young person's style, it's frankly sad and undignified for 50+ year olds to still be prancing around on stage in front of the 35 and over set. Why don't these people just accept their age gracefully and move on to retirement communities and complaining that their kids' music is too loud?"
Well, now I know why. Because even at 50+, guys can still rock. And Tim and I weren't 35 last night, we were 19.
Van Halen is back together, featuring Sammy Hagar once again at lead vocal, and featuring one of the best collections of musicians rock ever produced. I have to admit, though, that I was worried at first. First of all, their opening act, a band undeserving of being named on this site even in belittlement, was so bad that I can honestly say I've never seen a worse warmup act.
Second, as we looked around the arena, Tim and I realized that we really were about the youngest ones in the crowd. There were mini-vans in the parking lot with those damned annoying, "My kid is an honor student at Pretentious Middle School" bumper stickers. Most of the crowd had bigger waistline problems than I did. And where at most rock concerts, it takes only about 20 minutes before the bawdy, uninhibited "Show your tits!" chant begins, aimed at any one of the nubiles in the crowd... no such chants were heard last night. You can say that's because the older crowd was simply more mature... but the painful truth is, had any woman there last night tried to so delight the crowd, the chant would have quickly gone up, "Put those back!" It's a sad realization when you look around a concert crowd and understand that a band that was not only big, but ridiculously influential back in your day simply has no relevance to anyone younger than you. You could have counted the under-25 set last night on your fingers and toes.
Their loss. The boys kicked ass. They've lost nothing, I can assure you. From the moment they opened with "Jump" until the end of their second encore, those 50somethings turned back the clock. For two hours, it was 1986. I forgot about my bad leg and remembered why I love this band.
The focus is always on Eddie Van Halen's otherworldly guitar talents -- deservedly so, because even at 50 he is still amazing, still a better guitarist than most of the tattooed and pierced kids half his age who dominate the scene today... Eddie laid down a 15 minute solo last night that was worth the $60 admission just by itself - I would pay it all over again gladly just to see Eddie work his magic for fifteen more minutes. The awed crowd stood at fever pitch for the whole solo, repeatedly breaking into chants of "Eddie! Eddie!". At at least two points, Eddie seemed visibly moved and stopped playing, covering his eyes with his hands for a few moments. (Given what he's been through in the last couple of years - tongue cancer, a divorce, hip replacement surgery - it's got to feel gratifying to him to have that kind of adulation going on.) And he looks good on stage. Tim and I both had the same reaction during the first song: "For a guy with hip-replacement, he's moving pretty good up there!"
But what non-fans sometimes don't realize is that the rest of the band are incredibly talented as well. I'll put Alex Van Halen on the list of the ten best rock drummers of all time - and Michael Anthony makes my list of the top five bassists of all time. And Sammy's still Sammy - able to scream at pitches that should injure him, bouncing around like an enthusiastic kid on stage, and able to play a pretty good guitar when he feels like it. Best of all, they're clearly having fun being together again.
The set list was great. "Right Now," "Panama," "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love," and "Why Can't This Be Love?" are freakin' amazing live. Eddie's still a giant on guitar, and he can still do the solo from "Eruption" as well as he did it as a 20 year old.
It wasn't all perfect; "When It's Love" is a good song but I think is rather weak for ending your show on... I could have done without "Dreams," which was always a weak song... and just once I wish they'd play "Dance The Night Away" live. I could also certainly do without Sammy's juvenile sexual banter on stage - what was once mildly amusing when said about anonymous groupies now sounds frankly a little creepy when said about his wife... and I really didn't need to know about the body shaving habits of a 56 year old man.
But on the whole, these are minor nits. The show was one of the best and most fun concerts I've ever attended. If you have a chance to see them when they come to your town, bring earplugs, and be ready to turn back the clock... because the boys are back.
