2015-08-01 Xfinity Center, Boston, MA

You Really Got Me

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http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/guestlisted/2015/08/last_best_show_van_halen_at_the_xfinity_center

Last Best Show: Van Halen at the Xfinity Center
Sunday, August 2, 2015
By: Jed Gottlieb

If you were born in or around the Nixon administration and love loud, sustained booming, you probably lined up an epic summer: Rush’s (maybe) last tour, Motley Crue’s (probably) last tour, the Def Leppard/Styx combo and AC/DC. But Eddie and Diamond Dave must to be brightest jewels in your epic summer crown.

Oh yeah, Van Halen has worked tirelessly to destroy its fan base. Eddie and Alex Van Halen booted the beloved David Lee Roth out of the band then, after we spent a decade learning to accept replacement Sammy Hagar, the brothers booted him. Van Halen fans haven’t had it easy.

But how can we stay mad at them if they’re not staying mad at each other? Last night at the Xfinity Center, Dave and three Van Halen family members — Eddie’s kid Wolfie plays bass now — showed the love. Love for their classic catalog, love for their fans, love for each other.

OK, maybe, they’re just very, very, very good actors. But Dave and Ed’s smiles looked wide and genuine. And they’re live show sounded better than it looked.

Like any 37-year-old band, the guys rolled through rough patches during the two hour show. Piping in the keyboards on “I’ll Wait” detracted from the these-four-guys-can-do-it-all vibe. Roth forgot the words to the nearly-never-played “In a Simple Rhyme.” Dave’s voice– Well, let’s talk about Dave’s voice.

I specifically ignored the new live album because I wasn’t interested in hearing what so many fans described as a sad, even pathetic performance because Roth’s voice has never been a draw for me. His cheek and moxie, his dumb, fun clown-prince-meets-sex-god persona, matters more than hitting the high notes. He acted as ringmaster, did a karate kick, changed jackets four times and rode the crowd through half a dozen singalongs. He did his job.

Dave’s character and Eddie’s guitar, that’s Van Halen. And Ed’s guitar remains a flawless force of nature. A good chunk of my career has been spent trying to describe Eddie’s guitar work. Listening to him make those noises during “Everybody Wants Some!!,” I realized his skills will forever outpace mine. But, I spent three to four years thinking “Hot For Teacher” contained the greatest guitar work ever put down on tape. Last night’s performance of the tune convinced me I had some good insight in my prepubescent years.

As deeply as I love Jimmy and Jerry, Trey and the Edge, I never want to hear them play solo for four minutes. But I love to have Eddie and one guitar take me through “Eruption” and “Spanish Fly” and “Cathedral” and loads more blended into a Gordian knot of jam.

To the silly Eddie haters: It was never about the speed. OK, maybe in 1978 is was about the speed. But to me and so many others it’s about his tone and taste and swagger.

The setlist blended obvious picks with deep rewards for the dedicated — “Dirty Moves,” what? “Drop Dead Legs,” wow! Roth still looks and moves like Liberace and Baryshnikov stuffed the body of 22-year-old Navy Seal. Eddie still dominates the field. Wolfie and Alex still, well, they do what’s needed of them.

See this band now. History tells us this lineup won’t last.

Somebody Get Me A Doctor

Roth still looks and moves like Liberace and Baryshnikov stuffed in the body of 22-year-old Navy Seal.

If this guy made this line up himself, I gotta give the guy credit for something that’s pretty funny and original.

Guitar Solo

I don’t know how many people were officially there, but it seemed full to me. Check this out from Wolf:

Awesome! I was wondering if Paul would be there…