It's the reunion tour Van Halen fans thought they'd never see. More than 20 years after the volatile rock group broke up, singer David Lee Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen mended fences to hit the road again. Rolling Stone magazine dubbed the tour the ''Miracle of the Year,'' but would Van Halen live up to the resurrected hype?
Tuesday night at the sold-out BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, the group delivered an energetic and inspired -- if flawed -- show, racing through pre-Sammy Hagar hits (the I Can't Drive 55 singer replaced Roth for several years in the 1990s).
Longtime bassist Michael Anthony was replaced by Eddie's 17-year-old son, Wolfgang, who has inherited his father's virtuosity. Wolfgang, though a bit awkward and shy -- he is, after all, a kid thrust into an overwhelming role -- never missed a note, channeling Anthony's steady power to drive the band. He banged out an impressive solo, and added solid backup vocals.
A shirtless Eddie and David looked fit and trim (Iggy Pop rail-thin, to be honest) -- you could even see Roth's overdeveloped diaphragm muscles.
But at age 53, Roth isn't quite as flamboyant a showman as he was in his prime. His trademark train-whistle scream might have lost its upper register over the years, and the head-high kicks are a thing of the past -- but Diamond Dave still knows how to rock a crowd.
Roth got the crowd buzzing with the early hit Runnin' With the Devil before the group tore into Romeo Delight, highlighted by back-and-forth bass and guitar solos from father and son that led into a loose, playful take on The Who's Magic Bus.
Throughout the night, as always, Eddie Van Halen was absolutely masterful on guitar -- he's one of the few who can express his every thought, melody and emotion through his talented fingers.
Roth's lively harmonica solo leading into the energetic Somebody Get Me a Doctor proved he's no slouch, either. The band kept the adrenaline flowing with Beautiful Girls, Dance the Night Away and Everybody Wants Some, during which Roth all but apologized for not being able to nail all the high notes. ''This only happens about twice a tour, but it happened tonight. My voice sounds rusty like that guy from The Doors.'' Hopefully, he meant while Jim Morrison was still alive.
Of course, there had to be an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo, and a jaw-dropping one led into Mean Street before the group played its celebrated cover of Roy Orbison's (Oh) Pretty Woman. The audience wasn't going wild, seeming merely appreciative -- until an astonishingly complex and muscular drum solo by Alex Van Halen inspired a howling standing ovation.
But Van Halen was far from done. High-energy versions of I'll Wait, The Cradle Will Rock, Hot For Teacher and Jamie's Cryin' closed out the show, sending fans home happy and feeling nostalgic.
