Van Halen -- A Concert Review

I watched Van Halen on July 1 in Indianapolis. I decided to go when I heard Sammy Hagar was returning to Van Halen. He makes this band click. The performance was very good. They started the show with Jump and from there on the crowd was with them. I would say there were around 25,000 or so in attendance. It is hard to tell with the size of the lawn at Verizon Music Center. They were standing for the entire show.

I have seen them perform 5 times before and this time was quite different. They performed no Sammy Hagar solo songs as a group. They have always performed his big hits in the past, but this time not a one. Sammy performed 2 of his songs, Eagles Fly and Deeper Kind of Love, in an acoustic solo in the middle of the show. It was a very strong part of the show. They also did quite a few songs from the David Lee Roth era, which I hadn't heard them do with Sammy. Somebody Get me a Doctor was a shining example and Michael Anthony handled the song in almost a duet with Sammy. They also performed a new song, the aptly titled..."It's About Time". Good song, I am not sure how much radio play it will get, but it was a good concert track.

Eddie's solo was nothing short of awesome. He seems totally refreshed after taking so much time off. He is quite simply the best guitar player on the planet and on this night, he was on top of his game.

The best song of the night though was when they performed Right Now. The large video screen behind them projected parts of the original video mixed with current political messages. The Anti-Bush message was received with a strong positive reaction from the crowd, which seems kind of strange in a Heavily Republican State like Indiana. I sure hope all those folks show up to Vote. The song however was performed flawlessly and the vocals by Hagar were great. They followed it up with Panama which brought the house down after such a great performance of Right Now.

Overall they had high energy, and performed very well. It is good to see them back together and refreshed as they are one of the best rock bands ever assembled.

If you get a chance, go to one of the shows.


10 of 10