Eddie Van Halen's off night mars band's comeback
By Tony Hicks
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Chew on this for a second, arena rock fans: Michael Anthony, charged-up rock centerpiece.
Even if Van Halen -- the inventors of arena rock methodology -- lost its aura of invincibility in the post-David Lee Roth years of the late '80s and '90s, the band convinced fans it still mattered. It was called bold attitude and inspired musicianship, despite waning material.
So despite uncharacteristic late-show missteps Tuesday night at HP Pavilion in San Jose, the crowd naturally gushed love and respect for guitar legend Eddie Van Halen, getting him emotional during his guitar solo.
But despite the lovefest and despite the buzz surrounding singer Sammy Hagar's first jaunt with the band in nearly a decade, something went wrong Tuesday night: Eddie Van Halen just wasn't right during the show's second half.
Instead of the patterned and characteristically innovative shredding and noise-making marking his solos for 25 years, Tuesday's performance was mostly a jumbled mess. Van Halen seemed to be missing cues during songs. He stood in place with his head down much of the night, looking tired.
Yeah, we should all look so tired with a full head of hair going shirtless at 49, after hip-replacement surgery and winning a bout with cancer. Nevertheless, Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony seemed determined to take up the on-stage slack and -- this is no knock against Anthony -- but when Van Halen's bassist is the on-stage spitfire of the group, something's not right.
Eddie Van Halen was his old bouncy self during opening song "Jump," one of a handful of Roth songs the band is playing this time around. Eschewing on-stage keyboards for prerecorded music, Eddie Van Halen seemed determined to be the effortless guitar God, especially early during "Run Around," and a thick "Humans Being." Hagar poured beer into upraised glasses from the crowd; all seemed right in the VH world..
Things wound down for Eddie once they returned from Anthony's old, thunderous bass solo, (during which, as always, he spent as much time drinking Jack Daniel's as he did laying). Anthony cleared his throat enough to scream through a superb concert-rarity from the Roth days, "Somebody Get Me a Doctor." After running the drill over the strings for "Poundcake," Van Halen started slowing down during a new song, "It's About Time." After a tight version of "Fair Warning" gem "Unchained," Van Halen spent most of "Why Can't This Be Love," back leaning against the drum riser.
The ultra-hyper Hagar had no such trouble. At 56, he sounds and behaves as if it's still 1977, with Anthony acting as his partner in mischief. After the inexplicable-set filler, the bland "Seventh Seal," and a so-so "Best of Both Worlds," came the part Van Halen fans always crave -- Eddie's solo. Only instead of the typical blues licks, wildly percussive fret tapping, and lightning-fast picking, a disjointed Eddie Van Halen mucked his way through sloppy noise and inexplicably long pauses. Occasionally he'd slide into some "Cathedral" volume-knob tampering or "Mean Street" pounding, but it was mostly 10 minutes of directionless time-filling.
It was puzzling. Eddie Van Halen re-invented rock guitar, and boredom has never even hinted at creeping into his solo repertoire. Most guitar players couldn't play a solo half as good as Van Halen's ugliest noise on his worst night, but anyone who knows better had to be disappointed. He looked tired and, during one interlude when the crowd went nuts, essentially thanking him for being Eddie Van Halen, he looked moved to the point of tears. Only then did he snap into the song "Eruption," for a minute or so.
From here, with Eddie in a funk, the sheer strength of weight of great material carried the band through. "Dreams" morphed into "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," during which Hagar (again) let someone in the crowd sing the Roth break-down. A big-screen show ensued for "Right Now," with the old video accompanied by new text, including "Right Now Van Halen is Kicking (Tail) in San Jose." Well, sort of. Encores "You Really Got Me," and "Panama," had enough drive, even if a mostly-immobile Eddie was a bit off on some cues. Show-ender "When It's Love," was anti-climactic by then.
After 30 years as a band, Van Halen can still defy age by playing the party gods to which we once worshipped. But Tuesday, its most important member was missing his groove, whether it was his hip, fatigue, or whatever, and, sadly, it showed. Hopefully it was only a blip on the bigger picture.
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