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The Rolling Stone Review
Issue 954 – August 5,2004
Page 126
Rating Standards: 4 Stars/Classic, 3 ½ Stars/Excellent, 3 Stars/Good, 2 Stars/Fair, 1 Star/Poor
The following is the review from The Air Canada Centre, Toronto July 3, 2004. This is verbatim from Rolling Stone. Reviewed by writer, J.D. Considine
4 STARS
Sammy Hagar and the boys kiss, make up, rock out
Reunion tours generally range from pale imitation to bitter disappointment; as a rule, any band that breaks up and then gets back together is never the same as before. In one sense, Van Halen’s reformation with singer Sammy Hagar followed that pattern: The band wasn’t as good as it used to be- it was better.
Whatever problems may have kept the band off the road for the last half-decade (guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s fight with cancer, Hagar’s attitude, drummer Alex Van Halen’s hearing, bassist Michael Anthony’s irrelevance) are gone without a trace. This Van Halen seemed more energetic and enthusiastic than they did a decade ago, during their last outing with Hagar (supporting 1995’s Balance). From the explosive opening of “Jump” to the fist pumping choruses in “Best of Both Worlds,” the band managed to make its big hits seem even bigger onstage. It helped that Eddie played brilliantly throughout, handling the rhythm lick in “Why Can’t This Be Love?” with one hand and lending an almost incandescent virtuosity to “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.” But this was no one-man show. Hagar’s singing maintained a perfect balance between power and insouciance, underscoring the band’s party-hearty aesthetic without undercutting the melodies (a trick former frontman David Lee Roth never managed). And between Anthony’s bass pulse and Alex’s tastefully virtuosic drumming, “Unchained” and “You Really Got Me” were unstoppable juggernauts.
Far from being outclassed by the solid-gold oldies, the band’s new material-particularly “Up For Breakfast” and the stomping “It’s About Time” – solid and inspiring. In all, the reconstituted Van Halen came across as a band, not some collection of competing personalities and agendas – and based on this night’s performance, it looks like they’re just warming up.
See more live photos of Hagar and his long-lost pals at rollingstone.com/vanhalen
The Rolling Stone Review
Issue 954 – August 5,2004
Page 126
Rating Standards: 4 Stars/Classic, 3 ½ Stars/Excellent, 3 Stars/Good, 2 Stars/Fair, 1 Star/Poor
The following is the review from The Air Canada Centre, Toronto July 3, 2004. This is verbatim from Rolling Stone. Reviewed by writer, J.D. Considine
4 STARS
Sammy Hagar and the boys kiss, make up, rock out
Reunion tours generally range from pale imitation to bitter disappointment; as a rule, any band that breaks up and then gets back together is never the same as before. In one sense, Van Halen’s reformation with singer Sammy Hagar followed that pattern: The band wasn’t as good as it used to be- it was better.
Whatever problems may have kept the band off the road for the last half-decade (guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s fight with cancer, Hagar’s attitude, drummer Alex Van Halen’s hearing, bassist Michael Anthony’s irrelevance) are gone without a trace. This Van Halen seemed more energetic and enthusiastic than they did a decade ago, during their last outing with Hagar (supporting 1995’s Balance). From the explosive opening of “Jump” to the fist pumping choruses in “Best of Both Worlds,” the band managed to make its big hits seem even bigger onstage. It helped that Eddie played brilliantly throughout, handling the rhythm lick in “Why Can’t This Be Love?” with one hand and lending an almost incandescent virtuosity to “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.” But this was no one-man show. Hagar’s singing maintained a perfect balance between power and insouciance, underscoring the band’s party-hearty aesthetic without undercutting the melodies (a trick former frontman David Lee Roth never managed). And between Anthony’s bass pulse and Alex’s tastefully virtuosic drumming, “Unchained” and “You Really Got Me” were unstoppable juggernauts.
Far from being outclassed by the solid-gold oldies, the band’s new material-particularly “Up For Breakfast” and the stomping “It’s About Time” – solid and inspiring. In all, the reconstituted Van Halen came across as a band, not some collection of competing personalities and agendas – and based on this night’s performance, it looks like they’re just warming up.
See more live photos of Hagar and his long-lost pals at rollingstone.com/vanhalen
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