Sound: This was a killer show. David Lee Roth has his voice back, which was quite welcome. Eddie was ripping away like it was 1984 and Wolfgang and Alex were holding the rhythm perfectly and also displayed the skills they have on their instruments. Eddie was using a custom model, a recreation of the Wolfgang guitar he used in the '90s and he brought out his trademark Frankenstrat for a few songs and the finale. Wolfgang was using a custom bass painted like his father's Frankenstrat except with a purple base, instead of red. Alex was using his ridiculously large drum kit(made by Ludwig, I believe). // 9
Perfomance: The sold out audience of about 20,000, myself included, loved every second of the show. The band pulled out all the classics and some unexpected ones. Setlist:
01. You Really Got Me - the classic Kink's cover the band made their own, great opener.
02. I'm The One - another classic off the first album, high energy, only song Dave seemed a tad off on.
03. Runnin' With The Devil - one of my personal favorites from the show..
04. Romeo Delight - this one was a fan favorite as well. Wolfie did some awesome tap harmonics on the bass during the breakdown.
05. Somebody Get Me A Doctor - as was this one.
06. Beautiful Girls
07. Dance The Night Away
08. Atomic Punk
09. Everybody Wants Some
10. So This Is Love - another good song Live, thanks to a comedic intro by Dave.
11. Mean Street - I loved the way the riff just ripped through the arena, it sounded like magic.
12. Pretty Woman
13. Drum solo - Alex Van Halen is a fantastic drummer, one of the more underrated drummers.
14. Unchained
15. I'll Wait
16. ...And The Cradle Will Rock
17. Hot For Teacher
18. Little Dreamer
19. Little Guitars
20. Jamie's Cryin'
21. Ice Cream Man - another song made better by Dave's recalling tales of smoking weed and imaging being on the starship enterprise.
22. Panama
23. Guitar solo - the highlight of the show. It was just mind blowing. Eddie took every technique he knows and there it at the crowd.The emotion and feeling he put into the solo was stunning. With a little help from the lighting I thought I was looking in the face of God.
24. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
Encore:
25. 1984
26. Jump - great ending. Everyone was into it and went crazy when the synth riff started with Eddie accompanying it on guitar, Dave even brough back the giant microphone for kicks and giggles. // 10
Impression: The show was held in the Air Canada Centre In Toronto, Ontario, Canada on October 12th, 2007. The opening band was a Bob Marley cover band. Reggae isn't my favorite but they were pretty entertaining. The venue itself has quality acoustics and is a good place to see a concert. The only thing that was a bother was the cost of food, but that's a given at most all venues. The tickets were expensive, but Van Halen didn't disappoint. The most unforgettable part was Eddie's solo, hands down. They were going to make a stop in Buffalo (my place of residency) but never scheduled a show despite a petition of 20,000 signatures and conformation from Live Nation. Although pretty pissed off about that, I would see them again if the opportunity presented itself. // 9
