Posted by I dont much get into opinion based debates, simply because there is no right or wrong, its based on opinion. But in my humble opinion, David Lee Roth is Rock & Roll’s ultimate frontman. He’s a showman who knows how to address the crowd and based on your and my opinion, he could actually sing! However, David Lee Roth is certainly not the reason I loved the music of Van Halen or his solo material. Van Halen was all encompassing; they were the ultimate Rock & Roll real deal!
But did Eddie’s playing overshadow David Lee Roth? Did DLR have to work that much harder to keep up with the Van Halen brothers? Or was their chemistry and Dave’s charisma that complimented each other that made the band?
Ive had the pleasure of seeing Dave three times. The first was during the “1984” tour at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. As soon as the lights went out, I rushed the stage and managed to creep up to the sixth row, maybe even closer! All I know was that I was in range of the Jack Daniels that he splashed out into the crowd! I remember actually being nervous that my gram would smell it on me when I got home!! She didnt say anything if she did! At the end of the day, I saw Van Halen in their hay day!
The second time was when I was living in Oklahoma. My sisters and I saw the David Lee Roth band featuring Billy Sheehan on bass, Gregg Bissonette on Drums and Steve Vai on guitar at the Lloyd Nobel Center in Norman, OK. Once again we rushed the stage, but luckily I avoided and dodged any spraying of Jack Daniels. And once again, I can say, I saw Dave in his frontman element!
You can plainly see, Diamond Dave surrounds himself with immense talent! And on this tour of his “Celebration of Van Halen” he again surrounds himself with stellar talent. On guitar is Al Estrada, Ryan Wheeler on Bass, Francis Valentino on Drums, Danny Wagner on Keyboards and sharing the mics with Dave are a 4 piece all-male back-up band including Andre Washington, Juneau Lake, Stevie Notes & Kurt Lykes.
But the harsh reality is that perhaps DLR shouldnt have returned to the stage! He definitely had the charisma from the very first note, but his vocal notes were basically all sour! Im sure youve all seen the videos by now, but the fact of the matter is, the videos dont lie! He “sang”, scream and yelled all in different keys from what the band behind him was dishing! But in the end, it didnt matter! We all came to be entertained and Dave entertained us all!!
Do I feel DLR hopped back on the stage for a simple money grab? Not at all! Considering the Paramount Theater in Huntington only seats about 1500, its hard to believe that line of thought. I think he really misses the stage. I think as we all get older, we just have to have another taste of what we once had that was great! And Dave was great! And he still knows how to entertain!
There’s the ole saying, “If it’s too loud, you’re too old” but anyone who’s been to a recent David Lee Roth performance, “If it’s too loud, turn down your hearing aid!”
Here are a few highlights from Dave’s performance at The Paramount in Huntington, NY
SETLIST
Panama
Drop Dead Legs
I’m The One
Ill Wait
You Really Got Me
Runnin’ With The Devil
Romeo Delight
Dance The Night Away
Mean Street
Atomic Punk
Jamie’s Cryin’
Unchained
Oh, Pretty Woman
Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love
Hot For Teacher
Everybody Wants Some!
Jump
Long Island Sounds 