Van Halen
Gund Arena
Cleveland, OH
May 17, 1998

Set List

Review by Joseph Del Re - jcdelre@juno.com

I'd like to start off this review by saying that I'm not a big Gary Cherone fan. I bought the new album and was less then enchanted, but nevertheless, it's Halen, and I was really pumped for tonights show.

Well, I'm a changed man. This was probably the best VH show I've ever seen. Gary can SING!!!! Frankly, I thought he did better on the Dave stuff, but even the Sammy songs had a new coat of paint.

The show started off like all the others on the tour: Unchained. There is no more fitting way to describe the attitude of the New Van Halen then the title of that song, truely Unchained. Next came Without You (III's best song) and One I Want. But the heat really got turned up with Mean Street. I really can't get enough of that song. I was so impressed by the way that Gary sang it I asked my band if we could do a cover of it (now i've got to learn that damn beginning).

Along the way, but in no particular order, were "When It's Love", "Why Can't This Be Love", a Killer "Dance the Night Away", "Feel Your Love Tonight" medley. "Year to the Day" proved to be getting better and better as the tour goes on (comparing it to the show in Sydney), and Ed's solo in the middle of it made it all the more enjoyable. But the best songs in my opinion were a ferocious version of "Humans Being" and "Romeo's Delight". Just damn phenominal!!!

The acoustic version of Josephina was killer, and the boys rocked the roof off the place with Panama and Jump as their encore. All in all, a tremendous VH show, and I'm making the trip to Pittsburg for the summer tour. So, after all that, I think there is only one thing left to say; "Who the Fuck is Eddie Van Halen?" Just a god on Six Strings. See ya in Pitts.

Let me spell out how I felt about this show in one word:

A-M-A-Z-E-D-!-!-!-!

I couldn't have been more pumped coming into this show, and I'm still pumped an hour after it ended and I've finally arrived home. They smoked through an absolutely awesome set list, with the highlights, in my opinion, being Unchained (what better way to start a concert than an OLD favorite?!), Fire in the Hole, Somebody Get Me A Doctor, and the show-closer, JUMP! Nobody rocks like these guys.

Eddie... this guy is a god. I've never heard anyway pull every possible note and sound out of one instrument the way he does... and he does it with style and panache, to boot! Superb job!

Alex... what a freakin' awesome drum solo. Guaranteed to blow you away, or make you wonder how many hands and feet this guy has!

Michael... phenominal job on the bass... adds that perfect undertone to the music that, along with the drums, makes you want to dance (the night away...)!

Gary... nobody does it better! This guy was all over the stage, and put a new spin on all the lyrics that just amazed me. This guy is head and shoulders over Sammy what's-his-name (who cares about him?)!

This is my first time seeing these guys live, but I've been a fan forever, and after this show, I'm going back every time they come to town!

This has been my fifth Van Halen concert and just like every VH concert I've seen before...IT ROCKED!!! Although I am a little disappointed in my hometown for not selling out. This has been the first non-sellout Van Halen concert I've seen and the first time I've seen them onstage without Hagar. But it made no difference. Cherone is an great frontman and was very exciting to watch. The guy is an animal and was all over the place. He also has a great voice and can handle any Roth and Hagar-era songs.

Anyways...to the music..."Unchained" is the perfect opening song. The crowd went nuts when Eddie's guitar tore through the amps to start off the show. They also showed a cool video on the screen behind the stage during "Mean Street". It showed scenes that included a police riot crew heading down a street toward a huge building that is exploding. It also showed things like drug dealers, prostitutes, and bums in a terrible neighborhood which truly fit the title of the song. The old songs such as "Romeo Delight", "Dance the Night Away", "Feel Your Love Tonight", & "Somebody Get Me a Doctor" all drew tremendous ovations from the crowd. These are awesome songs that we were kind of "cheated" out of hearing in concert while Hagar was the frontman.

The highlight of the evening for me was during the song "Feel Your Love Tonight". It was just plain amazing hearing tens of thousands of people all chanting the chorus together in perfect harmony..."I can't wait to feel your love tonight".

The band never missed a beat during ANY of the songs. Some of these songs are twenty years old, but they still played just like they were on the albums...pure perfection at its best.

Michael Anthony's lead vocals during "Somebody Get Me a Doctor" were terrific. It was also pretty cool during the song "Jump" when they showed on the big screen a video recording of Michael Anthony bungee-jumping.

All in all, it was absolutely wonderful. These guys keep getting older, but they never miss a step and keep on rockin' as hard as they did in the olden days. When the concert ended, Eddie came up to the microphone and said, "Thank you...it's fuckin' great being back...we'll see you soon".

Well Ed, I hope you mean "really" soon because even though the concert just ended a few hours ago, I'm ready for another...

WOW!!!!! What can I say that hasn't been said already. I have just gotten home from one of the greatest shows on earth, and I am not talking about the Ringling Bros. circus.

Van Halen rocked Cleveland tonight and it will take a while for the city to recuperate. This was the ninth time I have seen Van Halen and this one tops them all. The boys had it all going tonight. From the opening riff of Unchained till Gary and the boys took their bows, the crowd was on their feet. I haven't seen Ed, Al, and Mike have this much fun during a concert in a long time.

Gary's vocals were superb. He did an awesome job on all of the songs from the Dave era to the current material. He didn't miss a beat. Alex's drum solo was his best that I have seen in a long time. Michael's vocals on "Somebody get me a doctor" was a highlight of the show. The best part of the show to me, had to be when the boys did "Dance The Night Away" and worked it right into "Feel Your Love Tonight."

Eddie's solo was great as that clocked in just over 8 minutes. The show clocked in at 1 hour and 51 minutes. All of the Gary naysayers should see a show and I think they will be singing a different tune after the show. The show exceeded above and beyond all expectations. Thanks Van Halen for the great show. Can't wait to see you again.

Van Halen is BACK!!!! From the opening riff of "Unchained" to the last chords of "Jump", VH had the Gund Arena crowd roaring for more. New-comer Gary Cherone held Cleveland in his hand all night, completely burying his predecessor!!! Through all 3 eras of VH, Cherone sang better that DLR or Hagar could ever dream of. The man has incredible talent and charisma. Eddie and Alex looked happier that they have in years..probably due to playing all those old tunes!!

I have to say that even though l am not a big fan of the new album (It has its moments), the new songs sounded great live, and fit in perfectly. Cherone greatly outsang Hagar by leaps and bounds, and handled the Roth era tunes perfectly. Hearing Mike singing 'Somebody Get me a Doctor" was a real highlight..(Eddie, ya need to let this guy sing lead more!!).

Both Van Halen's solos were, as always, great, Eddies' coulda been longer, though. The only real disappointments were the shortness of the concert and the fact that Mike didn't have a solo.

I've just returned from Gund Arena. I'd like to thank the band for the best show I've seen to date.

Eddie has back that "Eddie Van Halen" grin that seemed to be missing in the Balance tour.

Gary was all over the place ... giving equal attention to all sides of the stage and his new band members as well. They all seem to be having more fun than ever ... with a backdrop of closeups and a tightly edited sequence of video clips during some songs. The time elapse "streaked head lights" and blury city highways during Mean Street being the most gripping.

The "Roth-era" songs hit harder than I imagined they ever could w/out Dave and it was very clear that "Josephina" done acousticly by Ed and Gary has very deep meaning for both of them.

All in all it was VERY worth the $50 and standing on crutches and a freshly reconstructed ankle for 2+ hours.

Van Halen remains the best rock and roll band ever to have graced a stage.

Hey, everybody... If you haven't made it to see Van Halen on this tour yet..... DO IT!!! The band ripped through Cleveland tonight, busting out old songs from the DLR days that I certainly did not expect to hear. Even reading the set list from the night before in Chicago didn't prepare me for this one. Basically the same set, but they dropped "How Many Say I" for "Feel Your Love Tonight".

Ed was his usual brilliant self, and still has yet to disappoint anyone at a live show! Mikey sounded good, which impressed me since I've been hearing that his voice is going... THIS IS SIMPLY NOT SO... Al was great. Gary REALLY impressed me, though. The guy seemed to be running the show. I did not expect him to seem so in charge of the show. (Once he jumped over Mike's amp stacks! Must've been 4.5 to 5 ft. high!!!)

Everything seemed really smooth and compared with shows I went to in the past... Kenny Wayne Shepherd was a great opening act, too, which helped to get the crowd started on this Sunday night! (Maybe the best opener I've seen.)

GET TO THE SHOW AS SOON AS YOU CAN... Whether you like Dave, Sammmy, Gary or all of 'em... This tour will impress!!!

This band never fails to amaze me. They are what rock and roll should be. FUN. I have seen them with Sammy 3 times and this was my favorite show. Eddie was smiling like he just picked up a guitar for the first time tonight. During Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love Gary flew over Mike's amps. You really have to see this live to appreciate it. It is refreshing to see a band have FUN on stage. You just have to whitness it for yourself, I cant justify it with words. VH Rocks.

Well, after an energetic opening set by the Kenny Wayne Shepherd band, Van Halen proved that, even with new vocalist Gary Cherone, they can burn the house down with the best of them. After kicking off with a blazing version of "Unchained", Eddie and Company stormed through "Without You", "One I Want", and "Fire in the Hole" from the III album.

Cherone displayed astounding vocal range and power, tearing through the Hagar and Roth-era tunes with gusto, and pumping life into the tracks from III. Eddie was on fire, and the flame could have easily consumed all of Cleveland. Backed by the metronomic precision and grace of Alex's thunderous drums and Michael Anthony's rumbling bass work, Mr. Van Halen tore through some of the most powerful playing of his career.

The high point of the show came with "A Year to the Day", which showcased some of the best soloing that CLeveland and the world has ever heard. This show proves just one thing: Van Halen, like a fine wine, just keeps getting better and better with age. And they'll still rock your ass off like it's 1984...

What can I say to add to the already wonderful reviews?

Thank you Van Halen for gracing Cleveland with your presence! :)

Eddie was/is/will always be STELLAR! His music just sends you and to be there live is just a transcendential experience! ;) To hear all these old classics was like a dream! At times I'd think it was the late 70's as I looked up on the jumbo screen and see EVH there sounding and looking like SGMAD had only been out a month! Now, if we could only somehow sweet talk them into doing a rousing rendition of "Hang 'Em High", I could honestly say I am the happiest girl alive! :)

Highlights included: Eddie making these monkey movements with his arms at the beginning of Panama as he stood on the drum riser! Too cute! Andy lying down on the floor during Ed's solo of a song, like he was just so blown away by the majestic sounds that he could only just lay there in awe. I know that feeling! :) And Romeo Delight... that lil breakdown part where it's quiet and Ed was tapping---OH MY GOODNESS... that was toooooooooo good...could anything legal/and or morally correct make you feel that good than to stand there and listen/watch to such a thing?

Humans Being ROCKED! It was so hard, and so pure and so darkly vibrant... yet so brilliantly bright at the "shine on" part..I wanted to implode! :) Ed just kills ya! And then he brings you back to life. I could never cheer or scream or clap loud or hard enough to express my appreciation for VH! Long Live Al, Ed, Mike and Gary!

And when all 3 of them got up by Al and then kicked into DTNA and jumped off, it was so sweet! And FYLT...holy Mary Mother of God, what did we ever do to get this old gem pulled back out into the light of day? Now let's all meditate and send the band "Little Guitars" vibes!!!!! :)

It was odd to not see any bras or banners being thrown up on stage and no Sammy-esque chit chat interludes, but Gary has more than proven himself as what VH needs! From the beauty of seeing him and Ed back to back leaning against each other during AYTTD to him flying over Mikey's amp in a wild burst of emotion, Gary really is all that... and a big fookin' bag of chips! :) Gay-sayers be damned, the man obviously just has very theatrical moves and if that talent is misinterpreted, oh well! We love ya Gary! If I had one wish, it'd be that he got to sing more of his high "pretty" voice style of singing. That side of his singing has always touched me. Anyways...

The acoustic Josephina was a treasure. Ahhhhhh.....Edward...Edward! :)

Panama and Jump were the closers, which I guess was kewl...it's just we already heard those so many times with Sam...isn't the band even sick of those yet? I'd rather hear new stuff or new old stuff! ;)

I could go on (such as the footage was great...the driving for Mean StreeT and the jumps for Jump...I've always thought VH music would be great for stuff like that, or rollercoastering or space travel! ;) but I'd never stop! :)

In closing, if you want to be happy, GO SEE SOME VEE-ACH! ;)