From Nola.com: By music writer Keith Spera Young rockers who sipped warm beer in arena parking lots during Van Halen’s 1980s heyday are now on the far side of 40 and likely to be married, with children. Like its audience, Van Halen has also matured. The tour that concluded at a less-than-full New Orleans Arena on Tuesday was, in essence, the latter-day Van Halen’s … [Read more...]

By Kevin Dodds Sunday night was my third Van Halen concert in five days. There is no point in writing from any other perspective than that – I cannot pretend I didn’t see the Dallas and San Antonio shows and review the Houston show in a bubble. I say that with one big “however,” though… On Sunday night in Houston, my family – the Dodds family – represented with three … [Read more...]

By Kevin Dodds First off, two things. Number one, this was my second of three VH shows in a row and my second in a 3-day span. So, I had a solid barometer with which to measure the San Antonio show -- the ass-kicking Dallas show on 6/20. Number two, this was the first time I took my own son to see Van Halen. He's almost 10 and plays guitar already and can play quite a bit of … [Read more...]

This review is from Van Halen author/fan, Kevin Dodds. The four guys that took the stage in Dallas last night were the supreme machine. My expectations were greatly exceeded. This being the first of three shows I am going to see in a five-day period, I watched this show mostly in awe. I didn’t really sing along or yell – sometimes I didn’t even clap after songs – I was … [Read more...]

Here's a concert review from Van Halen's show last night in Dallas, Texas. From VHND reader, Billy Beavers. Let’s start with the opening act. Kool & The Gang started off kind of slowly to a half packed American Airlines Center. The musicianship was top notch from the get-go, but the energy from the crowd wasn’t quite there for a few songs. They know how to work up a … [Read more...]

Phil, his brother, and a friend caught the Van Halen tour in Tacoma. In the parking lot right after the show, Phil turned on the video camera and they decide to film their review right there on the spot, so that they could best capture their initial thoughts immediately after the concert. Unlike Midnight Phil's other videos (Van Halen Retospective & 'A Different Kind Of … [Read more...]

From AZ Central: David Lee Roth is a lot like Bob Dylan. Not in terms of having written "Like a Rolling Stone" - because he didn't do that. More in terms of approaching the songs his fans have come to hear him sing with no regard for the original recordings, singing what he feels like singing when he feels like singing it, changing the melody, changing the phrasing, leaving … [Read more...]

From The Orange County Register: “You’re getting a good show tonight!” David Lee Roth declared early during the Anaheim set. It wasn’t an empty boast: Roth was very much on his game here. Yes, he’ll fiddle with the meter of a line or switch up a lyric here and there, but he takes no more liberties than Mick Jagger does with Stones staples or Steven Tyler would with … [Read more...]