Poundcake
Eddie came out w/ the drill to start this one off bringin back memories then Alex n Mikey kicked it up a notch and SAMMY sang like he was DOWN HOME n HOME GROWN , WRAP UP NICE n TIGHT ...... one of my fav's here

It's About Time
Sammy did sum talkin about this on too , how it was the second tune they recorded and how it all began w/ him n Alex just gettin together as OLD BUDs and things started from there about the getting back to the GOOD TIME's
I really think this tune they should of opened with for numerous reasons but LIVE it ROCKs showin' off all this bands talent . Another much better LIVE too ! ! !
Oh yeah one of the few banners thrown up on stage during this one it siad :
PLAIN n SIMPLE ....... THANK YOU VAN HALEN

Al's Solo
As SAMMY said "The Human Time Machine..... Alex Van Halen"
The first thing I wrote about Alex's solo @ the show was EFFORTLESSLY
Every part of his extremities were MOVIN' , hands and feet all going in different directions..... At on point he got the audience clappin to the beat while pickin' it up faster n faster to the point one couldn't clap that fast . No special effect or gimmicks like lightin his set on fire or risers just Al pounded away like no other human capable.... About a six minute solo

Top Of The World
As Eddie started the lead into this one all eyes were on him and then SAMMY starts YEAH BABY he's ON TOP of MIKEY n EDDIEs AMPs . The first time I seen the steps leading to the TOP which surprised me and I'm sure many others....

Unchained
At this point one of the BEST TUNEs of the NIGHT , I got off on this one . Eddie seemed to like it too he had that EDDIE smirk on his face breakin out into a great big smile as he did thru most the show . Tho Sammy could of sang this one better it was still another great DLR era tune I thought was GREAT

Why Can't This Be Love
At this point it was getting pretty dark n I was unable to write anymore but I remember everybody sang this one w/ Sammy going from one side of the stage to the other to share mic's w/ Eddie n Mikey

Eagles Fly / Deeper Kind Of Love
Sammy's solo and the only time he played his guitar which was sum what disappointing cuz I think Sammy play the HELL OUT of his axe and he was putting alot of effort into Eagles makin' it sound HEAVIER than normal and half way thru it he jumps into Deep Kind which was very refreshing and new while singin' w/ so much emotion . Still would of preferred the RedRocker doing more ROCKIN' along w/ his singing.....
but as I said earlier this was more a EDDIE's COMING OUT PARTY ! ! !

Learning To See
This one surprised me ... it was much HEAVIER than I excepted , thought it may be more a Sammy type Ballad but this was the best of the three new tunes by far. Eddie's guitar work was AWESTRUCK'

Best Of Both Worlds
What can I say about this LIVE STAPLE .... SAMMY did try to do their strut but the boys weren't in step but it was still GREAT

Eddie's Solo
Damn where does one being to describe a Eddie solo , the beginning sounded new to me and Eddie did everything to this guitar.... at one time playing the neck like bongo's , finger tappin' , moving up n down the neck like no other , feedback , turnin n switching every dial and switch on his guitar ..... Smiling all the while , everytime he paused the chant EDDIE EDDIE EDDIE came screaming form the crowd and Eddie seemed humbled by it all ending it w/ 316 .....
Now that is what I paid ALL my $$$ for , just to see Eddie do his solo was worth every penny and then sum..... 15 minutes of PURE ENJOYMENT from the crowd and Eddie
Eddie the Greatest Guitar player and innovator since Jimi .....

Dreams
One of the tunes the Crowd responded to the most to this point

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
Sammy pulled this one off FANTASTICALLY . Alex starts it off and as Eddie hit the first note the crowd went wild .....

Right Now
New video up-dated to the here n now on the screen , grabbing everyones attention of what was being said w/ out having to say it ..... sum very controversial topic's thrown up on the screen too but it was great and made at least me think of what is happening into todays world.... which I guess thats what the boys meant to do from the begining

Encore:
You Really Got Me
They came out thanking everyone who waited and believe that this would happen sooner or later...... Later than many thought but I never thought it would happen but damn I'm so happy to be part of this ROCK n ROLL HISTORY

Panama
Not sure if it was this was because most knew the show was almost over , the booze had taken it's toll or that it was just the best damn tune the crowd enjoyed not counting Eddie's sole but they responded to this one the most singing along and clappin their hands

When It's Love
Would of preferred a true ROCKIN TUNE to END a WONDERFUL NITE but IT seemed appropriate for Van Halen to end this way ...... as if they were singing to themselves

AN AWESOME SHOW ..... AN AWESOME NITE .... AN AWESOME MEMORY
PLAIN and SIMPLE .... THANK YOU VAN HALEN
EDDIE , SAMMY , ALEX n MIKEY

MichiganMike aka MM

"They're back!", "A triumphant return!", "They haven't missed a beat!" These are some of the many cliches you're bound to hear, describing the Van Halen reunion tour. I'm happy to report, they're all true and then some!

On June 13th, in the usually quiet countryside of Hershey, Pennsylvania, Van Halen raised the echoes of it's glorious past and fired-off shots towards it's hopeful future.

Beginning with the anticipation of a darkened stage, right into Sammy's emphatic welcome, "Hello Ba-a-a-by-y-y-y!", Van Halen took the stage by storm and never relented. Blazing through a 20-plus song and solo set and with an energy and comraderie that hasn't been seen since the 5150 Tour. People will nit-pick about the setlist but make no mistake, this tour is one for the ages and a must-see for any true Van Halen fan.

As for the particulars, it wasn't the tightest performance you've ever heard from 'the boys' but that's the trade-off when you play things fast and loose! Sammy's voice was 'off-the-charts'. I cannot recall him ever sounding this good. Simply Awesome! Ed was in his glory and seemingly, without any 'baggage' from days past. He played everything from his heart and had the time of his life. Alex was what we all expect of Alex, 'Rock-Solid' and his solo was definitely one of the high-points of the show. Mikey was...C'mon, Mikey was Mikey! Thundering bass, soaring backing vocals and a "sh*t-eating" grin plastered on his face, the entire night!

Some of the musical hi-lites and observations are as follows:

Yes, Ed 'busted-out' the famed 'Frankenstrat', for Up For Breakfast , to the delight of the 10,000-plus, in attendance.
Up For Breakfast is a killer, LIVE!

Poundcake was incredible!

Al's solo blew me and my beautiful wife away! Not so much for the content but for the execution and energy. The man has not aged a day since the Balance Tour!

Top of The World was so 'feel good', it was ridiculous. It felt like you were sharing Van Halen's triumphant return with them, on an intimate level.

Learning to See is a fantastic new Van halen creation and plays incredibly good live. This song will be a Van Halen classic. The on-screen imagery is intense.

I'll leave Eddie's solo to the guitar players, in the house. Personally, I love everything the man does!

Oh yeah, the beer lines closed at 9:30, which pissed me off to high Heaven!

Ed screwed up the intro to Dreams and flashed a horrified look for a moment, before bursting into laughter with Sammy, Mike and a good part of the crowd. Band was very 'pumped' for You Really Got Me .

Get ready to sing your Nah-Nah-na-Nah-Nahs off during When It's Love because that will probably wrap up the show.
A stellar performance and stage production from the band, second to none! The only thing, besides the weather, that could've made this show better was the crowd. A lot of hand-clapping, if you know what I mean. Then again, I suspect, from being out there, that they're a well behaved bunch, in that part of the country. DO NOT pass up the chance to see this MONSTER in concert, it will be worth every penny.

God bless and good night!

One more thing, I saw a pro cameraman filming the show at the front of the stage(for what it's worth).

The show kicked ass.

The band sounded great and looked great. Eddie's guitar work as a tad sloppy as he tried a little too hard to improvise. However, his phenominal guitar solo made up for it. The crowd was almost dead silent as he was soloing.

As the band was taking the stage, everyone could see them walking backstage towards the stage and started cheering.

The stage had three big screens and plenty of cool lights. Lots of video during the songs as well. Right now had some updated clips with current events thrown in.

Sadly, one of the captions used in Right Now had "Right Now, Van Halen is kicking ass in Greensboro". WHOOPS!

The set list was the same as opening night in Greensboro, which was:

Jump
Runaround
Humans Being
Up for Breakfast
Somebody get me a Doctor
It's been a long time
Bass solo
Unchained
Learning to Fly
Poundcake
Drum solo
Best of both worlds
When Eagles Fly/Deeper Kind of Love(Sammy acoustic)
Guitar solo
Top of the world
Ain't talkin' bout love
Right now
Dreams
You really got me
Panama
When it's love

IMPORTANT: If anyone is going to see them, they took the stage @ 8:30 PM like they did with the 3 tour. This is just worth noting if you are like me and usually wait till 9 PM to walk in most of the time.

Courtesy of VanJay2 of "Inside the Vault"

Well, i made it. i spoke today to one of my Pennsylvania hosts, Chauncey (no, really- that's his name) about the possibility of viewing this tour cynically- as just a money grabber. i admitted that yes, that possibility weighed quite heavy on many of our minds. ("our" = the internet VH fan community) but i know that we, for the most part, were willing to blur that aspect away as long as Van halen, and specifically Eddie, would be willing to stay not-angry, peaceful & healthy enough to throw a party like only Van Halen can.

i'm glad, nee- ecstatic - to report that not only did the cynicism never enter my mind during this performance, but if it had, i know that it would have been beat down and kicked away by Eddie's more-than-ever-trademarked-grin. if Eddie came out and played all-business-like, i may have been disappointed. but he didn't. he seemed to be having the time of his life. and yes, i know the difference, the last time i saw Eddie w/Sammy, he was really all business. (play the song, play it well, play the solo, play the next one, repeat, wrap it up.) so, here's a not-even-remotely-quick rundown of tonights show. Van Halen. Hershey Stadium, Pennsylvania. June 13, 2004. Section A Row 12 Seat 31:

(aside- i once said that my favorite feeling in the world was the moment the lights go down and the band starts at a huge rock concert. i almost missed this moment due to this venues FUCKED UP alcohol policy and bathroom facilities. but, thank god, i was there.)

1.) "Jump" . so, you're surprised they started off with a dave tune? you and me both. i knew they'd play it. Van Hagar pretty much existed with playing ONLY 4 songs that came out when Dave was in the band. this was one of them. you know it, i don't have to describe it for you. in the end, if they have to play it (and they do) might as well get it out of the way early, while i'm too excited to notice that no one really cares if they play it anymore.

2.) "Runaround". always a concert crowd participation favorite, this one gives us Mikey singing lead on the bridge, to help establish a band-unity factor. Dave never would have stood for this... ;) maybe because i saw Sammy 4 times last year, and he often played this, but really i couldn't take my eyes off Ed. it was so great to see him play these songs again.

3.) "Humans Being". awesome song. it includes one of Ed's simple-powerful solos (as opposed to 2-million-notes-a-minute-powerful solos) and some great lyrics.

4.) "Up For Breakfast" . if i had to accidentally forget to mention one of the new songs that Van Halen recently recorded with Sammy for their upcoming greatest hits album, it would be this one. another one of Sam's girl-as-food analogies, it obviously sophmoric by definition, which can still sometimes rock, but i gotta admit, this one's not going on a mix tape anytime soon. even the band seem uninspired.

5.) Mike's Bass solo - was short. and rightfully so. we love Mike. everyone loves Mike. his vocal harmonies are as definitive to Van Halen's sound as anything else. his bass solos are not. so what, let's consider this an introduction to...

6.) "Somebody Get Me A Doctor". our second Dave tune of the night. this one sung by Mike with Sammy on background vocals. that's an awesome political move by Sammy. it's also a cool tune in general. i would LOVE to see this section of the show maneuver around so that the song could change to several different dave tunes. but that's just because i got 5 more shows to go to. in reality, i know that this setlist is basically ironclad.

7.) "Poundcake". the 2nd girl-as-food song of the night. (there's more in the catalog, but don't get me started) this one actually jams. jams hard. Ed's lead fills and Mike's steady rumble are second to none. one of Van Hagar's great party tunes.

8.) "It's About Time". another new song from the new album. gotta admit. anyone who knows my propensity for peeing will understand that i have to pick and choose where and when i go to the bathroom. it's gotta be sometime, and it might as well be during the new song. not that i don't support the song. it's good, if not just a little rushed in the writing process. i've got 5 more shows to catch it.

9.) Alex's drum solo - i came back in around halfway. long enough to see that Alex hasn't lost anything. which would be easy to do at his age (54) he actually looks a little better than Ed, his younger brother. but that may just be because Ed has chosen the "homeless guy" look for this tour. honestly, drum solos are pretty much drum solos all around. alex is great, and last time, he even threw some latin horns into the thing. but nothing like that here. power & speed. you get it.

10.) "Top Of The World". this took on a new life here than it has in the past, thanks to just a slight tweaking of Ed's riff. originally a completely bouncy pop-rock inspirational song, Ed's tweak kicked out the "bounce" for a second and turned it to a slightly heavier, more desperate direction.

11.) "Unchained". one of Dave's best tunes, if for nothing else, coining the phrase "fat city address" but Sammy pulls it off faithfully, while cleverly avoiding dave's improvised comedic middle rap, "Hey man, that suit is youuuu..." but really, again, all about Ed. this is as good a rock-riff as the Stones' "Satisfaction" and should be bowed down to as such. i'm glad it's here.

12.) "Why Can't This Be Love". call me crazy, but this is one of my favorite pop-love songs ever. the melody is great. the lyrics are not as trite as you may think them to be. time to dance. dance like Ed. witha lot of swagger and twist in your newly-replaced hip.

13.) "Eagles Fly/Deeper Kind Of Love". i put these songs together, because they were played together, acoustically and alone by Sammy. the first being more a tune of spiritual faith and the other being that of more romantic faith. both are true and sincere, and as many times as i've seen sammy play "Eagles Fly", it never fails to move me. "Deeper..." was also great. and it felt great to have someone there to share it with. while not a romantic relationship, i was able to experience this performance with Alisa, whose love i hold, fear-to-lose, and take faith that i won't. mad props for bringing me to PA, babe.

14.) "Learning To See". an incredible song. one of the new ones, it's as heavy--metal as it is heavy--quitely-mournful. the vocal at the end is as desperately reaching as anything that Sammy's ever done. and he pulled this off live here tonight- even after 2/3 of the set. even after 2/3 of his life. thank god.

15.) "Best Of Both Worlds". the best way to follow that last tune would be with this one. another greatly thought out spiritual idea, this one set to a much lighter, much more party-type riff. which in turn, creates a party, weather you know that you're singing about God or not. unlike the boner tunes, this one may end up on a mixtape...

16.) Ed's guitar solo. I romanticized since i bought these tickets about what seeing this part of the show would do... and it did. when Ed turned it down a little and played -what most closely fit into- the intro to "Year to The Day" (my favorite song from their Gary album) , i let a couple fall. from my eyes down to my cheeks. here we are, after all this time. Eddie's playing and i'm watching.

unbeknownst to many who believe that i'm a godless-liberal-heathen, i often give thanks to God, whom I know, respect and have a great relationship. sometimes i give thanks for a meal, sometimes for a beer, sometimes for keeping my convertable jeep out of the rain, sometimes for the warm support of a friend. but, i can't remember the last time that i repeatedly thanked God so many times for one specific thing. for letting Edward Van Halen be alive, healthy, happy and playing for me at this given moment. this is the gift that i've been given.

17.) "Dreams". this song is in general, a no-brainer. when the notes go from low to high on the keyboard, you've got no alternative than to write the lyrics about overcoming. about reaching for the sky. while it is a great song, it was never my personal favorite (it IS Sammy's though) but you can't help but being caught up in the whole sense of community, that we're all enjoying this together. and the band came together for US. and i also had a friend there to share it with me on that level. "We belong in a wold that must be strong. That's what dreams are made of." indeed.

18.) "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". this is one of the four dave tunes that have been played by Sammy at every show he's ever played with Van Halen. and i really don't know why. this song is ALL about dave. this kind of braggodocio is just not Sammy's style. "I got what you need- I ain't talkin' 'bout love" . Sammy wouldn't say this. he'd say, "You got what I need". maybe you think i'm reading too much into this, but hey- if you're reading my 18th review of each of the songs in the set, then you should already know that i jumped the fence on "reading too much" a long time ago.

19.) "Right Now". of course, a huge hit. so no wonder that it was included at the bottom of the set. the only new thing here was the video behind the band. it included much of the original 1992 video, with some new, updated things thrown in. the most political of which was a quote from the original video: "Right Now- Nothing is more expensive than regret" the original video paired this with a picture of a condom. this time, the same quote was paired with photos of George W. Bush. of course, i chuckled heartedly. another favorite slogan was "Right Now- you are here." which, seeing my #16 entry, is really just as, if not more important than my regret of W. as president.

(funny aside- the song ended with the video portion "Right Now- Van Halen is kicking ass in Greensboro" which was wrong. Greensboro was friday, we're now in Hershey. Gene Simmons fires people for that shit.)

ENCORES--
20.) "You Really Got Me". obviously a Kinks' cover that was Van Halen's first hit. i've always got the feeling that they play this out of seeming-obligation and not because they want to. not that they perform it with less vigor or anything. just my logic. i just think that they should find a way to do the old material that's not repetetive.

21.) "Panama". did i say repetetive? oops. i meant to say that here. the last of the elustrious "four". yeah, it's a great song, and you're glad to hear it. but now that the show's over, and we're contemplating, we the fans ask- why aren't we trying to be as loose with the setlist as you say we're going to be at the start of every tour.

22.) "When It's Love". i'm surprised that the show ended on such a slow note. slow meaning "tempo" not "performance". i think it's kind of a "throw up your lighters, and while you're at it, smoke a joint" kind of songs. but, of course, Sammy sang the hell out of it. it's a great song, but generally VH has always gone out a huge party tune, like Zep's "Rock and Roll".

i really do think that Van Halen have the potential to be real jamming-improvising band. setlist aside, they're among the best musicians ever, and some of the funnest performers. i want it to last forever.

So I came all the way from Chicago to see this, my FIRST Van Halen show. I had a 4-star and was in the 9th row center, directly in front of Mikey...fucking GREAT seats...however, some of the regular Ticketbastard seats (non-ILAA) were in the 8th row ahead of us, which, of course, is bullshit. Some of the 4-stars did get T-shirts, but a bunch of us (including me) definitely did not...the chick handing them out just ran out of shirts and took off. I was OK with that since there was no shirt promised to the 4-stars, but it was disappointing.

There were no "rings" onstage this time...however, all the 5-stars were very close, probably within the first 5 rows. I saw that the first row had Eddie-striped wristbands...I think those were for the 5-stars.

For those of you that go on VHLinks/VHForums, I got to meet Mark Van Halen, mikeKramer, ED-A-HOLIC, Balanced Rock (Jerry), Jerry's lovely wife Faith, and a lot of their very drunk friends. A bunch of people spotted me wearing my VHLinks shirt. Didn't meet anyone from this list at the show.

The merch on sale at this show was different from the merch available at http://www.feamerch.com/vanhalen . Shirts were $35 and up, as previously mentioned. Most people seemed to be buying the "fireball" design, which looks pretty good on a black shirt. There was a gray ringer shirt with the 5150 album cover design, and the tour dates listed on the back with a "5150 2004" logo. There was a white shirt that looked a lot like the RHRN tour shirt, with the striped shoes, only it had the 2004 tour dates on the back. One shirt had a variation on the old =VH= logo, with the wings of the VH turning into flames, with a "Eddie Alex Michael Sammy" above it. There was a women's sleeveless shirt that was just red with black and white stripes--I was thinking about getting this to wear under my gown for graduation on Friday, but I thought it looked tacky with the stripes on only the front of the shirt, plus a VH rings logo kind of stuck on in the front. The two women's shirts on the FEA website weren't on sale at the concert, but there was a tank top with just the VH rings logo.

It was a beautiful night for an outdoor concert. Some people have commented that the sound wasn't very loud, and I think the reasoning behind this is some sort of noise ordinance in Hersheypark Stadium...since it's an outdoor venue smack in the middle of this family-oriented tourist destination theme park silliness. I actually thought the sound was pretty good (I was in the 9th fuckin' row center) and I was actually VERY glad that it wasn't louder than it was...didn't want my ears blown out.

I liked Silvertide a lot. Good choice. I'd much rather heard from some newcomers than some sorry 80s leftover band for an opener. Their set was very short. The singer knows how to work a crowd. He actually climbed out into the audience and was walking around on the chairs in the audience. He got everyone singing along with their song "I Ain't Comin' Home" or whatever it was. Everyone had been sitting down at the top of their set and everyone in the place was standing up and pumping their fists and cheering by the time Silvertide went off.

On to VH. Sammy opened the show with a good old "Hellllo Baaaaby!"

Early in the show, Eddie gave Sammy a big kiss. The love up there was palpable.

Eddie had the hair up in the Pebbles Flintstone style. I didn't think it looked good, and Sammy pretended to cut the bun off Ed's head (probably the right idea!) One thing is for sure: Ed's hip is definitely 100% A-OK. He was jumping around like crazy out there, which I love to see. Never stopped moving for a minute.

On "It's About Time," Eddie sang the "Hey Mike, Hey Sam, I don't know why, but it's about time" right before the guitar solo. Ed sure did a lot of singing, and a good deal of talking too. He said "It doesn't get any better than this" a couple times.

Compared to boots I've heard, It did seem to me that Eddie was a bit, well, not "rusty" per se, but just out in left field and not quite "on." He seemed to be noodling around and missing some of the time. I feel like his chops will only improve as we get into the tour, though.

Even Big Al looked happy, with a big grin on his face from time to time. The drum solo was a definite highlight. It reminded me of the LWAN solo.

Mike was spot-on the whole night and sounded fantastic on "Doctor," of course. Wish they'd do more like this. Yeah Mikey!

Must Sammy ALWAYS do "Eagles Fly"? Enough of this already. At least he didn't do the whole song, and kind of segued into "Deeper King of Love," which was kind of cool, simply because it's not OVERPLAYED like "Eagles Fly."

The new "Right Now" footage is pretty cool. It's mixed in here and there with the old footage. There was a clip of a license plate that said "NYC 911" or something like that with subtitle "Right Now, nobody is forgetting." There was also definitely an anti-Bush "Right Now" in there too. There was a picture of Bush next to, I forget, some image from Iraq? with subtitle "Right Now, nothing is more expensive than regret."

I was thrilled when Mike, Sam, and Ed did the "5150 walk" on Best Of Both Worlds. For some reason I had been really looking forward to seeing them do the 5150 walk...for me, it just kind of symbolizes VH with Sammy being back together. Yeah, yeah, cheesy girly moment.

Everyone has seen the setlist...I'm not thrilled with it. Hate to see my all-time favorite album (Balance) get ignored. More songs from OU812 would have been nice...how could they not do "Cabo Wabo"? It's also a travesty not to do "5150." The problem with VH is too much great material.

"Up for Breakfast" is growing on me. The lyrics are so bad they're good. With words that remind me of "Good Enough" and that WCTBL-ish synth bass thing going on, it sounds like it could be off 5150, which might not be a compliment since 5150 is my least-favorite Van Hagar album. I still like "Up for Breakfast" a lot better than the cheese that is "Learning to See."

At the end of "Right Now," Jerry's wife and I were standing on our chairs going nuts while the cameras were covering the audience, and the cameras found us and we were definitely up on the big screen at least twice! That was cool.

I was of course calling all my VH friends on my cell phone from the concert. I called my buddy from the lists, Roger Shirin, during "When It's Love" I think. Anyway, after the concert Rog calls my number back and is all "Who is this?"
"It's Maya."
"No way! Are you in Hershey?"
"Yeah, I just left you a voicemail from the show."
"I know. I'm here."
"You mean you're in Hershey too?"
"Yeah."
"F'n Rog! Where are you?!"
"I just went through the Wendy's drive-thru. It's open late, y'know."

Rog lives in Nor Cal, I live in Chicago, I haven't seen the guy in 3 years and there we were, randomly in Hershey PA. So met up with Rog afterwards and we watched a Sammy DVD.

I did the Hershey's Chocolate World thing on Monday and emerged thoroughly brainwashed and with some $50 worth of chocolately souvenirs on my credit card. And I don't even LIKE chocolate that much. I do, however, have a morbid fascination with theme parks.

Guess that's all I've got.

Maya
http://maya.vhvault.com

Let me just say that at 24 I can honestly say this was the best day of my entire life. Someday when I get married or have kids it might move down on the list but so far June 13, 2004 takes number one.

The 5 star package started with an excellent sound check. I admit it...I had a tear in my eye when I first saw Ed up close. It was awesome finally seeing my guitar idol only a few feet away. Catching one of his picks made it that much better. Ed even showed us the magic marker lines he puts on his guitar neck so he knows "where he's goin".

The food and drinks were great, although I hardly ate anything. (My stomach was having a hard time dealing with what had just happened.)

The tour of backstage wasn't anything spectacular but I did get a chance to shake Mikey's hand which was cool. This was followed by a trip to the merchandise stand and finally a raffle where almost everybody one something. I won a van halen wallet. The big prize was a signed tour poster. Very cool.

Silvertide was awesome. The lead singer jumped off the stage and into the crowd for the last song. They did a great job pumping the crowd up. They were a mix between zeppelin and the black crowes with an edge.

My seats were perfect..... second row, dead center. The band was AMAZING and the few little mistakes they made only made the concert better. Ok the Greensboro sign flashing during Right Now was lame... but...

Ed played a very apparent wrong note during a part of dreams. He looked straight in my direction and mouthed F&@K!!!! Very humourous. They also messed up the ending of ATBL but just kept on goin with it. Nothing mattered, the entire band was having the time of their lives and so was I. Oh yeah I caught a pick from Mikey toward's the end also.

If you haven't figured it out yet I had a great time. :o) If any of you were there I was the kid wearing a red sigma phi epsilon shirt with alternating black and white letters and "5150" on the back. Well all of you that are going to see this tour are in for a real treat. ROCK IS BACK!!!

Spirit/Mood: The band looked and acted amazingly happy. Really appeared to be having a ball. Nice to see. They sounded good.

Ed's playing and solo: Ed was plenty excited. Tons of flying Eddies (many times 3 in a row!), lots of running around, lots of dancing and jumping. In away, the excitement actually seemed to take away from Ed's playing. You know when a little kid is so excited that he can't focus on one thing? Ed was all over the place. His solo was a great example. While I credit him for seemingly trying to completely change from "the standard" solo, it was actually kind of a mess, hard to follow, and quite fragmented.

Taking the opposite viewpoint, it was nice to hear him experimenting and not really concentrating on a "prepared solo". He went soft to hard or loud to quiet very abruptly. Lots of strange chords and noises. INCREDIBLE sustained notes. Great visuals with his expressions, gestures and stances during some of these high, sustained notes during the songs.

BUT - Seeing that damn 5150 red/white/black guitar for a song or two simply made the show. Holy shit - major shivers. It felt like a historic moment seeing that thing back in Ed's hands. All I could do was stare in awe.

Camera work: The camera work was stupendous. Simply amazing. Hershey had a big screen on both sides of the stage in addition to the center stage, and even though I was 6th row, I watched most of the fretwork on the screens. This live video was often being processed into a nice film look, and looked like it was from a produced and edited DVD. Can't wait to see the results of all this filming.

The new songs rocked; came off quite well, although not a lot of the crowd knew them. Learning To See will send shivers down your spine when he chugs through the first and last parts of the song. I'm really digging this "updated", drop-D type sound from VH.

Mad Anthony - Mikey wore a Mr. T t-shirt, and Sammy subbed "I pity the fool" in a lyric - was pretty funny. Also great seeing the Jack Daniels bass.

In short, Van Halen - with Sammy Hagar - is back. If Sunday's concert at Hersheypark Stadium showed anything, it was just how much we missed Eddie, Alex, Michael and Sammy onstage.

The spark has returned and, despite a seven-year split, at Hersheypark Stadium last Sunday night, it felt like Van Halen never left. From the opening moment of show-opener "Jump" to the finale song of "When It's Love," it felt like 1996 all over again.

Throughout the show, the band made it clear that they have no plans on leaving again. "I'm having a gas up here," Eddie yelled to the crowd at one point.

If this band hasn't fully healed, then these guys are some great actors. Unlike the awkward reunion with David Lee Roth in 1996, Sammy and Eddie acted like brothers again - and as if Sammy had never recorded "Little White Lies" about the Van Halen situation several years ago.

They were having fun, and the fans were too.

Van Halen ripped through just about every song any long-time supporter would want to hear. Sammy's voice was in top form as he nailed songs from both his and Dave's tenures with the group. "Ain't Talkin' About Love," "Panama," and "You Really Got Me" sounded just as good - if not better - than the Dave originals.

Sammy-era songs were drawn primarily from 1991's For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, including the hits "Right Now," "Runaround," "Poundcake" and "Top of the World."

Also well-represented was the band's 1986 monster, 5150, from which Van Halen performed "The Best of Both Worlds," "Dreams" and "Why Can't This Be Love?"
A welcome addition to the show was the Twister soundtrack hit "Humans Being." The last song put to tape prior to the band's split, its heavy guitar sound translated well to the live setting.

Eddie was in top form, reasserting himself - after a bout with cancer and a bit of antisocial behavior - as the guitar god he truly is. There's no denying that the man enjoys himself immensely while on stage. During his solo, the crowd chanted "Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!" - and he loved it, thanking his admirers several times.

Alex and Michael also provided monstrous solos, demonstrating that even if they've been out of the spotlight, they still have the magic. Sammy also performed a couple songs on his own, singing the crowd favorite "Eagles Fly," then immediately breaking into Ten 13's "Deeper Kind of Love."

Oddly, Van Halen played no tracks from 1995's Balance, their last release with Sammy. It really would have been nice to hear "Don't Tell Me What Love Can Do" or "I Can't Stop Loving You."

However, the band did play three new tracks from their upcoming best-of album, The Best of Both Worlds, due out on July 20. "Up For Breakfast," "Learning to See" and "It's About Time" sounded excellent and were very much Van Halen songs - much more than anything on the Gary Cherone-led III album.

If these three songs are a sneak-preview of what's to come, Van Halen fans are in for a treat.

The rebirth of Van Halen with Sammy Hagar is clearly what the fans have been waiting for. That Eddie and Sammy buried the hatchet was definitely appreciated by the 13,000-or-so in attendance.

In the words of a fan banner thrown onto the stage: "Plain and simple: Thank you."

Courtesy of Zwire.com

Happily, the answer to both is yes. And while the evening was rewarding because of that, it was a bit disappointing in other respects.

The Philadelphia-based quintet Silvertide got things started. If you caught the group at the Millennium Music Conference two years ago and thought they were good then, they're positively on fire now. Led by wraithlike singer Walt Lafty, the heirs apparent to Aerosmith and the Black Crowes have the charisma and the tunes to be huge.

Tearing through a brief set of songs that included "Mary Jane," "Blue Jeans" and "Ain't Comin' Home" from their fall debut, "Show and Tell," they were brilliantly messy and bursting with energy. Stars in the making -- you read it here first.

If Van Halen was going to announce its return with a vengeance, what bigger and better way to do it than with "Jump," their only No. 1 hit (albeit with former singer David Lee Roth)?

A shirtless Alex Van Halen took to his kit, followed by muscular bassist Michael Anthony. The biggest ovation went to a gaunt but otherwise healthy-looking Eddie Van Halen, also shirtless, with his hair in a RIDICULIOUS TOPKNOT. Hagar was last, and they launched into a gleeful "Jump," followed by a song from the singer's first tenure with the band, "Runaround."

A thundering "Humans Being" led into "Up for Breakfast," a new track that will appear on the band's upcoming greatest-hits album. Eddie broke out his signature red and white-striped guitar for the salacious, double-entendre-laced smoker, and Anthony produced his well-known bass painted like a Jack Daniels bottle for a feedback-laden solo.

Speaking of smoking, Eddie must have a death wish. The guy was treated for tongue cancer three years ago, and at least three times he was seen smoking a cigarette. Maybe it's fitting that the next song was "Somebody Get Me a Doctor," with Anthony doing a capable lead vocal. He also excelled on harmony -- hard to believe such pure high notes come from someone so physically intimidating. "Poundcake" and another new song, the pointed "It's About Time," led into an impressive Alex Van Halen drum extravaganza. Hagar then took to the top of the stage to belt the poppy "Standing on Top of the World."

While songs from his first tenure with the band (1985-96) were received with enthusiasm, such as "Why Can't This Be Love," the crowd seemed to reserve its real feelings for tracks from the Roth era, like "Unchained," which Hagar delivered with a good bit of Roth's ironic wit.

Hagar took a lone stand with a red guitar to do two of his solo songs, the ballads "Eagles Fly" and "Deeper Kind of Love." It was a generous gesture from the rest of the band, and he played them beautifully, but the natives were getting restless. They hadn't waited all this time to see just Hagar, but to see him WITH Van Halen, after all.

The band did the last of the upcoming album's new songs, the grinding "Learning To See," with confidence and power, proving that the partnership between the four remains fruitful. A loose and rocking "Best of Both Worlds" set the stage for Eddie's solo turn.

When he stepped to center stage, his amber axe at the ready, you could feel the crowd girding for what was to come.

And indeed it was dazzling. All his tricks, including his much-imitated hammer-ons and lots of trippy feedback play, were firmly in place. He played the guitar's body like a piano, doing a gorgeous session with the echo button, and spent time on the low and high ends of the neck. He coiled his body into it, blurring the line that separated himself from the instrument. In short, he drove the guitarheads bonkers.

While long, the section was a lesson in technique and in what the instrument can achieve in the hands of a master. But even the genius proved to be human -- he hit a clunker at the start of "Dreams" and grimaced at his mistake.

Hagar tackled another Roth-era number, the blistering "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," with fire and flair -- it would have been great had they done even more songs from that period, because Hagar is fully up to it.

The set wrapped at 10:10 with a terrific, emotional "Right Now." After repeated chants of "Ed-DIE, Ed-DIE" from the crowd, the four re-emerged to rip apart "You Really Got Me" and "Panama" (the latter done particularly well) before ending again with another Hagar track, "When It's Love."

Would they return? It was only 10:30. The audience did its best to encourage them, but up came the house lights -- and up came a smattering of boos as well.

The 14,000 on hand might have felt shortchanged, and rightly so. Perhaps trimming the brothers' solos a bit would have given the band more time to do more hits. And they didn't look overly tired, even though Hershey was just the second date of the tour.

But it was hard to be completely critical after you'd seen the band mates take their bows, arms around one another, grins fairly splitting their faces, looking tickled to death to have beaten the odds. They've forgiven one another, so certainly we could forgive them.