Rock Candy

Pasted from my comments on the other VH link:

Just got back from the VH show. As a life long fan of both versions, I was ecstatic to hear of the reunion with Roth, but like many true fans thought that without Michael Anthony, a large part of the sound that made them famous would be missing. I walked in cynical that Wolfgang could be anything but a cheap imitation, but I have to tell ya... the kid can play and, at least live, his background vocal (with his Dad) was as close to the original as one could expect. It will never be the same without Michael Anthony, but I can tell you I'm convinced that its damn close, and still damn good.
The band overall has lost a few steps, as you might expect, but they still put on a rockin' show. Roth's vocals were never his strong point in a live show, and he wasn't so hot tonite vocally. But, as always, that guy makes you LOVE what you're hearing and watching. He's a showman, not a vocalist. So in that regard, he was on tonite. The crowd was enthusiastic, especially late in the show, but still fairly sedate compared to the old days. I guess 40 and 50 year olds just can't rock it like they used to, yours truly included. I'd give it an 8 overall.
For me, and for most true VH fans, the best thing was to see Eddie having fun again and sober. It was also obvious that he and "Wolfie" have a special bond. You had to be there to understand what I mean.
I also found it interesting that Eddie still wears his wedding ring. Perhaps now that he's cleaned up his act another reunion is in the future?
Michael Anthony, wherever you are... you're still missed, but its clear its time to move on.
P.S. Have you seen junior's grades?

I had forgotten how great Eddie Van Halen was as a guitar. Truly spectaular. When he does a solo, it's like listening to Mozart. Both Eddie and David Lee Roth are still totally hot after all these years, and Roth is just as nasty as he ever was. I wish he would have thrown that top hat to me! I thought Wolfie did an OK job, really. He still looks like he's going through that awkward teen phase. He's got Valerie's chubby cheeks - cute!

Agree with above comments; Eddie was on fire. Sound mix wasn't very good, but it rarely is in Alltel. My biggest complaint is that there is very little that is spontaneous about the show. If you check out the many concert clips on YouTube, Dave makes the same comments every night. Also, there were rumors that they use samples of Michael Anthony's voice for backing vocals, but I didn't really get that impression last night. They were a lot more lively in 1982 when I saw them -- but then, so was I. Having seem them twice now with Dave and twice with Sammy, though, there is still no comparison -- the music and the concerts with Dave are far, far superior. 7 out of 10.