Wed 10.10 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena

Brett and Kathy - We were at the oct. 10th cleveland show. we were amazed at how great the guys were! brett has been a super fan of v.h. since he first heard them and always wanted to see them live. i became a big fan of v.h after seeing them. eddie rocks and he is THE best guitar player ever and alex is the best on drums. rock on guys!

Chris D. - To all the skeptics out there, if you are AT ALL a fan of ass kicking rock and roll (and you can afford the ticket), DO NOT miss this show. Edward's chops are not only up to par, he is at the top of his game, and Diamond Dave's vocals were rich and POWERFUL, even hitting many of his patented screams of yesteryear. Alex was (as usual) phenomenal, executing one of the best rock drum solo's I have ever heard (and I have seen literally hundreds of concerts since my high school days in the mid eighties).

Wolfgang was not only solid on bass and backing vocals, but he often vetured into his instrument's upper register, where few bass players dare to go. It was obvious that he and his father have a special relationship that goes beyond just music. What a thrill for Eddie to be on tour with his only son (and vice-versa!).

The set list could not have been better. Not just the radio staples, but to hear ROMEO DELIGHT, I'M THE ONE, LITTLE GUITARS, ATOMIC PUNK (!),MEAN STREETS, SO THIS IS LOVE and other VH Gems that will have hard core fans salivating was simply fantastic! David Lee Roth has never been just another vocalist- he is an entertainer, a showman, and one of the best frontmen in rock n' roll history. Not that he had to, but he proved it again this night! He was high energy, he was irreverent, he was hilarious, and he was belting out each tune like there was no tomorrow. In other words, he was Diamond Dave! Accept no substitutes!!  For fans of the almighty six string, Edward VH is still the king. Facts are facts- there was guitar playing before Eddie, and there is guitar playing since Eddie "Erupted" onto the scene. The harmonics, Whammy bar tricks, two-handed techniques and speed picking were all on display in full force, and best of all, they were integrated into the timeless, classic, hard rocking songs that have made the first six Van Halen albums "must have's" in every guitar players music collection.

The huge video screen behind Alex's drum riser spaned the entire width of the stage and assured everyone in the house a great seat. The sound volume and mix were excellent, as each member could be heard clearly. Eddie and Dave performed tirelessly, and all the band truly seemed to be enjoying themselves. If there is any tension between the members (and I would hope after all they have been through and accomplished together that there isn't), it did not show on this night! The band were once again. "The Mighty Van Halen"!!  Yes, their hair was shorter (umm,...hello! It's 2007 not 1977! Ed, Al, and Dave are over 50 years old!), and why anyone cares about that or what kind of clothes they wore on stage is beyond me. They could have come out on stage bald, wearing pajamas and bunny feet slippers and it wouldn't have mattered because once the first chord was struck, NOTHING was going to stop three Van Halen's and one Diamond Dave from kicking ASS!!! Man, what a night!!  DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW!!!!!

Tony M. - Hey, I saw Van Halen in Cleveland last night.  I wrote the songs down, they did 22 tunes.  The first three were:

You Really Got Me
Running With the Devil
Somebody get me a doctor.

The Encore was Jump.

The rest in no particular order were;

Atomic Punk
Mean Street
Jamies' Cryin
Pretty Woman
Little Guitars
Hot 4 Teacher
Panama
Unchained (Wolfgang said"Come on Dave Gimme a Break") Eruption/Cathedral Ice Cream Man with a killer Dave intro that had the crowd in the palm of his hand.
Aint Talkin Bout Love
So This is Love
Takin Whiskey to the Party Tonight
Dance the night Away
Beautiful Girls
Cradle will Rock
Everybody Wants Some

Dave wore black leather pants, black button down short sleeve shirt, open most of the night.
Eddie played without a shirt on.  Dave had a washboard stomach and Eddie was skinny but you could tell by the arms he had been in the gym a lot.  Dave was very cool and understated. Not the old Diamond Dave at all. Totally concentrating on his vocals. Sounded real good.  They were obviosly sober and genuinely seemed to be enjoying each other. There was a lot of interraction, smiles and hugs between Ed and Dave.

Ed walked over and kissed his son on the head while he was playing no less than 4 times.  At the end, they did two things I thought were very symbolic.

1. They did Jump. Dave hated that song, regretted writing that song, quit Van Halen over that song and was quoted as saying, "I have no ill will towards Sammy, as a matter of fact my heart goes out to him, he has to sing Jump every night."  That tells me Dave has made peace with not only his band mates but with the fans and his past. Dave has grown immensly.

2. At the end of jump, after having been the consumate super cool, grown up front man / singer, dave goes off stage and comes back riding the giant inflatable microphone from the jump video (Obvious Phallyc symbol. They caught a lot of heat for it.) and wearing the same red cowboy hat.

That tells me that Dave was acting the way he was acting because that is who Dave is now. He's not Diamond Dave anymore but he's better somehow. More grown and refined.  The Microphone bit was a tip of the hat to who he used to be and it kind of gives it closure.  Whew, so there's my report.

Scotty J. - Cleveland,OH 10\10\2007 - David Lee Roth's B-Day...Eddie began his guitar solo by playing happy B-day to Diamond Dave and went right into Eruption. He was (needless to say) Unbelievable as always. I actually felt like it was 1984 all over again! Van Halen was awesome. Van Halen played for over two hours.  Songs included Runnin' with the devil, You really got me, Ain't talkin' bout love, I'm the one' Jamies cryin',Atomic punk, Little Dreame, Ice cream man from the first album. Dance the night away, Somebody get me a doctor, Beautiful girls from VH ll. Mean street, unchained, So this is love from fair warning. And the cradle will rock, Everybody wants some, Romeo dellight from Woman and children first. Pretty woman and little guitars from Diver Down. 1984,Jump,Panama,Hot for teacher and I'll wait from 1984's album. That's right , they played 25 songs in a row with a awsome drum solo in the middle and eddie's Eruption and more guitar solo towards the end. Two hour drive to Cleveland to see them, But i'd drive it everyday to see them again and again.

Connie S. - Hey Eddie and Band... I attended your concert in Cleveland last night, and I am still flying high from the energy that was generated!  Thank you for continuing to share your passion and love for music!!! It is obvious that music is still as fresh and exciting for you as when you first started your journey a few years ago.  Kudos to Wolfgang for doing such an outstanding job!!! How great to see Eddie and Wolfgang sharing something so very special to both of them.  Continued success and health to all of you!!!

Lenny - I attended the Cleveland VH show last night. It was AWESOME. The best concert I ever attended, and I've been to a s**t load of concerts. Dave took the lead and stole the show. WOW what a proformer. Eddie was great (he still has it going on). Alex was smoking on the drums. Wolf, who went from high school into arenas, has nerves of steel. I wish I could find a way to afford seeing them again (well maybe the mini van doesn't really need new tires).

Tim R.- The Quicken Loans Arena show was amazing!!! The only way i can describe their sound is full throttle ass kicking hard rock. The show was full go for 2 straight hours of madness. Wolfgang did a sweet job playing especially on the segue into Running with the Devil, he also moved around alot. Backing vocals did not lack or mean as much because every chorus line was shouted by 12,000 people over the speakers. The show was loud, my ears are still buzzing from last night. Also the stage and light show was awesome, complete with green laser lights similar to pink floyds. All in all i advise anyone to see this show, you will get your moneys worth and more.

Kathleen P. - Van Halen rocked Cleveland! We spent $600 to take our kids to their first concert ~ Van Halen, who else?! It was the best concert I've ever experienced. Eddie, Alex, Dave, and Wolfgang ROCKED! The interaction between Eddie and WG was beautiful. WG gave it back to Dave... "Dave: Give me a break!" Alex kicked ass on his drum solo, and Eddie was awesome ~ as expected. Dave's energy and voice were incredible ~ happy birthday Diamond Dave! Wolfgang is an awesome natural talent, as would be expected from the combination of attributes from 2 great entertainment talents. Wolfy... take it one day at a time!

Bruce - Cleveland show was fantastic! I haven't seen Van Halen since 1984, and they didn't let me down. I was expecting bad sound based on some of the posts, but harmonies of Eddie and Wolfie were clear as a bell -especially for "Little Dreamer." Alex was a monster behind the kit, and birthday boy Diamond Dave proved once again that there isn't a better frontman in rock n' roll.