Wow. Saw the show in Sacramento Tuesday evening. Positively astonishing. They played all of the David Lee Roth hits and rocked hard all night. Ooowee!

I went on the 20th and am going again December 14th with the whole family. I agree DLR was amazing and Eddie killed his solo big time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3C04wmcWR8

It's hard to believe I saw them last 25 years ago! At that time, they were a wonderful MESS. Chugging booze, smoking joints thrown on the stage, chicks jumping up with their boobs hanging out. My friends and I were zonked on pints of Bacardi mixed in 2 liter bottles of Coca Cola and bong loads of Columbian Gold. We could barely scrape up the funds for McDonalds after paying the 12 bucks for the tix.

Fast forward to last Tuesday, which found my LA Weekly buddy Paul and I dining on Nova Scotia lobster and filet mignon at the Palm restaurant, stopping by Paul's car for a couple hits of Romulus weed picked up at the medical marijuana co-op, then picking up our 150.00 per seat tickets at the will call VIP window and finding our way to our seats with the help of a very astute usher. THEN, watching VH roll out a hit parade as tight as any band I've ever seen. What a difference growing up makes!

Can't wait to repeat the experience, minus the steak and lobster, in two weeks.

I fucking hate you.

Not playing anywhere I can see them at a time I can go.

Saw Sammy twice with them, and I learned to really like him over time, but I ned to go full-circle and see Dave.

Over time I have come to agre with Dave: "Old Van Halen made you want to drink, dance, and fuck. New Van Halen makes you want to drink Diet Coke, drive a Nissan, and have a relationship."

Dave doesn't have a dimmer switch, but you know, looking at he state of rock music these days, we could use a few more Daves.

How was Wolfgang? I saw him play on the last tour, playing guitar with Eddie, and the kid can play. It's not like VH bass lines are really that tough. (There ARE exceptions.) I just think that Michael Anthony is one of the best bass players in the world, and gets overlooked too often, and I wonder if this is Eddie's way of rubbing it in Mike's face for "leaving with Sammy".

Here's a link to make you feel muuuch better.

Let's go point by point:

I fucking hate you.

Yeah, isn't it beautiful?

Not playing anywhere I can see them at a time I can go.

Drive all night if you have to - it's that worth it and you may never get to see it again given their wacko egos.

Saw Sammy twice with them, and I learned to really like him over time, but I ned to go full-circle and see Dave.

I saw Sammy with Montrose and solo and he killed. But come on, it's Dave we're talking about here. One of the top 5 of rock's greatest front men.

Over time I have come to agree with Dave: "Old Van Halen made you want to drink, dance, and fuck. New Van Halen makes you want to drink Diet Coke, drive a Nissan, and have a relationship."

Look Sammy is one of the coolest guys on planet earth. Love him. In fact, if someone asked me to pick someone to party with down in Cabo San Lucas, his name would head the list. HOWEVER, when the bar has been set by David Lee Roth and the tone of the band established to the degree it had been, NO one could be expected to step in and prove worthy of the task. Can you imagine the Red Rocker leaping off a speaker column in bright orange spandex? Hell no and I wouldn't WANT Sammy to do that. Musically, I checked out after the first bars of that fucking "Dreams" anthem and those sickening synths popping in and out of everything. It's too bad Dave got pegged with all the blame for the breakup when in FACT it was EDDY who wanted to get some respect and push the envelope, musically. Dave just wanted to keep the party going.

Dave doesn't have a dimmer switch, but you know, looking at he state of rock music these days, we could use a few more Daves.

Amen to that, brother!

How was Wolfgang? I saw him play on the last tour, playing guitar with Eddie, and the kid can play. It's not like VH bass lines are really that tough. (There ARE exceptions.) I just think that Michael Anthony is one of the best bass players in the world, and gets overlooked too often, and I wonder if this is Eddie's way of rubbing it in Mike's face for "leaving with Sammy".

Anthony was missed, but you're right about the bassist being about the most dispensable part of a group (unless you're talking about John Entwistle). Wolfie did a credible job and it was totally cool watching he and Eddy enjoy themselves. I wish my son and I could be so lucky and I'd dump a band mate in favor of my son any day of the week.

It's a little more complicated. I'm active military, deployed in an intensive academic program. I have to get a pass to go overnight, leave a mileage radius, etc. They have little sense of humor about these things.

The best I can do right now is to hope they can keep it together long enough to crank out another album and tour. (And I might be deployed for that one.)

If ever a reason was sufficient to ditch the military, THIS is it!

Well, at least I can say I was one of the last lucky few to see them in their triumphant return...

Eddie Van Halen back in rehab?

Rockers Van Halen canceled a string of comeback gigs so guitarist Eddie Van Halen could return to rehab to be treated for alcoholism, according to reports.

The band rescheduled two concerts in Virginia and Georgia at the end of last month and another this week, prompting internet reports claiming all tour dates had been pulled indefinitely.

Representatives for the rockers insist the tour is still on, despite announcing Van Halen "is undergoing a battery of comprehensive medical tests to determine a defined diagnosis and recommended medical procedures."

Now sources tell the National Enquirer the 53-year-old guitarist checked himself into a clinic near San Antonio, Texas, so he could detox for a week after a furious backstage bust-up in Florida with his 17-year-old son and bandmate Wolfgang.

An insider says, "It was the big what-if of the tour - whether Eddie could stay sober."

"Wolf hates it when his dad drinks. He knew Eddie was drunk onstage that night, and was acting cold to him, which set Eddie off. Eddie went beserk and started yanking guitar cables from the pedal boards and throwing cigarettes around onstage."

"At the end of the concert, Eddie was so mad at Wolf, he punched the amp speaker, knocking it over."

Van Halen enjoyed a stint in rehab last year, which delayed plans for the comeback tour.