Van Halen w/Ky-Mani Marley

Mon., Feb. 18, St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa

I’m at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa tonight attempting real time updates on the Van Halen concert. My Internet connection is shaky so I can’t promise much but we’ll see. I’ll post a full review later tonight under a separate title.

7:30 p.m. UPDATE:

Opener Ky-Mani Marley (son of reggae legend Bob Marley) took the stage shortly before 7:30 and had the crowd roaring when he launched into his dad’s killer ballad “No Woman, No Cry.” Ky-Mani, backed by a full band that includes a pair of female singers, went into rap mode for the compelling single “The March.” Culled from his new album Radio, it’s a catchy number that manages to condemn war while supporting our soldiers.

It’s now 7: 45 and Ky-Mani has launched into his dad’s hit “I Shot the Sheriff.” Like “No Woman,” it’s a close facsimile of the original. Looks like that’s it for his set, up come the lights. Time for me to leave the laptop in the press box that’s located only a few feet beneath the rafters and check out Van Halen from my seat on the lower level. I’ll be back to blog in a few.

9:05 UPDATE:

The lights went down at 8:30 sharp and the crowd jumped to its feet thanks to an offstage guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen. The axe man then appeared front and center with David Lee Roth soon appearing on a walkway above the stage singing “You Really Got Me.” Drummer Alex Van Halen is positioned in the back with bassist Wolfie Van Halen (Eddie’s 16 year-old son) off to the side.

So far, the bad blood between Roth and Eddie appears nonexistent. The two men hug and point to each other during hits like “Running with the Devil” and “Beautiful Girls.” It’s just past 9 p.m. and Eddie’s now unleashing a scorching solo with Roth egging him on. VH’s original singer sounds a bit rough but the vintage voice is definitely recognizable and by no means shot.

Eddie’s playing might be as good as before. I overheard a Forum employee mention the guitar great had the flu but it sure doesn’t appear that way. Credit to Wolfie, he’s holding his own just fine.

10:02 UPDATE:

Roth, sweaty and shirtless under an open jacket that reveals washboard abs, continues with the charisma cranked to 11 – but his voice gets raspier as the evening progresses. Maybe the sound man has wisely lowered the vocals on the mix, he clearly can’t be heard at times over the exploits of Eddie, Alex and Wolfie. Eddie’s finger-tapping fierceness is awe-inspiring. At this point in the concert, though, it’s getting repetitive. The virtuoso never played with feeling and there’s only so much shredding you can’t take before even the most technically-difficult accomplishments sound pedestrian.

The crowd, which appears to have filled each of the Forum’s 20,000 seats, remains on its feat and elated. They sing along and pump their fists dutifully to faves like “(Oh) Pretty Woman,” “And the Cradle Will Rock” and “Hot For Teacher.” Even Alex is left alone behind his gigantic drum kit for an extended solo, the audience largely remains standing, cheering and hollering. Meanwhile I can’t help but check my watch. Roth is now center stage by himself picking an acoustic guitar and offering a way introduction to “Ice Cream Man.” Yawn. He loses the crowd, then mentions smoking joints and the concertgoers are back applauding.

10:08 UPDATE:

After continuing his story and revealing it’s about a Saturday night in 1972 — and then waxing nostalgic about an ex, Roth finally performs “Ice Cream Man.” The rest of the band comes back on stage and leaps in at the exact same point they did on the original version from their ’78, self-titled debut record. My interest in the show is waning considerably.

10:16 UPDATE:

Roth’s dusty pipes can’t carry “Panama” but at this point in the show the crowd is mouthing every word at such a level it’s irrelevant. Eddie’s solos still are stinging but the sameness is bordering on annoying. Van Halen has performed the same setlist ever since they started their much ballyhooed reunion tour last autumn. Tonight’s is no different. After “Panama” comes Eddie’s time to put his naked torso under the spotlights and engage in a little autoeroticism with his beloved six-string. He starts off slow, with a couple of distorted blues licks but then comes the trademark finger-tapping and, yep, you guessed it, here’s “Eruption.”

10:29 UPDATE

Eddie just wrapped his outsized guitar solo with a marathon finger workout up and down the fret board. Dudes thrust devil-horns. Wild cheers. I’m gathering my things. Here comes Roth and co. with “Ain’t Talking About Love.” Time to pack up the laptop. I’ll catch the “Jump” encore on the way to the exit.

This article appears in Feb 13-19, 2008.