Van Halen deals uneven numbers at Mandalay Bay

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Aug. 9, 2004 | 8:17 a.m.

The hard rock band really needs to start what it finishes better.

Friday's show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center -- the first of back-to-back sold-out nights at the arena -- ended with a flourish.

Guitarist Eddie Van Halen sent the crowd into the throes of delirium with a patented guitar showcase, and then he and his mates reeled off the big hits: "Dreams," "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," "Right Now," "You Really Got Me," "Panama" and "When It's Love."

Problem was, it took nearly 90 minutes to arrive to that point.

For the first two-thirds of the show, Van Halen sleepwalked through a set list apparently devised by someone with no clue how to pace a performance.

Revved up and ready to rock when the four men arrived to opening number "Jump," the audience then suffered through B-list singles, Sammy Hagar solo numbers and new material, leaving many with bored looks on their faces.

In lieu of David Lee Roth-era classics such as "Runnin' When the Devil," "And the Cradle Will Rock ...," and "Dance The Night Away," Van Halen opted for early '90s also-rans such as "Runaround" and "Poundcake."

Obligatory solo pieces by bassist Michael Anthony (playing a Jack Daniels bottle-shaped guitar) and drummer Alex Van Halen drew cheers, but offered very little in terms of musical creativity.

Even Hagar's stab at the normally impassioned "Unchained" came up far short of the rendition conjured up by Roth at his solo gig at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel earlier this year.

Song-selection issues told just part of the story of Van Halen's rough takeoff.

Because of either equipment malfunctions or vocal limitations, harmonies by Anthony and Eddie Van Halen sounded truly awful, coming over more often than not as off-key shrieks.

And Hagar -- unceremoniously tossed out when the band replaced him with third singer Gary Cherone eight years ago -- seemed more interested in connecting with fans up front than getting lyrics right.

Time and again, the shaggy-blonde-haired frontman scanned the audience for a sheet, a towel or anything else that could double as an extra article of clothing.

It was fun and participatory. But often Hagar was too busy tying one such item or another around his waist to bother bringing his microphone to his mouth during a key section of a song.

Several times, the vocalist even got down on hands and knees to sign autographs, even as he tried to balance his mike and continue on with his words.

Thankfully, Eddie's extended solo signaled the start of more serious business.

Bare-chested with his curly hair well below his shoulders, the 49-year-old guitarist appeared in good health, roughly two years after announcing he was completely free of tongue cancer.

Fingers flying, the much-worshipped ax man worked through several varied movements, from a trippy opening passage to a breakneck middle section to a sinister-sounding duet with son Wolfgang to close.

That set up the band's big finale, as the quartet finally came through with the heavy hitters most of the crowd invariably came to hear.

"Dreams" and "When It's Love" got fans singing, but it was '80s throwback "Panama" that truly sent the arena into a frenzy, as Eddie's guitar squealed and Hagar effectively handled Roth's original vocals.

Although the piano intro to "Right Now" descended magically from parts unknown -- the band should really consider bringing a keyboardist/backing vocalist on board for future tours -- the song featured some of the night's most memorable moments.

The familiar "Right Now" video rolled on a giant screen above the stage, with a few new messages thrown in to keep the message current.

A few of the new ones:

"Right now, no one is forgetting," under a shot of a "911" license plate.

"Right now, a 13-year-old kid is illegally downloading this song."

And "Right now, Eddie feels great," which drew the night's loudest cheers.

Might we suggest one more: "Right now, Van Halen needs to figure out how to start their show as strongly as they finish."