Virginia Beach, VA – David Lee Roth and his band brought the razzle dazzle on a Saturday night to a much appreciative crowd at The Dome.
My first time seeing David Lee Roth live was when Van Halen opened for Black Sabbath at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee on November 10, 1978. I was a student at Naval Air Technical Training Center in Millington and the USO put on a bus trip for the sailors to see the show. A lot of memories from that night, including paying $6.75 for my ticket five rows from the stage to seeing two bands tear it up live on one of the few shows I got to see while I was in the Navy. I have read a lot about the tour and how Van Halen blew Black Sabbath away, I don’t necessarily agree with that. Van Halen put on a show and Black Sabbath delivered a performance, with Van Halen delivered the high-energy, no holds barred show that many expected they would. Black Sabbath put on the performance I expected them to with Ozzy singing his ass off backed up Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.
Now, 48 years later, I got to see “Diamond Dave” fronting a new band playing mostly Van Halen material. Did I honestly expect him to match his vocals and stage presence from that time? NO!!!!! One of the things I have seen over the last few months is people making extremely unfair comparisons of David’s performances saying that “he doesn’t sound like he did on the record!”. I know that memory is a funny thing. When that sense of nostalgia kicks in, people can make some ridiculous judgements based on those memories. What I witnessed was David Lee Roth, a quality band and backup singers put on what I will call an “age appropriate” show. Dave doesn’t sound quite as good as he used to, he also doesn’t do the splits and jump all over the stage. Does that make the show bad? No, it doesn’t. The music is played a little slower and Dave paces himself, he spends a little time talking shit to the crowd, not a bad thing. It is different but not a surprise. This is what I would expect of a band lead by a 71-year-old man. He dresses in the same flashy way he did in the past; the band is tight and gives the audience the Van Halen sound without being a carbon copy of the band. For those of you who have an open mind, this is a good time!!!
David Lee Roth: Website|Facebook|Instagram|X
Setlist:
Panama
Drop Dead Legs
Romeo Delight
Little Dreamer
Blues Jam
I’m the One
Dance the Night Away
Ice Cream Man
You Really Got Me
Jamie’s Cryin’
Unchained
Mean Street
Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love
Hot for Teacher
Everybody Wants Some!!
Jump
The “Don’t Love Me, Rent Me …” Tour runs through July 4th with the last US stop being Traverse City, Michigan at the Bay Side Music Stage. This show is a good time and you won’t want to miss it, especially if you are a Van Halen fan.
Show Date: 05.09.2026
