Van Halen showed its age at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater last night

Van Halen
Cricket Wireless Amphitheater, Bonner Springs
Wednesday, July 22

“You can’t go wrong with Van Halen and 50,000 watts of power” was the first comment I overheard as I walked into the amphitheater, and it might’ve been the most accurate distillation of a hard rock concert ever uttered. Would that it had been a more accurate description of the show that the long-running hard rock put on at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater last night.

That’s not to say the band, even with Wolfgang Van Halen on bass rather than Michael Anthony, and David Lee Roth speak-singing as much of the set as possible, didn’t display chops. Alex Van Halen on drums and — obviously — Eddie Van Halen on guitar are still the main attractions here. And, really, even given that Diamond Dave is sticking to a narrower range than he might once have been capable of, Roth is a master showman.

Others might have greater vocal range, others might have better dance moves, but none ooze charisma quite the way David Lee Roth does. Watching him slide across the stage, watching him wield a mic stand like a samurai sword, and even watching his myriad wardrobe changes, one can’t help but marvel at what a fucking showman he still is.

But no matter the musical prowess and showmanship on display, this show ultimately felt like a band past its prime — which, as we’ve seen recently with the Rolling Stones, not every one of these big blockbuster summer tours has to be.

Last night, every song had an extended instrumental break; it felt like if they’d knocked this set out 10 or 15 years ago, it would really have been something. “Light Up the Sky” returning to the set after decades, as well as the first tour to ever feature “Drop Dead Legs” and “Dirty Movies” made for a diverse group of tunes. But well-rounded choices aren’t why you go see Van Halen. You want to hear Eddie rip some guitar work, not noodle around for a minute and a half after a 3/4-time version of “Ice Cream Man.”

Ultimately, it seemed like the band had been indulging just as much as the row of pot smokers behind me. The contact high I ended up with halfway through the set stretched time to an interminable length. Unfortunately, the stretching out — plus the changes required to protect Roth’s voice and the slightly slower pace — meant that the show plodded where it could have raced.

Something like “Feel Your Love Tonight,” mixed with the still, humid air, contributed to a set that felt like it never really kicked into high gear. Combined with a “I’ll Wait” where Roth was clearly out of breath — the set-break drum solo which followed indicated that this was the singer’s limit — and the set was less of a victory lap before the band hung it up and more like a group of guys who simply don’t know when to quit.

The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band was a solid choice for an opener, in terms of guitar virtuosity. When it came to warming up the crowd for the headliner, the result was polite, if rather nonplussed. The band played well, but a set heavy on down-low electric blues early on, rather than upbeat Chicago boogie into which they segued, made for a lukewarm start. Thanks to a set-closing cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child,” however, the audience was left in high spirits for Van Halen.

Van Halen setlist

Light Up the Sky
Runnin’ With the Devil
Romeo Delight
Everybody Wants Some!!
Drop Dead Legs
Feel Your Love Tonight
Somebody Get Me a Doctor
She’s the Woman
China Town
I’ll Wait
Drum Solo
Little Guitars
Dance the Night Away
Beautiful Girls
Women in Love
Hot for Teacher
In a Simple Rhyme
Dirty Movies
Ice Cream Man
Unchained
Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love
Eruption
You Really Got Me
Panama
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