757. Van Halen / Tokyo Dome Live in Concert. 2015. 4/5

To be honest, going in to write a review of this album, if I don't make the exact same points as every other reviewer in the world then something is wrong. Because really, a live album from Van Halen should be a celebrated event, with the highlights outweighing any negative reactions. And for the most part here, that is exactly correct. But a couple of things tend to grate a little when you listen to the album, things that can't be changed over the course of time that has passed in the band's existence.

The set list is a cracker. Given that they were only going to play songs from when David Lee Roth had fronted Van Halen, it meant that apart from three songs from their latest release, all of these songs are from their classic albums between 1978 and 1984. That means some pretty mean songs get a run here in the live setting, and there is barely a song that any fan could say they missed here over the course of the two discs and two hours. There are even a couple of songs that, for me at least, they could have left off. But that's just personal preference.
So the song list is a ripper. However, what does get found out pretty early on are the vocals. Yes, David Lee Roth has grown longer in the tooth, and there isn't a vocalist alive (or dead for that matter) that hasn't had to adjust the way they sing in their latter years to compensate for the deterioration of their vocal capacity. Some do it better than others. I'm sure we can all handle the fact that DLR can't be expected to hit all the same notes that he did 30-35 years ago. However, that shouldn't mean that you can't do justice to those old songs by making a few variations. Unfortunately here, rather than try and compromise, DLR tends to play around with the vocals, changing their timing and pitch, throwing them out of sequence with the music, and (no doubt) playing around with the crowd all the while. I'm not sure that is fair to either the ticket-buying customer or the album purchasing listener. You deserve to hear "Unchained" and "Panama" and "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" and "Jump" performed as they were written, because they are the timeless classics that should always be preserved and played correctly, not just piss farting around with. Especially, but not only, because they were being performed for a live album. Some songs here, obviously ones that DLR is more comfortably within in his range, sound fine with no adlibbing. The absence of Michael Anthony is felt hard here too. No disrespect to Wolfgang and Eddie, but they can't match what Michael brought to the band with his vocals, and it is noticeable in many of the songs here. It could be argued here that I am being far too picky, and it would not be an unfair argument. However, this is what I get from listening to the album, and it does bring home the disappointment that the first live album with DLR on vocals has come this late in the band's career.
Apart from this, the band's performance as a whole is sensational. Wolfy's bass is serviceable, Alex's drums are as hard hitting and dominant as always, and Eddie is... well... he is Eddie Van Halen, with all the trademark squeals and runs and tapping - and RIFFS - that mark his career and his band's music. Just sensational.

Those that will ignore my more domineering thoughts on Diamond Dave's vocal performance will find an album full of brilliant hits performed by musicians who show they are still capable of pulling it off in the live setting. Those that may agree with my thoughts will still find more than enough here to like, even if it is only hearing Eddie take on the world with just a guitar in his hands being manipulated by his amazing fingers.

Rating: Change, nothing stays the same.  4/5