David Lee Roth Brings An Unconventional Show To The Keswick Theater.

by Alex Lloyd Gross

David Lee Roth, the founding frontman for Van Halen played a solo show last night at the Keswick Theater. This was vastly different from any other time he was in this area. The days of the 1980 Van Halen Invasion are long gone. Roth would jump off the drum riser, do karate kicks and stop songs in the middle for banter.

This show featured six different back up singers who helped bring the Michael Anthony high points into the songs. Roth definitely stopped the show with his shenanigans, talking with the crowd and to some members of the audience down front. At times he would reminisce about how songs came together, such as “Ice Cream Man” and such gems as “Mean Street”, “Romeo Delight” and “Beautiful Girls”. All came with Roth stopping the show for his famous banter.

Of course, he forgot the words to “Romeo Delight,” He has been forgetting the words to that song since 1980. This was a two hour show of Van Halen classics. Songs Roth wrote, composed and sang. Unfortunately, none of Roth’s solo material was included in the show. Some of it is Damn Good.

The crowd ranged from kids with their parents to those that saw VH open for Black Sabbath in 1978. This show was not sold out. Roth had been playing live for 50 years. He is not the same. Fans expecting the 1980’s sounding Roth will be disappointed. Those with an open mind will be standing for the duration of this show wanting more.

About 1000 people showed and loved the show, they wanted more, they wanted solo stuff played. Surprisingly, there was no merchandise sold last night. Many in the crowd wore their classic Van Halen shirts from back in the day.

In 2026 Roth could not care about people taking photos with small cameras and cell phones. In the heyday of Van Halen even small cameras were taboo. This building was familiar to Roth. In 2004 he cut his face while twirling a sword. The sword was replaced with a mic stand in 2026. .