David Lee Roth Delivers an Evening of Van Halen at OLG Stage in Niagara Falls, ON [Photos]

Diamond David Lee Roth brought his “Don’t Love Me, Rent Me Tour” across the border into Niagara Falls, Ontario, for a night of celebration of the music of Van Halen. He was joined by an exceptional band featuring a group of acapella backup singers.

As mentioned, the setlist was full of Van Halen’s songs; it didn’t feature any of Roth’s solo work, which has been a common theme for the “Roth Show” theme he’s been working off of in recent years.

David Lee Roth hasn’t lost his stage presence through the years; he may be 71, but that doesn’t stop him from having a good time while commanding the microphone. Whether it’s the freaky faces he’s making or the stage antics with the microphone, Dave keeps the party strong on the stage.

Fans have noted that David Lee Roth doesn’t have the voice he used to. At the end of the day, we have to remember he’s in his 70s and is still doing his best to give the younger generations the closest thing to a Van Halen experience they’ll get.

Credit can be given where it’s due. Instead of pushing through all of the lyrics, he has hired an amazing group of backup singers to give a completely new vibe to the sound of Van Halen, while Roth focuses on keeping the crowd entertained and popping in during the iconic moments in their songs.

For the set itself, Roth kicked it off strong with “Panama.” There are very few tracks that can get the night started off right better than this one, so Roth extended the song a little bit, getting the crowd ramped up for the rest of the night.

The setlist focused on the Diamond Dave era of Van Halen, and even saw Roth playing a little bit of acoustic guitar during “Ice Cream Man” near the middle of the setlist.

The final bit of the setlist felt like a greatest hits collection of Van Halen. First kicking it off with “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love.” Then they kept the crowd amplified with the iconic drum solo to “Hot for Teacher.”

For the final two songs, the group took it in a different direction, ditching the greatest hits temporarily and playing “Everybody Wants Some!!” second last. The final song is easily one of the most iconic songs in rock n’ roll history, as the synths were heard, all of OLG Stage stood up, and David Lee Roth and his band ended the night off with “Jump.”

David Lee Roth brought a celebration of the Diamond Dave era of Van Halen, delivering a 17-song setlist of nothing but the best Van Halen tracks. Joined by his fantastic-sounding band, the group put on an entertaining show and gave the closest experience to a Van Halen show possible.