Five Songs Van Halen Should Bring Back on Their Next Tour
The fact that we're listing songs Van Halen should bring back on their next tour pretty much proves how greedy we are when it comes to Eddie and family. Fact is, you couldn't ask for a much better setlist then the one Van Halen put togetherfor their 2007-08 reunion tour. Still, since we weren't old enough to go see any of the David Lee Roth-fronted tours of the '70s or '80s, we've got a few wishful additions to suggest. So, as they reportedly prepare for a new album and concerts across the globe, here are Five Songs Van Halen Should Bring Back on Their Next Tour:
- 5
'Yankee Rose'
From: David Lee Roth, 'Eat 'em and Smile' (1986)OK, already we're breaking the rules. This was the lead track from Roth's first solo album after he left the fold in 1985. It seems unlikely Van Halen would play this song, right? But then again, they did play some Sammy Hagar songs every night when he fronted the band, and wouldn't it be a kick to see Eddie's take on Steve Vai's talking guitar bit at the start of this one?
- 4
'You're No Good'
From: 'Van Halen II' (1979)If any of the first six VH albums was under-represented on the band's recent reunion tour, it was 'Van Halen II,' which typically only placed a pair of songs onto the setlist each night. There are plenty of great original songs on the album, but the slow-burning album opener, a cover of Clint Ballard's 'You're No Good,' is the one we want to see them tear into the most.
- 3
'Loss of Control'
From: 'Women and Children First' (1980)This surprisingly dynamic three-minute blast of mayhem features Roth and company barking out nonsensical lyrics into what sounds like a broken radio while Eddie Van Halen taps out a highly caffeinated morse-code guitar riff. It would be pretty gosh-darn fun to see them pull it off in concert, wouldn't it?
- 2
'Hear About It Later'
From: 'Fair Warning' (1981)'Fair Warning' was Van Halen's most gritty, least party-time album, so maybe some of its songs, like this forceful mid-tempo kiss-off, aren't the most natural choice for a festive concert setting. But it looks like they pulled it off pretty well back in the day, and the part at 2:42, where the stomping bassline leads into another dramatic entrance by Eddie's guitar, is something we want to experience in person.
- 1
'On Fire'
From: 'Van Halen' (1978)If the first ten songs on Van Halen's debut album didn't do enough to prove that rock guitar would never be the same, Eddie makes the case even clearer on this, the closing cut, a one man tour-de-force full of squealing, stuttering, dive-bombing magic. This video seems to feature an abbreviated version of the song, leaving out a few of the best instrumental parts, but it gets the energy right, to say the least. If they could combine the live and studio versions, without a doubt this is the song we'd most like to see Van Halen bring back on their next tour.
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