Van Halen featuring David Lee Roth on vocals, Eddie Van Halen on guitar, Wolfgang Van Halen on bass, and Alex Van Halen on drums played two shows at Madison Square Garden this week (Tueday 2/28 and Thursday 3/1).

Let me just say the following about the VH shows and the current state of the band:

It appears that David Lee Roth ditched the headset mic that he used for the first part of the tour and first half of Tuesday’s (2/28) MSG show.  Now I hate when artists sing into headsets live, but the one frontman that can pull it off is David Lee Roth.  He is a madman on the stage, still to this day, and the headset suited him well…this is one hyper dude that needs his freedom.  I think he, and only he, should keep the headset when playing live.

Second, stop giving Wolfgang Van Halen a hard time.  In the past, I would crack many Wolfgang jokes at any opportunity.  The reality is that he is a sick bassist for VH, a great fit.  He is tight and probably the VH’s best bassist ever from a technical perspective (hey, it is in his genes).  His live backing vocals are even kick-ass.

In my opinion, A Different Kind of Truth is the best VH album since the early 80’s and the best album of 2012 so far.  This band is on fire right now and that is coming from a huge Van Hagar fan.

Last night’s show featured a very rare performance of “The Full Bug” from Diver Down.  This is the first time that this song has been performed live since 1983.

P.S. Kool and the Gang are an amazing opening act for this tour.

VH Setlist (March 1):