So its time for round one, Diamond David Lee Roth. Having seen DLR for the first time last November, I had an idea what to expect. A couple "cheesy" kicks, a hit-or-miss voice using the same lines that I hear on the old school Van Halen bootlegs and a lot of spandex…strike that, a plethora of spandex. Well I was right on some accounts but wrong on others.

   The drums signal the start of the show as DLR walks in with "Hot for Teacher" roaring behind him. I aint gonna lie, the place went fucking nuts. Sticking mostly to a set of his classic Van Halen era songs, DLR really cannot go wrong. Unless his voice was truly awful, you cannot ruin those amazing songs.

   "Panama," "Dance the Night Away," "Runnin' with the Devil," and "I'm the One" had mostly everyone on their feet and going crazy. Then a snag, the guitar solo of Brian Young. While an unbelievable guitar display it was, it just started off wrong with the same intro the Van Halen boys gave to "Eruption." That was the first taste of the boo birds during the night. And no, I know it wasn't "Eruption" but still just left a bad taste in my mouth. Young is a killer guitar player and the "Eruption"-style intro was just unnecessary. It over shadowed Young's solo, at least for me. That bad taste was gone with the transition into "You Really Got Me." By the middle of the set, it seemed that DLR was maintaining his voice and not losing a beat, like I think he did when I saw him in November. DLR sounded great tonight.

   Surprisingly, the first time DLR really talked to the crowd was before "So This is Love." With a great story about how he was the one who would go to all the big shows and flyer cars to get people to come see Van Halen, leading right into the night he went and saw a Bob Marley show and said to himself, "Someday I am gonna smoke a fatty that big." And I am sure I ruined that quote but no way can I top DLR's delivery on it. The crowd was eating it up.

   As the set went on though, the intensity died on the lawn area. People began to sit down, most likely from the heat, but some seemed like they had had enough of the Diamond one. But with a set list full of classics, everyone was back on their feet for the closers of "Ice Cream Man," "Everybody Wants Some," and "Ain't Talkin Bout Love." With the crowd at a fever pitch, DLR came back on the stage for his last number of the night, "Jump" which included his split from the drum riser.

   After a 10/15-minute video played highlights of his career, the Red Rocker Sammy Hagar came up for his turn to rock the crowd. Opening with "Shaka Dooby," the crowd seemed a little unsure until Sammy ripped into "Runaround." The Red Rocker kept up the energy with a mix of old and new with "3 Lock Box," "One Way to Rock," and "Top of the World." With the heat starting to get to him, it was time once again for Sammy to get a drink. With one quick yell, a scantly clad waitress walked out to bring him a fresh Waborita. Easily one of the best parts of the show…this chick was slammin'. Can you tell I am a 23 year old guy er what?

   Hagar was not above taking some pot shots at DLR though. During "Finish What you Started," Sammy borrowed some of DLR's famous lines….Reach Down / Between My Legs / Ease the Seat Back. This got the same reaction as the Brian Young solo. Some fans liked it, some did not. Like a flash though, Hagar was wrapping up the show with "Mas Tequila." Sammy showed his true Van Halen colors though with an encore of "When its Love" and "Dreams," both of which sounded awesome.

Some Vitamin T to go with that A

   The easy winners of the show were the fans. Philadelphia has always been a huge Van Halen town and the crowd was juiced to hear the music again. The crowd was easily split. How can you go wrong with a show highlighting true rock history? Spanning more than 25 years, these two legends brought the house down. My personal vote goes to the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar in what was a surprisingly close match. This show just fuckin' rocked. I heard a fan put it best as we were walking out. David Lee