Before heading out to Coachella 2012 in a few days, Rock Cousteau was invited by South Florida Music Obsessed to attend Van Halen opened by Kool and the Gang at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. It was a reunion of sorts, as both bands hold special places in our hearts. The most confusing part of the evening was the choice to pair up Van Halen and Kool and the Gang. Both bands are to be applauded for their uniqueness, but we weren’t so sure that the bands really complimented one another on the same bill.

Despite the awkward pairing, Kool and the Gang took control of their most fortunate opportunity. You don’t even realize it until you see them live, but this band managed to pump out a bunch of great hits over the years. They even pulled out the horns for ‘Jungle Boogie’. Admit that you never had the good fortune of dancing or singing karoake to ‘Celebration,’ and we will accuse you of lying! Get funky and get with Kool and the Gang!

Kool & the Gang setlist:
1. Fresh
2. Tonight
3. Emergency
4. Misled
5. Too Hot
6. Hollywood Swingin’
7. Jungle Boogie
8. Ladies’ Night
9. Get Down On It
10. Celebration

Van Halen, presently on their A Different Kind of Truth world tour has been composed of several lead singers over the years, only to return live with their original self-inflated lead singer, David Lee Roth a/k/a Diamond Dave. While they sprinkled in tunes from their most recent album, Different Kind of Truth, the audience was fortunate to receive a crap load of their hits. We saw Van Halen a few years ago, the last time they were in South Florida, and we were so pleased that they didn’t have a repeat performance. The sound was infinitely much better and we even got to see David Lee Roth wiggle his ass a bunch. Not gonna get into the whole “blower” issue, but there were techinical issues that pissed of the band during the performance, and rightfully so. Despite the hiccup, it didn’t diminish the performance. We are aware that there were probably handy tricks used to enhance Dave’s vocals, but it was hardly noticeable, nor did we care. Dave definitely provided less jumping around on the stage than in years before. Eddie Van Halen still has some really mad guitar skills, as was evident by his solo after ‘Panama’. The night was neatly tied with a bow by ‘Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love’ and ‘Jump’. I would say that the only disappointment for us was the absence of ‘Jamie’s Cryin’. Oh well, we can’t always get what we want.

Van Halen setlist:
1. Unchained
2. Runnin’ With the Devil
3. She’s the Woman
4. Romeo Delight
5. Tattoo
6. Everybody Wants Some!!
7. Somebody Get Me a Doctor
8. China Town
9. Hear About It Later
10. Oh, Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison cover)
11. Drum Solo
12. You Really Got Me (The Kinks cover)
13. The Trouble with Never
14. Dance the Night Away
15. I’ll Wait (footage from show)
16. Hot for Teacher (footage from show)
17. Women In Love
18. Outta Love Again
19. Beautiful Girls
20. Ice Cream Man (John Brim cover)
21. Panama
22. Guitar Solo
23. Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love
24. Jump