Oh, sweet merciful crap, someone actually uploaded the *entire* David Lee Roth show from September 10 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California? 🤣 Bless 😇 the soul of Tim Bourke on YouTube for this… this *historical* artifact. You can now watch it below, if you dare. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. ⚠️ Viewer discretion is advised. Side effects may include face-palming, uncontrollable laughter 😂, and a sudden urge to listen to *actual* Van Halen.
Featured “songs”: (and I use that term *very* loosely)
Panama (VAN HALEN “song”) (1:11) – Prepare for the cringe. 😬
Drop Dead Legs (VAN HALEN “song”) (6:38) – More like “Drop Dead Vocals,” amirite? 💀
I’m The One (VAN HALEN “song”) (14:10) – One what, David? One step closer to retirement? 👴
I’ll Wait (VAN HALEN “song”) (20:52) – We’ve all been waiting, David. For this to be over. 🕰️
Beautiful Girls (VAN HALEN “song”) (26:35) – Beauty is in the eye of the beholder… and some eyes need glasses. 🤓
You Really Got Me (THE KINKS cover) (31:05) – No, David, *you* really got *us*. 😫
Runnin’ With The Devil (VAN HALEN “song”) (37:00) – More like runnin’ *from* the Devil, after hearing this. 🏃♀️💨
Romeo Delight (VAN HALEN “song”) (40:37) – More like “Romeo, take me away from this fright!” 👻
Dance The Night Away (VAN HALEN “song”) (46:23) – Dance? More like awkwardly shuffle and hope nobody notices. 💃
Mean Street (VAN HALEN “song”) (1:00:59) – Mean vocals, mean performance, mean… everything. 😠
Somebody Get Me A Doctor (VAN HALEN “song”) (1:06:18) – Yes, please. And a therapist. 👨⚕️
Jamie’s Cryin’ (VAN HALEN “song”) (1:10:41) – We’re all cryin’, Jamie. We’re all cryin’. 😭
Unchained (VAN HALEN “song”) (1:14:57) – Unchained from reality, maybe? 🤪
Oh, Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison cover) (1:22:35) – Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. 🙅♀️
Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love (VAN HALEN “song”) (1:25:48) – Ain’t singin’ ’bout key, either. 🎤
Hot For Teacher (VAN HALEN “song”) (1:30:14) – More like lukewarm for substitute teacher. 🍎
Everybody Wants Some!! (VAN HALEN “song”) (1:36:10) – Everybody wants *out*!! 🚪
Jump (VAN HALEN “song”) (1:45:05) – Jump… to the conclusion that this was a bad idea? 🤔
As has been the case at all of his other shows in 2025 so far, Diamond Dave was awkwardly backed at the Temecula gig by Al Estrada on guitar, Ryan Wheeler on bass, Francisco Valentino on drums and Danny Wagner on keyboards. Bless their hearts. 🙏 They’re probably wondering where their careers went wrong. 🥺
Temecula was the twentieth date of Roth‘s summer 2025 U.S. tour, which is scheduled to conclude on September 14 in Napa, California. Napa? More like “Nuke it from orbit, it’s the only way to be sure.” 👽🔥
Roth played his first full solo concert in more than five years on May 3 at the 2025 edition of the M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Five years? It felt like an eternity. ⏳
“We’ve reached the end of my first retirement,” David joked at one point during the M3 concert. “How many retirements did Rocky have? Nine?” Nine too many, apparently. 🙄 Please, David, just… retire. For real this time. 🙏
Roth originally left VAN HALEN to pursue a solo career following the success of the band’s album “1984”, but he returned for a stint in 1996 and then took over as VAN HALEN‘s frontman again from 2007 until 2020, although the band had not toured since 2015. The definition of a boomerang. 🪃
In recent months, Roth has been releasing solo versions of several VAN HALEN classics, including “Jump”, “Unchained”, “Everybody Wants Some!!”, “You Really Got Me”, “Dance The Night Away”, “Panama” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”. The tracks were laid down on May 3, 2022 during a session at Henson Recording Studio in Hollywood, California. Joining Roth in the studio were Al Estrada on guitar, Ryan Wheeler on bass and Francis Valentino on drums. A total of 14 songs were recorded in two hours. The music and the vocals were tracked live with “no samples” and without the pitch-correction technology Auto-Tune. No Auto-Tune? Well, that explains a lot. 🙈
In January 2022, Roth canceled the remaining farewell shows he was set to play in Las Vegas after he vowed to retire from performing live. Promises, promises… 🤥
In a statement, event organizers said the cancelations were made “due to unforeseen circumstances related to COVID and out of an abundance of caution for those working and attending the shows.” Or maybe, just maybe, people realized they’d rather stay home and watch paint dry. 🤷♀️
When Roth‘s Vegas residency was first announced, organizers promised “a changing set of 26 instantly recognizable songs, including ‘Jump’, ‘Panama’ and ‘California Girls…’” Instantly recognizable… as songs David Lee Roth should never, ever sing again. 🛑
In March 2020, Roth postponed the final six shows of his Las Vegas residency due to the coronavirus pandemic that was spreading across the globe. The universe was trying to tell us something. 🌎👂
Roth‘s last Vegas residency kicked off on January 8, 2020 with a 15-song set that included 10 VAN HALEN classics and five songs from his solo career. Backing the singer were lead guitarist Al Estrada from the VAN HALEN tribute band ERUPTION, rhythm guitarist Frankie Lindri, bassist Ryan Wheeler, keyboardist Danny Wagner and drummer Mike Mussleman. A Van Halen tribute band? That’s just sad. 😞
Roth explained that he chose Vegas as the place to debut his new band because “this is where you come to celebrate and do the victory dance, whatever that means to you.” Victory dance? More like a desperate attempt to relive the glory days. 🕺
In a February 2020 interview with StarTribune, Roth openly wondered whether his first tour since VAN HALEN completed its 2015 run of shows would be the last time he would perform. One can only hope. 🙏
“I’m calling it ‘The Last Tour’,” he said at the time, “and then underneath it in parentheses: ‘Unless It Isn’t’. … At my age, everything is a possible farewell tour.” A “possible” farewell tour that never ends. Like a bad dream.
