Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The fact that David Lee Roth is the original singer of Van Halen alone makes him an international icon, and with the promise he’d be pulling primarily from the group’s 56 million copy-selling catalogue after exactly a decade away from the area, the Hard Rock Live was raring to go.

Granted, it was much more intimate than the arenas and amphitheaters the guys usually played when guitar god Eddie Van Halen was alive, but it’s a testament to the Gary, Indiana venue’s ability to attract superstar-level artists.

Even if his voice wasn’t exactly as bulletproof as it used to be, which became increasingly noticeable when the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers reconvened in the 2000s, Roth’s larger than life personality and million-watt smile came across perhaps grander than before.

It also helped he had four extremely well-studied musicians and as many male background singers to fill in the blanks, while “Diamond Dave” concentrated on having the most fun possible, set to one of the strongest rock and roll soundtracks of all time.

The “Roth Show,” as its affectionately called, went right into the rousing “Panama,” “Drop Dead Legs” and “I’m The One,” only relenting slightly for the keyboard-dominated “I’ll Wait.”

Pretty soon he was “Runnin’ With The Devil” for an 80-minute night that featured such VH standards as “Beautiful Girls,” “Dance The Night Away,” “Somebody Get Me A Doctor,” “Jamie’s Cryin’” and “Unchained.”

Though they were originally cut by The Kinks and Roy Orbison respectively, “You Really Got Me” and “Oh, Pretty Woman” may as well have belonged to the band, plus “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” “Hot For Teacher” and “Everybody Wants Some!!” continued to put the headliner’s carnival-like charisma totally over the top.

However, the supreme jock jam “Jump” made for a climatic conclusion and would’ve probably prompted the Hard Rock to follow in the lyric’s footsteps had it not been for the seats, followed by Roth gleefully and rightfully soaking in the applause as if he just slayed a stadium.

For additional information on David Lee Roth, visit DavidLeeRoth.com.

Upcoming shows at Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana include 311 (Aug. 22); Invincible (Aug. 23); Wanda Sykes (Sept. 6); Deon Cole (Sept. 12); Staind (Sept. 13); Kavita Krishnamurti and Dr. L. Subramaniam (Sept. 20); Ron White (Sept. 26); Killer Queen (Oct. 7); Dionne Warwick (Oct. 10); Def Leppard (Oct. 11); REIK (Oct. 17); Matt Fraser (Oct. 18); Tom Segura (Oct. 23); The Stray Cats (Nov. 1); Dane Cook (Nov. 8); Trivium (Nov. 14); Mike Epps (Nov. 22); Sting (Nov. 23); Heart (Dec. 6) and Aaron Lewis (Dec. 12). For additional details, visit HardRockCasinoNorthernIndiana.com.

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