David Lee Roth is alive, well, and running with the devil on his 2026 Don’t Love Me, Rent Me Worldwide Tour, a 27‑date run that kicked off April 16th in Airway Heights, WA, and will finish up on August 6th in Sturgis, SD. No opening band, just Diamond Dave, one of rock’s most iconic frontmen.
On June 5th, he and his 10‑piece band played the legendary Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park, NJ. It was an 18‑song, Dave‑era Van Halen’s show right in front of your steamy eyes. His band features Al Estrada on guitar, Sean McNabb on bass, Francis Valentino on drums, K.C. Knight on keys, and a five-man powerhouse quartet of backing vocalists that help bring Van Halen’s lush harmonies to life.
As the sun set behind the stage, Dave’s unmistakable voice rang out from backstage; it felt like the floor tilted, and for a moment, the crowd at Stone Pony held their breath. Dave suddenly appeared, to a flurry of musical accompaniment like a late-night TV show host. He didn’t say a word, just stood center stage grinning ear-to-ear, surveying the crowd, deciding whether to greet them or pounce on them. The audience erupted with a wave of cheers that rolled forward and hit the stage like the surf from Asbury Park’s beach. He then unleashed “Panama” and then “Drop Dead Legs.” Dave had the crowd locked in with the first two songs.
For 90 minutes, he moved constantly, but never in straight lines. He prowled the stage, walking back and forth to the drum riser, seemingly to watch his own show! Every gesture he made was grandiose, theatrical, entertaining, and completely magnetic. It was tied up with a bow due to Dave’s unpredictable charm, showmanship, and banter. Favorite one-liners from the night were when he told Sean to “Slap that bass as it owes you $50,” his unapologetic response to kids in the audience after saying a few choice curse words, “Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em, life is short,” and the first girl he ever wanted to sleep with was Betty Rubble of the Flintstones!
Dave has never chased vocal perfection live; the show is something far bigger for him and more enthralling. He chases entertainment – always has, always will. What comes out of the speakers is a mix of grit, charisma, and spontaneous lyric changes to fit the town or moment.
The band’s set navigated through the best of the best Van Halen songs; “Hot for Teacher,” with its controlled chaos, thar felt less like a rhythmic beat and more like a motorcycle engine revving, “Mean Street” with its hypnotic street‑corner swagger, “D.O.A” with its wild sense of recklessness and abandonment, and “Atomic Punk” which arrived mid-set like a voltage spike; sharp, abrasive, and instantly disorienting.
Al was a monster on his Charvel guitar, effortlessly nailing all of Eddie Van Halen’s parts and emulating his tone perfectly for each era of Eddie’s career. His playing had that rare mix of precision, technique, and spontaneity; every riff felt alive and renewed. Sean, a new addition to the band for the tour, delivered the songs’ primal rhythm. Every note he played pulsed with purpose, sometimes a seismic wave, other times a subtle undercurrent. All the songs had super‑tight grooves, making them feel impulsive and slightly dangerous.
The 71‑year‑old atomic punk danced the night away in Asbury Park, and midway through the set he dialed back the mayhem for a stripped‑down “Ice Cream Man.” With an acoustic guitar in hand, he introduced the song with a touching memory from the early days of writing with Eddie Van Halen. He shared that the two would sit knee‑to‑knee in Eddie’s tiny bedroom in the late ’70s and then, four decades later, while working on songs for the Best Of album at Eddie’s massive 5150 studio, Eddie pulled up a chair and sat the exact same way, knees touching, just like when they were kids. The moment hit the Jersey crowd with real emotional weight.
The night was a celebration of his legacy with Van Halen, a reminder of how deeply these songs still resonate with fans some 40-odd years later, and a testament to his ability to defy age and expectation. He is living his best dream and delivering it to the fans like there’s no tomorrow!
Only a few shows are remaining on this tour. Get your tickets here.
