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David Lee Roth played his first full concert in five years at the M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, Maryland, on Saturday night (May 3rd). The singer performed a 16-song set consisting entirely of Van Halen classics with his solo band.
Diamond Dave’s previous full show took place opening for KISS on March 10th, 2020, just a few days before the pandemic shut down the concert industry. Since then, DLR canceled a planned Las Vegas residency and seemingly retired from the stage before playing a couple of mini-sets at corporate gigs.
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At the M3 Rock Festival, DLR kicked things off with “Panama,” and proceeded to sing other Van Halen favorites like “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “Jamie’s Cryin’,” “Hot for Teacher,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love,” and the set-closing “Jump.” The only non-original Van Halen song he did was The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” which VH famously covered on their first album.
DLR sported an all-leather outfit at the M3 Rock Festival gig, and looked to be in a jovial mood in the fan-filmed footage posted on YouTube.
Leading up to his hiatus from the stage, Roth’s performances were often criticized, specifically for his vocals, but comments on YouTube are overwhelmingly positive for his set at the M3 Rock fest.
One person wrote, “Clicked this with a morbid desire to see and hear a trainwreck, but DAMN…he’s got himself a comeback!!! Never been a fan of his singing, but this sounds as good as he’s ever sounded,” and another commenting, “As DLR fan from the early days, didn’t know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised by his new band, vocals, backup singers, and overall performance. HE’S BACK.”
Perhaps DLR was motivated by Sammy Hagar’s criticism, as the two have continued to feud over the past few years. Hagar is currently doing his own set of mainly Van Halen songs as part of his “Best of All Worlds” Las Vegas residency.
David Lee Roth has two more shows on his 2025 schedule, an August 29th concert in Thackerville, Oklahoma, and a September 12th gig in Saratoga, Calif. Tickets for both dates are available here.
Watch David Lee Roth’s show at the M3 Rock Festival and see the setlist below.
Setlist:
Panama (Van Halen song)
Drop Dead Legs (Van Halen song)
You Really Got Me (Van Halen version of The Kinks song)
Unchained (Van Halen song)
Dance the Night Away (Van Halen song)
Runnin’ With the Devil (Van Halen song)
Mean Street (Van Halen song)
Atomic Punk (Van Halen song)
And the Cradle Will Rock… (Van Halen song)
Jamie’s Cryin’ (Van Halen song)
I’m the One (Van Halen song)
Everybody Wants Some!! (Van Halen song)
Romeo Delight (Van Halen song)
Hot for Teacher (Van Halen song)
Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love (Van Halen song)
Jump (Van Halen song)
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