PHOTOS + REVIEW — David Lee Roth 2025 ⋆ Shows I Go To | 🎤 Florida Concerts, Festivals, & Giveaways

PHOTOS + REVIEW — David Lee Roth 2025

David Lee Roth • August 3, 2025 • Hard Rock Event Center Tampa, Tampa, FL • Photos by Randy Cook — instagram.com/horns_raised

DAVID LEE ROTH LIVE REVIEW

David Lee Roth | August 3, 2025| Hard Rock Event Center, Tampa, FL

When former Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth announced a tour that included a local show for me, I had that day circled on the calendar. Van Halen was my first concert in 1984, and I will take any opportunity to return to the roots of my concert-going history and musically formative teenage years. It had been nearly five years since Diamond Dave had toured, and my friends—who were also planning to go—were in positive agreement with me about the benefits of having an early tour date.

We all know the singers of our youth sometimes need the crowd to help carry the tunes. Which is fine,Mr. Roth is a few months shy of turning 71, and my friends and I were more than happy to help the cause at the show. What we fans were treated to was an adrenaline-fueled celebration of Van Halen’s greatest hits.

With no opening act, Dave hit the stage promptly at 8:15 PM with a very simple and open stage for his backing band and four backup singers. Dave’s band members include Al Estrada on guitar, Ryan Wheeler playing bass, Francis Valentino keeping the rhythm and timing on drums, and Danny Wagner on keyboards. Danny would step away, and one of Dave’s backing singers would stroll over and handle keyboard duties at various times. Andre Washington, Juneau Lake, Stevie Notes, and Kurt Lykes make up the cast of backup vocalists, which added another layer to the various harmonies and were regularly included in Dave’s antics.

Playing an extremely high-energy set of seventeen Van Halen songs (including two of their covers), to me, every song is a certified greatest hit of Van Halen. Opening the show with “Panama”—that song instinctively causes me to head-nod, and that does not work well when trying to take photos. Dave was also kind enough to do some chatting and joking with the crowd during those first three songs—that is the normal photo policy—so I was appreciative of him extending our time, as the lighting was fantastic.

After stowing my gear and returning to the venue, I made my way to my seat, and looking over the crowd, I do not think a single person was in their actual seat. The people in front of me were dancing away and singing along word for word as Dave was strutting and gyrating. While his voice may not be what it once was, he is still at the top of his game with his stage presence and showmanship. His backing band was fantastic. Having big shoes to fill at every instrument, there was no letdown in the tightness or technicality required to pull off Van Halen songs, regardless of who is singing.

The time machine in my mind was activated back to that show in 1984 as the set list progressed. Hearing Dave’s unmistakable voice again brought it all rushing back—his energy, his swagger, that larger-than-life presence which helped introduce me to the world of hard rock as a teenager. I had last seen Dave perform fronting Van Halen in 2015, and I remember then having that same nostalgic feeling—Van Halen was where it all started with me and my love of live music. Each song was met with rousing cheers from a crowd, with many there—like myself—to relive the soundtrack of our youth, and each song performed being the favorite song of someone in the crowd. I am always interested in the age demographics of the shows I go to, and as expected, this show skewed toward my age group of mid-fifties.

Always the entertainer, Dave filled the stage with storytelling, martial arts kicks, crazy faces, and that signature grin which personifies his rock and roll excess. With Tampa being the third show on this tour, I fought temptation and did not peek at the two prior set lists ahead of our show. While I had hoped to hear “Yankee Rose” (and heard a few other people mention the same), I was highly entertained with a fantastic rock and roll show which let me forget about life’s responsibilities for a while, and being among friends made it a great night. I highly encourage anyone on the fence about going to this show: get the ticket! The remaining tour dates and ticket information can be found here.
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David Lee Roth set list, August 3, 2025, Hard Rock Event Center,

Panama (Van Halen song)
Drop Dead Legs (Van Halen song)
I’m the One (Van Halen song)
I’ll Wait (Van Halen song)
You Really Got Me (The Kinks cover)
Runnin’ With the Devil (Van Halen song)
Romeo Delight (Van Halen song)
Dance the Night Away (Van Halen song)
Mean Street (Van Halen song)
Atomic Punk (Van Halen song)
Jamie’s Cryin’ (Van Halen song)
Unchained (Van Halen song)
Oh, Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison cover)
Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love (Van Halen song)
Hot for Teacher (Van Halen song)
Everybody Wants Some!! (Van Halen song)
Jump (Van Halen song)