Reunited Van Halen ready to jump again

"It's like a divorce. It's over and done with. But anyone who thinks he's ever going to come back is ridiculous."

-- Eddie Van Halen, Rolling Stone, April 6, 1995

Music breakups are never pretty, and when David Lee Roth left Van Halen in 1985, it got ugly. Barbs were traded, egos were bruised, and fans were left clinging to the ridiculous hope that one day Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen would kiss and make up.

Then in 2007, the two guys apparently were able to hug it out, and Roth rejoined the band for a successful 76-date tour. Though it wasn't exactly the same -- Eddie's then-15-year-old son, Wolfgang, had replaced original bassist Michael Anthony -- critics and fans were ecstatic. After the tour ended in 2008, Roth and company left a glimmer of hope that a new album would arrive in the future.

Four years later, the band has a new tour and a new album -- "A Different Kind of Truth," Van Halen's first in 14 years and the first with Roth since 1984.

Here's what to expect when the tour arrives for a two-day stint this week at Madison Square Garden.

KOOL & THE GANG IS THE OPENING ACT. What the wha? What better way to kick off the '80s revival party than with the band responsible for some of the decade's best party anthems, like "Celebration" and "Ladies Night"? It was Roth who lobbied to have the R&B act open for Van Halen after seeing the band perform at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival, co-founder Robert "Kool" Bell told Billboard.com.

"I was kind of surprised, because Van Halen is more on the rock side and we do what we do," Bell said. "I said, 'That's an interesting combination . . .' It really caught us by surprise. But the more people I mention it to, the more interesting they're saying it is."

NO VAN HAGAR TUNES Not surprisingly, the setlist doesn't including any songs from the albums fronted by Sammy Hagar, who replaced Roth after he split. That's OK, though, because Hagar still has some bragging rights -- the four albums with his vocals -- "5150," "OU812," "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" and "Balance" -- all went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, a pinnacle never reached by any albums featuring Roth (or Gary Cherone, Hagar's replacement when he left in 1996). Both "1984" and "A Different Kind of Truth" reached No. 2 and each was denied the top spot by an unstoppable album -- Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (which featured Eddie's ear-shattering solo on the hit, "Beat It") and Adele's "21."

BROWN M&M'S OK, we can't guarantee you'll see brown M&M's, but an often-repeated, seemingly apocryphal story, one that became a symbol of rock-star excess, was the band's backstage ban of brown M&M's. It turns out, the ban was really about safety. In a recent video, Roth revealed that back in the '70s, it was necessary to insert the clause about the treats to force less-than-thorough promoters to read through the lengthy contract, which included logistics for Van Halen's massive stage. Those who failed to comply faced forfeiting all concert proceeds.

WHO A reunited Van Halen, plus Kool & the Gang

WHEN Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7:30

WHERE Madison Square Garden

INFO Tickets, $79.50-$171.80, ticketmaster.com

What the critics said

Eddie Van Halen, the guitar-shredding heart of the band's sound, was in peak form. His right hand was like a jackhammer all night as he showed utter command of his instrument, with no apparent ill effects from a 2009 surgery on his left hand. This was crucial, because while the band's best material stands alone as seriously good, voraciously hard rock, Eddie's guitar is Van Halen.

-- Jeffrey Lee Puckett, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.)

Roth isn't so much a frontman or a lead singer as he is a master of ceremonies; he's a rock star, a game show host and a circus ringleader all in one. Working his own dance floor in the center of the stage, he kicked, shimmied, salsa-danced, did karate and performed any other kinds of moves he could think of, all the while wearing the world's biggest grin across his face.

-- Adam Graham, Detroit News

Roth may be Van Halen's amiable clown prince, but [Eddie] Van Halen is the iconic quartet's star attraction even 34 years after its debut album. When he's on form -- as he was during the second show of Van Halen's new tour, rescuing what is clearly still a work in progress -- Van Halen is better than any pyrotechnic special effect, playing with nimble precision and mixing lightning-fast solos with tasteful ambience.

-- Gary Graff, Billboard.com

Set list, opening night in Louisville

1. You Really Got Me

2. Runnin' With the Devil

3. She's the Woman

4. Romeo Delight

5. Tattoo

6. Everybody Wants Some!!

7. Somebody Get Me a Doctor

8. China Town

9. Mean Street

10. Oh, Pretty Woman

11. Drum solo

12. Unchained

13. The Trouble With Never

14. Dance the Night Away

15. I'll Wait

16. Hot for Teacher

17. Women in Love

18. Outta Love Again

19. Beautiful Girls

20. Ice Cream Man

21. Panama

22. Guitar solo

23. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love

24. Jump