Diamond Dave Shines At The Stone Pony Summer Stage

Keith Timper
Jun 9
4 min read

The Stone Pony Summer Stage had officially been open for two weeks, and they had already pulled no punches. This show was no exception. Frontman extraordinaire David Lee Roth hit the stage in the blistering Jersey Shore heat in only the spectacular fashion that Diamond Dave could. The "Don’t Love Me, Rent Me World Tour" was in full swing. The 71-year-old serenaded the shore with 18 songs, predominantly the best of the best from the Van Halen catalog, along with two covers that had honestly been staples of the Van Halen repertoire for decades.

The doors to the Summer Stage opened, but word quickly spread that the show would be starting 30 minutes later than scheduled. No reason was given, though it was easy to assume it was to let the sun go down a little more—or maybe it was just a little suspense-building from Roth. For the next hour and a half, the crowd filing in was treated to The Roth Show Radio. Classic rock and contemporary hits played while Roth’s voice periodically checked in, serving as a constant reminder of why everyone was there.

As the sun began to set behind the drum riser, The Roth Show was officially unchained. Thunderous drums echoed across the shore as the rest of the band joined in, building toward one massive crescendo before Diamond Dave finally took the stage. At its peak, the legendary guitar riff of “Panama” rang out. What a way to kick off a show. Between songs, Roth remarked about missing the crowd and how he was “Born where the seagulls screech and we’re all sons of a beach.” Classic Roth quips. Right before the final chorus, Roth spotted a woman standing on a balcony in a neighboring apartment complex and jokingly called her a bitch for not waving back. And exclaimed "The least she could do is wave while she's seeing me for free". In a playful tone, of course.

During “Blues Jam,” Roth introduced some of the members of his touring band, each one expertly capturing the spirit and vibe of Van Halen. A standout introduction went to drummer Francis Valentino, who was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, just a short ride from The Stone Pony. Roth also introduced bassist Sean McNabb and keyboardist K.C. Knight. Probably the most fitting quote of the night came during “Beautiful Girls.” After telling a younger fan, “life’s short. Smoke em if you got em,” Roth looked out at the crowd through a wave of laughter and said, “This is not Springsteen, god bless the boss. But you go to the boss for values, priorities, humility, public awareness. But we dispense with that shit at the door. This is the sound of adults acting like twelve year olds” before following it up with a remark about an ex-girlfriend who named his dick “Little Elvis.”

The halfway point of the show brought the energy down a bit. Not only was the sun finally setting, but Roth slowed things down with an acoustic guitar and an Eddie Van Halen anecdote. Roth spoke about the early days of writing Van Halen songs in cramped bedrooms. “The room was so small, our knees would touch.” “ Ed wasn’t allowed to plug his guitar in cause his mom would complain. so I would hear almost every song, the beginning of every song you’re hearing tonight acoustic, we’re playing the classic Van Halen song book".

At that point, Roth appeared visibly choked up while remembering his friend Eddie. He finished the story by bringing it full circle decades later, recalling one of the last times they wrote together in Eddie Van Halen’s expansive studio.

“The room was massive. I was sitting in the middle of it reading a book. Ed came in, cigarette in mouth, grabbed a metal chair, pulled it up and sat with our knees touching.”

The final eight songs were a pure Van Halen clinic. Each song seemed more recognizable than the last. Naturally, if you were a Van Halen fan, you already knew every word. These were core Van Halen tracks, and they showcased the true talent of Roth’s backing vocalists and band. Guitarist Al Estrada’s meticulous and faithful tribute to Eddie Van Halen’s playing shined brightest throughout the set.

Toward the latter end of the performance, fans were treated to Roth doing limbo with his microphone stand and demonstrating some “Metal Fu” karate with the same stand. Closing strong with “Jump,” the opening synth reverberated so loudly beyond the venue that it felt like the entire town could hear it. Evidence of that could be found upon exiting the venue, where lawn chairs and blankets lined the grass medians and sidewalks for at least a block beyond the Summer Stage.