David Lee Roth Plays a 2 Hour Set at The Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Connecticut on May 31, 2026

June 1, 2026
International Concert Reviews, International Galleries
by Jody Wilk Photographer/Writer

David Lee Roth was probably one of the top 5 frontmen in the history of rock and roll, and in his early 70’s he is still out there touring and performing for his fans. On May 31, 2026, he stopped into Connecticut’s Toyota Oakdale Theatre to bring not only David Lee Roth era Van Halen tunes to the stage, but also songs that he didn’t record on. Local radio station 99.1 WPLR had been promoting the show and giving away free tickets to callers several times in the weeks leading up to the show. The line went swiftly, going through security, and fans gathered in the front dome area of the venue to have some drinks, food, and meet up with friends before heading in to find their seats.

The show started a few minutes after 7 pm with a minimalistic stage set consisting of only a riser for the drums and one for the backup singers and a gong behind the drum kit with the “Roth Show” logo on it. They kicked off their 2-hour set with “Panama” and the crowd stood up and stayed that way song after song throughout the night. Dave was having some issues with the sound in his in-ears, but got it sorted out within a couple of songs and seemed happy as he had an alligator-sized smile the whole evening. While his voice has deteriorated from what it once was, his backup vocalists do a fantastic job of giving the performance a full sound. The fans that were there seemed to go with the flow and enjoy the show for what it was, a concert to help you relive the glory days of your youth through Van Halen songs. Al Estrada nails all the Eddie Van Halen guitar parts to a tee. His performance, along with Ryan Wheeler on bass, Francis Valentino on drums, and Danny Wagner on keyboards, makes the whole show worth the price of admission.

Throughout the night, Dave would tell some stories from his younger days and things that happened on the road. I had heard that at a prior show, he told a story of himself and Eddie that just about brought him to tears, but he didn’t tell that story at this show. During “Beautiful Girls” and “Dance the Night Away,” there were lots of people dancing with their hands in the air. Next, they brought a chair to the front of the stage so Dave could slow it down and perform “Ice Cream Man” on an acoustic-electric guitar. Dave got right back up and moving to “You Really Got Me”. Dave’s only props were a bright red mic stand and a scarf. A few times during the night, the backup singers took the mic stand and held it level at about five feet like a limbo stick, and Dave shuffled his way under it both times without fail. The rest of the night was full of hits and the most popular songs. I’m not sure I would have changed any of the songs, and given the fact that everyone was standing the whole night in a theater with seats, I don’t think they would have changed the setlist either. They ended the night with probably Van Halen’s biggest hit, “Jump”.

If you were ever a David Lee Roth Fan, I would recommend heading out to see him on tour now, because if I had to guess, this may be the last one. They are on tour through most of June and then playing select festivals and other dates through August.

David Lee Roth is:

David Lee Roth – Lead vocals

Al Estrada – Lead Guitar

Ryan Wheeler – Bass

Danny Wagner – Keyboards

Francis Valentino – Drums