By “Tampa” Earl Burton, Journalist, and Chyrisse Tabone, Photographer
Live Review: David Lee Roth at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa, Florida – August 3, 2025
If you ask me, Sundays are not the days to be having “parties” or big rock concerts; it just goes against my nature to throw it down when I have to get up the next day to go to work! But the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa has made Sunday a BIG concert night of late, and they added to it this last Sunday with a performance by former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth. Roth brought his unique stylings to the SHRT Event Center, and he was met with a passionate crowd that enjoyed every moment of “Diamond Dave.”
Full House Greets “Diamond Dave”
There have been issues with ticket sales for Roth’s shows, even though the tour just started. This is only the third stop of his 2025 summer tour and Hard Rock Live! in Hollywood, FL (another Seminole property) was not even close to being filled despite its 7,000-person capacity. The more intimate Tampa Event Center, and its 2000-person capacity, was much more welcoming for Roth as there wasn’t an empty seat in the house.
But it took a bit of time for Roth to come to the stage. Scheduled for an 8 PM start, the show didn’t actually go off until around 8:30. When it did, Roth and his touring band (called the DLR Band) hit the accelerator and got the party started. What came over the next eighty minutes or so gave many in the audience a chance to relive their youth…while giving a demonstration of the ravages of time.
Let’s be honest up front – David Lee Roth is seventy years old. He looks great for his age, but he is not going to be doing any splits, spread leg jumps off the drum riser, or spinning/jumping heel kicks to pop a balloon that is over his head. Along with the limitations of physicality come the vocal limitations that come with the advancement of age.
Roth never was a great singer; he was, however, one of the accomplished showmen of the classic rock era. He could arguably challenge Robert Plant in his Led Zeppelin days for superiority, and that is something that has not changed one iota from the Van Halen heyday of the Seventies and early Eighties. When it comes to putting on a show, Roth will never fail in that area.
The showmanship is definitely there for Roth…the voice, however, is not. It was more of a “spoken word” effort from David Lee rather than actual vocalization. That didn’t seem to matter one bit to the raucous crowd that packed the Event Center.
DLR Band: The Star of the Show
One of the things an artist does as they get older is to surround themselves with highly competent and excellent musicians. On his final tour, Paul Simon did this by enlisting the multi-instrumentalist Joel Guzman into his band. For Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, they were able to mask some deficiencies by bringing in an orchestra to play with them. For Roth, he was able to pack the stage with an outstanding backing band, the DLR Band, which allowed Dave to entertain.
First, the guitarist tasked with recreating the legendary work of the late Eddie Van Halen was Al Estrada, and he did surprisingly well in that task. He ably took on the riffs laid down by a guitar virtuoso and still put his own little touches into the mix. Drummer Fran Valentino thundered the skins a la Alex Van Halen, while Ryan Wheeler stepped in to take on the persona of Michael Anthony.
The real surprise of the band was a quartet of backing vocalists that did much of the heavy lifting when it came to singing. Andre Washington, Juneau Lake, Stevie Notes, and Kurt Lykes served as foils for “Diamond Dave,” but they also were able to reasonably recreate the harmonies that Van Halen were known for (note to Michael Anthony; when it takes six guys to get “your sound,” you’re pretty damn good). If they hadn’t been there, then the show wouldn’t have been as good.
As to the music, Roth gives you a heavy dose of the early Van Halen catalog, naturally, right up to his departure after the 1984 album. I was personally surprised that Roth did not delve into any tracks from his own successful solo career. There was no “Yankee Rose,” no “A Little Ain’t Enough,” no “Just Like Paradise.” This is unfortunate because Roth’s post-Van Halen works are quite good (if you aren’t watching the videos, which can be a bit dated). I would have liked to have seen Dave give his efforts a little time in the sun.
Overall, David Lee Roth in 2025 is not the Roth of 1977, or even 1987. He still has that charisma, however, which always was a major part of his performance schtick. If you go to any of the future shows on the David Lee Roth 2025 tour (Tampa was Stop #3 on the schedule of a 21-date tour that will last through September), be prepared that Roth’s voice isn’t there, but the rest of the show is – and, for one night in Tampa, that was more than enough for fans of “Diamond Dave.”
PHOTO GALLERY
- All Fired Up: Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo Ignite the Crowd at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa - January 31, 2026
- Flag-Waving Facade: Aaron Lewis Delivers Patriotism Over Performance - January 29, 2026
- Chatting with Danny Martin of NYC band WICKED - January 20, 2026
