The crowd: Straight out of 1984. Lots of baseball jerseys and classic rock band shirts (think Rolling Stones, Ratt, The Who, Rush, AC/DC, Def Leppard and Foreigner). Many in attendance were in their forties or older, but twentysomethings and teens were present, too. "We brought them because they want to see (16-year-old bassist) Wolfgang (Van Halen, the son of Eddie and ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli)," says Mandy Mashburn, 38, of York, S.C. She and husband Ric, 37, brought son, Rick, 14, and his friend Quin Magee, also 14, to the show. Both boys play guitar and heard Van Halen songs at home, but watched Wolfgang on YouTube. They already had souvenir T-shirts on.

Says neighbor Jim Gilkeson, 39, a Van Halen concert veteran who accompanied them, "I prefer (the band's original lead singer) David (Lee Roth)," he says. Roth fronted the band, founded in L.A. by brothers Eddie and Alex, for about seven years. Later, Sammy Hagar took over as lead singer for a decade and a 2004 reunion tour. "Really in my mind, I think they've all realized (Roth as the lead singer) is what works."

Stage setting: An S-shaped walkway swooped from above Alex Van Halen's drum kit and flowed into a catwalk that allowed Roth and others to cavort through the crowd. The billboard-sized video screen often displayed an "Eddie cam" view that zoomed in on and captured guitarist Eddie Van Halen's fretwork. Green laser lights occasionally came into play.
The merch: Pretty conservative, considering the modern-day merchandising frenzy that has led to many bands offering logo-monikered baby outfits. One on-the-edge offering for the ladies: a $15 red Van Halen thong. Also: a $70 hoodie, $15 tote bags, $10 sweatbands and a selection of $35-$40 T-shirts sporting the classic VH logo.

The lowdown: For longtime Van Halen fans, question marks were answered. First to take the stage, Eddie, 52, emerged — clean-cut, bare-chested and buff — and fired off some Eruption-era riffs to a rowdy and affectionate reception from a standing crowd. Any lasting effects from his rehab stint earlier this year and past treatment for tongue cancer were not evident. Returning to the band he parted ways with 22 years ago, Roth, also 52, smiled like a Cheshire cat — and clad in skintight leather pants and sparkling embroidered tunics — and strutted like Chanticleer. His flowing locks are gone and his voice sported a slightly lower register, but Roth sounded virile and satisfied the faithful with some high-pitched screams and spinning karate kicks. On drums, Alex, 54, continued to stoke the band's fire and Wolfgang wooed the crowd with his self-effacing demeanor.

Musical highlights: Showing their teamwork from the get-go, Roth scatted to Eddie's playing during their cover of the Kinks' You Really Got Me. "It only took us 20 years to get this far," Roth told the crowd during the next song, I'm the One (another song from the band's 1978 debut album), referring to decade-long reunion rumors. Two-thirds of the way into the 2-hour-plus show, Alex and Eddie collaborated on a crunching intro to Everybody Wants Some!! During Hot for Teacher, Roth happily exclaimed with emphasis, "I heard you missed us, we're back." The non-stop barrage that also included Beautiful Girls, their cover of Roy Orbison's Oh, Pretty Woman and Panama, another from hit album 1984 (released in 1984), filled the arena with hard rock energy rarely generated since, well, the band's previous forays.

Memorable moments: The absence of bass player Michael Anthony was obvious, but Wolfgang missed nary a beat neither on bass or background vocals. In fact, he had his own rock star moments standing at the stage's crest to strike the opening notes of Runnin' with the Devil and slapping hands with crowd members while stalking the runway during Atomic Punk. (Also not mentioned: Sammy Hagar, who served as lead vocalist after Roth, set to tour with Anthony this fall. Those two attended the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.)

He and his father had a couple touching moments including a smooch after Dance the Night Away and Eddie sliding across the stage on his knees — while playing Little Guitars— and coming to a stop at Wolfgang's feet. Eddie and Roth also had a good rapport and the two slapped hands after Jump.

"They were like a family up there," said Matt Long, Greenville, N.C.. 36, who attended the concert with his brother Andrew, 33. Both have listened to the band since they were teens. "Honestly, it was something I didn't think I would see," he said. "The core of the band is Eddie and Alex, but the alpha male is David. I thought the crowd was going to be older, but this proves their influence and that the interest goes beyond generations."

Both were more than pleased with the performance. "I think David held back. He hasn't been in front of 20,000 people in 20 years," Long said.

Knowing the group's volatility, he said, "you want to be at the first show because you don't know what will happen with them."