Oh, hell yes. In front of a crowd of 18,000+, Van Halen took the stage for their Charlotte, North Carolina tour opener on this past Thursday. Diamond David Lee Roth still oozes the same charisma, and Eddie Van Halen looks a good ten years younger than the last time we saw him. Apparently, rehab can actually work for those who take it seriously.

Rolling Stone certainly approves:

His hair may be shorter and crow’s feet longer, but Diamond Dave is every bit the Vegas showman that he was two decades ago . . . . He showed his gift for gab and flamboyant duds from the get-go, imitating Mick Jagger and martial arts moves, smiling like a clown, riding a giant microphone. And despite old wounds, his bandmates seemed charmed by their new old lead singer. Eddie Van Halen, switching from his signature Peavey “Wolfgang” guitar to his old, red- and white-striped “Frankenstein,” nuzzled up to Roth several times. And drummer Alex Van Halen, sporting his trademark white headband, pounded his kit with a constant smile. If original bassist Michael Anthony was missed at first, it wasn’t long before Eddie’s sixteen-year-old son, Wolfgang Van Halen, had the crowd in the palm of his hands.

From USA Today’s review:

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 [sic] Wolfgang wooed the crowd with his self-effacing demeanor.

While the sight of little Wolfgang Van Halen on bass is somewhat unsettling at first glance, I hope that Van Halen fans will give the kid a chance. After all, it’s certainly not his fault that Michael Anthony is too busy blowing Sammy Hagar to play with the big boys again. Suck on that, Scott Weiland.

Obviously, Eddie is feeling much better these days. Check out the below images for more evidence of this previously unheard of phenomenon.