Concert Recap: David Lee Roth's "Don't Love Me, Rent Me" Tour in Virginia Beach, VA (May 9, 2026)

With each passing year, the amount of active rock legends that we have left gets smaller and smaller. Just last year, we lost two giants in Ozzy Osbourne and Ace Frehley, so whenever there's a legacy artist from that time that comes to town, I always make an effort to see them, regardless of how big of a fan I may be of their music. I'm a huge proponent of giving people their flowers while they're still here with us, so I always make an argument to go out and see as many classic rock and metal bands as you can, because there will soon be a time in which there are none left.

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing the iconic original voice of Van Halen, the one and only David Lee Roth, who brought his "Don't Love Me, Rent Me" Tour to The Dome in Virginia Beach, VA. There were no opening acts for this show, so the audience was treated to nothing but Diamond Dave for almost two hours.

As far as the setlist goes, there was no DLR solo material to be found, and instead it was nothing but Van Halen classics and deep cuts. I love Roth's solo hits like "A Lil' Ain't Enough" and "Just Like Paradise," but I also wasn't complaining about getting the chance to hear so many different parts of the Van Halen catalog. We all grew up on the legendary discography of Van Halen, so getting to hear so many of these iconic songs live was an incredible experience — David Lee Roth still brings the energy all these years later, and his band is top-notch all-around.Guitarist Al Estrada did a great job of channeling his inner Eddie Van Halen, while also giving the songs his own feel when there were opportunities to do so. Sean McNabb does a great job on bass, seeming to be in a flow state the entire time, and drummer Francis Valentino is an absolute monster behind the kit.

It's not every day you get to photograph a rock legend, but having the opportunity to take photos of David Lee Roth's show at The Dome in Virginia Beach was an honor and truly one of the biggest highlights of my photography career so far. Aside from it being nearly impossible to get photos of Francis Valentino behind the drumset, I had a blast photographing not just DLR, but his entire band — everyone clearly loves what they're doing and are having a great time on stage with each other and the audience. It's also super refreshing to hear these songs with a backing vocal ensemble as opposed to just relying on pre-recorded tracks.

Everything about this show was memorable, from the energy of the musicians to the Van Halen stories DLR told between songs, and I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten to photograph this tour — it was even more enjoyable getting to share the photo pit with fellow photographers Melissa Bradley and Robert Escue. I genuinely can't say enough good things about this experience — I loved getting to hear these classic songs live, it was awesome to see DLR and the band enjoying themselves so much, and I hope I get the chance to photograph them again in the future.

David Lee Roth Setlist:

1. Panama
2. Drop Dead Legs
3. Romeo Delight
4. Little Dreamer
5. I'm the One
6. Beautiful Girls
7. Dance the Night Away
8. Ice Cream Man
9. You Really Got Me
10. Jamie's Cryin'
11. Unchained
12. Mean Street
13. Atomic Punk
14. Ain't Talkin' Bout Love
15. Hot for Teacher
16. Everybody Wants Some!!
17. Jump

David Lee Roth continues the "Don't Love Me, Rent Me" Tour through the summer, including a couple festival appearances. For all tour dates and to buy tickets, click here.