To Halen, Or Not To Halen

I'm still on the fence. I mean, how can I not go and see Van Halen with Diamond Dave back on board? (Tickets for the Boston gig go on sale tomorrow.) Well, I've got two good reasons. That cheesy performance of "Jump" with the Pops a couple years back. And the bluegrass version. Or maybe that his recently rediscovered hair resembles a Velveeta soaked tumbleweed. Now I've got another reason to stay away. For some odd reason, Van Halen seems to be trying to erase the legacy of Michael Anthony. He's the guy who played bass for the band for three decades before VH's announcement that Eddie's teenage son, Wolfgang, will talk over. I've got no bone to pick with "Wolfie." But if the boys are really trying to airbrush Anthony off album covers, slice his name from songrwriting credits, and use pre-recorded vocals to replicate his backup singing, I'm concerned. I mean, didn't Robert Plant and Jimmy Page ever tell these guys the golden rule or rock 'n' roll: Nobody cares about the bassist.