Van Halen Returns To Stage

Van Halen played its first show of 2013 and first since last spring on Saturday night (April 20th) as one of the headliners at the Stone Music Festival in Sydney, Australia. The band has not played live since canceling 31 North American dates last summer, citing exhaustion. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen was then sidelined for four to six months after undergoing surgery for the inflammatory intestinal affliction diverticulitis.

The group opened its 20-song set with "Unchained" and proceeded through a solid list of hits and fan favorites, ending the night with "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" and "Jump." Only three songs from its 2012 album, A Different Kind Of Truth -- "She's The Woman," "Tattoo" and "China Town" -- were performed during the evening.

Van Halen will next play three shows in Japan in late June before coming home to appear at the annual Rock USA festival, scheduled for July 17th through July 20th in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.