Van Halen And David Lee Roth To Confirm Reunion Tour Plans
Posted August 7, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
If the Police can patch up their differences, why not Van Halen and David Lee Roth? The two collaborators have apparently found enough common ground to agree to reunite for a 50-date tour that will be confirmed next week. Van Halen and Roth’s replacement, Sammy Hagar, last went on the road in 2004 and made $40 million. But for many fans of the rock band, Hagar never quite brought the showmanship that the eccentric Roth did.
And after watching countless reunion gigs between disgruntled bandmates – like the one that’s had the Police in the headlines for much of the summer – it appears the chance at a huge box office was just too much for either of the warring sides to resist. The tour will begin in October, but there’s no immediate word if Toronto or any Canadian venue is on the list of stops. Group founder Eddie Van Halen had been scheduled for a huge summer tour that was suddenly cancelled after he checked into rehab for undisclosed reasons last March.
Roth left the group in a very public split in April 1985, embarking on a solo career that began strong but soon petered out. He tried a number of other offshoots – including one as a radio shock jock talk show host – but nothing really worked. And not everyone’s a fan. Rolling Stone once called Roth the “most obnoxious singer in human history.”
This go-round is expected to be a family affair in more ways than one. It will feature Van Halen on guitar, his brother Alex on drums and son Wolfgang on bass. The official announcement – and the locations – are expected next week.
Photo credit: Don EmmertAFP/Getty Images
