I know we’ve heard this one before - as recently as spring, when rumors that a true Van Halen reunion tour (with David Lee Roth at the mic, not Mr. Cabo Wabo, Sammy Hagar) would invade amphitheaters this summer, perhaps to capitalize on the band’s induction earlier this year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
That never materialized, in part because Eddie Van Halen (who, from the looks of recent pictures, has seen better days) decided to enter rehab. At the time, he stated he was seeking treatment because “I do not feel that I can give you my best. … I have decided to enter a rehabilitation facility to work on myself, so that in the future I can deliver the 110 percent that I feel I owe you and want to give you.”
With Ed apparently all better (or better enough), Reuters is now reporting that the 50-date reunion tour is indeed on, due to launch in October and get an unveiling via news conference next week in (where else?) Hollywood. It will be the first time since Roth went solo in the mid-’80s that something close to the original VH lineup will hit the road. (Wolfgang, Ed’s teenage son with ex Valerie Bertinelli, will fill in on bass for Michael Anthony, whose allegiance seems to lie more with Hagar these days.)
I imagine we’ll know where and when this money-maker will play come this time next week. And like Guns N’ Roses’ endlessly-awaited album Chinese Democracy, I’ll believe it exists for all to enjoy (or despise) when I see Roth and the VH brothers up to their old tricks right in front of my eyes.
UPDATE: VH’s press conference is set for 11 a.m. Monday (Aug. 13) at the Four Seasons Hotel in L.A. Stay tuned for further details.
AUG. 13 UPDATE: Van Halen plays Nov. 20 at Staples Center in downtown L.A. and Nov. 25 at Cox Arena in San Diego.
… Ben
