Dr. Know it all said:
yes you are right and he did say it. and he like you knew it was the truth.thank god he was man enough to man up and tell the truth.my first time seeing them was 1981 and have seen them 11 times over the years ( 4 times with roth and 7 times with sammy) one time with cherone.
i will go see this reunion, but with a heavy heart towards mike
the official website has just been updated
with this statement
http://www.van-halen.com/pressrelease.html
VAN HALEN IS BACK!
VAN HALEN OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE SUMMER TOUR
February 2, 2007
Los Angeles, CA - In what is no doubt one of the most anticipated moments in rock and roll, VAN HALEN officially announces their 2007 North American tour.
The tour will mark the first time since 1984 that original VAN HALEN front man David Lee Roth will perform with Eddie and Alex Van Halen along with new bassist Wolfgang Van Halen for 40 shows this summer.
VAN HALEN fans can look forward to legendary high intensity performances, featuring a set list of the most iconic hits ever produced by America's premiere rock band.
Eddie Van Halen states, "I am very excited to get back to the core of what made VAN HALEN."
with this statement
http://www.van-halen.com/pressrelease.html
VAN HALEN IS BACK!
VAN HALEN OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE SUMMER TOUR
February 2, 2007
Los Angeles, CA - In what is no doubt one of the most anticipated moments in rock and roll, VAN HALEN officially announces their 2007 North American tour.
The tour will mark the first time since 1984 that original VAN HALEN front man David Lee Roth will perform with Eddie and Alex Van Halen along with new bassist Wolfgang Van Halen for 40 shows this summer.
VAN HALEN fans can look forward to legendary high intensity performances, featuring a set list of the most iconic hits ever produced by America's premiere rock band.
Eddie Van Halen states, "I am very excited to get back to the core of what made VAN HALEN."
Who would've guessed - reunion on hold: http://www.melodicrock.com/
VAN HALEN TOUR POSTPONED:
Yes, it is 100% true that the Van Halen 2007 tour has been indefinitely postponed. Details are a little thin on the ground and no one is talking on the record, but I did manage to talk to my contact who originally told me of the re-union plans in October last year.
Despite what little has been said publicly so far, it seems there are issues beyond paperwork and contracts that need to be ironed out. Van Halen has always been a volatile mix of personalities and 2007 is no different. Basically those involved in putting this tour together won't commit further until all issues are dealt with, hence the postponement of current plans.
I am told though, that this postponement should be just that - a temporary situation that can be sorted so that the dates that had been arranged can be re-booked and announced down the track somewhat. The band is unlikely to comment beyond the fact the tour will (at this stage) start later than originally planned.
The line-up for this tour remains Eddie, Wofgang & Alex Van Halen and frontman David Lee Roth.
For the record - here is what Pollstar has posted regarding the news:
"It's true. The Van Halen tour that was never officially announced is now officially postponed indefinitely, sources told Pollstar. The rumored tour took on an air of reality after a trade magazine announced that original singer David Lee Roth was about to sign on the dotted line, and that was soon followed by a press release via Eddie Van Halen's spokeswoman-slash-girlfriend. Unfortunately, the worldwide frenzy of a VH reunion was too good to be true, at least for the present day.
However, there was a lot of paper getting inked and Pollstar understands that a tour announcement might not have been far off."
And this forwarded to me from a regular contact:
"I work in radio and here's exactly what came across our "prep" service this morning from Premier Radio Network...
We learned last night from a source close to the band that Van Halen's reunion tour with David Lee Roth has been "indefinitely postponed." While Eddie, Alex, Dave and Eddie's son Wolfgang (replacing bassist Michael Anthony) have been rehearsing, their plans are now up in the air. We were told that when Eddie's girlfriend (and spokesperson) announced the reunion on February 2nd, there was no signed deal between the band, Roth and tour promoter Live Nation.
A Van Halen best-of highlighting the Roth years has also been scrapped by Rhino. A source at the label tells us they were unable to make a deal for the planned release.
Regardless of all this drama, Van Halen will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York on March 12th.
The last time Van Halen toured with David Lee Roth was in 1984. The last time Van Halen toured was in 2004 with Sammy Hagar.
We were unable to reach representatives for the Van Halen brothers last night. Roth's spokeswoman declined to comment."
VAN HALEN TOUR POSTPONED:
Yes, it is 100% true that the Van Halen 2007 tour has been indefinitely postponed. Details are a little thin on the ground and no one is talking on the record, but I did manage to talk to my contact who originally told me of the re-union plans in October last year.
Despite what little has been said publicly so far, it seems there are issues beyond paperwork and contracts that need to be ironed out. Van Halen has always been a volatile mix of personalities and 2007 is no different. Basically those involved in putting this tour together won't commit further until all issues are dealt with, hence the postponement of current plans.
I am told though, that this postponement should be just that - a temporary situation that can be sorted so that the dates that had been arranged can be re-booked and announced down the track somewhat. The band is unlikely to comment beyond the fact the tour will (at this stage) start later than originally planned.
The line-up for this tour remains Eddie, Wofgang & Alex Van Halen and frontman David Lee Roth.
For the record - here is what Pollstar has posted regarding the news:
"It's true. The Van Halen tour that was never officially announced is now officially postponed indefinitely, sources told Pollstar. The rumored tour took on an air of reality after a trade magazine announced that original singer David Lee Roth was about to sign on the dotted line, and that was soon followed by a press release via Eddie Van Halen's spokeswoman-slash-girlfriend. Unfortunately, the worldwide frenzy of a VH reunion was too good to be true, at least for the present day.
However, there was a lot of paper getting inked and Pollstar understands that a tour announcement might not have been far off."
And this forwarded to me from a regular contact:
"I work in radio and here's exactly what came across our "prep" service this morning from Premier Radio Network...
We learned last night from a source close to the band that Van Halen's reunion tour with David Lee Roth has been "indefinitely postponed." While Eddie, Alex, Dave and Eddie's son Wolfgang (replacing bassist Michael Anthony) have been rehearsing, their plans are now up in the air. We were told that when Eddie's girlfriend (and spokesperson) announced the reunion on February 2nd, there was no signed deal between the band, Roth and tour promoter Live Nation.
A Van Halen best-of highlighting the Roth years has also been scrapped by Rhino. A source at the label tells us they were unable to make a deal for the planned release.
Regardless of all this drama, Van Halen will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York on March 12th.
The last time Van Halen toured with David Lee Roth was in 1984. The last time Van Halen toured was in 2004 with Sammy Hagar.
We were unable to reach representatives for the Van Halen brothers last night. Roth's spokeswoman declined to comment."
That something is telling you the truth. Things are never the same with the passage of time. If all 4 were to tour, even with no new music, I would contribute to the cash grab, just for nostalgia's sake. One more time if you will. But of course it wouldn't be the same as when I was 17, and they were the biggest band in the world.
Not surprising that the coming train wreck blew up before it got started. Just as well. This band died awhile ago. Hope somebody has the courage and pulls the plug.
At least we'll always have the tunes and our memories.
eddie lost some screws somewhere. i think he's certifiably nuts. what a shame. it's like having a family member get mentally ill. He is one Looney F'in Tune. it's all just really sadly dysfunctional. if they ever do put the summer tour together... i would lay 10 to 1 odds that they don't make it through the summer without a major stall or complete shut down. eddie is not capable of doing it
ditto.i for one think this is awesome news as he fucked over MA to begin with, i have seen various versions of everybody that has been in this band over 30 times,and i am now glad it may be officially over.
he could have done it right and went out on top but decided not to
FROM THE LA TIMES
For Van Halen, the stars seemed aligned for a triumphant 2007. Next month, the group will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the plan was to follow that with a summer reunion tour that would feature David Lee Roth back at the mike for the first time since the Reagan years.
But, once again, the backstage soap opera of Van Halen is the story of the day.
The Van Halen tour has been "shut down," according to a top official at Live Nation, the huge concert promoter that finally surrendered in the face of the chaos surrounding guitar hero Eddie Van Halen. Roth, meanwhile, says he is unsure whether the mercurial guitarist will even travel to New York for the Hall of Fame induction on March 12.
"We have fragile politics in Van Halen; please accept that as a partial answer," Roth said. "But I don't know if the Van Halens are going to go....I hope they do, but right now, I just don't know. Hope springs eternal."
Eddie Van Halen declined interviews through his publicist and girlfriend, Janie Liszewski. Conversations with the business team behind the tour paint a picture of a rock star who is somewhere between Axl Rose and Michael Jackson on the music industry scale of eccentric recluses. The result is that the Van Halen venture imploded before takeoff, even as the Police, the Eagles and Genesis have efficiently geared up for lucrative reunion tours.
"I cannot tell you how frustrating and completely nuts this has been," one key business figure in the tour said while asking not to be identified on the outside chance that the reunion might be salvaged. "Right now, I have to say, I don't see that happening."
It's a disheartening situation for the fans who pine for a Roth-led lineup of the iconic metal band. Among those devoted is Wolfgang Van Halen, the 15-year-old son of Eddie and, according to Roth, a key force behind the reunion.
Wolfgang, a precocious musician, was "the maestro" at the reconstituted band's lone rehearsal, picking the set list and using his iPod to remind his father of the nuances of his solos on the old albums. Wolfgang was tapped by his father to play bass on the tour too, replacing founding member Michael Anthony, a jolting choice considering the child's age and Anthony's status as one of rock's best backup singers and most relentlessly cheerful presences.
Eddie Van Halen remains, by all accounts, a gifted guitarist and rock auteur, but the decision to jettison Anthony in favor of a teenager may have been the first sign that the new enterprise was guided by creaky logic. Now all eyes will be on the Hall of Fame banquet to see who shows up, who performs and how Roth interacts with old rival Sammy Hagar, the man who replaced him as lead singer in 1985 and who will be inducted as an equal.
On Valentine's Day, when the tour still looked viable, Roth was all smiles as he sat down for an interview in a bungalow at Chateau Marmont. The 52-year-old was wearing a snappy black suit and the short haircut that has recently replaced his old pro-wrestler cut. He still flashes a karate smile, but the singer seems calmer and more focused than in years past. The reason, he said, is that he's fresh from working as an emergency medical technician in New York. It's a longtime dream of his to be a paramedic, and the unglamorous gurney and rubber-glove duty humbled him, he said.
"I was working in neighborhoods that were almost exclusively black and Spanish-speaking, so only maybe twice out of 200 clients was I recognized.... I was joking about this in the truck on New Year's Eve, which was my last shift — I was working in Brooklyn, down in Coney Island — I said that I've been in more project apartments than Jay-Z and Diddy combined."
Roth was the rock frontman on top of the world when he went solo, but — as Mick Jagger and Robert Plant also learned — fans treasure him more when he was side-by-side with an equal on guitar. Roth seemed like a vainglorious sex panther in Van Halen, but on his own he often came off as a relentless jive salesman whose only product was his own past. Roth is still "on" all the time — he calls it his "incandescent personality" — but lately he comes off as the voice of reason, a pretty stunning change.
That, and the financial prospects, made him jump at the chance to work with Eddie Van Halen again. Of the old days, he says: "There was a lot of sparks and a lot of tension, like your favorite movies, especially those underground ones.... There was a lot of anxiety too, but it was about ambition, not ego."
Roth was optimistic that the band would follow up the tour with new music; he also pointed to the cache of 1996 recordings that he did with Van Halen during an earlier reunion flirtation. Now it appears the entire output of this new reunion was a single rehearsal in January and a photo shoot with Roth and Eddie, Wolfgang and Alex Van Halen. Alex is Eddie's older brother and the band's drummer.
"Hearing it again, that's an elixir.... What we sell is that we make all the guys feel young and invincible and all the girls feel young and desirable," Roth said. "I watched it happen to everybody that was listening in the studio."
Van Halen was a monster of rock and, for a time, arguably the biggest band in the world. According to the Recording Industry Assn. of America, Van Halen albums have shipped more than 56.5 million copies, which is more than the career totals of U2, Celine Dion, Shania Twain or Prince.
Roth said that he and Anthony will be in New York for the Hall of Fame, as will Hagar, the affable "red rocker."
Last month, Hagar publicly chided Eddie Van Halen for taking his son on tour. He also added that "the guy is a genius, but he's just out there and it's hard for people around him."
In 2004 and 2005, Van Halen toured with Hagar and, according to Pollstar, grossed $55 million playing arenas. But Hagar said that Eddie Van Halen was drinking heavily and, on some nights, it showed. In Chicago, Eddie stumbled throughout the set and, at one point, quit playing and sacked out, telling the crowd: "I done run outta gas."
There were tender scenes too. With the tour winding down in Los Angeles, for instance, Wolfgang came on stage at the Staples Center to play. The body language of father and son made it clear that they reveled in the shared spotlight. Roth said that that affection led to the hopes for the Van Halen reunion.
"I'm going to put some words in Ed's mouth," Roth said. "Whatever explanation he may give about having his son in the band, I'm going to superimpose: He wants to play with his kid while he's still at the top of his game and able to ... and that's also the same reason I'm in the band in its current configuration. No questions asked. He said, 'Hey, c'mon up the hill and make some music.' I said, 'Great. I'd love to play with you while you're still on the top of your game.' "
Roth smiled, but a moment later, when he was asked about what he feared most about the reunion, he didn't hesitate with his answer: "The two worst words in the English lexicon are 'band meeting.' "
geoff.boucher@latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...,1,1695119.story?track=rss&ctrack=1&cset=true
For Van Halen, the stars seemed aligned for a triumphant 2007. Next month, the group will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the plan was to follow that with a summer reunion tour that would feature David Lee Roth back at the mike for the first time since the Reagan years.
But, once again, the backstage soap opera of Van Halen is the story of the day.
The Van Halen tour has been "shut down," according to a top official at Live Nation, the huge concert promoter that finally surrendered in the face of the chaos surrounding guitar hero Eddie Van Halen. Roth, meanwhile, says he is unsure whether the mercurial guitarist will even travel to New York for the Hall of Fame induction on March 12.
"We have fragile politics in Van Halen; please accept that as a partial answer," Roth said. "But I don't know if the Van Halens are going to go....I hope they do, but right now, I just don't know. Hope springs eternal."
Eddie Van Halen declined interviews through his publicist and girlfriend, Janie Liszewski. Conversations with the business team behind the tour paint a picture of a rock star who is somewhere between Axl Rose and Michael Jackson on the music industry scale of eccentric recluses. The result is that the Van Halen venture imploded before takeoff, even as the Police, the Eagles and Genesis have efficiently geared up for lucrative reunion tours.
"I cannot tell you how frustrating and completely nuts this has been," one key business figure in the tour said while asking not to be identified on the outside chance that the reunion might be salvaged. "Right now, I have to say, I don't see that happening."
It's a disheartening situation for the fans who pine for a Roth-led lineup of the iconic metal band. Among those devoted is Wolfgang Van Halen, the 15-year-old son of Eddie and, according to Roth, a key force behind the reunion.
Wolfgang, a precocious musician, was "the maestro" at the reconstituted band's lone rehearsal, picking the set list and using his iPod to remind his father of the nuances of his solos on the old albums. Wolfgang was tapped by his father to play bass on the tour too, replacing founding member Michael Anthony, a jolting choice considering the child's age and Anthony's status as one of rock's best backup singers and most relentlessly cheerful presences.
Eddie Van Halen remains, by all accounts, a gifted guitarist and rock auteur, but the decision to jettison Anthony in favor of a teenager may have been the first sign that the new enterprise was guided by creaky logic. Now all eyes will be on the Hall of Fame banquet to see who shows up, who performs and how Roth interacts with old rival Sammy Hagar, the man who replaced him as lead singer in 1985 and who will be inducted as an equal.
On Valentine's Day, when the tour still looked viable, Roth was all smiles as he sat down for an interview in a bungalow at Chateau Marmont. The 52-year-old was wearing a snappy black suit and the short haircut that has recently replaced his old pro-wrestler cut. He still flashes a karate smile, but the singer seems calmer and more focused than in years past. The reason, he said, is that he's fresh from working as an emergency medical technician in New York. It's a longtime dream of his to be a paramedic, and the unglamorous gurney and rubber-glove duty humbled him, he said.
"I was working in neighborhoods that were almost exclusively black and Spanish-speaking, so only maybe twice out of 200 clients was I recognized.... I was joking about this in the truck on New Year's Eve, which was my last shift — I was working in Brooklyn, down in Coney Island — I said that I've been in more project apartments than Jay-Z and Diddy combined."
Roth was the rock frontman on top of the world when he went solo, but — as Mick Jagger and Robert Plant also learned — fans treasure him more when he was side-by-side with an equal on guitar. Roth seemed like a vainglorious sex panther in Van Halen, but on his own he often came off as a relentless jive salesman whose only product was his own past. Roth is still "on" all the time — he calls it his "incandescent personality" — but lately he comes off as the voice of reason, a pretty stunning change.
That, and the financial prospects, made him jump at the chance to work with Eddie Van Halen again. Of the old days, he says: "There was a lot of sparks and a lot of tension, like your favorite movies, especially those underground ones.... There was a lot of anxiety too, but it was about ambition, not ego."
Roth was optimistic that the band would follow up the tour with new music; he also pointed to the cache of 1996 recordings that he did with Van Halen during an earlier reunion flirtation. Now it appears the entire output of this new reunion was a single rehearsal in January and a photo shoot with Roth and Eddie, Wolfgang and Alex Van Halen. Alex is Eddie's older brother and the band's drummer.
"Hearing it again, that's an elixir.... What we sell is that we make all the guys feel young and invincible and all the girls feel young and desirable," Roth said. "I watched it happen to everybody that was listening in the studio."
Van Halen was a monster of rock and, for a time, arguably the biggest band in the world. According to the Recording Industry Assn. of America, Van Halen albums have shipped more than 56.5 million copies, which is more than the career totals of U2, Celine Dion, Shania Twain or Prince.
Roth said that he and Anthony will be in New York for the Hall of Fame, as will Hagar, the affable "red rocker."
Last month, Hagar publicly chided Eddie Van Halen for taking his son on tour. He also added that "the guy is a genius, but he's just out there and it's hard for people around him."
In 2004 and 2005, Van Halen toured with Hagar and, according to Pollstar, grossed $55 million playing arenas. But Hagar said that Eddie Van Halen was drinking heavily and, on some nights, it showed. In Chicago, Eddie stumbled throughout the set and, at one point, quit playing and sacked out, telling the crowd: "I done run outta gas."
There were tender scenes too. With the tour winding down in Los Angeles, for instance, Wolfgang came on stage at the Staples Center to play. The body language of father and son made it clear that they reveled in the shared spotlight. Roth said that that affection led to the hopes for the Van Halen reunion.
"I'm going to put some words in Ed's mouth," Roth said. "Whatever explanation he may give about having his son in the band, I'm going to superimpose: He wants to play with his kid while he's still at the top of his game and able to ... and that's also the same reason I'm in the band in its current configuration. No questions asked. He said, 'Hey, c'mon up the hill and make some music.' I said, 'Great. I'd love to play with you while you're still on the top of your game.' "
Roth smiled, but a moment later, when he was asked about what he feared most about the reunion, he didn't hesitate with his answer: "The two worst words in the English lexicon are 'band meeting.' "
geoff.boucher@latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...,1,1695119.story?track=rss&ctrack=1&cset=true
Thanks a lot of posting that. I can't explain why I still give a shit about this band, but I do. It's puzzling as to what sent Eddie off the track . On the surface, I can't understand. Talent, money, freedom, etc. What's the problem in playing tunes to millions of people with guys that you've known since you were a teenager? What's the fucking problem? Dude has some demons he may never exorcise.
Oh well. Would have been nice to have seen all 4 once more in a smoke filled arena, and feel the rush as the lights go down, and hear Ed's intro to Light Up The Sky explode the crowd into a frenzy, and feel like it's 1979 again....
I guess you can't go home.
I don't think eddie is making choices to be the way he is being. I truly believe he's mentally ill and all this crap is just the dysfunctional result of his ill thinking and distorted perceptions. If any of you have lived around someone with genuine paranoid delusions... you can relate. it's really quite sad
Every member will be in attendance...
They will not perform...
Velvet Revolver will induct and play in VH's place.
Read that Eddie and Al will have a separate table at the ceremony...
Which is not too surprising when you consider that they made Sammy and Mike fly in a separate plane during the '04 tour.
If the tour with Roth does not happen...you have to figure the saddest person will be Roth...he is flat broke. Heard he was working as an EMT.
