With many rock stars from the 1970s and 80s, this moment has been a long time coming… a dream come true.
Last week it was announced that the famous American rock band Van Halen would be reuniting with original lead singer David. Lee Roth for the Fall 2007 US Tour. And the band, as many know, had a dubious history with Roth, and their other singer Sammy Hagar (not to mention Gary Cherone…). Van Halen attempted to reunite with Roth on two separate occasions: once at the 1996 MTV VMA awards and again in 2001. Roth and the VH brothers, guitarist Eddie and drummer Alex, were insulted by Roth during a press release in 1986. .
This announcement has been too good to be true for long time fans. News about the band after the 1998 Van Halen III album and tour with Cheron has been sketchy. The reunion with Hagar in 2004 seemed to do quite well, but yielded only three new songs and no new album.
One name stands out from this recent announcement. Apparently original bassist Michael Anthony has been replaced by Eddie Van Halen’s (and Valerie Bertinelli’s) 16-year-old son Wolfgang. Eddie is rumored to be unhappy that Anthony aligned himself with Hagar, but Anthony claims the brothers were uncommunicative and stubborn. (Michael Anthony said he only played bass on three songs on Van Halen III and on none of the new songs on the 2004 Best of Both Worlds package. After all, Anthony was forced to sign a tour in 2004 for a minor salary than the other members of the band). Wolfgang Van Halen was handed down by his father to a famous young talented musician.
There were rumors that a 2007 tour with Roth would take place this summer, but it was dismissed when Eddie went to rehab in the spring. 2004. He emerged in May, much healthier and happier in appearance. (Eddie Van Halen was honored at the NASCAR event, which marked the end of his career in rehabilitation). Lee Roth is coming back again. But when it comes to finding music fans, Van Halen is very elusive to say the least. (Roth referred to it as a “fragile state” in a previous interview).
The Van Halen Press Conference is scheduled to take place on Monday, August 13th in the morning th in Los Angeles.
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