Reunited Van Halen Eyeing Fall Arena Run
 

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/..._id=1003606613

A proposed summer amphitheater tour by a reunited Van Halen that was derailed when guitarist Eddie Van Halen checked into rehab now looks like it may be resurrected as a fall arena run. Several arena holds are in place in major markets for potential Van Halen dates, Billboard.com has learned.

The tour, negotiations for which were first tipped here on Jan. 24, would feature David Lee Roth, Eddie and Alex Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen's teenage son Wolfgang on bass.

Wheels had been in motion for a 40-date, Live Nation-produced amphitheater tour, with original frontman Roth back in the fold for the first time in more than 20 years. Van Halen last toured in 2004 with vocalist Sammy Hagar, grossing nearly $40 million, according to Billboard Boxscore.

But the reunion never got off the ground, and Eddie Van Halen entered a rehabilitation facility for undisclosed reasons in March. In the months since, the artist has been seen publicly looking healthy and fit.


The buzz surrounding the prospect of a Van Halen tour with Roth seems to point toward a successful trek. "I see it absolutely as an inevitability," Roth told Billboard.com more than a year ago regarding a tour with his ex-bandmates. "To me, it's not rocket surgery. It's very simple to put together. And as far as hurt feelings and water under the dam, like what's-her-name says to what's-her-name at the end of the movie 'Chicago' -- 'So what? It's showbiz!'"

I'll believe it when I see it. :laugh:

That would be cool.
I preferred the original VH (with DLR) to any incarnations after that,....I wonder how his voice is holding up??? I haven't heard him sing in a long time...

...exactly.:rolleyes:

I'm looking forward to it though I am going to miss Mike Anthony. I guess Eddie's son, Wolfie, will have to take a tutor with him on tour. And I guess Valerie is OK with this. :shrug:

Lee :)

I think Michael Anthony should be included as well. It wouldn't surprise me if that's how it end up.
I think Wolfie has probably had some kind of guitar in his hand since he could sit up. :lol:

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/..._id=1003622049

August 06, 2007, 2:10 PM ET
Ray Waddell, Nashville
Sources say a Hollywood press conference in one week will announce a 50-date American arena tour by Van Halen to begin in early October. The tour will feature founding Van Halen members David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen and Alex Van Halen, with Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass.

A proposed summer amphitheater tour by the group, first tipped here in late January, never got off the ground, with Eddie Van Halen entering a rehabilitation facility for undisclosed reasons in March.

In the months since, the artist has been seen publicly looking healthy and fit, and Billboard.com reported a month ago that several arena holds were in place in major markets for potential Van Halen dates.

Van Halen last toured in 2004 with vocalist Sammy Hagar, grossing nearly $40 million, according to Billboard Boxscore. Roth has not fronted the band on tour in more than 20 years.

Rocket surgery. Heehee.

Don't count on this happening but it really would be something if it does!

I didn't read the story linked, but is Eddie in remission with his cancer?

I believe so...part of his tongue was removed.

This would be amazing if it really did happen. I always liked Van Halen best with David Lee on vocals...

Another article (Reuters), basically saying the same thing. I think it'll happen, at least as long as they don't kill each other before the first show:

Updated: 7:16 a.m. PT Aug 7, 2007

NASHVILLE - Van Halen will announce a 50-date American reunion tour with original singer David Lee Roth during a news conference in Hollywood next week, sources said.

The arena trek will begin in early October.

Roth, who split from the rock group in the mid-1980s in hopes of solo stardom, will reunite with co-founders Eddie Van Halen on guitar and brother Alex Van Halen on drums. Eddie’s teenage son Wolfgang will sub for Michael Anthony on bass.


A proposed summer amphitheater tour by the group never got off the ground, with Eddie Van Halen entering a rehabilitation facility for undisclosed reasons in March.

In the months since, the guitarist has been seen publicly looking healthy and fit.

Van Halen last toured in 2004, with Roth’s replacement, vocalist Sammy Hagar, grossing nearly $40 million, according to Billboard Boxscore.

Van Halen Tour Kicking Off In Late September
Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth
August 13, 2007, 2:15 PM ET
Mitchell Peters, L.A.
The first leg of Van Halen's long-awaited reunion tour with frontman David Lee Roth will kick off Sept. 27 in Charlotte, N.C., and run through Dec. 11 in Calgary, Alberta. Tickets for the trek, announced today at a Los Angeles media gathering, go on sale beginning Saturday (Aug. 18) via LiveNation.com.

A proposed summer amphitheater tour by the group, first tipped here in late January, never got off the ground, with guitarist Eddie Van Halen entering a rehabilitation facility for undisclosed reasons in March.

Roth has not toured with the act in more than two decades; the bass spot formerly occupied by Michael Anthony will be filled by Eddie Van Halen's teenage son, Wolfgang.

"It's a new band," Roth said. "I've done more rehearsal in the last four months than I've done in the past 20 summers. The whole sound is better than it has ever been."

Roth added, "It was Wolf who picked the song list, and we've got close to 25 of your greatest hits -- all the favorites that you've been hearing tearing out of the back of a pickup truck at the Burger King drive-through for how many summertimes. It's all very well intact -- the same sh*tty attitude but with a whole new look."

Various allusions were made to a potential new Van Halen studio album, which would be the band's first with Roth since the seminal "1984."

"There's a high standard here," Roth said. "We could waddle out there and halfway do it. A band like this could totally come in after an absence of this amount of time and get away with a lot, if we only do one tour. That's not our ambition. This is not like the Police. The idea is that it will continue on and on, and you have to get a good start."

"None of us want to give you less than our best, and we are at our best," Eddie Van Halen added.

For more on today's Van Halen announcement, visit the Billboard blog at JadedInsider.com.

Here are Van Halen's tour dates:

Sept. 27: Charlotte, N.C. (Bobcats Arena)
Sept. 29: Greensboro, N.C. (Coliseum)
Oct. 1: Philadelphia (Wachovia Center)
Oct. 7: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
Oct. 10: Cleveland (Quicken Loans Arena)
Oct. 14: Indianapolis (Conseco Fieldhouse)
Oct. 16: Chicago (Allstate Arena)
Oct. 18: Chicago (United Center)
Oct. 22: Auburn Hills, Mich. (Palace of Auburn Hills)
Oct. 24: Minneapolis (Target Center)
Oct. 26: Kansas City, Mo. (Sprint Center)
Oct. 28: St. Louis (Scottrade Center)
Oct. 30: Boston (TD Banknorth Garden)
Nov. 3: East Rutherford, N.J. (Continental Airlines Arena)
Nov. 13: New York (Madison Square Garden)
Nov. 20: Los Angeles (Staples Center)
Nov. 23: Glendale, Ariz. (Jobing.com Arena)
Nov. 25: San Diego (Cox Arena)
Nov. 27: Sacramento, Calif. (Arco Arena)
Nov. 29: San Jose, Calif. (HP Pavilion)
Dec. 1: Portland, Ore. (Rose Garden)
Dec. 3: Seattle (Key Arena)
Dec. 5: Vancouver (GM Place)
Dec. 9: Edmonton, Alberta (Rexall Palace)
Dec. 11: Calgary, Alberta (Pengrowth Saddledome)

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/..._id=1003625045

Why won't bands play the Oakland Coliseum or arena, whatever it's called anymore? San Jose isn't served by public transportation and Sacramento is too far.

I'm actually kinda excited about this. I almost saw them in 1984 but my friend flaked out and couldn't get the tickets... and I've been kicking myself for the last 23 years over missing out. :distressed: . I can't believe this is actually happening now that I'm all old and grey...

And I've got two words for Dave: hair extensions. :nod:

Eddie looks great! And he's got some veneers.

Generally speaking, there's a better mix of $$$ and population base in Santa Clara/San Mateo counties than San Francisco has, and certainly more than Alameda county has. People in Contra Costa/Solano/Lake/Napa counties would sooner drive to Sacramento than San Jose, so that's their rationalization there.

Until there's a viable arena in SF (Cow Palace doesn't count), San Jose will almost always take precedence over Oakland if promoters have to choose one or the other.

Don't worry. You have me to take you. I'd like to see VH.

it looks like it's officially a go. i'm scheduled to sell tickets this saturday morning from 9-11 with wmmr and 10-noon with wmgk at wachovia.

also, we're giving away a ton of free tickets all this weekend on-air and online with both stations so if you live in philadelphia and don't want to pay, give a listen or listen online for your chance to score a pair.

Is it just me or does he kind of look like Al Franken? :lol: He looks a hell of a lot better than he did though.

Diamond Dave isnt as heinous as I was afraid he'd be....of course, its not like his glory years but then we all get old (except Dick Clark of course!) I hope his voice is as awesome as ever, this is so cool!

:xoxo: :xoxo:

I am going in with very low expectations. :laugh: I'm totally psyched, though.

A radio station here played a clip of the announcement this morning, and Dave said "these are hit songs, songs you know as well as you know the roof of your own mouth." Um...what? :lol:

Come on, Paula, this is not rocket surgery. :D

I was talking about Eddie. And was Dave really a paramedic in NYC? If so, that's the story I want to hear about. How do you go from rock star to paramedic? I admire the guy if he did. Or is it just part of the Diamond Dave schtick?

Yeah, I did read that about DLR, about him being a paramedic. I guess it wasn't for him.

I really wanted to go & see them when they come to Philly, but Monday is a bad night & while I have some vacation time left, hubby does not. So I guess I will have to pass, but I personally would have liked to have seen them. I saw them on their last tour with Sammy & Mike & was really impressed. But some diehard VH fans are not happy with Wolfie :shrug: as their bass player. I don't think they think Mike should ever be replaced & really he can never be. And I'm really not sure this tour will be worth seeing, but I may be wrong. :shrug:

Lee :)

I think the 00's are the decade of nostalgia.......the last hurrah of all the hot groups of the 70's and 80's.....and after that, as John Mellencamp so sagely opined, Rock will be dead.

I read an article that Babyface is afraid today's kids dont know how to play REAL instruments like drums and guitars because everything is synthed. push button music. The old classics and the talent are on the way out.
I think Babyface is right. but I hope he can make a difference....(he's been endowing music programs in his home state I hear...)

Me too. It could be a train wreck between Dave and Eddie and I wish that Mike was playing instead of Wolfie. But it could also be very interesting.

man, I wish I had $$$$$$!! I'd be going! I LOVE DLR~!

Tickets went on sale today for K.C. I got pretty decent seats! Can't Wait.:blob2:

yeah, I got pretty good floor seats for the second Philly show... I am just glad that its early in the tour (the fourth show I think) hopefully they get my show in before anything crumbles! ha!

I know what ya mean...:laugh: I think my shows about midway through, and I was thinking the exact same thing! Looks like the shows are selling out quick. Within 45 minutes there were no more 50 and 80 dollar seats available. Theres still some $150 seats, but they're crap for that price. I got a couple good floor seats myself!:thumbsup:

I crack up that people will pay money to see this band. Have none of you seen them live before? :shrug: THEY SUCK.
DLR is such a joke. No voice left, he is like a Don Rickles wanna be (like that is something to aspire to). And they have the One Day At A Time kid playing the bass? This whole thing is hilarious to me.

Not being a hater, just putting in my two cents.

rbs

When did you see them live?

When did you see him live?

VAN HALEN - Tour Rehearsal Report, Set-List Spoiler
 

A fan report from the Diamonddavidleeroth.com Forums details a behind-the-scenes look at VAN HALEN in rehearsal-mode, gearing up for their North American tour at a "secret location" in Los Angeles. The staging/dress rehearsal report is as follows:

"On Saturday night a friend of mine got me in to see a Van Halen rehearsal in Los Angeles. (I've been sworn to secrecy on certain aspects of this story, including location. Someone else may fill in the details, but it won't be me.)

We arrived to an empty arena (except for the VH staff) containing VH's full stage setup. No one from the band had arrived yet.

The stage has a runway which snakes out into the audience in a giant "S" shape, which mirrors the lighting rig above it. The "S" continues behind and above the stage so a band member can walk to the very top and be standing above Ed's rig. There's a giant video screen the width of the entire stage, but neither the screen nor the stage lights were tested tonight; only the house lights were used. (It didn't matter in the slightest.)

We arrived about an hour before the band while the crew fine-tuned the equipment. Drums were tested, guitars tuned, and pink noise blasted through the P.A. The general mood of everyone seemed very high with lots of smiles and friendly faces. Many people nodded to us and said, "hello."

Eddie was the first to arrive, and very shortly after that, Wolfgang and Alex. Valerie was with Wolf as were about five of his friends from school, I'm guessing. (They all looked the same age.) Alex and Ed spent about 15 minutes on stage noodling while Wolfie was showing his friends the venue. The three of them then met on stage and Eddie said into the P.A., "We're not opening with it, but let's play 'I'm The One' just to warm up. And that they did. A funny moment occurred when Ed screwed up the bit right before they usually go acapella. He spoke into the mic, 'Did I mess that up?' Wolf confirmed, 'Yeah, you were late.' Both were smiling.

After 'I'm The One', there was a bit more noodling and then some down time as people waited for Dave. I'm not sure if he was running late or if that's just how the schedule was.

When Dave did show up, right from the start, he was all smiles. He was dressed in tight, flared out leather pants and a black/striped dress shirt.

The rest of the account is going to contain, for lack of a better word, "spoilers" of the show, including the set list, all though not in order. If you don't want to know, fair warning.

Dave addressed the crowd and treated us as if we were guests in his arena sized house. He thanked us for coming and talked about how excited he was to be here and what a 'privilege and honor' it was to play with his 'brutha's from another mutha.' (And yes, that's a quote.) He then went on to great lengths to explain what we would be seeing tonight: that it was a rehearsal where they would be stopping and starting, testing things out, etc. (And he did this all very eloquently with many one-liners, as only Dave does.) Right before the band began, he explained, 'Okay as soon as you hear the first note, that's when the curtain comes up.' He did that throughout the show; stopping to tell us what we would be seeing if this were the actual concert.

The constant commentary and casual asides reminded me of that story I've heard where at a concert he wanted to turn the P.A. around so that 'everyone could be backstage.' That's how this show felt. As if we were being let it on the secret.

The show started with 'You Really Got Me'. Dave was standing on the high part of the "S" stage above Alex waving a giant Red flag as the show began. Then he threw the flag down, and for the first time in over 22 years, David Lee Roth sang on stage with Eddie Van Halen.

I'd say there were only about 40-50 guests there that night who were lucky enough to get in. Most of us sat in the "5-star" section inside the loop of the "S" runway, but there wasn't even enough of us to fill it up. And there was a silly L.A. attitude amongst the crowd of" Oh-I'm-so-hip- I-don't-need- to-sit-in- the-front- row" thing going on, as if this event was an every day occurrence. (After the first song, I couldn't stay away, and moved from the 5th row to right up front, just off center towards Ed's side.) The stage setup has at least 8 speakers just for the people in the first few rows, so you don't have to worry about hearing only the echoey remnants of the main P.A. You'll get the full mix nice and loud. But Holy God, bring earplugs.

Wolfgang did a fine job, even providing decent sounding backup vocals. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about him, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that Michael Anthony was missed. While Wolf competently filled the position, he doesn't have the same sound, either in his playing or in his voice, as Michael. It's such a shame that silly personal conflicts can't be resolved so that people can finally see the classic lineup again. I do have to say though, it's obvious how much Ed loves playing with Wolfgang. He would be all smiles when he walked over to Wolfie and after one song, stepped up to the P.A. and said, 'Great job, Wolf. Great.'

Over the next hour and a half or so the band played classic after classic that VH haven't done in years. The Sammy Hagar era is dead now, as far as I can tell. (All though when warming up, Eddie ran the VH-stripped drill across his guitar as if he was was starting 'Poundcake', but no more than that.) I was surprised by some of the gems they brought out. I'll post the songs I remember at the end of the article, but the order will be completely wrong except for the first song and the encore.

The great thrill of the show was seeing Dave and Ed interact. If there's any animosity between them, it didn't show at all. Both were constantly smiling, and Dave often did the schtick where he holds his mic to Ed's guitar during a solo while he looks at the crowd, open mouthed in astonishment.

That's not to say that Dave didn't get pissed, however. He was standing out by the far tail of the "S" runway when, in the middle of a song, he yelled at the soundboard crew with intense anger, 'TURN THE ****ING VOCALS UP! Don't make me ask you again!' I turned to Ed to see his reaction, thinking he would be pissed at Dave's behavior, but incredibly, Ed just smiled even wider. As Dave walked past him returning to the stage, they did a mini-hi-five, low and behind each other's back. I don't know what it meant. I'm guessing it's one of those things that only makes sense to two people who have known each other for decades.

I never got to see Dave sing with Van Halen live. I got into the band in 1984 when I was 12 and didn't see them until the OU812 tour. I've seen Dave solo multiple times, but am always wonderfully caught off guard by his stage antics. He really is the clown prince of rock 'n' roll, and I say that with as much affection as I can. There's not a moment that goes by where he's not trying to entertain you, whether it be with silly facial expressions, dance moves, jokes, props or stories. He is the former 5 year old kid who ran up to every new adult and wanted to show them everything he owned and all the things he could do and wouldn't stop talking until his parents told him it was bed time. And that attitude has never quite gone away.

Thinking about the whole experience, I can't help but smile. I was going to write a few more details about the show, (like the brilliant way Dave introduces "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" or the intensity from Dave that makes "Mean Street" one of the great live VH songs) but I think it's probably better to let you all discover that for yourself.

Song list (again, not in order): 'You Really Got Me', 'Romeo Delight', 'Somebody Get Me A Doctor', 'I'm The One', 'Mean Street', 'Unchained', 'Pretty Woman (No 'Intruder')', 'Dance The Night Away', 'Ice Cream Man', 'Beautiful Girls', Guitar Solo ('Eruption', 'Cathedral' etc), 'So This Is Love?', 'And The Cradle Will Rock....', 'Everybody Wants Some!!', 'Secrets', 'I'll Wait', 'Runnin' With The Devil', 'Little Guitars', 'Jamie's Cryin'', 'Atomic Punk', 'Feel Your Love Tonight', 'Little Dreamer', 'On Fire', 'Panama', 'Hot For Teacher', 'Ain't Talkin' 'About Love'. Encore: '1984', 'Jump'."

Photos at the following link:

http://s185.photobucket.com/albums/x...n%20Rehearsal/

The setlist looks great. I haven't heard Dave sing in years, at least since he did the Me Wise Magic song with VH. Eddie looks pretty good shirtless still. I've seen all of the incarnations of VH (including the Gary what's his name era). This tour will do well no matter what because of the huge wave of nostalgia. I don't know if I'll go to the show though. I'll just hang on to the memory of Dave in assless pants (chaps) swigging from a faux bottle of Jack Daniels. :laugh:

At the following link, you can see rehearsal footage (Via youtube) from the Los Angeles show:

http://www.bravewords.com/news/73947