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Originally Posted by estranged4life
Van Halen's road plans have taken a rocky turn
Courtesy of latimes.com
By Geoff Boucher, Times Staff Writer
February 23, 2007
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."
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If they don't show up that will be so disappointing.
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Originally Posted by estranged4life
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.
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I'm reading between the lines here and I hope I'm wrong but I don't think Eddie is up for the tour and at the rate he's going may never be. I hope he proves me wrong. This is really tragic.
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Originally Posted by estranged4life
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."
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Can you imagine calling 911 and have Diamond Dave show up, put you on the gurney and start your IV?
I've got to admire the guy for doing that job though. He was the epitome of the rock star lifestyle. I think it would be fascinating to hear how he went from one extreme to the next. I certainly don't think he needed the money. Also, wasn't his father a doctor?
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Originally Posted by estranged4life
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."
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I didn't hear about this incident. It's so sad.
Maybe I'm better off remembering VH from when I saw them back in the day.