Van Halen rocks Forum in L.A. with secret show
Just a few days before possibly toppling Adele from the No. 1 album slot in the U.S., Van Halen played a secret show for its most dedicated fans Wednesday night (2/8) in Inglewood, CA.
The event -- billed as a "Friends and Family" gig -- served as a warm-up for the resurgent rockers' upcoming arena tour, which kicks off Feb. 18 in Louisville, KY. And though the band showed a few spots of rust, according to Rolling Stone, with singer David Lee Roth forgetting the lyrics to new song "China Town" at one point, the show mostly went as planned, a final dress rehearsal before the band sets out on its four-month trek across the U.S. and Canada.
The set featured most of Van Halen's big hits, according to those lucky enough to gain admission, including the expected "Jump," "Runnin' With the Devil," "You Really Got Me," "Hot For Teacher" and more, along with guitarist Eddie Van Halen's trademark virtuoso guitar runs.
The trek hopes to build off steam currently being generated from "A Different Kind of Truth," the band's first studio album since 1998, and its first with Roth as singer since 1984. The album is racking up huge sales right off the bat, with Billboard estimating that the band could move as many as 200,000 units by the end of the weekend.
If current sales trends hold, Van Halen could have its first No. 1 album since its 1996 "Best Of Volume One" compilation, and its first ever with Roth in the fold; the singer departed a year after "1984" topped out at No. 2 in the charts. After he was replaced with Sammy Hagar, the band went on to score four straight No. 1 albums in the '80s and early '90s.
18 - Louisville, KY - KFC Yum! Center
20 - Auburn Hills, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
22 - Indianapolis, IN - Bankers Life Fieldhouse
24 - Chicago, IL - United Center
28 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
March 2012
1 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
3 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
5 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
9 - Buffalo, NY - First Niagara Center
11 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
13 - Manchester, NH - Verizon Wireless Arena
15 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
17 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
21 - Ottawa, Ontario - Scotiabank Place
24 - Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall
26 - University Park, PA - Bryce Jordan Center
28 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
30 - Pittsburgh, PA - Consol Energy Center
April 2012
1 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena
10 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - BankAtlantic Center
12 - Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
14 - Orlando, FL - Amway Arena
16 - Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville Arena
19 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
21 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum
25 - Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Arena
27 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
29 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
May 2012
1 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
5 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
7 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Rogers Arena
9 - Calgary, Alberta - Scotiabank Saddledome
11 - Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place
17 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
19 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
22 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
24 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
27 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
June 2012
1 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
3 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
5 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
12 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
14 - San Diego, CA - Viejas Arena
16 - Phoenix, AZ - US Airways Center
20 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
22 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
24 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
26 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Arena
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