David Lee Roth promises Van Halen's return despite postponed gigs
David Lee Roth released a two-minute video to fans, explaining that Van Halen will still take to the road this summer and have plans for a two-year trek when all is said and done.
Dressed in overalls and accompanied by his heeler Russell alongside an idyllic pond, the Van Halen frontman said that the band "is getting along famously -- better than we have in quite some time and I think the shows reveal that through the miracle of YouTube."
The rock outfit is slated to continue their tour tomorrow (5/22) in Kansas City, MO, and push through 13 cities before a June 26 performance in New Orleans.
Van Halen will then take a break of undisclosed length, postponing the remainder of the U.S. tour indefinitely.
"As usual, we bit off way more than we can chew when it came to scheduling," Roth said. "The band is winning, but our schedule has been sidelined for unnecessary roughness."
When Van Halen returns to the road after the break, Roth says they've got a "super-sized monster truck rally Van Halen tractor pull sort of event and we're gonna be bringing that back around for the United States."
Roth's black and white video, titled "Public Relations," comes a few days after the postponement announcement and Rolling Stone quoting one "source with knowledge of the tour" as saying the band members "hate each other." The same source added, "The band is arguing like mad. They are fighting."
Van Halen is on the road with the same lineup it featured during its 2007/2008 tour: original frontman David Lee Roth, guitarist Eddie Van Halen and drummer Alex Van Halen, along with Eddie's son, Wolfgang Van Halen, on bass.
In February, the band released "A Different Kind of Truth," the first original Van Halen studio album with Roth on the mic since "1984," which surfaced in 1984.
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
9 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
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
July 2012
7 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena (POSTPONED)
9 - Hampton, VA - Hampton Coliseum (POSTPONED)
11 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center (POSTPONED)
13 - East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center (POSTPONED)
15 - Baltimore, MD - 1st Mariner Arena (POSTPONED)
17 - Rochester, NY - Blue Cross Arena (POSTPONED)
19 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena (POSTPONED)
21 - London, Ontario - John Labatt Centre (POSTPONED)
24 - Toledo, OH - Huntington Center (POSTPONED)
26 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena (POSTPONED)
28 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena (POSTPONED)
31 - Fort Wayne, IN - Allen County War Memorial Coliseum (POSTPONED)
August 2012
2 - Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center (POSTPONED)
4 - Knoxville, TN - Thompson Boling Arena (POSTPONED)
6 - Memphis, TN - FedEx Forum (POSTPONED)
8 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Arena (POSTPONED)
10 - Greenville, SC - Bi-Lo Center (POSTPONED)
12 - Cincinnati, OH - U.S. Bank Arena (POSTPONED)
21 Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena (POSTPONED)
23 Portland, OR - Rose Garden (POSTPONED)
25 Sacramento, CA - Power Balance Pavilion (POSTPONED)
28 Fresno, Calif - Save Mart Center (POSTPONED)
30 Reno, NV - Reno Events Center (POSTPONED)
September 2012
4 - Salt Lake City, UT - EnergySolutions Arena (POSTPONED)
8 - Albuquerque, NM - Tingley Coliseum (POSTPONED)
11 - El Paso, TX - Don Haskins Center (POSTPONED)
13 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center (POSTPONED)
15 - Oklahoma City, OK - Chesapeake Energy Arena (POSTPONED)
17 - Wichita, KS - Intrust Bank Arena (POSTPONED)
21 - Moline, IL - Iwireless Center (POSTPONED)
25 - Milwaukee, WI - Bradley Center (POSTPONED)
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