David Lee Roth plans solo outing

update: Apparently no longer content to wait around for a potential reunion with Van Halen, David Lee Roth is hitting the road on his own this summer. The former Van Halen frontman has so far scheduled a handful of solo dates in late June.

Roth's itinerary currently begins with a casino performance, followed by two classic-rock festivals, the first of which is set for June 23 at the Rock in Maplewood, Minn. There, Roth will headline a roster of acts that also includes Great White, Warrant, Firehouse, Jackyl and Blue Oyster Cult. Tickets are on sale at the venue now, and will be available through Ticketmaster beginning on Thursday (5/31), according to a venue spokesperson..

The second festival appearance takes place on June 30 at the Bottineau, N.D., Rockin' the Hills festival, a four-day event that runs from June 28-July 1. Roth's Saturday night performance will cap a day that will also feature sets from acts such as Foghat, Survivor and Steppenwolf. Tickets are on sale now, according to the event's official website.

More dates will be added soon, according to Roth's official website.

Roth's touring band will feature guitarist Bart Walsh, who toured with Roth behind 1998's "DLR Band" (Wawazat). Walsh was previously the guitarist for the Atomic Punks, a Los Angeles-area Van Halen cover band.

A full band lineup was not available at press time.

During his 1998-1999 tour, Roth's set list was comprised almost entirely of classic Van Halen numbers, and generally included only two solo tunes.

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Roth left Van Halen in 1985 to pursue a solo career, and was replaced by Sammy Hagar. A brief reunion occurred in 1996 following Hagar's departure, during which Roth and Van Halen recorded two new songs that appeared on 1996's "Van Halen: Best of Vol. 1" (Warner Bros.). A second acrimonious split followed, after which Van Halen teamed up with former Extreme singer Gary Cherone for 1998's "Van Halen 3." Rumors of a Roth-Van Halen reunion have been swirling in the press and among fans since Cherone's 1999 departure from the band.

Roth most recently made news in April when he announced that he had jammed with Van Halen last year and had written three new songs with guitarist Eddie Van Halen last July, but had not been in touch with the group since that time.

Roth's former bandmates--guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony--responded to Roth's announcement by saying that they were "aware of all the rumors" and were "continuing to work in the studio creating music for our next record," with no indication of who, if anyone, will sing on that record. Eddie Van Halen was recently quoted by Reuters as saying that the songs that he wrote with Roth will "probably" never be released.

One week after Roth revealed his 2000 involvement with Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen posted a letter on his group's official website, in which he confirmed that he is battling cancer. The guitarist said in the statement that he is "beating" the disease, and added that "there's a good chance I will be cancer free in the near future."