Van Halen

Invisible Pedestrian · **Joined:** 24 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 13594

God-what a farce. Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, hell, even Gary Cherrone-you all win by not being part of this travesty that never was!
From FMQB.com:

Earlier this week, multiple sources were reporting that the Van Halen reunion tour with David Lee Roth had been "postponed indefinitely." Now Rolling Stone says that it's official: the tour will not be happening at all. The magazine cites a memo informing Live Nation employees simply that "the Van Halen tour has been shut down." Some other reports have said there may have been "contractual issues" surrounding the tour and a deal with Live Nation never fully materialized.

Also, a new Van Halen best-of disc highlighting the Roth years was set to be released by Rhino Records this fall, to capitalize on the tour and the band's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Now Blabbermouth reports that the compilation has also been "indefinitely postponed."

The next issue of Rolling Stone is slated to have a feature on the band, and excerpts have already appeared on RollingStone.com from a new interview with Roth, along with the first group shot of the new lineup.

Dr. Chris Evil · 26 Jul 2006

Van Halen's road plans have taken a rocky turn
February 22nd, 2007

From: http://www.latimes.com/

By Geoff Boucher, Times Staff Writer
February 23, 2007

For Van Halen, the stars seemed aligned for a triumphant 2007. Next month, the group will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the plan was to follow that with a summer reunion tour that would feature David Lee Roth back at the mike for the first time since the Reagan years.

But, once again, the backstage soap opera of Van Halen is the story of the day.

The Van Halen tour has been "shut down," according to a top official at Live Nation, the huge concert promoter that finally surrendered in the face of the chaos surrounding guitar hero Eddie Van Halen. 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."

Eddie Van Halen declined interviews through his publicist and girlfriend, Janie Liszewski. Conversations with the business team behind the tour paint a picture of a rock star who is somewhere between Axl Rose and Michael Jackson on the music industry scale of eccentric recluses. The result is that the Van Halen venture imploded before takeoff, even as the Police, the Eagles and Genesis have efficiently geared up for lucrative reunion tours.

"I cannot tell you how frustrating and completely nuts this has been," one key business figure in the tour said while asking not to be identified on the outside chance that the reunion might be salvaged. "Right now, I have to say, I don't see that happening."

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. Wolfgang was tapped by his father to play bass on the tour too, replacing founding member Michael Anthony, a jolting choice considering the child's age and Anthony's status as one of rock's best backup singers and most relentlessly cheerful presences.

Eddie Van Halen remains, by all accounts, a gifted guitarist and rock auteur, but the decision to jettison Anthony in favor of a teenager may have been the first sign that the new enterprise was guided by creaky logic. Now all eyes will be on the Hall of Fame banquet to see who shows up, who performs and how Roth interacts with old rival Sammy Hagar, the man who replaced him as lead singer in 1985 and who will be inducted as an equal.

On Valentine's Day, when the tour still looked viable, Roth was all smiles as he sat down for an interview in a bungalow at Chateau Marmont. The 52- year-old was wearing a snappy black suit and the short haircut that has recently replaced his old pro-wrestler cut. 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."

Roth was the rock frontman on top of the world when he went solo, but -- as Mick Jagger and Robert Plant also learned -- fans treasure him more when he was side-by-side with an equal on guitar. Roth seemed like a vainglorious sex panther in Van Halen, but on his own he often came off as a relentless jive salesman whose only product was his own past. Roth is still "on" all the time -- he calls it his "incandescent personality" -- but lately he comes off as the voice of reason, a pretty stunning change.

That, and the financial prospects, made him jump at the chance to work with Eddie Van Halen again. Of the old days, he says: "There was a lot of sparks and a lot of tension, like your favorite movies, especially those underground ones.... There was a lot of anxiety too, but it was about ambition, not ego."

Roth was optimistic that the band would follow up the tour with new music; he also pointed to the cache of 1996 recordings that he did with Van Halen during an earlier reunion flirtation. Now it appears the entire output of this new reunion was a single rehearsal in January and a photo shoot with Roth and Eddie, Wolfgang and Alex Van Halen. Alex is Eddie's older brother and the band's drummer.

"Hearing it again, that's an elixir.... What we sell is that we make all the guys feel young and invincible and all the girls feel young and desirable," Roth said. "I watched it happen to everybody that was listening in the studio."

Van Halen was a monster of rock and, for a time, arguably the biggest band in the world. According to the Recording Industry Assn. of America, Van Halen albums have shipped more than 56.5 million copies, which is more than the career totals of U2, Celine Dion, Shania Twain or Prince.

Roth said that he and Anthony will be in New York for the Hall of Fame, as will Hagar, the affable "red rocker."

Last month, Hagar publicly chided Eddie Van Halen for taking his son on tour. He also added that "the guy is a genius, but he's just out there and it's hard for people around him."

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."

There were tender scenes too. With the tour winding down in Los Angeles, for instance, Wolfgang came on stage at the Staples Center to play. The body language of father and son made it clear that they reveled in the shared spotlight. Roth said that that affection led to the hopes for the Van Halen reunion.

"I'm going to put some words in Ed's mouth," Roth said. "Whatever explanation he may give about having his son in the band, I'm going to superimpose: He wants to play with his kid while he's still at the top of his game and able to ... and that's also the same reason I'm in the band in its current configuration. No questions asked. He said, 'Hey, c'mon up the hill and make some music.' I said, 'Great. I'd love to play with you while you're still on the top of your game.' "

Roth smiled, but a moment later, when he was asked about what he feared most about the reunion, he didn't hesitate with his answer: "The two worst words in the English lexicon are 'band meeting.' "

stevef · 05 Aug 2006

From Billboard---http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily

3/8/07, 5:43 pm EST

Breaking News: Eddie Van Halen Is Going to Rehab

We just received this compelling text from Eddie Van Halen’s representatives. We’re all pulling for you, Eddie …

I would like Van Halen fans to know how much I truly appreciate each and every one of you. Without you there is no Van Halen.

I have always and will always feel a responsibility to give you my best. At the moment I do not feel that I can give you my best. That’s why I have decided to enter a rehabilitation facility to work on myself, so that in the future I can deliver the 110% that I feel I owe you and want to give you.

Some of the issues surrounding the 2007 Van Halen tour are within my ability to change and some are not. As far as my rehab is concerned, it is within my ability to change and change for the better. I want you to know that is exactly what I’m doing, so that I may continue to give you the very best I am capable of.

I look forward to seeing you in the future better than ever and
I thank you with all my heart.

Love,

Ed

JohnG · 03 Aug 2006

Does this mean the tour is on or really off?

Invisible Pedestrian · **Joined:** 24 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 13594

What a fiasco this has become! With the Genesis and Police tours raking in the bucks, it's best this didn't happen.
It looked awful from the start.
Only one rehersal, and at that rehersal, Wolfie had to show Eddie his guitar parts. Yikes.
Looks like Sammy was right. Next week will be sad at the R&R HOF indeed. Eddie and Alex should still be there. Hopefully the man will get well because he's been ill and out of his mind for a while.

Rich Slaughter · 15 Nov 2006

They should bring in Steve Morse to sub for Eddie when they play. He can run circles around Eddie anytime and copy his playing if so desired. Check out his Major Impacts I & II Cd's for proof. The man can play and Eddie is a joke.

I just wish the Hall show was broadcast and not edited for later play. And even Rolling Stone won't make it sound that bad because Jann W has too much at stake with the Hall. (Can't make them look that bad, no matter what happens) Maybe another rag will print the truth?

Geff R. · 27 Sep 2006

Here's more from the Hoffman board:

Reunion tour? Eddie Van Halen enters rehab. *
http://www.comcast.net/entertainment...h=itn_vanhalen

Eddie Van Halen Jumps to Rehab.
Fri Mar 9, 7:23 AM

What began as a year of celebration is quickly turning sour for Van Halen.

Founder and resident guitar god Eddie Van Halen has checked into rehab, according to a statement on his namesake band's Website Thursday, just days before VH was due to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"I have always and will always feel a responsibility to give you my best. At the moment I do not feel that I can give you my best," Van Halen wrote.

"That's why I have decided to enter a rehabilitation facility to work on myself, so that in the future I can deliver the 110 percent that I feel I owe you and want to give you."

Van Halen's move seems to confirm earlier speculation that his band's ballyhooed summer tour, featuring the return of David Lee Roth on vocals, was off.

Plans for the 40-date North American jaunt were announced to fanfare in early February, but, seemingly from that moment on, the entire enterprise seemed doomed.

By Feb. 21 Rolling Stone was reporting that promoter Live Nation had been informed that "the Van Halen tour had been shut down." The Los Angeles Times later pinned the reunion's demise in part on Eddie Van Halen's drinking.

"Some of the issues surrounding the 2007 Van Halen tour are within my ability to change and some are not," the rocker said in his statement. "As far as my rehab is concerned, it is within my ability to chance and change for the better. I want you to know that is exactly what I'm doing, so that I may continue to give you the very best I am capable of."

Geff R. · 27 Sep 2006

Rich Slaughter wrote:

They should bring in Steve Morse to sub for Eddie when they play. He can run circles around Eddie anytime and copy his playing if so desired.

I disagree. For better or for worse, if there is one irreplaceable member of VH, it's Eddie. Although in my minority opinion, Roth is a close second. While I like Sammy as a solo artist, Van Hager basically never existed for me.

themanwhosoldtheworld · **Joined:** 01 Feb 2007 **Posts:** 51

Good way to duck out of the R-N-R Ceremony & performance. I'm sure none of them will play period. Oh well, I was looking forward to the others, Ronettes, R.E.M. & Patti Smith anyway.

Ken Banya · 09 Oct 2006

He's baaaaack

http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/ap/ny10703090648.widec.jpg

Geff R. · 27 Sep 2006

By Ray Waddell Tue Jul 3, 7:22 PM ET

"NASHVILLE (Billboard) - A proposed summer amphitheater tour by a reunited Van Halen that was derailed when guitarist Eddie Van Halen checked into rehab now could 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 would feature original singer 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 amphitheater tour, with 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."

My comment, can we lose Wolfgang,..... PLEASE??

Renny · 26 Jun 2006

valerie bertinelli must be asking for more money.

i wonder if there is still interest in this band.

it does say amphitheaters, not arenas and sheds, so they must know something.

renny

Dr. Chris Evil · 26 Jul 2006

I read about this yesterday and my reaction was pretty much this... :roll:

.

I was hoping that Eddie's stint in rehab had nullified this configuration of VH, but apparently, he's determined to go forward with it.

I guess the fact that September is the beginning of the school year isn't a consideration for Wolfgang, since he'll probably just live off his Dad's money for the rest of his life.

I'm sure Van Wolfgang will do very well...but I don't plan on going to see 'em.

Happy Fourth Of July, everyone.

Walter P · 20 Sep 2006

I'm not suggesting that Wolfie is going to be anywhere near as good as Michael Anthony, but if he has any talent at all, I'm sure that this could be workable. I think the bigger issue is whether or not everyone can get along for a long enough period of time to cover a full tour.

ted262 · 22 Aug 2004

It's not so much the bass skills that VH would be missing as much as Michael Anthony's backing vocals.

Of course, Wolfie probably hasn't hit puberty yet, so he might be able to hit those high notes anyways....

Dr. Chris Evil · 26 Jul 2006

ted262 wrote:

It's not so much the bass skills that VH would be missing as much as Michael Anthony's backing vocals.

Of course, Wolfie probably hasn't hit puberty yet, so he might be able to hit those high notes anyways....

He'll be adding those Peter Brady-style backing vocals. "When it's time to change, you have to be...unchained!!!" :twisted:

JohnG · 03 Aug 2006

I didn't get excitied or buy tickets immedialtely last time they announced "the tour with Dave" and I'm still standing by with this news.

I'll believe it when I see the tour bus pull into Long Island.

RoyalScam · 04 Oct 2006

I will not buy tickets for this...I MIGHT scalp the day of. I just refuse to get burned...

Renny · 26 Jun 2006

they couldn't get it together for the summer so.......

By Ray Waddell
Tue Aug 7, 5:39 AM ET
Yahoo

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - 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.

Pope Krysak · 11 Dec 2006

I'm sure it will make money. But they'll never be the bad they once were. They've crossed that line into oldies/nostalgia. Ah well. They had a good run.

ted262 · 22 Aug 2004

Pope Krysak wrote:

I'm sure it will make money. But they'll never be the bad they once were.

I disagree. I believe that can be even worse...

Pope Krysak · 11 Dec 2006

Heh. Quite possibly. For full train wreck status they need a reality tv series based around it. It'd be hilarious to see how things work out when they aren't on stage.

Van Halen

Who is WANline