Was it only a matter of time? Van Halen has cancelled more than 30 concert dates, including gigs in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Memphis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Detroit.
The last date on the tour, which reunited the Van Halen brother, Alex and Eddie, with original lead singer David Lee Roth, will pull up wheels on the June 26 gig in New Orleans. No word on rescheduling the gigs or how fans can get refunds has been offered.
Pollstar originally reported the news following stories about individual cancelled gigs in Salt Lake City and El Paso, Texas appeared in those cities” newspapers. Rolling Stone picked up the story and added that the concert promoter, Live Nation, declined to comment, but sources told Rolling Stone that infighting between the band (i.e. between the Van Halen(s) and Roth) were brutal. They “hate each other… band is arguing like mad,” the source told Rolling Stone.
Hey, it”s a relief to hear (though it’s unconfirmed) that infighting rather than that Eddie Van Halen”s health is causing the cancellations, but it”s a shame that grown men in their 50s and 60s can”t figure out a way to make it on stage every night (for which they are paid millions of dollars over the course of the tour, by the way). If Aerosmith can do it, why can”t Van Halen?
It would also appear that the old lack of ticket sales would not be an issue. The tour was selling very well in most markets, if not completely selling out arenas.
The band was supporting its first new album with Roth in more than two decades, “A Different Kind of Truth,” which came out in February.
Hitfix attended Van Halen’s warm-up gig in Los Angeles and found the on-stage chemistry engaging and there were no hints of problems. Is this nothing that separate buses or planes can”t fix?