Van Halen still hasn’t decided to implode and fall apart again with David Lee Roth at the helm. The band is actually chugging along at a steady pace, preparing to start a North American tour that will take on the nation starting in July.
To kick things off, the band will take the stage together on television for the first time in decades and the first time since Roth rejoined the band in 2006. From Rolling Stone:
The first will take place over two nights on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, airing on March 30th and March 31st, and the second will be on Ellen on April 2nd. The group have also set a string of North American live dates, with the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band opening for them, this summer and fall.
The band will tape its Kimmel performance on March 30th on Hollywood Boulevard, where they will play some of their greatest hits. That appearance coincides with the release of a new live record – their first to feature Roth – titled Tokyo Dome Live in Concert. The group recorded the 23-song set in Japan in 2013 and will release the album on March 31st.
The band released some previews for the live record online as a little teaser. Let’s give the classic “Panama” a listen here:
Holy crap, that’s rough. It’s fairly clear that the band is now full of 60-year-old dudes, save for Wolfgang Van Halen and the ghost of Gary Cherone. Still, the Rolling Stones sound better than that, right?
When the news was initially shared with me, I got excited. I also got excited when the group got back together in 2006, despite the very public spat with former bassist Michael Anthony and the Stalin-esque wiping of history from the Van Halen camp.
Listening to that live recording from their Tokyo Dome almost makes me regret hoping they’d get back together. It’s a reminder than time does not stop and the rock and roll lifestyle is hard on people, even if it does look pretty awesome. At least Eddie’s guitar is still pretty bad ass.
(Via Rolling Stone)
