David Lee Roth Declares Van Halen Is ‘Finished’
David Lee Roth thinks Van Halen is done. The California hard rock band’s longtime frontman had a lot to say in a recent interview with the Talkin’ Rock With Meltdown podcast on 101 WRIF – and none of it was good news for Van Halen fans. In the interview, Roth said the band he famously fronted on-and-off starting in the early 1970s is “finished.”
When asked about a buzzed-about Van Halen stadium tour that was reportedly in the early planning stages for this past summer but never took shape, Roth delivered a dire prediction.
“It’s been canceled a number of times and I think Van Halen’s finished,” Roth said.
The 64-year-old singer described his upcoming Las Vegas residency as the band’s “next phase” as he seemingly phased out band co-founder Eddie Van Halen.
“I’ve inherited the band, de facto, whatever that means. I think it means, you’ve inherited it, carry this proudly. Van Halen isn’t going to be coming back in the fashion that you know. And, that being said, Eddie’s got his own story to tell — not mine to tell it.”
Roth will kick off “David Lee Roth: ROCKS VEGAS,” a nine-show residency at the House of Blues Las Vegas, in January, with more dates to follow in March. The show will feature “26 instantly recognizable songs” including Van Halen’s “Jump,” “Panama,” and more tracks from the band’s classic catalog of hits, according to Rolling Stone.
Roth’s declaration that Van Halen as fans know it is done comes amid rumors that guitar legend Eddie Van Halen is dealing with health problems. Alternative Nation reports that Roth and former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony have acknowledged that they’ve heard “rumors” about Eddie’s health, but nothing has been publicly announced. Van Halen as a band has been inactive since 2015.
Fans have been hoping for a true Van Halen reunion — one that would include Eddie, Alex, and the fired Michael Anthony — for years. In 2017, Sammy Hagar, who replaced Roth in the band in 1986, pitched an idea for a full reunion of Van Halen veterans that would include both him and Roth rotating as lead singer, as reported by The Inquisitr.
But Hagar, who turns 72 later this month, also said the aging rockers could be running out of time to headline a reunion tour that longtime fans deserve, and he made it clear he won’t want to be part of a Van Halen reunion when he’s 75.
Anthony, meanwhile, has said Van Halen owes it to their loyal fans to give them “some kind of proper closure.”
While no formal announcement about the band’s future has been made, it sounds like that closure could now come in Las Vegas, at a David Lee Roth show.
