| November 20, 2009 |
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David Lee Roth officially returned to Van Halen today, marking the first time in 23 years he will tour with the band. Eddie's son Wolfgang has also taken over on bass for longtime fan-favorite, and founding member Michael Anthony.
Van Halen announced their tour plans at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, CA this morning. The proposed tour will start on September 27, 2007 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and run through December 11th in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. More dates are expected to be added soon.
It's a bittersweet story for Van Halen fans, as Roth returns, Michael Anthony departs. Anthony, well known for his distinct and powerful backing vocals and Jack Daniels bass, will be on tour with former-Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar and his band this fall. This will be the first Van Halen tour not to feature 'Mikey' on bass.
Instead, the bass playing reigns have been turned over to Eddie's 16-year old son Wolfgang, whose touring resume is comprised of playing rhythm guitar on his father's solo spots on selected 2004 tour dates. It is unknown if he will be singing back-up on this tour, or if pre-recorded vocals will be piped in. In any event, Michael Anthony's contributions in this department will be sorely missed.
In another bizarre note. On the Official Van Halen Web Site, the album covers that feature Michael Anthony's pictures have been removed and/or edited. In particular, the legendary "Van Halen" album photo now shows Wolfgang in the spot where Mike should appear, in the bottom right quadrant. This is a rather strange way for the band to honor their history, and a founding member's contributions, by removing his picture from the album covers.
WRITER'S NOTE: Yes the images on the web site have now been fixed. But, when this article was originally written, those album cover images did not contain Mike's picture. We'd like to think it was ours' and other loyal VH fans' complaints to management, that helped return Mike to his rightful place on those covers.
According to Roth at the press conference, "This is not like the Police. The idea is that this will go on and on and on. This is like a brotherhood like it never was before." This writer is not sure that Dave realized the true irony in that statement. Unlike the Police, Van Halen is not touring with their original members. So yes he's right, this is not like the Police...unfortunately.
Most remember the group was supposed to start this tour earlier this summer, but those dates were canceled when Eddie went into rehab back in Spring. "None of us wanted to give you less than our best," Eddie said. Here's hoping he's telling the truth, and the band is truly on top of their game. They will need to be.
Tickets for the earlier shows go on sale August 18th at 10 AM with other dates to go on sale afterwards. Tickets can be purchased through our site, by going to our 2007 Van Halen Tour page and clicking the purchase ticket links. You can also discuss the upcoming tour with other fans on our message forums at our 2007 Van Halen Tour forum.
Looking forward to seeing everyone's comments and reviews on the upcoming tour.
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