Van Halen reunion tour news, and much more

Rolling Stone:
Days before Heart served the GOP campaign with a cease-and-desist letter for playing their 1977 hit “Barracuda” to introduce VP pick Sarah Palin (high school alias: “Sarah Barracuda”) at the August 31st Republican convention,
Van Halen sounded off against McCain and Co. for blasting their tune “Right Now” at a rally in Dayton, Ohio. “Permission was not sought or granted nor would it have been given [to use the song],” Alex and Eddie Van Halen said in a statement. But not every VH member agreed.

“I got goosebumps from it — my fur went up,” says the band’s ex-frontman, Sammy Hagar, who co-wrote and sang the song — and said he’d be “just as happy” if Obama played it. “I was honored that a potential president of the United States used those words in a positive sense, like, ‘We gotta act now!’ ”

Hagar, who’s tight-lipped on his presidential endorsement (”I vote for the man, not the party,” he says) heard that McCain used the tune via a deluge of phone calls. “I got calls from relatives, friends, doctors, lawyers… everyone thought it was so cool,” he says. “Then I started getting excited. Those words are an old Zen philosophy — it’s totally cool that they’re timeless.” Even former bandmate Eddie rang Hagar up.

“I got a message on my cell phone and it was Eddie’s voice,” Hagar recalls. “He goes, ‘Sam? This don’t sound like you. I got the wrong number.’ And he hangs up! So I hit redial. He didn’t answer, but I left a message: ‘Ed, it’s me. If you would like to talk about the ‘Right Now’ situation I’d love to speak to you about it.’ ”

The two never connected, which raises some lingering questions. “Why didn’t [Van Halen] say no when Pepsi Cola gave us a million dollars to use the song in a Pepsi Light commercial?” asks Hagar. “That’s when you say no. That isn’t the message of this song.” But when a potential future president is using it to bring a message to the world, he says, “I’m going, ‘Hell, yes!’”

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/09/12/gops-use-of-right-now-leads-to-sammy-hagar-eddie-van-halen-phone-tag/

VAN HALEN 2007-2008 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR HIGHEST GROSSING IN BAND’S HISTORY
Arena Concerts Sell Out Across The Country, Grossing More Than $93 Million

(Los Angeles, CA) June 5, 2008 – Nearly a million fans journeyed from all over the world to witness the landmark VAN HALEN tour, which kicked-off in September of 2007 in Charlotte, NC and wrapped up June 2, 2008 in Grand Rapids, MI. VAN HALEN, featuring Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen and Wolfgang Van Halen delivered their bombastic live assault performances to legions of loyal fans at 75 arena concerts throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Performing live with Roth for the first time in more than 23 years, VAN HALEN proved its timeless catalog of hits still packs the punch it did decades earlier. Each night, the band treated the capacity audiences to a dream set list of more than two hours of VAN HALEN gems plucked from their original era. Favorites including, “Jump”, “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”, “Panama” and more, received a jolt of vivacity and spirit.

“We send our thanks to the countless new and lifetime fans that helped make this tour our most successful,” said VAN HALEN in a joint statement. “We also send special gratitude to the tireless efforts of the VAN HALEN touring crew, Live Nation and the media, as well as opening acts Ky Mani Marley and Ryan Shaw,” the band went on to say.
Now that the final bits of confetti have fallen, VAN HALEN has their sights set on bright horizons with exciting developments on the way.

Visit http://www.van-halen.com/news.html for a Photo Gallery from the tour.

EDDIE VAN HALEN Reveals Guitar 'Secrets' In New Interview - May 29, 2008

RollingStone.com has posted a new interview with VAN HALEN guitar legend Eddie Van Halen as part of a new series of articles called "Secrets Of The Guitar Heroes." An excerpt from the chat follows.

RollingStone.com: Your biggest innovation was two-handed tapping — using both hands to fret notes simultaneously. Where did you get the idea?

Eddie Van Halen: "I was watching Jimmy Page going [sings hammering guitar lick], like that, with one hand, in 'Heartbreaker'. I thought, 'I can play like that, and you wouldn't know if I was using this finger [points to left hand] or this one' [points to right hand]. But you just kind of move it around, and it's like, 'You got one big hand there, buddy. That's a hell of a spread!'"

Sammy Hagar Interview
Ross Cat of Best of WNY recently spoke with Sammy Hagar about his current outing and they discussed what role his former bandmate Michael Anthony will play as well as the possibility of the "The Other Half" teaming up with Van Halen for a tour.

Sammy told Ross, "Mike will be popping in and out of the tour for sure. He really wants to play with us at the stadium shows that we are doing with Kenny Chesney. At this time I'm not exactly sure when he's going to be playing; one things for sure knowing Mikey he can't stay home when Sammy and the Wabo's are out on tour, we've found that out over the last ten years. He's played on about 90% of our gigs since the last VH reunion; he's usually around by hook or by crook." Ross then asked, "you toured with David Lee Roth back in 2003 any chance you'd be willing to set aside differences and give Van Halen fans the 'Best of Both Worlds' with all 5 guys touring together?" Sammy Responded, "As far as that goes that's just not something I'm really interested in doing again right now, Eddie would have to be able to bring himself back to ground zero; by that I mean he'd have to be completely clean."

You can see the full interview with Sammy Hagar here -

"Despite a trip to rehab and health problems ... he proved exactly why he’s one of the greatest guitar players of all time. At times it appeared like he had three hands, the meedlee-meedlee riffs and siren noises he unleashed were so lightning-fast; at other times, he conjured mournful blues melodies, channeled Hendrix’s elaborate solos and even coaxed out virtuoso-caliber symphonies."

It looks like the boys are back!  See the full story here: http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/atoz/2008/04/show_review_van_halen_at_the_s.php

Here is a link to some photos from the 4/17 Reno show.

From FemaleFirst: : Eddie Van Halen's ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli has reassured Van Halen fans the guitarist "sounds terrific" despite his current medical concerns. Actress Bertinelli contacted her former husband immediately after rumours the one-time alcoholic had returned to rehab began to circulate earlier this week (03Mar08).

And now she's stepped forward to let fans know the 53-year-old virtuoso is in much better shape than she thought he'd be in, although she sheds no light on the exact nature of Van Halen's medical issue. Bertinelli tells Canadian newspaper the Edmonton Sun, "I just talked to him a couple of days ago. I understand the curiosity - I was curious until I talked to him. He sounds terrific.  "He's just being very pro-active. It's not as awful as people think it is. I'm so proud of him right now. He sounded terrific".

The actress is hopeful the stalled Van Halen reunion tour - with her and Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass - will "start back up again on the 11th (March, in Charlottesville, Virginia)".

FROM PR-INSIDE.COM: Rockers VAN HALEN cancelled a string of comeback gigs so guitarist EDDIE VAN HALEN could return to rehab to be treated for alcoholism, according to reports. The band rescheduled two concerts in Virginia and Georgia at the end of last month (Feb08) and another this week (beg03Mar08), prompting internet reports claiming all tour dates had been pulled indefinitely.

Representatives for the rockers insist the tour is still on, despite announcing Van Halen "is undergoing a battery of comprehensive medical tests to determine a defined diagnosis and recommended medical procedures." Now sources tell the National Enquirer the 53-year-old guitarist checked himself into a clinic near San Antonio, Texas, so he could detox for a week after a furious backstage bust-up in Florida with his 17-year-old son and bandmate Wolfgang.

An insider says, "It was the big what-if of the tour - whether Eddie could stay sober. "Wolf hates it when his dad drinks. He knew Eddie was drunk onstage that night, and was acting cold to him, which set Eddie off. Eddie went beserk and started yanking guitar cables from the pedal boards and throwing cigarettes around onstage.

"At the end of the concert, Eddie was so mad at Wolf, he punched the amp speaker, knocking it over." Van Halen enjoyed a stint in rehab last year (07), which delayed plans for the comeback tour.

This is a review submitted to us from a fan who was at the Fort Lauderdale show:

Eddie and Wolfgang were fighting all night. My friends and I are diehard fans and we were watching all night how Eddie was trying to engage his son without success. He also was unusually out of his mind and we knew it was going to be a trainwreck. We were all commenting on it after the show. Kind of bummed about it but hopefully it can be resolved. It really wasn't Dave. Dave carried the show again. It was between father and son. We think Eddie probably was out of his mind for some reason and Wolfie didn't appreciate that. Anyway, that's our speculation. It was very apparent throughout the show starting halfway and especially during Ed's solo that he was pissed and not on his game.

Van Halen Dallas, Cincinnati, Raleigh, & Baltimore Concerts Postponed

Van Halen management has issued a quick press release regarding the postponement of several shows:

"The Van Halen concerts in Dallas, Cincinnati, Raleigh, and Baltimore have been postponed. According to Eddie Van Halen's physician, he is undergoing a battery of comprehensive medical tests to determine a defined diagnosis and recommended medical procedures. Fans should retain their tickets as they will be honored at the rescheduled concerts or ticket refunds will be issued at the original point of purchase.  Please check back for information regarding the rescheduled date once confirmed it will be posted here."

Source: craigandsam.com

VanHalen.com has received breaking news that some of the tour cancellation stories were a result of reporter error.  The Craig and Sam website has learned that an earlier story in the New Jersey Star-Ledger incorrectly used a 2007 Rolling Stone Magazine Van Halen tour cancellation story as the basis for its report of a cancellation now.  Apparently, the February 2007 date in the story was overlooked.  This Star-Ledger story was then widely distributed and used as a reference for many other articles. 

Samantha Adams, a DJ from www.CraigandSam.com, has received email confirmation from Jay Lustig, the author of the original Star-Ledger story, that he had mistakenly taken a line from the earlier 2007 report and that the story has now been corrected.

Further, they report that the shows have been postponed, not cancelled - and that a press release is due out with the new dates within the next 24 hours.  Billboard Magazine is reporting also that the tour is not cancelled .

New dates (From CraigandSam.com)

March 3, Dallas - postponed, rescheduled for April 24
March 5, Cincinnati - postponed, rescheduled for April 22
March 7, Raleigh - postponed, rescheduled for April 13
March 9, Baltimore - postponed, rescheduled for April 15

It's official: the American Airlines Center website is stating that tonight's Dallas show has been postponed.  I guess that would lend some substance to the rumors.

And now for some comic relief - somone has created a video showing what might happen if David Lee Roth were to audition on American Idol. You MUST see the HILARIOUS video of David Lee Roth on American Idol here !

Great news!  The postponed shows are being rescheduled. 

• The Atlanta show at the Arena at Gwinnett is being rescheduled for Wednesday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m.  
• The Charlottesville show has been rescheduled to March 11 in the John Paul Jones arena.

 The original tickets will be honored for the new date, or refunds will be offered by the original point of purchase.

WCAV 19 News in Charlottesville, VA has investigated the reports of the rumored Charlottesville incident, and has determined it to be inaccurate.  Here's their story:

"It's all over the internet, Van Halen canceled their show because of fight between band members at a club on the Downtown Mall, but is it true? We investigated and found out that yes, Van Halen's crew was at Rapture Thursday night, the night before they were supposed to play at the John Paul Jones Arena. But the bar says there was no altercation and Rapture had nothing to do with why Van Halen canceled the show"

Full Story: http://www.charlottesvillenewsplex.tv/news/headlines/15948427.html

In last Wednesday's Fort Lauderdale show, the last show before the postponements, there were fan reports that something was not right at the end of the show.   There were problems with the performance, and even some apparent anger or frustration onstage. 

See the Fort Lauderdale video here - watch at the end of the video at about 4:48 where Eddie slams his guitar down, and then while leaving the stage knocks over two guitar amps that almost hit David Lee Roth as he is leaving.   Whatever is going on, we are hopeful that the guys can get it together and get the tour back on track. 

Early reports of a fracas in Charlottesville may be incorrect.  Some locals have claimed that an altercation occurred in a Charlottesville nightclub involving the band on 2/21, which precipitated the postponements.  However, other sources have reported that the crew was in the nightclub, but the band was not even in town that night due to the weather.  So we still don't know much yet, but we'll let you know when we do!