FROM THE LA TIMES

[Trailblazer]

This is from the LA times -

February 23, 2007




On again, off again
Van Halen, the stars seemed aligned for a triumphant 2007. Next month, the group will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the plan was to follow that with a summer reunion tour that would feature David Lee Roth back at the mike for the first time since the Reagan years.

But, once again, the backstage soap opera of Van Halen is the story of the day.

The Van Halen tour has been "shut down," according to a top official at Live Nation, the huge concert promoter that finally surrendered in the face of the chaos surrounding guitar hero Eddie Van Halen. Roth, meanwhile, says he is unsure whether the mercurial guitarist will even travel to New York for the Hall of Fame induction on March 12.

"We have fragile politics in Van Halen; please accept that as a partial answer," Roth said. "But I don't know if the Van Halens are going to go....I hope they do, but right now, I just don't know. Hope springs eternal."

Eddie Van Halen declined interviews through his publicist and girlfriend, Janie Liszewski. Conversations with the business team behind the tour paint a picture of a rock star who is somewhere between Axl Rose and Michael Jackson on the music industry scale of eccentric recluses. The result is that the Van Halen venture imploded before takeoff, even as the Police, the Eagles and Genesis have efficiently geared up for lucrative reunion tours.

"I cannot tell you how frustrating and completely nuts this has been," one key business figure in the tour said while asking not to be identified on the outside chance that the reunion might be salvaged. "Right now, I have to say, I don't see that happening."

It's a disheartening situation for the fans who pine for a Roth-led lineup of the iconic metal band. Among those devoted is Wolfgang Van Halen, the 15-year-old son of Eddie and, according to Roth, a key force behind the reunion.

Wolfgang, a precocious musician, was "the maestro" at the reconstituted band's lone rehearsal, picking the set list and using his iPod to remind his father of the nuances of his solos on the old albums. Wolfgang was tapped by his father to play bass on the tour too, replacing founding member Michael Anthony, a jolting choice considering the child's age and Anthony's status as one of rock's best backup singers and most relentlessly cheerful presences.

Eddie Van Halen remains, by all accounts, a gifted guitarist and rock auteur, but the decision to jettison Anthony in favor of a teenager may have been the first sign that the new enterprise was guided by creaky logic. Now all eyes will be on the Hall of Fame banquet to see who shows up, who performs and how Roth interacts with old rival Sammy Hagar, the man who replaced him as lead singer in 1985 and who will be inducted as an equal.

On Valentine's Day, when the tour still looked viable, Roth was all smiles as he sat down for an interview in a bungalow at Chateau Marmont. The 52-year-old was wearing a snappy black suit and the short haircut that has recently replaced his old pro-wrestler cut. He still flashes a karate smile, but the singer seems calmer and more focused than in years past. The reason, he said, is that he's fresh from working as an emergency medical technician in New York. It's a longtime dream of his to be a paramedic, and the unglamorous gurney and rubber-glove duty humbled him, he said.

"I was working in neighborhoods that were almost exclusively black and Spanish-speaking, so only maybe twice out of 200 clients was I recognized.... I was joking about this in the truck on New Year's Eve, which was my last shift — I was working in Brooklyn, down in Coney Island — I said that I've been in more project apartments than Jay-Z and Diddy combined."

Roth was the rock frontman on top of the world when he went solo, but — as Mick Jagger and Robert Plant also learned — fans treasure him more when he was side-by-side with an equal on guitar. Roth seemed like a vainglorious sex panther in Van Halen, but on his own he often came off as a relentless jive salesman whose only product was his own past. Roth is still "on" all the time — he calls it his "incandescent personality" — but lately he comes off as the voice of reason, a pretty stunning change.

That, and the financial prospects, made him jump at the chance to work with Eddie Van Halen again. Of the old days, he says: "There was a lot of sparks and a lot of tension, like your favorite movies, especially those underground ones.... There was a lot of anxiety too, but it was about ambition, not ego."

Roth was optimistic that the band would follow up the tour with new music; he also pointed to the cache of 1996 recordings that he did with Van Halen during an earlier reunion flirtation. Now it appears the entire output of this new reunion was a single rehearsal in January and a photo shoot with Roth and Eddie, Wolfgang and Alex Van Halen. Alex is Eddie's older brother and the band's drummer.

"Hearing it again, that's an elixir.... What we sell is that we make all the guys feel young and invincible and all the girls feel young and desirable," Roth said. "I watched it happen to everybody that was listening in the studio."

Van Halen was a monster of rock and, for a time, arguably the biggest band in the world. According to the Recording Industry Assn. of America, Van Halen albums have shipped more than 56.5 million copies, which is more than the career totals of U2, Celine Dion, Shania Twain or Prince.

Roth said that he and Anthony will be in New York for the Hall of Fame, as will Hagar, the affable "red rocker."

Last month, Hagar publicly chided Eddie Van Halen for taking his son on tour. He also added that "the guy is a genius, but he's just out there and it's hard for people around him."

In 2004 and 2005, Van Halen toured with Hagar and, according to Pollstar, grossed $55 million playing arenas. But Hagar said that Eddie Van Halen was drinking heavily and, on some nights, it showed. In Chicago, Eddie stumbled throughout the set and, at one point, quit playing and sacked out, telling the crowd: "I done run outta gas."

There were tender scenes too. With the tour winding down in Los Angeles, for instance, Wolfgang came on stage at the Staples Center to play. The body language of father and son made it clear that they reveled in the shared spotlight. Roth said that that affection led to the hopes for the Van Halen reunion.

"I'm going to put some words in Ed's mouth," Roth said. "Whatever explanation he may give about having his son in the band, I'm going to superimpose: He wants to play with his kid while he's still at the top of his game and able to ... and that's also the same reason I'm in the band in its current configuration. No questions asked. He said, 'Hey, c'mon up the hill and make some music.' I said, 'Great. I'd love to play with you while you're still on the top of your game.' "

Roth smiled, but a moment later, when he was asked about what he feared most about the reunion, he didn't hesitate with his answer: "The two worst words in the English lexicon are 'band meeting.' "

[Andrew]

Says it all really.

EVH is the problem.

[Trailblazer]

Nothing would make me happier than to see this man get the help he so desperately needs. I would like to see him do this, not for reunions, not for the band, but for himself and his son. I would like Eddie to see Wolfie grow into a man, watch him succeed in whatever he chooses to do with his life and maybe some day play with his grandchildren. More than any reunion or tour, this is what I wish for Eddie Van Halen.

[Voyager]

Says it all really.

EVH is the problem.

That's what I've been saying all along. Granted, my tone may have come across as somewhat negative, but I saw it more like simple reality (because I am not a negative or pessimistic person). My grief and apathy came from seeing Eddie in this state of mind, and from having a gut feeling that this tour would probably get ruined by him before it even got off the ground.

Anyway, like Andrew said, that L.A. Times article says it all.

[Red13JoePa]

JMJ, either I'm buying the schitk hook/line/sinker or this is very very sad.
DLR is the voice of reason in the article, for chrissake. That should say it all, there's not even a HINT of his usual double meaning in those quotes.

WTF IS THE MATTER WITH EDWARD??????????????????????

I'm getting madder and madder and I think my posts here are betraying that.

VH has never been out of my top3 bands, BUT...given the situation since 1999 I'd conditioned myself to take all promises with salt. That led to great enjoymenent with the new songs and big tour in 04, because I HAD no expectations.

We've been down this false DLR road before and I never flinched because come Novermber of 1999 I KNEW better.

THIS time, against all better judgement when I saw the RS pic I admit I bought into it and because of that I AM DESPONDENT (relatively speaking, of course ) now.

[Phreakboy]

My question is this.

How did things proceed to this level of a tour being planned etc etc without these issues of Eddie's being address or looked into ?

Is it just Eddie's ego that is the issue or his substance abuse problems. (or both) If it's his substance abuse issues then why didn't Live Nation feel that was gonna be a problem before they started booking shows ?

Since Live Nation knew how Eddie was during the last tour with Sammy, didn't they think to look into his stability before they even considered getting back into bed with the Van Halen's again ?

It appears Dave is being very easy to work with on pulling it all together. That's a plus.

[Kenny]

Anyone seen 'Amadeus'? Supposedly Mozart was a real nutbag.....maybe Edward is trying to follow in his heros footsteps.

I hope there's some kind of positive announcement soon....if Edward loses guys like me, then I think his fan base is in deep shit. I forgive a lot of stuff under the headline 'Eccentric rock star/flawed genius'......but I think even that has limits.

Having said that, there have only been one or two official announcements from the band and/or its management.....though I could be wrong. Has there been anything from Azoff?

[ltbob]

Im with ya Kenny. Im tired of waitin for more disapointment. Its gettin to be like the little girl cryin wolf. I've been a fan since day one, and I think I've had enough.

[Voyager]

A lot of Steve Tyler's fans gave up on him until he entered rehab at the age of 38. Eddie's a little older than that, but it's never too late.

Who knows? Maybe this is the big secret that is holding up the tour? Maybe Eddie entered a rehab?

[Trailblazer]

Speaking for myself, I wish the band would release an official statment about the current situation. I think VH fans deserve to know more than what they're being told, which is pretty much nothing. Their official website wasn't touched for two years, but the faithful still come back. If this tour does get off the ground some day, VH will expect its fans to run out and buy what probably will be overpriced tickets. Considering this recent turn of events, I think that's asking an awful lot. I'm thinking maybe the publicist is secretly wishing she hadn't given up her old job.

[Mikey B]

This lack of an official statement reminds me of Axl's new Guns N roses

[Kenny]

This lack of an official statement reminds me of Axl's new Guns N roses

C'mon now...they have announced 'Chinese Democracy' is going to be released heaps of times!! That's a statement!!

[VanRoth07]

I tell ya, ive been a fan since 1978 and im fed up!! Im so close to telling Dave Eddie Alex Michael, Sammy Wolfgang, whoever else they decide is "in the band" to go fuck themselves,

[Mikey B]

I tell ya, ive been a fan since 1978 and im fed up!! Im so close to telling Dave Eddie Alex Michael, Sammy Wolfgang, whoever else they decide is "in the band" to go fuck themselves,

I get the frustration, Ive been a fan since 1982 ( I was 9, an older cousin turned me on to Diver Down.). Van Hagar and Van Extreme diddnt do it for me. VH is Roth & Eddie. But this new tour is gonna happen, have faith.

[ironmountain]

I would love nothing better than to see Ed get the help he needs, refresh, recharge and reunite with all the members of Van Halen. A tour would be gravy and a new album would be dessert.

The irony of this latest soap opera, is that Dave comes out the sane, reasonable one. Perhaps he's been staying at the same irony hotel as K-fed.

Hope Ed gets better, he's a guitar god and a damn fine musician.

[The Ghost Rider]

"Conversations with the business team behind the tour paint a picture of a rock star who is somewhere between Axl Rose and Michael Jackson on the music industry scale of eccentric recluses."



Some really good company Eddie is in.

[VH101]

The irony of this latest soap opera, is that Dave comes out the sane, reasonable one.

Who wouldn't have more humility and sanity after being an E.M.T. where Dave was? The man is truly admirable.

[bionic]

Says it all really.

EVH is the problem.

Even Gene Simmons who has his head up his arse new he needed Peter and Ace were as Eddie seems to think 15 year old Wolfie will do instead of Micheal Anthony Eddie needs help and quick!

[Kenny]

Says it all really.

EVH is the problem.

Even Gene Simmons who has his head up his arse new he needed Peter and Ace were as Eddie seems to think 15 year old Wolfie will do instead of Micheal Anthony Eddie needs help and quick!

Er....Frehley and Criss were rehired for the 'reunion' tour and then given the arse weren't they?

Prior to that Frehley left in 81 0r 82 (Vinnie Vincent played and toured on 'Creatures' and Criss didn't play on 'Unmasked' in 1980 supposedly....