Following rumors of a potential Van Halen reunion this summer, David Lee Roth said the band was “finished” during an interview with the Talkin’ Rock with Meltdown podcast from Detroit’s 101 WRIF.
“It’s been canceled a number of times and I think Van Halen’s finished,” Roth said, before calling his upcoming Las Vegas residency “the next phase.”
Roth’s nine-show residency at the House of Blues Las Vegas will kick off with three shows in January, followed by six more gigs in March. Van Halen’s music will reportedly feature heavily in the show, a change from Roth’s 1995 residency, which featured just two VH cuts.
“I’ve inherited the band, de facto, whatever that means,” Roth said. “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 went on to suggest that his Vegas residency would be the place for fans to hear Van Halen classics, although he clarified that the show was not a “tribute” act or “gainful, sort of ironic remember-how-anything was.” He continued: “This is how it’s going to be, and that kind of belligerent enthusiasm is perfect for Vegas!”
Van Halen has been inactive since wrapping a 2015 summer tour, and while Roth has been busy with various projects since then, Eddie and Alex Van Halen have rarely been seen in public. In June, original bassist Michael Anthony said he was approached in 2018 about a possible reunion that would’ve taken place this summer and marked the first time all four members of the classic David Lee Roth lineup would have shared a stage since 1984. Anthony said he spoke with Van Halen’s manager Irving Azoff, as well as representatives for Roth, but a contract was never put forward and eventually the plug was pulled on the whole endeavor.
