The Agency's Posts

Grammys 2013: The performance mash-ups to dread: The best thing theGrammystelecast attempts to do is also its most tricky feat to accomplish:....
Read More>

Review: Laughs stolen in 'Identity Thief': The script for this revenge/road trip farce is a mess, but Melissa McCarthy is a gem and Jason....
Read More>

Kelly McGillis recalls making the 1986 blockbuster 'Top Gun': “I feel the need, the need for speed” Maverick and Goose are flying high once....
Read More>

Kristen Wiig joins Will Ferrell in 'Anchorman' sequel: Kristen Wiigis joining the cast ofWill Ferrell's "Anchorman" sequel. Knights of....
Read More>

'Lincoln' pierced ears, 'Argo' pecs? Talk about period drama: With his concave cheekbones, lanky build and grooved brow,Daniel Day-LewisreplicatesAbraham....
Read More>

De Niro's thoughts on some of his most memorable films: cWith a career that stretches back to the 1960s,Robert De Nirohas been in more than his share....
Read More>

Saturday NIght Movie Pick: <iframe width="350" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NApJ
Read More>

Justin Timberlake to perform at the Grammy Awards: TheGrammy Awardsstill have the ability to surprise. The Recording Academy unveiled this morning....
Read More>

Rediscovering Lee Marvin's gritty brilliance: The versatile Oscar-winner, who died at 63 in 1987, is the subject of a new biography, a....
Read More>

W. Kamau Bell gets talk-show lessons from Chris Rock: W. Kamau Bell, host of FX's "Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell," said he is trying....
Read More>

Amanda Seyfried says 'Mean Girls' was her 'best work': Amanda Seyfriedis getting quite a bit of love for her latest films "Lovelace" and"
Read More>

SAG Awards 2013: 'Argo' a go-go; Day-Lewis now Oscar frontrunner: A big win for Ben Affleck and cast raises the film's best picture chances in the Oscar race,....
Read More>

Bono reveals details about new U2 studio album: A newU2album is rattling (and humming) to life. Inan interviewwith England's Sun newspaper,....
Read More>

Jenna Lyons, the Woman Who Dresses America: IT’S hard to miss Jenna Lyons. About nine feet tall and slim as a mink, often....
Read More>
Van Halen announces tour (and, yes, David Lee Roth's singing)
Posted on: 12/28/11
Share/Save/Bookmark
 

There are some universal truths that most rock fans can’t deny, be they punkers, funkers, rockers or metalheads: That at their prime in the 1970s and '80s, Van Halen was one of the greatest flat-out rock bands on the planet, and that the combination of David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen was a force of nature. The band, which rose in Los Angeles in the mid-'70s, announced on Monday an extensive 2012 tour -- minus bassist Anthony, unfortunately.

At their peak, the best rock band to ever come out of Pasadena had all the bases covered: As a rhythm section, Alex Van Halen and Anthony worked as a solid but fluid unit in support of Eddie with the magic riffs and fingers, who showboated his technique but understood the importance of a solid melody. (That’s him, remember, soloing on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.") And "Diamond" David Lee Roth: There was no better lead singer in all of rock in the '80s than Roth at his peak, a funny, charismatic charmer whose onstage scissor kicks created a template for dozens of lesser hair metal singers who arrived in his wake.

Van Halen's evolution has tested the limits of its fan base. There was that whole Gary Cherone nightmare of 1998; and, at the risk of taking sides in a long-running argument, the Sammy Hagar years are best left unmentioned. In 2007 three of the original members -- without Anthony, who was replaced on bass by Eddie’s son Wolfgang Van Halen --  undertook part of a tour before canceling it midway through so Eddie, who was drinking heavily, could enter rehab. The aborted tour had been well received, and in 2010 rumors started flying about Van Halen being in the studio, and upcoming tour plans. The band signed to Interscope Records in November 2011.

No word yet on a release date for the record or specific stops on the tour. But videos on the band’swebsite say that tickets will go on sale on Jan. 10, and show a revived band doing their best approximation of its '80s peak -- absent, unfortunately, Anthony, swinging across the stage slugging Jack Daniels. And it’s a pretty good bet that Diamond Dave won’t be singing "Right Now," “Why Can’t This Be Love?” or anything else from the Van Hagar years.

 
COMMENTS
Be the first to post a comment!


Post A Comment:




  • It's 2020! Start booking roles in commercials, fashion, films, theater and more with The Agency Online!

  • NEW WORKSHOP with Barbara Barna & Sean De Simone!

    Hi Everyone and Happy Summer! Sean at Sean De Simone casting and Barbara Barna are teaming up for a super informative and fun Hosting for Home Shopping workshop. A great opportunity for established or experienced TV Hosts and Experts interested in learning how to get noticed and how to get in....
  • MASTERCLASS W. Robin Carus & David John Madore

    A Special Offer for the Agency Community, from one of our favorite NYC Casting Directors! EMAIL FacetheMusicWithUs@gmail.com Or Eventbrite To Sign Up! Class Size is Limited.
  • Don't Fall Into The Comparison Trap

    Hi Everyone! As the second installment in an ongoing series of features by the Agency's amazing community, here's some sage advice from our own Regina Rockensies; a humble (& awesome)veteran we've had the pleasure of working with for a long time. Have an excellent week! : ) - The Agency....
  • One Model's Agreement

    Hi Everyone! As the first piece in an ongoing series of original articles by the Agency community, here's a short reflection on some of the values of professional acting & modeling that we can all keep in mind for our next casting. Good luck on your castings &shoots this week! : ) -....




 
home       castings&news       privacy policy       terms and conditions      contact us      browser tips
Official PayPal Seal