David Lee Roth promises Van Halen to return, with monster trucks
Van Halen will be back, lead singer David Lee Roth promises, and when the band returns, it may be bringing along some extra heavy machinery.
In a video the band's posted (embedded below), it doesn't appear that Roth is using one of his colorful rock 'n' roll metaphors when he tells fans to expect a "super-sized monster-truck rally Van Halen tractor-pull sort-of-event" when the band eventually reschedules its 30-plus postponed tour dates. No clue as to what that means, but he says it will happen as "soon as the band learns to speak Australian."
"We're going to be bringing that back around through the United States," Roth says in the video, which he said was filmed in the woods just north of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The reformed '70s hard rock heavyweights will return home with a June 1 show at Staples Center, one of the dates that wasn't unexpectedly taken off the tour docket last week.
Contrary to rumors that the famously volatile band isn't getting along, Roth said Van Halen is simply attempting to avoid exhaustion. "We bit off way more than we could chew, when it came to scheduling," Roth said. "The band is winning, but our schedule has been sidelined for unnecessary roughness."
On the other hand, Roth gave an open-hearted embrace to all those who would like to bring in recording devices to the band's gigs. "We're one of the few bands who relishes you bringing in whatever camera. If you can carry it in, and pull the trigger on it yourself, then please do."
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-- Todd Martens
Image: Van Halen's David Lee Roth. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times