July 4th, 2007
From: http://www.billboard.com/
July 03, 2007, 10:00 AM ET
Ray Waddell, Nashville
A proposed summer amphitheater tour by a reunited Van Halen that was
derailed when guitarist Eddie Van Halen checked into rehab now looks like it
may be resurrected as a fall arena run. Several arena holds are in place in
major markets for potential Van Halen dates, Billboard.com has learned.
The tour, negotiations for which were first tipped here on Jan. 24, would
feature David Lee Roth, Eddie and Alex Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen's
teenage son Wolfgang on bass.
Wheels had been in motion for a 40-date, Live Nation-produced amphitheater
tour, with original frontman Roth back in the fold for the first time in
more than 20 years. Van Halen last toured in 2004 with vocalist Sammy Hagar,
grossing nearly $40 million, according to Billboard Boxscore.
But the reunion never got off the ground, and Eddie Van Halen entered a
rehabilitation facility for undisclosed reasons in March. In the months
since, the artist has been seen publicly looking healthy and fit.
The buzz surrounding the prospect of a Van Halen tour with Roth seems to
point toward a successful trek. "I see it absolutely as an inevitability,"
Roth told Billboard.com more than a year ago regarding a tour with his ex-
bandmates. "To me, it's not rocket surgery. It's very simple to put
together. And as far as hurt feelings and water under the dam, like what's-
her-name says to what's-her-name at the end of the movie 'Chicago' -- 'So
what? It's showbiz!'"
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