Van Halen, Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductees and one of the most important and influential rock bands of all time, announced their return to the live stage with an extraordinary 2012 North American tour.
Known around the world for some of the most iconic live performances in music history, the legendary rock band recently added 18 concerts to its highly successful 2012 North American tour. The newly added dates begin July 7 with an encore performance at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Second shows have also been added in the Detroit and New York/New Jersey areas, as well as Philadelphia. Kool & The Gang is the opening act for all shows through June. Ky-mani Marley is the opening act for all July and August concerts.
Fans can expect Van Halen to perform selections from their new album A Different Kind Of Truth alongside songs from their arsenal of epic hits that include: “Eruption,” “Running with the Devil,” “You Really Got Me,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” “Everybody Wants Some,” “Unchained,” “Beautiful Girls,” “Mean Street,” “Somebody Get Me A Doctor,” “Jump,” “Panama,” “Hot For Teacher,” “I’ll Wait,” and more from their classic albums Van Halen, Van Halen II, Women and Children First, Fair Warning, Diver Down and 1984. Surprisingly, the band has been mixing up the setlist more than ever, so you never know which rarely performed classics you’ll be hearing at each show.
PURCHASE TICKETS NOW: Purchase your tickets for the hottest concert tour of the year right here! The Van Halen News Desk and VanHalenStore.com are proud to partner again with TicketsNow, an online ticket marketplace that we know & trust, bringing you premiere selections on seats for the tour that is destined to sell out quickly. Tickets may be sold above face value.
Tickets for the shows linked below are ON SALE NOW, so act fast!
Tickets can also be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.
VAN HALEN 2012 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:
| Date | City | Venue | On Sale Date | Tickets |
| 6/20/12 | Dallas, TX | American Airlines Center | Now | Buy or View Tickets |
| 6/22/12 | San Antonio, TX | AT&T Center | Now | Buy or View Tickets |
| 6/24/12 | Houston, TX | Toyota Center | Now | Buy or View Tickets |
| 6/26/12 | New Orleans, LA | New Orleans Arena | Now | Buy or View Tickets |
Fans and music critics alike have praised the group’s recent shows:
“Van Halen is still one of the most limber bands in hard rock, with a higher center of gravity than most.” – New York Times
“Roth remains the ultimate showman. The energy was palpable between him and master guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who looked equally thrilled to be sharing the stage and gave no hint of any past disharmony as they delighted the crowd with a mix of their early classics and cuts from their new album.” – Tampa Bay Online
“The band’s center has always been Eddie Van Halen, who still deserves his exalted stature among rock guitarists. Even his heavier riffs came threaded with filigree, and his solos were bold in their extravagance. The one solo that didn’t come fastened to a song, late in the show, featured not only his proprietary tapping technique but also a drift of cascading arpeggios, rendered beautifully strange by his finessing of a volume knob. There could have been more of this.” – New York Times
“Tattoo drew a big cheer from the crowd. Everybody Wants Some drew a bigger one, bookended with Somebody Get Me a Doctor in the early highlight. After the crazy intro to China Town, Pretty Woman and You Really Got Me, you saw the new songs would slow nothing down. Not when The Trouble With Never was setting up Dance the Night Away. I’ll Wait for the girls, the sonic roman candle of Hot For Teacher for everyone. You realized you’d been pulling for Eddie, and needn’t have – he was in top form and complete control in those fretboard calisthenics, and seated on the steps for Eruption, and unleashing the riff to Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love … Don’t get me wrong – despite all that writing of a New Grace in a recent column, David Lee Roth remains a hooting Vaudevillian, his band a hard rock boom-bah parade candy coating a kind of genius center … ” – Montreal Gazette
“Van Halen came out unannounced. No intro reel, nothing. They just started. Alex was pounding on the drums, Eddie started ripping, Dave said, “Let’s go!,” and it was on. Eddie fired into the opening riff of “Unchained,” and the place went nuts … the band was in fine form, especially Eddie, who looks happy and healthy, doing what he was put on earth to do. He is playing the best he’s played in years.” –GuitarWorld.com
“Diamond Dave doesn’t need auto-tuning and a backing track and he was dancing like someone was shooting at his feet. His song and dance routine put the 20-something pop princesses to shame. Take note, ladies. Autotune does not a good singer make, and dancing is not an excuse for a lack of talent. These guys have it in spades. The show concluded with an encore of Jump, an explosion of confetti and Roth waving a comically oversized flag over the first four rows. When they took their bow, the boys all hugged, and you could feel how glad this tour is making them.” – Atlantic City Weekly
Gear up for the tour with official Van Halen Apparel at Van Halen Store.