Van Halen Tour Time
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 12:01AM 
Did Santa put a little money in your stocking for Christmas? If so, you might want to swap that green for some Van Halen tickets. The band is going on tour in 2012 and tickets go on sale January 10.
The tour announcement trailer was shot last month at the Roxy in Hollywood. In the clip below, the band is apparently performing a new song... but all we get are snippets of "the classics." Van Halen will (apparently) release a new record in February to coincide with the tour. On the announcement art (left), the date is listed as 2-7-12. That's either the first date of the tour, or the album release. Maybe both.
So the important question: will you go to this tour? I'm on the fence. I saw the Van Halen reunion tour twice last go' round - and those tickets were not cheap. I'll need some more information before I plunk down a ton of cash again. That said, I'm excited for the new album. I'm just hoping it's an album of all new material - and not a couple of new songs with greatest hits mixed in.
Reader Comments (19)
Still, it was apparently Wolfgang's doing to get Eddie & Alex back in a room with Diamond Dave.
What would really be worth even more is to do a tour with all the original members plus Hagar (like he would ever do it, hahaha!!!). Roth and Hagar could split vocal duties, the second set being Dave's for the first era of material, Sammy doing the first set with the later stuff.
Still, I await this new album. Imagine if it picked up where "1984" left off!
p.s. One of the usual suspects on here, who goes by the name of "Me Wise Magic", must be psyched!
VH are a band that I've loved for a long time, never had the chance to see and would like to see before they quit but it's not exactly clear whether they'll make it over to the UK this time round.
A new record, though - that's kind of exciting, I've got to be honest.
Saw them 3 times on the last tour with Roth.
Eddie and Alex still cut it, Roth isnt even close to what he use to be.
Hes almost more of comedian than the kick ass singer he use to be.
The clown/circus act that was the 2007 tour was decent and Eddie was sounding and looking great on that tour. I had a very hard time learning of them piping in Mikey's backing vocals and everything this band has done in the last few years has just sent me running the other way.
I will say this though....being a Die Hard VH fan, the setlist on that tour was about the ultimate set list for the DLR era any fan coulda dreamed.
I'm hoping this tour passes on my city so i don't have to struggle with the idea of going or not. Spending $100 on average tickets isn't anything i'm looking to spend either and that's exactly what they'll cost.
ANyone else ticked they did this promo video to old music?
Is is just me or does Dave just look beyond ridiculous?
Peace and Happy New Year to all!
I've seen VH twice with Sammy and I caught them on the 2007 tour. VH with Sammy was great, but VH with Diamond Dave are phenomenal!
I say catch them while you can. You never know how long the ride is going to last.
If Eddie is firing on all pistons, I wanna bear witness to this locomotive when it rolls into town.
I saw Van Halen point blank three times back in the day at Capital Centre (demolished in 2002), once each off the first and second album and then a final time off Fair Warning, so this would be the first time seeing them since then.
Also, again, just think of the possibilities for this new album. If it delivers on the level of 1984 or Fair Warning, this could be HUGE!!!
Hell, I remember when Mike was the weak link of VH! His bass playing was always being criticized back then. Seems he got alot more notoriety when Sammy joined the band. Mike's solos back in the day were a joke, terrible and talk about being "piped in". There was more going on in his foot pedals and soundboard than with Dave's vocals. Mike's backing vocals were always his strong point, but the bass playing...bah!
What you get now is definitely a watered down, romanticized version of what was once the "mighty" Van Halen.
Dave was never known as a great singer, always a great frontman. It was his sex appeal and banter that made the shows fun. Eddie up to WACF live just KILLED guitar wise, then it was hit or miss on stage there after. Anyone remember when Dave downplayed Eddie's appearance on Thriller by saying, "Ed's been playing that same riff for 10 years with Van Halen."? Sour grapes? Maybe, but it was a cold hard truth that fans didn't want to admit.
That being said though, the major components were the guitar god with the rock god...anyone seen either of them since the 90's? I've never heard ANYONE say, "can't wait to see Alex!" or "Van Halen is coming, Michael Anthony is going to be amazing." It was always about Dave and/or Eddie. Back then, when they were good they were the BEST, when they were bad, they were still better than any band out there!
They had a great singer with Sammy, but the trade off with him was less of a frontman. Sam could KILL the songs no doubt, but as far as being an "entertainer" as Dave, not close and vice versa. Could be why they sold more records with Sammy and quit playing 2 night dates in arenas like with Dave (cept the Monsters of Rock stadium shows which left promoters in the red on most stops). Their first 2 tours with Sammy were big, but after 0u812 the live shows went right back to sheds and less than sold out arenas.
This past reunion with Dave was kick ass setlist wise, hell it was even good sound wise...there was a reason for it. Mike's vocals pumped in, Dave singing to backing, pitch perfect tapes. And please don't forget the YouTube clips of Eddie's lack of guitar god guitar playing. What else was missing? The antics of Dave's drunken, rock god charisma...who wants to see a 60 year old man do that schtick? Well, I do hahahahahaha. BUT...it just wasn't the VH back in the day. It's time for them to put out new music and bury the hatchet with Sam and Mike...bring em ALL back for one last super sized hurrah. Give the fans what they want and grab the one tour, one world, instant 401k plan for Wolfie. Then again they showed how they felt about their fans with the RRHOF induction didn't they?
And Sweet Lou! Very well said!
I agree! Bring 'em all back!
p.s. Lou! You've really made me reflect on these jackasses! The way they handled The Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was déclassé and downright childish, demonstrating a total lack of caring when it comes to their fans.
the day with Sammy and with Dave. I also have easily over 100 VH concert recordings in my collection. Strictly from a musical
performance standpoint, they started sounding really good in 1975, and from then on absolutely killed it in the clubs until
they got famous. They could still rock the paint off the walls in '78 and '79. by the WACF tour in '80, their performances
were already starting to suffer. Dave started talking more of the lyrics than singing them, and Eddie was doing way more
soloing by the numbers than coming up with original things to play night after night. by the 1984 tour, most of their
performances were pretty lackluster on the musical side.
Speaking of 1984, if their new album does come out in February which I seriously doubt it will, I really hope it is not an
extension of the 1984 album. Honestly, do you guys really want more keyboard-driven shlock like Jump or I'll Wait?...More
nonsense like top Jimmy?...More retreads like House of Pain which, frankly, sounded way better as a 1978 demo? Hot for
Teacher and Panama were both great, but otherwise, 1984 was a pretty weak album, especially when compared to their first four
releases.
As for the 2007 tour, I have a recording of almost every show, and Dave started off sounding really great. AT the opening
show in Charlotte, Dave was singing his balls off -- hitting every note with power and pitch. As the tour went on, his voice
started to suffer, but the dude is not a Spring chicken anymore, and he was still singing more consistently than he did
during the 1984 tour when he was completely phoning it in.
I will not go to see them on their upcoming tour, only because I'm sure the prices will be ridiculous. that said, if they play San Diego, and their are non bank-breaking tickets available, I might change my mind depending on whether or not they get a new album out, and if said album is any good.
It would be far better to pick up where 1979 left off with Van Halen II or I'd even be happy if they pick up where 1981 left off with Fair Warning. I actually think they were startin' to get too sappy with "(Oh) Pretty Woman" off Diver Down.