Former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth has responded to recently circulated rumors regarding a possible Van Halen tribute tour.
The proposed trek would involve the remaining band members celebrating Van Halen’s music alongside some notable guests. Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted brought the project to light when he recently said he was invited to jam with Alex Van Halen and guitarist Joe Satriani with eyes towards a potential tour. Newsted ultimately bowed out because he “didn’t want it to be viewed as a money grab.”
For his part, Satriani acknowledged that a Van Halen tribute tour would be “a real labor of love” for the guitarist. “I was just so honored to take on the challenge,” he explained.
Now, Roth has chimed in for the first time. In a statement to the Van Halen News Desk, the vocalist said: “In my mind, ‘Van Halen 4k,’ in the age of COVID is going to require two of us for every position. Satriani and Lukather, Anthony and Newsted, Al or Tommy Lee.”
Notably, this is the first time anyone has mentioned the potential involvement of Toto’s Steve Lukather and Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee in a Van Halen tour. It’s also surprising to see Wolfgang Van Halen absent from Roth’s proposed bassists.
As for his own counterpart, Roth eschewed mentioning Sammy Hagar and instead brought up a different singer. “Probably the only one who could do my job is Pink,” Diamond Dave opined.
Whether any of the new artists mentioned by Roth were formally invited to be part of a Van Halen tribute is unknown. The singer’s allusion to needing extra reinforcements “in the age of COVID” makes some sense. Earlier this year, Roth was forced to cancel his entire farewell residency in Las Vegas due to COVID-related issues.
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