Van Halen tour headed for Sin City
With their tour now underway, legendary rockers Van Halen --who are working the road with original frontman David Lee Roth for the first time in 22 years--continue adding dates to their itinerary.
The group, which kicked off its outing in North Carolina last Thursday (9/27), is now poised to close the year out with a pair of shows in Las Vegas set for Dec. 28 and 30. Tickets for both shows go on sale Saturday (10/6), and the group's itinerary is included below.
The tour has proven to be a hot ticket, with sellouts posted in most of the markets where tickets have already gone on sale, according to the band's website.
Since launching the run in Charlotte, NC, the group has touched down for a single night in Greensboro, NC, and played a pair of shows in Philadelphia Monday (10/1) and Wednesday (10/3). Reviewers across the board from publications ranging from the local newspapers to Rolling Stone have given the band high marks for those first four shows.
Van Halen 's original, Roth-fronted lineup rose to fame in the late '70s and early '80s, but Roth split from the group in 1985 and embarked on a solo career. Sammy Hagar took over in 1986 for a decade-long run with the band, but split on bad terms in 1996. Former Extreme frontman Gary Cherone briefly fronted the band for a poorly received 1998 album and tour.
Earlier this year, the group announced a summer tour with Roth, but had to scrap those plans when guitarist Eddie Van Halen entered a rehab facility.
In a clear reminder of the technological advances that have been made since Roth and the group last toured together, a flurry of video footage concertgoers at the first four shows on the current tour have shot on cell phones and other digital devices has been turning up online on YouTube and similar sites.
Ironically, the band's in-progress tour with Roth doesn't qualify as a full-fledged reunion of the band's original lineup, as founding brothers Alex and Eddie Van Halen have replaced original bassist Michael Anthony with Eddie's 16-year-old son, Wolfgang Van Halen.
Anthony, meanwhile, heads out this month on a 60-date tour with Hagar and Hagar's solo band, The Wabos, who launch the run with a series of performances at Hagar's Baja, Mexico nightclub, the Cabo Wabo Cantina, starting tonight. The outing is expected to stretch into next July.
Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year. Hagar and Anthony were the only band members to attend the ceremony.
October 2007
5 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
7 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
10 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
12 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
14 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Field House
16 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena
18 - Chicago, IL - United Center
20 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
22 - Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
24 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
26 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
28 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
30 - Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Garden
November 2007
1 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
3 - E. Rutherford, NJ - Continental Airlines Arena
6 - Worcester, MA - DCU Center (on sale 9/28)
8 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
10 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
13 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
20 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
23 - Glendale, AZ - Jobing.Com Arena
25 - San Diego, CA - Cox Arena
27 - Sacramento, CA - Arco Arena
29 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
December 2007
1 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden
3 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena
5 - Vancouver, British Columbia - General Motors Place
7 - Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome
9 - Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place
14 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
16 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion at San Jose
18, 20 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
22 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
28, 30 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Hotel (10/6)
LiveDaily News Break, June 9: Van Halen, Gnarls Barkley, The Police and more [June 2008]
Van Halen books festival appearance [June 2008]
Van Halen tour grosses $93 million [June 2008]
Live Review: Kenny Chesney in Glendale, AZ [June 2008]
Van Halen Helps Raise $1.5 Million At Tiger Jam [April 2008]
Kenny Chesney rolls out expanded tour [April 2008]
Madonna's "Confessions on a Dance Floor" tour
The Duke Spirit on stage and in the studio
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Stevie Nicks
Metallica at the KROQ Weenie Roast in Irvine, CA
R.E.M. at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA
Herbie Hancock at the Sonoma Jazz Festival
Brad Paisley, Jack Ingram and Kellie Pickler
Dengue Fever at The Independent, San Francisco, CA

