David Lee Roth gears up for album release and summer tour

David Lee Roth , who rose to fame in the late '70s while fronting Van Halen , has lined up a summer tour that supports his forthcoming album, "Diamond Dave."

The set, which is Roth's first since 1998's "DLR Band," is due out July 8 on Magna Carta Records.

The covers-heavy set includes Roth's renditions of the Doors' "Soul Kitchen," the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows," Jimi Hendrix's "If 6 Was 9," the Hombres' "Let It All Hang Out," and three Savoy Brown cuts: "You Got the Blues, Not Me," "Made Up My Mind" and "Stay While the Night Is Young."

Also included is the Steve Miller Band's "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma," a music video for which will be released soon, according to a label spokesperson.

In addition to its bevy of cover tracks, the album also features several original tracks, including "Thug Pop," which Roth co-wrote with his one-time guitarist John Lowery (now John 5 of Marilyn Manson).

Guests on the album include saxophonist Edgar Winter and guitarist Niles Rodgers, both of whom appear on Roth's revamped version of the 1969 John Brim track "Ice Cream Man," which Roth first covered on Van Halen's 1978 self-titled debut.

Streaming audio samples of most of the new album's 14 tracks are posted at Magna Carta's website.

Over the course of his career, Roth has had a penchant for cover songs; during his six-album tenure with Van Halen, the group recorded eight covers (five of which appear on 1982's "Diver Down"), and all four tracks on his 1985 solo debut, "Crazy from the Heat," are covers.

Roth's live show has, in recent years, also been heavy on covers; nearly every song in the singer's set has been culled from his Van Halen days. To that end, Roth's current band--which backed him on his 2002 co-headlining tour with fellow ex-Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar--features guitarist Brian Young, whose previous gig had him impersonating guitarist Eddie Van Halen in a popular VH-tribute outfit known as the Atomic Punks.

Longtime drummer Ray Luzier and former White Lion bassist James Lomenzo round out Roth's lineup.

Last year, Roth made the news not only for his outing with Hagar, but also for filing a lawsuit against his former Van Halen bandmates, whom he claims owe him thousands in royalties. Fans, in postings on various Internet sites, have widely adopted the viewpoint that the suit has extinguished any hope for a Van Halen-Roth reunion.

TOUR DATES
 tour dates and tickets
May 2003
24 - Charlotte, NC - NASCAR Coca-Cola 600
25 - Anderson, SC - Anderson Sports Center
28 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
29 - Verona, NY - Turning Stone Casino
31 - Atlantic City, NJ - Trump Marina

June 2003
1 - Westbury, NY - Westbury Music Fair
3 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre
4 - Richmond, VA - Innsbrook Pavilion
6 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheatre
7 - Pelham, AL - Oak Mountain Amphitheater
10 - Alpine, CA - Viejas Concerts in the Park
11 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
13 - Stockton, CA - San Joaquin County Fair
14 - Las Vegas, NV - Hard Rock Hotel - The Joint
17 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
19 - Kamloops, British Columbia - Sport Mart Place
21 - Prince George, British Columbia - Prince George Multiplex
22 - Edmonton, Alberta - The Joint
24 - Calgary, Alberta - Outlaws
25 - Kelowna, British Columbia - Skyreach Place
27 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Orpheum Theatre
28 - Tacoma, WA - Emerald Queen Casino

July 2003
5 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest
6 - Sterling Heights, MI - Freedom Hill Amphitheater
8, 9 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
11 - Lansing, MI - Common Ground Festival
12 - Fort Wayne, IN - Three River Festival
14 - Grand Rapids, MI - Orbit Room
16 - Saint Louis, MO - The Pageant
18 - Tunica, MS - Sam's Town Casino
19 - Gulf Port, MS - Grand Casino
21 - Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theater
23 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Barbeque
24 - Grand Prairie, TX - NextStage at Grand Prairie
26 - Winter Park, CO - Hawgfest

August 2003
6 - Sturgis, SD - Buffalo Chip Fairgrounds
22 - Universal City, CA - Universal Amphitheatre

September 2003
13 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
17 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre

 tour dates and tickets
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