Van Halen - Rumored Activity and Plans for 2017 (Update 2019)

Last time around they were doing 3/4 filled amphitheatres. Stadiums are beyond their reach now unless it is minor league ballparks like Dylan sometimes does.

 

I think things may be different this time, with ticketmaster also going into the broker business.

 

I'd love to get another album that is similar in quality to A Different Kind of Truth.

That said, I don't give two darns about any more live tours. I will never get EVH another cent for any reason (a new album I would find a way to get it for free), and even if I would, no way would I pay anything to hear DLR sing as poorly as he does live.

 

I saw VH on the last tour and was underwhelmed. Enjoyed the prior two DLR tours but something just seemed... blah about the last one.

Dunno if I'd skip them on another tour, but I feel less interested than I've been in a long time!

 

Dave says they maybe playing Yankee Stadium (as well as other ballparks perhaps) with "a famous person".
He said we'd find out in about 100 days.....

I agree Van Halen cant fill a stadium as a headliner, but who could they play with that would make playing baseball stadiums possible?
AC/DC? GnR? Beyonce?

Seen VH plenty, no real desire to see it again, but this does have me curious.

 

Wasn't it Dave's choice to have Kool and the Gang open on the last tour? I did not attend, but that sounded pretty inspired to me. Maybe they'll tour with someone from a different genre with a similar "party" vibe...

Edit: OR Larry the Cable Guy.

 

Yes and I loved that choice! It also helped me shatter some pre-conceived notions. Full confession, I don't look very "rock and roll". White guy, 5'8", thinning hair. In 2012 I was 43. At the very start of Kool and The Gang's set I stepped out to get a beer. Ahead of me in line was a guy dressed more like a rocker, had a fully shaved head and was sporting a fu-machu beard. I casually said to him "Kool and The Gang, huh"? To my surpise he actually responded "F**k yeah, man, that's how you start a f**kin' party!!!" I thought it was hilarious and he was definitely very genuine in is delivery.

 

I'd be curious why you've singled that one out? The lyrics, at least, are a double- or triple-entendre.

 

Saw them back in the early 80's, have no interest in seeing them again. As for their music, it would be nice to see something decent happen that way, but I think they're done.

 

That wasn't the last tour - the last tour was 2015, whereas Kool opened in 2012.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band was the 2015 opener...

 

Instead new music or another tour, I'd prefer it if they finally got around to cleaning up and releasing audio (and video) of the '81 Fair Warning or '84 1984 tours...

 

If Michael Anthony is back on bass and it's the 4 musketeers, I'll go and VH might be able to do stadiums, might....

 

I think an original lineup tour would boost tickets, but I don't think it'd boost them that much. After the big success of the reunion in 2007-08, tickets declined, and I don't think MA's return will mean much to the average fan.

It'd be like Queen bringing back John Deacon - diehard fans would be happy, but he wouldn't pad ticket sales much...

 

Not quite the same as John Deacon because with Anthony back it is the complete, original VH. Tix died for VH because it wasn't the complete band, if Anthony was in the band, tix sales wouldn't have declined as fast. The people want the real thing, not partial; if the Van Halen's really wanted to make major $$$$, they would put egos aside and get the Original band back together.

 

It would be great if Michael was brought back however there's still the matter of DLR's voice or lack of it, he was terrible on the last tour.

 

If I'm not mistaken, I was only 13 at the time and did not attend, but wasn't KWS also their opener in 1998?

 

It sounds like a drunk guy yelling along in the audience, not the purported singer on stage. It's almost Shatner-esque!

I also recently saw him attempt to do "Jump" with a bluegrass combo on some talk show. I'll spare you a link.

 

Yes, I think he was.

 

Hilariously bad!

 

Van Halen has kind of exhausted their options if they want to do another major arena or shed tour. The last three tours gave the long time fans plenty of opportunities to see the band play the hits and the last tour, they played a fair number of highly coveted deep cuts. As they've only played about 2-3 songs regularly from their last album, it's always been about flogging the biggest cuts from the 6 original studio albums. Add to that unless Dave has some miracle cure for his vox sliding downhill the last couple'a tours, the appeal to see this band again is not close to the draw they were even in 2012 and certainly 2015.

Unless they want to play smaller venues, or do some sort of package tour with one or more other bands, I just don't see much motivation for Eddie to want to do another tour with Dave. I suspect whatever happens in 2019 is going to center around Wolfgang's album.

It's really a shame, but at one point decades ago, Van Halen had a tremendous legacy and cache pretty close to Led Zeppelin and in large part due to Eddie's ego and laziness, Van Halen is now on the level of a ZZ Top or Cheap Trick (great bands, don't get me wrong but no longer headlining arena draws). I think even Aerosmith is a bigger draw and more respected now. That there is (fan) talk of a band like Def Leppard or Journey *headlining* a tour with Van Halen as support is just disheartening to me.

 

Simple fix for VH, get Michael Anthony back and have the original band tour, VH will be doing sold out arenas, maybe even stadiums. The record co. would market/promote the heck out of this "See the original VH back together and touring for the 1st time since 1984!" Maybe even.: "The last time to witness the classic group together again!" Etc, so on & so forth... The. band would have no trouble getting the seats filled for one last hurrah.

 

A reunion tour with Mike could fill arenas, but only if done right. (Proper promotion, sober Eddie, maybe a new album, etc.) I wish something could be done about Dave's vocals, but I'm not sure if that's even possible at this stage in his life. His singing voice has been destroyed and no amount of therapy/tutoring/downtuning can bring it back.

 

Dave stubbornness to continually push his vocal range upwards towards notes he can’t hit or pitch correctly is the problem. Those days of upper range vocal gymnastics are over which seems obvious to everyone but him. And it’s entirely fixable if he stops being stubborn, works with a decent vocal coach, focuses on getting the melodies right and ditches the vocal gymnastics he’s terrible at at this point. His voice is definitely passable, or better, for the band’s material in a lower register.

 

I understand that everyone ages differently, but if Steven Tyler can still sound great I've gotta believe Dave could too if he put in the work.

 

Every word of this post!!!