David Lee Roth Responds to Van Halen Tribute Tour Rumors

David Lee Roth has responded to the latest rumors about a Van Halen tribute tour that was/is potentially in the works.

In a statement to Van Halen News Desk, Roth said, "In my mind 'Van Halen 4K,' in the age of covid is going to require two of us for every position. [Joe] Satriani and [Steve] Lukather, [Michael] Anthony and [Jason] Newsted, Al [ex Van Halen] or Tommy Lee. Probably the only one who could do my job today would be Pink."

There have been all sorts of rumors about a Van Halen tribute performance following the death of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen in October 2020, but this past week has seen multiple musicians commenting about a potential tribute tour.

In an interview with The Palm Beach Post published on April 14, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted said he was contacted by Alex Van Halen for a "possible Van Halen tour." Newsted also said Joe Satriani was selected by Alex to play guitar.

The Palm Beach Post wrote, "Newsted said he agreed to go to California to jam with the guys and see if it felt right, but, in his heart of hearts, thought it would be impossible to do justice to Van Halen’s legacy. The outlet then quoted Newsted saying, "How could you? There’s nobody that can top it, so how do you show it honor? I didn’t want it to be viewed as a money grab. And then it kind of just all fizzled."

In an episode of Rock of Nations with Dave Kinchen published on April 18, Satriani said, "I've been talking with Alex and Dave for about a year about doing something — a tour, something like that — that was going to be a true tribute to Eddie and the Van Halen legacy...For me, it was a terrifying prospect of doing something like that, but I realized that it was something that would be a real labor of love for me. I was just so honored to take on the challenge."

Satriani added regarding Newsted's recent comments, "These things are always happening in the music industry, and you're supposed to keep very quiet about it because sometimes they don't work out. There's usually about ten crazy ideas that float around, and musicians are always like, 'Okay, I won't say anything about this, because it may not work out. I don't want to hurt this person's feelings or disrupt any other business plans. So yeah, we were all pretty shocked that Jason wanted to go public with it because we were all sworn to silence."

David Lee Roth is one of rock's greatest frontman and, overall, one of music's most unique characters.

When he's on stage, he's the ultimate showman. When he's off stage and talking with the press, he walks a line between brilliant and insane. One minute, he takes off on a stream of consciousness that convinces you he's not all there. Then he'll throw out a surprising one-liner that'll make you think, "Holy s---...Diamond Dave's has been smarter than all of us this whole time."

Roth will often release his "stream of consciousness" moments on YouTube nowadays. Back in February, he released a clip about his music video for "California Girls." Roth, of course, released his cover of the Beach Boys classic in 1985. The cover was featured on the EP Crazy from the Heat. That EP title would be recycled by Roth as the title of his 1997 autobiography.

Roth reflected in the video, "On a personal note: I feel fairly confident saying that these were some of the best times in my life, not the times on stage that my dad most envied about me. These were probably the moments everyone else's dad envied most about my life, and looking back now, even I envy me."

It's comments like that that set DLR apart from most rock figures, both past and present. During his heyday, Roth was one of rock's biggest stars because he was fronting one of the biggest bands in the world. Plus, not enough can be said about his stage presence. How could you not love those high kicks and toe touches?! Even today, he's often more interesting than most "current" lead singers in rock. Then again, who else could really replicate his unique brand of madness?

In honor of years of zaniness, let's wish a happy birthday to the one, the only David Lee Roth by looking back at these ten quotes attributed to him.