Van Halen-David Lee Roth reunion drawing closer

Things are heating up regarding the Van Halen-David Lee Roth reunion. While it's been rumored for some time, billboard.com is reporting that a deal may have been signed on Wednesday, January 24th, for a summer tour that would include 40 amphitheatre shows. If it's true, the shows will be the first with Roth since his departure from the band in 1985, though in 1996 he did record two songs with them that were included on the album Best Of, Volume 1.

Meanwhile, guitarist Eddie Van Halen told Rolling Stone, "Everything is up in the air. We don't want to say anything prematurely." He added that Roth is not a deal-breaker for the band's summer tour plans, saying, "There's not just one person on this planet that can sing. We're not waiting on nothing." Drummer Alex Van Halen added, "Whoever the singer is, they'll be surrounded by Van Halens."

The band now includes Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass, and Eddie said, "Wait until you hear this kid play. I pick him up from school every day and we jam. We've got a shredding bass player now that's laying down the law for Alex, so I get to weave in and out."

Former bassist Michael Anthony once told us that there have been several failed attempts at getting David Lee Roth back in Van Halen: "We tried the reunion thing with Roth, I think, three, four -- I don't know how many times, you know? -- on any kind of level. At the end it was almost like, 'Let's just see if we can go out and play some shows and not even go in the studio,' and we couldn't even work that out with Roth."

Van Halen will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March. The citation lists Roth and Sammy Hagar, but there's been no word if either or both will sing with the group that night.
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