DAVID LEE ROTH HOPES VAN HALEN REUNION IS PERMANENT
Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth told RollingStone.com that he hopes his recently announced reunion with the band after 22 years is permanent, saying, "God willin', and the creek don't run dry, just like Grandma Roth used to say. Barring any act of God or Ferrari...yeah. I have hope and faith, and that's more than just the name of a couple of strippers from Albuquerque." Van Halen will hit the road for its first tour with Roth since 1984 this spring, with a late April start in Las Vegas likely.
The band will feature Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang on bass, replacing original bassist Michael Anthony.
Van Halen will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12th, in a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.
REO SPEEDWAGON GETTING HIGH PRAISE FOR UPCOMING ALBUM
If early notices are any indication, REO Speedwagon has a winner on their hands with their new album called Everyone Loves A Happy Ending, which comes out April 3rd. Band leader Kevin Cronin told IceBergRadio that people who've heard the music are really enthusiastic about it: "It's done, and we're as proud as we can be of it. People are telling us it's the best record that we've ever made, and to hear that at this point in our career is pretty gratifying, but that's what it feels like to me, as well."
REO will put a special edition of Everyone Loves A Happy Ending in Wal-Mart stores on April 3rd. The limited-edition box set will also feature a copy of the band's live re-creation of their Hi Infidelity album for the XM satellite radio service, and a DVD with acoustic versions of REO classics and some of the new music.
REO Speedwagon's next show is Friday (February 23rd) at the Peppermill Casino in West Wendover, Nevada.
The "Mindcrime at the Moore" DVD and accompanying live album was recorded at The Moore Theatre in the band's hometown of Seattle, WA on October 13-15, 2006. More information will be made available soon.
Showcasing the 1988 masterpiece "Operation: Mindcrime" and the 2006 sequel "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety, Geoff Tate and company took fans on a three-hour journey of rock, revenge, and redemption. Joined onstage by a cast of characters, including Pamela Moore as Sister Mary, QUEENSRŸCHE presented a multi-dimensional experience of all that is "Mindcrime", including the answer to "Who Killed Mary?"
