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Decades ago David Lee Roth cried, “And the cradle will tip over.”
The much-vaunted showman rocked our world on Friday morning.
“I throw in the shoes. I’m retiring, ”Roth said in a phone conversation that was more of an oral performance than an interview. “This is the first and only official announcement. … You have the news. Share it with the world.”
With this, Diamond Dave announced that he was ending the Van Halen era and his own stage career with his five shows at House of Blues in Mandalay Bay on New Years Eve, New Years Day, the January 5 and January 7 and 8.
He quickly added: “I will not explain the statement. The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows.
And tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Roth began the conversation by saying, “I ask you to put up with me here. Please try not to interrupt. I’ll close my eyes and take you for a ride.
Roth then said he had just spoken to Alex Van Halen, his friend of 50 years and co-founder of the legendary rock band Van Halen.
“Al and I have spoken, and I can’t speak for him yet,” Roth said, “but he knows what I’m about to say.” He added, “We talk to each other constantly, two or three times a day. We laugh like pirates.
Roth had also mentioned that he had thought of the “departure of my beloved classmate recently,” a clear reference to the guitar god Eddie Van Halen, who died of throat cancer on October 6. The singer also made an indirect reference to his. mortality, when he will be 67 years old on October 10.
“I’m encouraged and compelled to really understand how short the time is, and my time is probably even shorter,” Roth said.
He mentioned that Eddie Van Halen was the first Van Halen member to pass.
“I thought I could’ve been the first, frankly… ‘Hey Ed, the things in the rearview mirror are probably me,’ Roth admitted. “And my doctors, my managers, made me really take care of the fact that every time I go on stage, I put that future at risk.”
Nonetheless, Roth plans to fully exhibit it in House of Blues shows.
“I know when I’m in the audience, whether you come with a ukulele or a marching band, whatever I ask of you, give me all you have to give,” he said. “This is what I have been doing for the past 50 years.
Roth recalled Van Halen’s lean early years, covering the first five and a half years of the band’s legendary history. Young musicians were making $ 120 per night, spending most of that money on gasoline. They were once approached by a police officer while eating at Denny’s in Pasadena, California.
“It was the Saturday Night Supper Club, we would get there at 3 am and order everything on the menu, the three banana splits, the Grand Slam breakfasts with bacon and the ones with sausage,” Roth says, his voice rising. “We put two tables together… This cop came in – it was Cop Town – and asked, ‘Who are you all? I said, ‘Sir, we’re a rock’n’roll band!’ He said, “Do you have enough money to pay for all of this? And we all pulled out our green, crunchy, sweaty $ 125 through your (expletives) -shoes, money. “
Roth said he remembers those days “like it was yesterday” and shared this story with Alex Van Halen on Friday.
“I just found some pants upstairs. I keep some of the old clothes, ”Roth said. “I was a size 29. Eddie was a size 26. That’s where we come from.
Van Halen became a rock force starting with the band’s self-titled debut album in 1978. Roth drew on classics of his time with the band during their January 2020 tour at House of Blues, rumbling through “Running With the Devil “,” Panama “,” Beautiful Girls “,” Ice Cream Man “,” Everybody Wants Some “and the famous cover of” Pretty Woman “by Roy Orbison.
Famous for his high kicks, ringmaster persona, and affinity for Spandex, Roth was the ideal leader for the group’s performances in arenas and stadiums.
These performances are now part of rock history.
Roth says his backing band at House of Blues is the latest iteration of the original Van Halen. The rockers from Pasadena have undergone several compositional changes over the years, including Sammy Hagar replacing Roth as lead singer in 1985, until the death of Eddie Van Halen.
“I have a band that does what Al and I called a ‘block’ which means 75 reps for a show,” Roth said. “We bring it in the classic VH style. Alex and I are the only version, that was his message. There is no other variation. There is no passing torch. There is no other side to this coin. It’s a classic, unperturbed Van Halen.
Roth ended the call without answering a single question. His departure :
“I gave you everything I had to give. It was an incredible race, great, no regrets, nothing to say about anyone. I will miss you all. Stay freezing.
John Katsilometes column is published daily in section A. His “PodKats! podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at [email protected]. To follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @ JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
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