Posted on 10/01/2021 8:08:34 PM PDT by Viking2002
VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth will retire after the last concert of his Las Vegas residency in January. "I'm throwing in the shoes," Roth told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday (August 1). "I'm retiring. This is the first, and only, official announcement. … You've got the news. Share it with the world."
He added: "I'm not going to explain the statement. The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows."
Roth also reflected on the passing of his longtime bandmate, legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who died of cancer a year ago.
"I thought I might have been the first, frankly," Roth said. "I might have thought the Marlboro Man would've got me. Hey, Ed, objects in the rear-view mirror are probably me. And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go on stage, I endanger that future.
(Excerpt) Read more at blabbermouth.net ...
Wow, I'd say he's telling us his reasons for retiring suddenly about as openly as he can without saying the specific illness.
Good riddance. Too pop-oriented for me. Hagar was the better singer.
The Mighty Van Halen - take a look at those earlier clips from 81-84. They were unstoppable and David Lee Roth the ultimate front man. Jumping off those drum risers and doing the splits and landing on the beat.... DLR - Diamond Dave has certainly entertained through the years. God bless him.
Probably the first of several last tours. Still he’s 65. Retirement age for most.
I’m not a bit surprised by this. David Lee Roth was just a gigolo, anyway.
?Good riddance. Too pop-oriented for me. Hagar was the better singer.” Roth was NEVER Pop Oriented. Roth was a Jazz Afficianado and insisted elements of Jazz be incorporated into Van Halen’s music. Not to dominate it but, for there to be distinct yet subtle Jazz elements be present. Eddie vehemently disagreed. Eddie wanted pure free-style rock. The two clashed. Neither would compromise. Van Halen was never more popular after the split. Everyone, including Eddie, knew this. This is why there were repeated attempts to reunite the original band. But, it never worked out. Dave and Eddie were the dictionary definition of, The Irresistible Force meets The Immovable Object.
Two mule-headed men who were so much better together that just couldn’t ever get around their differences. A damned shame.
I listened to his statement on a Vegas radio station, and when he said that, there was a definite quiver in his voice. That isn't characteristic Dave. He was upset and fighting like hell to keep an even keel. I think he got some bad news. Stay frosty, Dave.
How disrespectful of you. No sympathy for a legendary performer. Asshat. Ps You sound like a really caring person lol
I could not agree more. Many times band mashups are much more than the sum of their parts.
Wonder whom he crossed or defied.
” The explanation is in a safe. “
Hmm.
>> Good riddance. Too pop-oriented for me. Hagar was the better singer.
Obvious you’re not a musician.
All who there know that without dlr van Halen ceased to exis5.
All who there know that without dlr van Halen ceased to exist.
But.... but.... but.... I thought he was the Ice Cream Man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2RKWJD5ops
When Eddie Van Halen died I watched some old Van Halen performances and Youtube started recommending lots of David Lee Roth content. There were some old interviews from the early 80s so I decided to watch a couple. A couple of things you notice: 1) Roth is always playing the David Lee Roth hepcat character, he never stops. 2) Roth is actually pretty intelligent and insightful, though he phrases everything in that goofy hepcat scat style. 3) And before the interview was over the female newsperson interviewing him would be blushing and running her fingers through her hair and glancing at him coyly. So his schtick was working for him.
With that in mind, his comment about the reasons being locked in a safe are probably just Dave being Dave.
I mean, the most obvious explanation is lung cancer, or similar smoking-related illness.
Yeah, if you read or listen to the six minute statement he gave the Las Vegas Sun and read between the lines, something came up. It was just a year ago, after Eddie died, he said once the pandemic restrictions were lifted, he was planning on becoming the king of Las Vegas. This wasn’t just some change of heart. I’m wagering that in the next few months, we’ll be hearing that he had some sort of major surgery, and I’ll further speculate that it’s heart-related.
Maybe my comments went too far; I respect Roth but felt he went too pop (MTV). He was good on some of Van Halen’s early work though. I just don’t see him as a rock pioneer. That’s just me. You and others on this thread will differ and that’s fine. We’ll just agree to disagree here.
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