The State of Van Halen
February 19th, 2004
From the inception of the band in the seventies to dawn of the new
millennium Van Halen fans have ridden the waves of change. The shroud
of secrecy that has cloaked the band in recent years has driven the
loyal masses to eagerly scavenge every available scrap of
information, no matter how fantastic, hoping that one day something
would prove to be more than a cruel hoax. That day may now be upon us.
The VHND addresses the prevailing rumors:
"IS SAMMY IS RECORDING TWO SONGS WITH VAN HALEN FOR BOVII AND
PLANNING A SUMMER TOUR?"
Late in 2003, Sammy Hagar, faced with a firestorm of rumors that he
had once again connected with the brothers, confirmed that he had in
fact been in touch with Edward and Alex Van Halen for the first time
since the acrimonious split of 1996. The contact was characterized as
friendly in
nature but no promises were made about working together. It now
appears that things have progressed remarkably from this time and a
reformed Van Halen is reportedly rushing to complete two new songs
for inclusion on Van Halen Best Of Volume II for a summer release and
subsequent tour!
Final plans are still formative at this time but the hopeful next
step following the tour would be a return to 5150 to write material
for a full studio release!
Despite our excitement about the apparent end of our wait for new Van
Halen music and a triumphant return to live performance, we must
emphatically remind you that nothing in the land of VH is certain
until the band confirms it, and even then some will not be convinced
until they are reading the liner notes on the new disk spinning in
their CD players, but when they do, you can remind them that you read
it here first, on the Van Halen News Desk.
"WILL VAN HALEN BE TOURING WITH BOTH SAMMY & DAVE?"
Since Sammy's departure in 1996, rumors have centered on sporadic
attempts to reunite with David Lee Roth. Evidence has surfaced to
support this but it now appears that these efforts have reached
terminus. Contrary to recent reports that we might expect an
unreleased DLR track, in addition to the two new tracks with Sammy on
an upcoming greatest hits release, or that Dave may participate in a
two-singer tour with Van Halen, this is not the case. Enjoy the DLR
band when it plays your hometown because it doesn't look like you'll
be seeing him with Van Halen any time soon.
"IS MICHAEL ANTHONY OUT OF VAN HALEN?"
Don't worry about this one! We are very happy to report that
everybody's favorite Van Halen singer, Michael Anthony, is still a
member of the band. The fans clearly feel it isn't Van Halen without
Mikey and apparently the band agrees. When Mike first reconnected
with Sammy and began sitting in on his live shows, Sam revealed that
Michael had told him that he had not heard from the brothers in over
a year. Mikey confirmed this when questioned later. Eddie was asked
about this in the recent Dwyer and Michaels interview but his reply
that he "hasn't heard from that cat in two years" was either a joke
or just intended to heighten the mystery around the band. This cat
has indeed been in touch with the Van Halen brothers over the last
several months.
"HAS VH SELECTED A NEW MANAGER?"
Rumors are that Van Halen has finally selected a new manager, Irving
Azoff. While this is not yet confirmed, it would be a great thing, as
Azoff's team might be the very best in the business. If this turns
out to be true, fasten your seatbelts, 'cuz VH will be a force to be
reckoned
with in 2004!
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