David Lee Roth is taking his solo comeback way beyond the confines of Las Vegas next year. Kiss has just announced that the Van Halen frontman will open up for them at 43 North American shows between February and October 2020.
Roth hasn’t been active as a solo act since rejoining Van Halen in 2007, but the group hasn’t worked since 2015 and Roth has strongly hinted the hiatus may be permanent. “It’s been canceled a number of times and I think Van Halen’s finished,” Roth said earlier this year. “I’ve inherited the band, de facto, whatever that means. I think it means, you’ve inherited it, carry this proudly. Van Halen isn’t going to be coming back in the fashion that you know. And, that being said, Eddie’s got his own story to tell — not mine to tell it.”
He’s beginning a residency at the House of Blues Las Vegas on January 8th with a show he promises will be packed with Van Halen classics. At a preview of the show in September, he performed “Atomic Punk,” “Ain’t Talking’ ‘Bout Love,” “Dance the Night Away,” “Runnin’ With the Devil” and “Panama” with his new band. “I wrote these songs,” he said. “I structured these songs. We bring the respect and dignity to what we are doing the same way that the Lincoln Center brings to the Beethoven Festival with the latest Philharmonic. It’s a new orchestra, and a whole new sound.”
Kiss, meanwhile, has been on their End of the Road farewell tour (their second one for those keeping track) since January 2019. They have already announced it will end with a special concert in New York City on July 17th, 2021, but the exact venue hasn’t been named. Contrary to the wishes of many fans, the tour has not featured appearances by any former members of the band. Their management has indicated that everyone that’s ever played with the group will be invited to the final show, but it remains an open question about whether or not anyone will show.
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Kiss and Van Halen have a history that go back to 1976 when Gene Simmons saw them play at a tiny Los Angeles club and offered to sign them to a label. He also produced some of their earliest recordings.
The Kiss/David Lee Roth tour kicks off February 1st in Manchester, New Hampshire, and wraps up October 2nd, in Fort Worth, Texas. During downtime between legs, Roth will be playing Las Vegas.