Any hopes of seeing the original lineup of Van Halen taking the stage again seem to have been dashed, with the band’s former bassist dismissing rumours of such a reunion.
Just yesterday, it was revealed that rumours were circulating which could indicate that the original lineup of Van Halen are set to perform together for the first time in 35 years.
Speaking to Vulture recently, frontman David Lee Roth opened up about the future of the band, with some of his phrases giving hope to a reunion of Van Halen’s original lineup.
“When we come back through town in the summertime and do the original thing, maybe somewhere sportin’, maybe with somebody famous, I’ll make sure we get you all tickets so you can see what we do for gainful employment,” he explained.
“Because, you know, next time my rock band will be playing the same place that the Yankees play. Okay?”
The frontman soon backtracked a little when asked if Van Halen would be playing Yankee Stadium, making it sound as though he had said too much by this point.
“If I say something on tape here and everybody goes, ‘Oh, this leaked…’,” he explained. “But, the band will be — I can’t say.”
Although Van Halen haven’t actually hit the road since 2015, music journalist Eddie Trunk recently added to the rumour mill, noting that he had begun to “hear some rumblings” that “that the band will tour in 2019 with the original band, which would mean the return of Michael [Anthony], and that it’s gonna be some sort of stadium package.”
Check out Van Halen’s ‘Panama’:
However, Premiere Radio Networks recently reached out to former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, who seemed to downplay any hopes of such a reunion.
While Anthony noted he did run into Alex Van Halen “a few years back”, he simply stated that, “The only comment I have is that I haven’t spoken to any of the guys since we last played together back in 2004.”
For those in the know, Michael Anthony was effectively fired from Van Halen back in 2006, when he was not invited out on the band’s 2007 tour, which saw them reunite with David Lee Roth for the first time since 1985.
Having not performed with the band since 2004, Michael Anthony was replaced by Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang, who has performed with the band ever since.
Although it’s getting close to four years since Van Halen last hit the stage, there’s nothing to say we won’t see them make their live return in 2019. However, without Michael Anthony’s involvement, it looks like we won’t be seeing the band’s original lineup any time soon.
Check out Van Halen’s ‘Jump’:
