A series of David Lee Roth-sung Van Halen songs has appeared at the Roth Army Forum, purportedly to be used as a master set list for the new comeback tour. There are some interesting surprises in store for fans of early Van Halen, if it turns out to be real.
The list is dotted, of course, with big hits, classic favorites and new songs from the just-released A Different Kind of Truth.
No one is surprised to see “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “You Really Got Me,” “Ice Cream Man,” “Dance the Night Away,” “Beautiful Girls,” “And the Cradle Will Rock,” “Unchained,” “Pretty Women,” “Panana,” “Hot for Teacher” and — the closing song on several warm up gigs so far — “Jump,” the biggest hit of the first Roth era. Same goes for “Tattoo,” “Blood and Fire” and “China Town,” each of them from the new Roth reunion project.
But check out the deep cuts, dude!: “Outta Love Again” from 1979’s Van Halen II, “Romeo Delight” from 1980’s Women and Children First, “Mean Street” from 1981’s Fair Warning, and both “I’ll Wait” and “Girl Gone Bad” from 1984, Eddie and Alex Van Halen’s most recent full-length original project with Roth.
Van Halen and David Lee Roth kick off their new tour tonight in Louisville, Kentucky. For a complete list of future stops and ticket information, go to Van Halen’s Web site.
Wait, no “Me Wise Magic?” What a rip!
Here’s a look back at our recent thoughts on Van Halen. Click through the headlines for complete reviews …
VAN HALEN – A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRUTH (2012): It’s interesting that A Different Kind of Truth doesn’t always go for the easy hook (recalling Fair Warning), something that may surprise late-arriving fans of keyboard-driven pop successes like “Jump” (and certainly the subsequent period with David Lee Roth’s successor, Sammy Hagar). Some of the material requires more than one listen to completely absorb, and Anthony’s cloud-bursting tenor is missed at times. But A Different Kind of Truth has a way of burrowing in. That’s largely thanks to the presence of Roth, of course. He’s always good for spandex-splitting laugh or two.
ON SECOND THOUGHT: VAN HALEN – A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRUTH (2012): I stand corrected – and pleasantly surprised, too. When I went into my first listen of Van Halen’s A Different Kind of Truth, I was expecting a steaming pile of mediocrity. Instead, the album is loaded with big, crazy riffing from Eddie Van Halen. As I listen to the record, I keep coming back to one word – swagger. That could be a complete review of this album in itself. It’s something that the best work from Van Halen has always had, and something that, for me, was often missing in the post-DLR version of the band.
SOMETHING ELSE! FEATURED ARTIST: VAN HALEN: A long-waited reunion with original lead singer David Lee Roth has Van Halen back in the news … and us digging through some old albums. Here’s a look back at a few favorite moments with Roth — and yes, Sammy, too — along with updated tour date information, a link to video from Van Halen’s recent small-club date with Roth and an early demo of one of the tracks to be included on the forthcoming A Different Kind of Truth, to be issued on February 7. Let’s start shredding!
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