“I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” Roth confessed during a phone conversation with Las Vegas Review Journal. “This is the first, and only, official announcement. … You’ve got the news. Share it with the world.”
The iconic singer, best known for his years fronting Van Halen, still has a handful of shows on his schedule which he plans to honor. The rocker will head to Las Vegas for performances at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Jan. 5 and Jan. 7-8.
“I’m not going to explain the statement,” Diamond Dave continued. “The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows.”
The rocker further noted that he’d been keeping in contact with drummer Alex Van Halen. “Al and I have been talking, and I can’t speak for him just yet,” Roth said, noting that Alex knew about the singer’s announcement. Roth added that the former bandmates “speak to each other constantly, two or three times a day. We laugh like pirates.”
The legendary frontman also admitted he’d been thinking a lot about “the departure of my beloved classmate recently,” a reference to guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who died on Oct. 6, 2020.
“I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter,” Roth explained, pondering his own mortality. “I thought I might have been the first, frankly,” the singer confessed. “And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go onstage, I endanger that future.”
“I’ve given you all I’ve got to give,” Roth explained. “It’s been an amazing, great run, no regrets, nothing to say about anybody.”
t.co
Here's to ya, Dave. One hell of a run.
The iconic singer, best known for his years fronting Van Halen, still has a handful of shows on his schedule which he plans to honor. The rocker will head to Las Vegas for performances at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Jan. 5 and Jan. 7-8.
“I’m not going to explain the statement,” Diamond Dave continued. “The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows.”
The rocker further noted that he’d been keeping in contact with drummer Alex Van Halen. “Al and I have been talking, and I can’t speak for him just yet,” Roth said, noting that Alex knew about the singer’s announcement. Roth added that the former bandmates “speak to each other constantly, two or three times a day. We laugh like pirates.”
The legendary frontman also admitted he’d been thinking a lot about “the departure of my beloved classmate recently,” a reference to guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who died on Oct. 6, 2020.
“I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter,” Roth explained, pondering his own mortality. “I thought I might have been the first, frankly,” the singer confessed. “And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go onstage, I endanger that future.”
“I’ve given you all I’ve got to give,” Roth explained. “It’s been an amazing, great run, no regrets, nothing to say about anybody.”
David Lee Roth: 'I'm Retiring'
“I’ve given you all I’ve got to give. It’s been an amazing, great run, no regrets, nothing to say about anybody.”
t.co
Here's to ya, Dave. One hell of a run.
