David Lee Roth says he and his Van Halen bandmates always knew they’d reunite after their split in 1985.
The frontman departed on bad terms after the outfit bowed out of 1984′s European Monsters Of Rock tour before it ended. He was replaced by Sammy Hagar, Gary Cherone then Hagar once again, before returning full-time in 2006 and appearing on last year’s album A Different Kind Of Truth.
Roth tells Australia’s Today Show: “When you go this long – this is like our 35th anniversary; this is 35 summers, which sounds less than years – you’ll have ups and downs. When somebody says, ‘I’m a mountain climber,’ they’re spending half their time coming down the mountain.
“Whether its health-wise, economically, spiritually or anything-ly, we made all the classic mistakes beyond Elvis proportion. We broke every record possible. I am the son of Satan, but now my duties are largely ceremonial…
“Everybody has come full circle to appreciate the privilege we have. We get to sing and dance for a living.”
Asked if he was upset that Van Halen continued after he set out on his solo career, Roth replies: “No. It infuriated me to want to compete and do the best I possibly could.
“We all knew we were going to reconfer. Even if it was rockers with walkers 50 years from now and they had to wheel us up next to each other, we knew we were going to have to be on stage together.”
Roth recently raised hopes that Van Halen would finally perform again in the UK and Europe, but band boss Irving Azoff shot the rumour down, saying: “I know nothing about any European tour.”
The frontman had previously said he’d love to welcome back original bassist Michael Anthony, who was replaced by Wolfgang Van Halen in 2006. The younger man recently admitted he’d felt intimidated by fans who felt he had no right to be in the band.
-Classic Rock
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