EDDIE VAN HALEN On Reunion With DAVID LEE ROTH: 'Everything Is Up In The Air'

Brian Hiatt of RollingStone.com reports:

The reunion that VAN HALEN fans have been awaiting for twenty-two years began in December, when David Lee Roth walked into Eddie Van Halen's Hollywood home studio. There he rejoined the band for a rehearsal, singing fourteen VAN HALEN classics. "They totally got along on a personal level," a source close to the reunion says. "And it sounded great." At press time, Roth and the band were negotiating a deal for a major summer tour, which would be VAN HALEN's first Roth-fronted tour since 1984. Along with a possible POLICE reunion, it would likely be among the year's biggest box-office draws.

"Everything is up in the air," Eddie Van Halen tells Rolling Stone. "We don't want to say anything prematurely." He suggested that the band is waiting on Roth: "People know where we are and that we're making music. Whoever wants to come up can join us — they're welcome." But the famously contentious group may already be having communication problems. The source replies, "Dave is ready. He's been ready."

Meanwhile, VAN HALEN will be inducted on March 12th into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — and it could prove to be an awkward night. Both Roth and his successor, Sammy Hagar, will be inducted, as will founding bassist Michael Anthony, who was recently replaced by Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie's fifteen-year-old son. "It's a privilege and an honor," Eddie says. "And outside of that, we don't know what the hell is going on. . . . Hey, Sammy might not show up on time — because he can't drive fifty-five. Sorry, bad joke."

Read the entire article at RollingStone.com.