Watch DAVID LEE ROTH's 'Eat 'Em And Smile' Solo Band Reunite At 'Ultimate NAMM Night'

January 27, 2019

The instrumental members of VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth's solo band reunited last night (Saturday, January 26) for a two-song performance at "Ultimate NAMM Night" in Anaheim, California. Guitarist Steve Vai, bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette were joined by singer Jeff Scott Soto (SONS OF APOLLO, TALISMAN, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) to play a cover of the QUEEN classic "Tie Your Mother Down" and the Sheehan-penned TALAS headbanger "Shy Boy" which appeared on Roth's "Eat 'Em And Smile" album.

Video below comes courtesy of VintageRock.com and Jessica Chase of "Ultimate Jam Night". The photo above comes courtesy of Joe Schaeffer Photography and Jessica Chase of "Ultimate Jam Night".

Last night's surprise appearance came more than three years after Roth's aborted "Eat 'Em And Smile" reunion in Hollywood. The November 2015 show at the Lucky Strike Live, which was called off at the last minute by the fire marshal, would have marked the first time in 30 years that Roth joined Sheehan, Vai, Bissonette and keyboardist Brett Tuggle to perform some of the hits from the classic LP.

While fans were disappointed that the show was scrapped, Vai later told Ultimate Classic Rock that there was still hope the "Eat 'Em And Smile" musicians might reunite at a later date. "We tasted a little bit of the forbidden fruit there," Vai said. "We all decided that it would be nice, why not? It was a great era. It was a great record, we were a great band. So it's on the radar. It's just a matter of getting everybody's schedules to align. That's the tough part."

"Eat 'Em And Smile" was the first of two Roth albums to feature the duo of Vai and Sheehan on guitar and bass.

Billy said in a 2017 interview with Songfacts that he was "ready to go" if Roth ever decided to do some shows with the "Eat 'Em And Smile" band. "We have a great respect and love for Dave and what he did for us," he continued. "There's no secret undercurrent thing going on that I'm not talking about. The fact of the matter is it's Dave's call. If he chooses to do so, I couldn't be happier."

ULTIMATE NAMM NIGHT

EAT EM AND SMILE BAND featuring Jeff Scott Soto!

“SHY BOY”

Jeff Scott Soto #SteveVai Billy Sheehan Brett Tuggle Greg Bissonette Ultimate Jam Night #namm2019

Posted by Jessica Chase on Saturday, January 26, 2019

Find more on David lee roth
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).