An Open Letter To Van Halen.......

Dear Van Halen,
         As a life long fan of the band, I ask of you, please make this work. I mean the new live album, the remastered editions of your debut and 1984 albums, the  health issues, and especially the 2015 tour just recently announced. Just please make it all work. I can literally sit for hours and write about the disappointment I've endured over the years hearing and reading about the boneheaded arguments,silly publicity stunts,and endless lineup change debacles that have plagued you fellows. All of you. I've grown so tired of it I stopped buying. Yes, you've read it correctly. I stopped buying. Years ago, actually. I think 'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge'  was the last Van Halen music I had spent money on. Or maybe it was 'Balance'. But I do remember it was at that point of the band's career where even more rumors about the current lineup at the time weren't getting along any longer. Again. I can understand that David Lee Roth has worn out his welcome in the mid '80's, being the attention whore that he was (is?). Finding a frontman to replace DLR couldn't possibly be easy. Let's face it, like him or loathe him, DLR was the ultimate showman and replacing him would be a challenge. And by all accounts, it was. But then came the media reports that Sammy Hagar would join your band. I think, even now, the Sammy Hagar addition was brilliant. There was no way that you could replace DLR and be successful, but all of us were proven wrong. At least as far as sales were concerned.
            It was around this time, shortly after 'Balance', the media reports have tensions between you VH brothers and Sammy escalating to the point where the band's looking to replace Sammy. Sometime in mid 1996 Sammy did leave. Sammy said he was fired, You said he quit. Whatever. Also. if memory serves me correctly, about the same time,  Michael Anthony rumors abound about HIM leaving. These rumors persisted for years and Michael Anthony states in recent interviews that he hasn't spoken to you since 2005. And we know who the bass player for you is now. Hmmmm. No disrespect to Wolfie, but Michael Anthony's bass and his background vocals will forever remain a big part of VH's sound. Yes Eddie. your guitar mastery and unique sounds that emanates from such are unmatched by any living being, but the original VH sound with the original line up, including Michal Anthony's background tenor is unreplicable. And yet, we move on.
           So for a few years, we have read about the ill-fated reunions, with both Diamond Dave and Sammy. And finally a 2012 tour with DLR. We stuck by your side, Eddie, with the cancer scare, the seemingly endless re-hab visits and we will certainly always wish you well with your health concerns. We may even get used to Wolfgang.  But you have a chance now to cement Van Halen's legacy and to be forever remembered in a positive light in the fan's eyes. All the fans. Van Roth, Van Hagar, Van Wolfie, whatever. Time heals all wounds and now is the time to be the leader and as the band's namesake, you need to be the leader. I said leader, not boss. Only you really know whats gone on behind the scenes all these years and I can only hope that DLR himself grows up and understands that this is his salvation and he needs you as much as you need him. But I can say, from the fan's viewpoint, Hagar and Anthony are friends, Roth and Anthony get along, and Hagar and Roth even tolerate each other. So if you're not part of the solution, maybe you're part of the problem. Just sayin'.
        This tour needs to be successful on every level. Egos need to be left outside the arena and out of the backstage scene and onstage lights. Believe me when I say the new album's success depends on the success of the tour, not the other way around. But you knew that. Good word spreads fast. So does the bad. The "A Different Kind of Truth" tour in 2012 was deemed a success but a lot of us don't agree. I know health problems arose and sources said  band members were even getting along. But the fact remains, dates were postponed, then outright cancelled. Can't happen this time around. Stay healthy and stay sober. You need to make this work. To paraphrase Grace Potter and The Nocturnals from their 2007 song 'Falling or Flying', "So friends, this too shall pass, so play every show like it's your last".  That's what it may take, but please, make it work.

2015 Van Halen Tour Dates
       
          
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