Original Van Halen reunites (almost) for tour & Hall induction

What a week for my all-time favorite bands.

First, The Police announced this week that they are reuniting to perform at the Grammy Awards, and now Van Halen has announced a 40-city tour and a reunion with their original frontman, David Lee Roth.

As a long-time fan of the band, this is pretty cool news, but about a decade too late.

I saw the Sammy Hagar / David Lee Roth tour a few summers ago, and it was pretty decent, but Hagar was clearly the better performer of the two. I sure hope Roth is up for the tour and that he rehearses.

Of course, it's Van Halen, so there still has to be a wee bit of drama. Longtime bassist Michael Anthony (above, far left) is gone, replaced by Eddie Van Halen's 15-year old son, Wolfgang.

"I am very excited to get back to the core of what made Van Halen," Eddie Van Halen said in a statement Friday.

Of course, Roth wasn't at a loss for words about a reunion - he's been calling for a reunion for some time.

"It's very simple to put together," Roth said last summer. "And as far as hurt feelings and water under the dam, like what's-her-name at the end of the movie Chicago—'So what? It's showbiz!' So I definitely see it happening," he said.

It's safe to say that the reunion of all Van Halen members (save one, short-lived frontman Gary Sherone was not eligible for induction [would he have been there anyway?!?] because he was only in the band for two years) for the band's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony should be interesting. Members of the band will be honored at a ceremony on March 12, 2007, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

I don't know if the ceremony will be televised, but it'll be on my TiVo for sure.

One person who's not a believer in Wolfgang's participation in the tour is former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar.

"That’s a lot of pressure for Wolfie," Hagar told billboard.com a couple weeks ago. "Just 'cause he's Eddie's son doesn't mean he can go out and play in arenas and perform and entertain an audience for two hours. I would love to see Eddie and Alex get behind Wolfie, with a kid of his age singing, and produce the record for him and help him launch a career. I'd rather see it go that way than come out and say 'Wolfie's the bass player in Van Halen and maybe singing, too.' Van Halen's got way too much history to have that put on him."

As E!'s Website opined over the weekend, "Hagar will have a chance to give Eddie some parenting advice in person in March, when Hagar, the Van Halen brothers, Roth and Anthony are scheduled to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

Hagar, ever the optimist, thinks the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance will be fine.

"My hope is that everyone lets everything go and we go there in complete respect of each other and in a loving way, with the attitude that 'I couldn't have done it without you' toward everybody," said Hagar.

Not likely - it's Van Halen! There always has to be drama.

One thing's for sure, though - I want to see the band in concert this summer to witness the drama firsthand.

Our wedding present - Installed!

Well, our wedding present to ourselves is finally here, and installed! I couldn't be more excited, and I know Vandra is pretty happy, too, although this is her second tour of duty with Direct TV. It's my first, and I've never been able to see every Cowboys game in a season before, even during their Super Bowl years. Well, we are now hooked in! Woo Hoo! We've been waiting a whole year for this, and the wait is over.

The journey wasn't easy to get it installed, either. As it turns out, Direct TV contracts out its installs. We went to Best Buy, bought our three satellite TiVos, signed up, and waited for the installation company (Ironwood Communications) to come out. Well, when the day came for Ironwood to come out, it was a rainy, nasty day.

The two losers who showed up clearly didn't want to do the work. They muttered something about needing permission from the landlord, and I explained to them that we own, not rent. Then they came up with a few other excuses to not do the work, and I told them we wanted it done. Without saying a word, they left our condo, went downstairs, and left. I didn't say anything because I thought they were going to get their tools. When I figured out that they had left, I was full hot.

I was about ready to give up and take the TiVo boxes back to Best Buy, but we decided to give it another try. Vandra made almost a dozen calls, after I tried unsuccessfully a few times, and Direct TV sent a different installation company back. (No way were we going to let the assholes from Ironwood Communications back into our condo.)

Well, yesterday the job was finished, and we are all set to enjoy lots of football tomorrow. Direct TV has a great deal going right now, too. If you get the premium package, which is what is needed to get Sunday Ticket, it's only $69.99 for the first three months, and you get every movie channel. So, we're pretty excited. Our three TiVos will get quite a workout. Yes, we have a problem, I know - three TiVos! But, we both record quite a bit, and plus I record a lot of sporting events, and they are hours long at a time. But, we love TiVo, and we love our shows.

Figures, too. The first weekend we have it, the Broncos are nationally televised Sunday night, and the Cowboys are on a bye. Oh well, we'll be ready to go next week!

Go Cowboys! Oh, okay Vandra - go Broncos, too. :o)

I love the NFL, and I love our wedding present to ourselves. However, when does hockey season start? Of course I'm getting NHL Center Ice again this year - it's the best thing about winter. So, most of all, go Oilers!