In high school and college - in other words, during the 80’s - I loved hard rock music (and I still do.) I was particularly fond of Iron Maiden (still one of my favorites) at the time, but listened to many bands - AC/DC, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, Queensryche, and many more I won’t name. While I was never a huge Van Halen fan, I listened to them a lot, too.

I thought when they showed David Lee Roth the door in the mid-80’s that it was going to be the end of the band. True, their debut album was the best thing they’ve ever done, but the Roth-era albums were all pretty good. I thought Sammy Hagar could do a decent job, but it would never be the same. When 5150 was released, I actually liked that record. It was a little different, but still Van Halen, and it wasn’t bad. But it didn’t last. It is still the best they’ve done in the post-Roth era. It may have nothing to do with the absence of Roth or the presence of Hagar. Maybe they’d just run their course, regardless of who was singing. But I still say the combination of Edward’s guitar playing and Roth’s vocals and on-stage presence are what made the band go. Once they parted ways, neither was ever the same again.

So, why am I bringing this up? Well, in this article, Dave says that he believes he will once again be on stage with Van Halen. He says it’s inevitable. How hard will it be? He says it’s very simple, that (and this is a quote), “it’s not rocket surgery.” What about the hard feelings of the past? “It’s water under the dam.” You gotta love Dave. They’re way past their prime, but everyone seems to love a good reunion tour - especially when the career has been over for a long time - so I won’t be surprised to see David and Eddie back together again.

In one other music note, I just purchased tickets to the Third Day/David Crowder Band “Wherever You Are” tour, coming to here to Little Rock this fall. I was telling my wife last week how they are two bands I’d like to see (and never have), and how they’re on tour together right now, but unfortunately Little Rock is not on the schedule. Minutes later - literally - I found out this was no longer true. A pre-sale began this week and so we’ll be there when they come. I’m very much looking forward to it. And if you haven’t heard DCB’s newest A Collision, you need to as soon as possible. It’s one of the best albums I’ve heard in years.