(Reuters) – Veteran rockers Van Halen said yesterday that they will kick off a North American tour with original lead singer David Lee Roth in mid-February, shortly after the release of the band’s first full album with Roth in nearly 30 years.
“A Different Kind of Truth” will be released in the United States on Feb 7 but the first single, “Tattoo,” and its accompanying video, will debut on Jan 10. Roth’s last album with the group was the popular “1984,” released on Dec 31, 1983.
The band will be joined by Kool & The Gang for select dates on the 40-plus city tour, which opens at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky on Feb 18 with over four months of dates through the New Orleans Arena announced so far.
Tickets go on sale on Jan 14.
Van Halen’s relationship with Roth has been a stormy one over the years. Roth left the band in a bitter breakup in 1985, only to rejoin for a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1996, then quickly depart in another bitter split.
He returned to Van Halen for a tour in 2007-2008.
The band, whose early hits include “Runnin’ with the Devil” and “Dance the Night Away,” was among the leading rock acts of the late 1970s, 1980s and into the 1990s, when Sammy Hagar replaced Roth as singer.
Michael Anthony was the original bassist, but alongside Hagar he has joined another band, Chickenfoot. Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie’s son, took over on bass.