Van Halen band manager Irving Azoff has confirmed that the bandmembers were planning a reunion tour in 2019.

There were rumors in late 2018 that Van Halen were planning a reunion with bassist Michael Anthony, and subsequently David Roth claimed that the members were planning a huge show at Yankee Stadium for the summer of 2019 and that Anthony would be part of the show.

Anthony said a few months later that he had not been in touch with Eddie or Alex Van Halen for 15 years but that Van Halen management did contact him about the reunion in October 2018.

Speaking to Pollstar, Azoff now confirms that the band was planning the tour and the band even looked to feature Foo Fighters and Metallica as special guests. He added that the tour did not happen as Eddie was “really unable to record or play for the past couple of years.”

“We had lots of stops and starts, but there was every intention of doing a summer stadium tour (in 2019), and as the cancer moved around, [Van Halen] was physically unable to do it,” Azoff said. He added that the tour would have been a blockbuster had it come off.

Azoff managed Van Halen for more than 15 years and oversaw several successful tours. Eddie Van Halen passed away on October 6.

Azoff notes “Eddie was a loving, gentle soul. He was an amazing guy, I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Source: RTT Music News