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David Lee Roth Dusts off This Van Halen Deep Cut for 2026 Tour Opening Night
Returning to the road in 2025 after a five-year absence, David Lee Roth is carrying that momentum in 2026. Now 71, the former Van Halen vocalist brought his famous raucous glam-rock energy to Spokane Live! at Spokane Tribe Casino in Airway Heights, Washington, where he kicked off his 2026 solo tour on Thursday (April 16). In addition to timeless classics like “Mean Street”, “Ice Cream Man”, and “Hot For Teacher”, Roth also resurrected a deep cut from the band’s self-titled 1978 debut album.
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He Hadn’t Performed This Song in Almost 20 Years
After getting off to an energetic start with “Panama”, “Drop Dead Legs”, and “Romeo Delight”, David Lee Roth slowed it down a notch with “Little Dreamer”.
According to SetList.fm (per Ultimate Classic Rock), Thursday marked the first time Roth had performed the song as a solo artist since 2003. He played it as a member of Van Halen as recently as 2008.
Appearing on 1978’s Van Halen, “Little Dreamer” was never released as a single. However, it’s become a favorite in diehard fan circles.
“I remember the first time I listed to the album in its entirety,” reminisced one Reddit user. “The other songs were so fast. Then Little Dreamer hits. It was such a shift. I loved it immediately.”
Released in February 1978, Van Halen put the Pasadena, California headbangers on the map. Thanks to the success of singles like “Runnin’ With the Devil”, “Jamie’s Cryin’”, and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”, the album has sold more than 10 million copies in the United States alone.
David Lee Roth will appear onstage again tonight (Saturday, April 18) at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde, Oregon. His North American tour wraps up June 20 at the BMO Pavilion in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
[RELATED: Former Van Halen Frontman Is Ready To Rock North America With 2026 Spring Tour]
David Lee Roth Makes His Coachella Debut Alongside Teddy Swims
Those on hand for Teddy Swims’ April 10 set at Coachella got quite the shock when the “Lose Control” singer, 33, welcomed David Lee Roth to the main stage in all his leather-bound glory.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer joined longtime fan Swims for a rousing performance of Van Halen’s 1983 No. 1 hit “Jump”.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Roth said the collaboration came together when Swims asked to sit in on his tour rehearsal at Third Encore in North Hollywood.
Despite a nearly 40-year age gap, the pair “got along like pirates,” Roth said.
“We come from a working-class background in music. A lot of places where there’s sawdust on the floor,” said the rocker. “Today, there’s a generation who does not know what that is. Teddy knows what that is.”
Featured image by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella
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