Watch David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen Reunite Onstage for the First Time Since Van Halen’s Final Concert

Back in 2022, fans of Van Halen got excited about the possibility of a tribute tour. The last time Van Halen took the stage was back in October 2015 when the band performed its final concert at the Hollywood Bowl. With fans thrilled over another tour, it all came crashing down when Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth couldn’t come to an agreement. While the tour never happened, both Roth and Alex recently shared the stage. But it wasn’t for a performance. 

Taking part in a TEDx event in North Dakota, Alex and Roth discussed not just their careers in the spotlight but also the tension between them. Giving one example about the time they were working on the hit song “Panama,” Roth noted, “Alex and I are always arguing about tonal versus atonal music. I tried to take an atonal approach to the lyrics so that you would feel like … It’s the sounds of the city and the sounds of what’s going on in your head when you’re moving forward at velocity. There’s no actual story [in the lyrics].”

Alex added that Van Halen was always open to change. It was that ongoing creativity that kept the legacy of the band ongoing. “There was no one predominant style of creativity that took over. We were all very cognizant of that and we were willing to share. There was stuff that Ed and I did that Dave later on added to and embellished. It became better than it was before.”

[RELATED: Alex Van Halen Confirms Work on Album of Unheard Van Halen Material]

David Lee Roth And Alex Van Halen Did More Than Argue

But what about the drama between the two? Again, both legends have been extremely vocal in the past. Their disagreements took over headlines and social media. But according to Roth, that was just part of the process. “Alex and I are famous for that.” 

And apparently, Roth and Alex did more than exchange words. On more than one occasion, Roth revealed they fought. “Oh my God, there should be a star in front of three different clubs in Hollywood where we practiced Brazilian jiu-jitsu [against each other] over the set list.”

For all the arguments, fights, and disagreements, Roth and Alex were often fighting for the same thing – Van Halen. They might not have agreed on how to get there, but neither was willing to settle when it came to the music. And it was that passion that landed them all in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

(Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns)