‘I am throwing in the shoes’ :David Lee Roth announces his retirement
David Lee Roth announced on Friday that he will end his career with five shows at Mandalay Bay’s House of Blues in January.
David Lee Roth has announced his retirement.
The 66-year-old musician told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday that he’ll be wrapping up his career with five shows at Mandalay Bay’s House of Blues in the first few weeks of January.
“I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” Roth said. “This is the first, and only, official announcement. You’ve got the news. Share it with the world.”
He continued, “I’m not going to explain the statement. The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows.”
Roth’s representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE.
Throughout the summer, the original Van Halen frontman has been on tour with the band. After a more than 20-year hiatus, he rejoined the band in 2006.
Roth told the newspaper that the House of Blues shows would be the final time the original Van Halen lineup would perform together.
“I’ve got a band that is doing what Al [Alex Van Halen] and I used to call a ‘block,’ that means 75 rehearsals for one show,” Roth explained. “We are bringing it in classic VH style. Alex and I are the only version, that was his message. There is no other variation. There is no torch being passed. There is no other side to this coin. This is classic, in-your-face Van Halen.”
He also mentioned “the departure of” late bandmate Eddie Van Halen, who died of cancer at the age of 65, calling him a “beloved classmate.”
Roth, who will turn 67 on October 10, continued, “I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter.”
He ended the interview by saying, “I’ve given you all I’ve got to give. It’s been an amazing, great run, no regrets, nothing to say about anybody. I’ll miss you all. Stay frosty.”