wide-trax >>> van hagar

Los Angeles -- Well it's about freaking time!!! perhaps music's messiest feuds has come to an end with the return of vocalist Sammy Hagar to kick some ass once again with Van Halen after an eight-year hiatus, the group said on Friday.

The Van Halen reunion brings the band back full circle to 1985, when Hagar first joined the foursome after original vocalist David Lee Roth quit for a patchy solo career. With Hagar on board and guitarist Eddie Van Halen wowing fans with his flashy riffs, the band maintained its hit streak with such tunes as "Why Can't This Be Love", "Right Now" and "Dreams."

Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and Sammy Hagar have set June 11th in Greensboro, NC as the kick-off for America's top rock band historic reunion, marking their first concert tour in more than nine years. Tickets will go on sale for select concerts of the nationwide tour on Saturday April 3, 2004, with pre-sale ticket information to be announced shortly. Additionally, Warner Bros. Records will be releasing "It's About Time," a newly recorded Van Halen track from the upcoming, best of Van Halen album scheduled for release this June.

Since Van Halen's seminal debut album in 1978, the band has set the template for hard rock and heavy metal, continually attracting legions of fervent fans. Van Halen in concert will be performing hits from its 25-year career including the number one singles and rock tracks "Top of the World," "When It's Love," "Why Can't This Be Love," "Right Now," "Dreams," "Jump," "Best of Both Worlds," "Panama," and "Love Walks In."

Sammy Hagar was the Van Halen front man from 1985-1996. During that period, all Van Halen studio albums, 5150, OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, and Balance, as well as Best of Van Halen Volume I, went straight to #1 on the Billboard charts. Live: Right Here, Right Now peaked at #5. For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge won a freakin' GRAMMY Award for "Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal" in 1991.

The GRAMMY Award-winning band has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide. Twelve Van Halen albums have been certified multi-Platinum. Additionally, the band's eponymous debut album and 1984 have both reached Diamond status, recognizing sales in excess of 10 million units each. The band holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most Number One rock tracks (11) at album radio.

Van Halen has teamed up with iloveallaccess.com to offer the ultimate fan experience featuring a variety of premium ticket packages. Packages for the Greensboro, Hershey, Philadelphia, Worcester, East Rutherford, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Auburn Hills, St. Paul, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Las Vegas concerts will be available starting Tuesday March 30 at 10am ET. For more details go to the band's Web site at www.van-halen.com.

General public tickets will be available through Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone lines, at all Ticketmaster retail ticket centers, via ticketmaster.com, and the venue Box Offices. Tickets for the Greensboro Coliseum and the Oakland Arena are available through Tickets.com. This without a doubt will be the hottest ticket of the Summer.