David Lee Roth announces retirement: 'I am throwing in the shoes'
The Van Halen frontman will perform a handful of shows in Las Vegas as his farewell
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}David Lee Roth, the iconic rock star known for fronting Van Halen a number of times, has announced his retirement.
The 66-year-old musician confirmed the news in a phone call with the Las Vegas Review-Journal recently.
"I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring," he said. " This is the first, and only, official announcement."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He told the outlet that since they've "got the news," they can "share it with the world."
Roth plans to finish by playing a series of shows at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas late this year and early next.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}David Lee Roth, a rock musician best known for fronting Van Halen a handful of times, announced that he is retiring. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
The shows will take place on Dec. 31, 2021, and Jan. 1, 5, 7 and 8.
The musician, known for his high-energy and even kooky on-stage presence, added: "I’m not going to explain the statement. The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows."
Tickets for the final show will be on sale beginning on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 10 a.m. PT.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Reps for Mandalay Bay did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
When speaking to the Review-Journal, Roth asked the interviewer to "try not to interrupt," as he was "going to close my eyes and take you on a ride."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He revealed that he had recently spoken with Alex Van Halen, drummer with the iconic rock band, and he was aware of Roth's upcoming announcement.
"Al and I have been talking, and I can’t speak for him just yet, but he knows what I am about to say," he explained. "We speak to each other constantly, two or three times a day. We laugh like pirates."
It's unclear what Roth was referring to when he said he couldn't "speak for" Van Halen. Fox News has reached out to the drummer's reps for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}David Lee Roth served as the lead singer of Van Halen from 1974-1985, in 1996 and from 2006-2020. (Photo by Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Roth said that the recent "departure of my beloved classmate" – a clear reference to the late Eddie Van Halen – had been on his mind recently, and made note of his upcoming 67th birthday on Oct. 10.
"I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter," Roth said.
He admitted that he expected to be "the first" member of Van Halen to pass away.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"'Hey Ed, objects in the rear-view mirror are probably me,’" the musician said. "And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go on stage, I endanger that future."
He explained that for 50 years, he gave audiences his all, as he would ask any performer on stage to do, "whether you come out with a ukulele or a marching band."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Roth recalled his early days with the band when they'd be paid less than $200 per night, spending most of the money on gas.
"It was the Saturday Night Supper Club, we’d get there at 3 in the morning, and order everything on the menu, all three three banana splits, the Grand Slam Breakfasts with the bacon, and the ones with the sausage," Roth remembered. "We pulled two tables together … This cop came walking in — this was Cop Town — and asked, ‘Who are you all?’ I said, ‘Sir, we’re a rock ‘n’ roll band!’ He said, ‘Do you have enough money to pay for all this?’ And we all pulled our $125 green, crisp, sweat-through-your-[expletive[-shoes, money."
David Lee Roth will conclude his career with shows in Las Vegas in late December and early January. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for The Brent Shapiro Foundation)
He added that he remembers those days "like they were yesterday" and recently reminisced on that very story with Alex Van Halen recently.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I just found some pants upstairs. I save some of the old clothes," revealed the star, who was also known for colorful and fashion-forward outfits. "I was a size 29. Eddie was a size 26. That’s where we came from."
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"I’ve got a band that is doing what Al and I used to call a ‘block,’ that means 75 rehearsals for one show," Roth said of his upcoming shows. "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."
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He concluded saying that his career has "been an amazing, great run," adding that he has "no regrets, nothing to say about anybody."
The rocker added: "I’ll miss you all. Stay frosty."