Last October, David Lee Roth announced “I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring.” The Van Halen frontman had scheduled his final five live shows at House of Blues in Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay that would have taken place early this year. The frontman had previously canceled his New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day shows, and announced on December 30 that the shows would be rescheduled for Feb 11-12. They attributed it to the “unforeseen circumstances related to COVID and out of an abundance of caution for those working and attending the shows.”
Now, Roth has canceled the entire residency due to the rapid spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. Thus (at least as of now) ending his 50-year performing career earlier than expected.
Roth initially revealed the news of his retirement in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
SPIN reached out to Roth’s reps on the status of the shows and if they’ll be rescheduled or outright canceled. However, the shows are listed as “canceled” on the venue’s site.
On January 3, he posted a photo on his social media overlooking a city with the message, “a funny thing happened on the way to Las Vegas.”
— David Lee Roth (@DavidLeeRoth) January 4, 2022
Also on Monday, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak issued a statement on the rising COVID cases in the state. “Today, we are seeing an alarming number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations reported after the end of year holidays. My team is continuing to analyze the numbers and we are working with health districts and other partners to provide resources to combat the surge we are facing,” Sisolak said.
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