David Lee Roth cancels remaining Las Vegas shows ahead of planned retirement

UPDATE: Since publishing this story, EW received a statement from Roth via his manager, which is presented (alongside a new image) in its original form below:

Sometimes you win,
Sometimes you lose,
We got rained out..

Covid cancelled.

Future shows?When the benefit concerts for
Colorado, Farm Aid, and hospital workers "everywhere" come up;

Call me..

EARLIER: Van Halen rocker David Lee Roth's retirement plans have changed, as the 67-year-old cut his planned farewell concerts in Las Vegas short by several dates.

After previously announcing in October that he'd be "throwing in the shoes" following a round of concerts at the city's House of Blues venue throughout January, the venue's website indicates Roth will no longer move forward with performances slated for Jan. 5, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, and 22.

Representatives for Roth didn't immediately respond to EW's request for confirmation on the reason the shows were nixed, though the spread of the Omicron variant amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has prompted the postponement and/or cancellations of several other in-person events around the world, from numerous Broadway shows to concerts by artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, and more.

Nearly one year after the death of his former bandmate Eddie Van Halen, Roth confirmed in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the upcoming round of Nevada shows was to be his last.

"I'm retiring," Roth told the publication last year. "This is the first, and only, official announcement… I'm not going to explain the statement. The explanation is in a safe."

Still, he referenced "the departure of my beloved classmate recently" with reference to Van Halen, suggesting that health concerns might've played a part in his decision to retire.

"I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter. I thought I might have been the first, frankly… 'Hey Ed, objects in the rear-view mirror are probably me,'" he said. "And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go onstage, I endanger that future."

Roth sang lead vocals on the first six Van Halen albums before embarking on a solo career throughout the late 1980s, though he rejoined the collective permanently in 2007 before the band released its final album, A Different Kind of Truth, in 2012.

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