David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen hit the stage for a surprise show Thursday at Cafe Wha in New York. / AP photo by Charles Sykes

Go ahead and jump. Van Halen followed up its surprise show last night at Café Wha in New York by formally announcing the itinerary of its 2012 tour, which will include a May 19 show at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center. Tickets will go on sale Jan. 14 through Ticketmaster at prices to be announced.

A cool but surprising boost to the tour's '70s nostalgia value, funk/R&B vets Kool & the Gang will open select cities on the tour (possibly St. Paul). The first concert will be Feb. 18 in Louisville, Ky. St. Paul falls about three-quarters of the way through the itinerary, which also includes stops Feb. 24 at Chicago's United Center, May 17 at Winnipeg's MTS Centre and May 22 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.

As was the case at the band's 2007 performance at Target Center, the tour will feature original frontman David Lee Roth along with co-founding brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen. Eddie's son, Wolfgang (now 20), will once again replace original bassist and high-harmony vocalist Michael Anthony.

Despite disappointment over Anthony's absence in 2007 -- the same year the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- that show with Roth proved to be a thrilling revival of the band's old, hard-cranking sound. Plans to issue an album with Roth after the tour were soon dropped, though, due to continued inner-turmoil in the band. Roth's replacement in Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, shed light on Eddie's struggles with alcoholism and mental issues in his autobiography last year.

Things seem to be back on track. The band already has a new album in the can, "A Different Kind of Truth." Look for the first single from the record, "Tattoo," to land on Tuesday. Last night's Café Wha show included the new songs as well as classics such as "Panama," "Runnin' With the Devil," "Everybody Wants Some" and "Dance the Night Away." Read the New York Times review here. Here's hoping the band keeps it together, at least through May.