David Lee Roth jumps on Kiss' 2020 farewell tour in time for Midwest dates

After recruiting a painter to open its "final" tour last year, Kiss has lined up one of rock's most famous cut-ups for its 2020 U.S. dates, including the Feb. 24 stop at Xcel Energy Center.

Van Halen singer David Lee Roth was announced as the warm-up act for upcoming U.S. dates on the End of the Road Tour, including other mid-February Midwest gigs in Sioux City, Grand Forks and Lincoln. Plenty of tickets to those shows and the St. Paul gig remain via Ticketmaster. Kiss' farewell outing already stopped at Target Center last February and is confirmed to continue rolling through July 2021.

Ol' Diamond Dave certainly adds intrigue, though. The 65-year-old singer hasn't been seen in the Twin Cities since Van Halen's last show at the X in 2012. His singing voice that night was even shakier than some of Kiss co-founder Paul Stanley's recent performances, but he remained as much a character as ever.

There were strong rumors of a Van Halen reunion tour happening this past summer, but health issues with Eddie Van Halen and ongoing squabbling between the band members prompted Roth to declare the band "finished" and announce his own tour with a two-guitar-anchored new group starting with a Las Vegas residency in January.

"I've inherited the band de facto — whatever that means," he said in a podcast a few months ago. "I think it means if you inherit it, carry this proudly. Van Halen isn't gonna be coming back in the fashion that you know."

Most fans already know to except the unexpected when Diamond Dave ventures off on his own.