David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen Reunite at TEDx Event

Founding Van Halen members David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen have reunited publicly for the first time in over a decade. The two musicians shared the stage not for a musical performance, but for a conversation at a TEDx event in Fargo, North Dakota, on July 30.

The appearance marked their first public outing together since Van Halen’s final concert at the Hollywood Bowl on October 4, 2015. Joined by contemporary artist and muralist Robert Vargas, the pair took part in a talk titled “Beyond Boundaries: How Human Experience Informs Art And Music.” The discussion centered on stepping outside of comfort zones, absorbing foreign cultures, and embracing contrasting creative approaches.

Inside the TEDx Conversation

David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen at the TEDx event (Anirudh Koul from Montreal, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Opening the discussion in high spirits, Roth declared, “It’s a gas to be here. This is also a step towards world peace! A leap. This is momentous. A mighty time.”

Throughout the talk, the two rock veterans touched on their creative philosophies and shared memories from their decades together. Discussing his approach to art, Alex Van Halen stated, “I think that the most important thing in art is that you do your homework and you learn the basics and then you break all the rules.”

Roth also reflected on his multicultural background and time living in Japan between 2012 and 2014, linking it to the band’s early career. He pointed to their cover of “Happy Trails”—originally the theme to The Roy Rogers Show and featured on Van Halen’s debut album—as an example of musical boundaries being perceptual rather than fixed. “If you put it in the right light or the right context, it can go anywhere,” Roth said.

Reflecting on Van Halen’s History

While the conversation focused largely on broad artistic concepts, several Van Halen memories emerged. Roth offered insight into the creative construction of the band’s hit “Panama,” discussing a debate he and the drummer often revisited.

“Alex and I are always arguing about tonal versus atonal music,” Roth admitted, using the track as an example. “I tried to take an atonal approach to the lyrics so that you would feel like… It’s the sounds of the city and the sounds of what’s going on in your head when you’re moving forward at velocity. There’s no actual story [in the lyrics].”

Alex emphasized that the band was always open to collaborative experimentation, noting that Edward Van Halen and his drum contributions often served as a foundation that Roth would later build upon and improve. Roth also acknowledged their long history of clashing over creative differences, joking about the physical intensity of their disagreements: “Alex and I are famous for that. Oh my God, there should be a star in front of three different clubs in Hollywood where we practiced Brazilian jiu-jitsu [against each other] over the set list.”