Van Halen Tour 2012: For Love or Money?

Rock icons Van Halen are officially back -- again. After a long history of breakups and makeups, the group revealed earlier this month the details for a 45-date tour beginning February 18 in Louisville, Ky.

The reunion, which will feature original Van Halen front man David Lee Roth at the helm, was confirmed back in December of 2011 on the bands website. A video posted by the band showed 57-year-old Roth unleashing some of his classic high-kicking stage moves alongside his former bandmates -- guitarist Eddie Van Halen and drummer Alex Van Halen, as well as the group's current bass player, Eddie's son, Wolfgang.

This tour will mark the second time that Van Halen (with David Lee Roth, without original bassist Michael Anthony) will attempt a reunion. Back in 2007, the same version of VH reunited, playing a scheduled tour in front of sellout crowds. The string of shows, which generated positive reviews, was stopped amid rumors of Eddie Van Halen being back in rehab. After multiple dates of the tour were postponed it was revealed that the official reason for the stoppage was the need for medical procedures to be run on Eddie, according to the bands website

That same year, CBS News reported that the tour had been canceled because Eddie had needed to enter Rehab.

On June 2, 2008, during what would be their last show of that tour, Roth stated multiple times that this would not be the end of Van Halen

It turns out he was right. On Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012, with no formal announcement, Van Halen took the stage at the legendary Café Wha? On Macdougal Street in Greenwich Village. The small club-style set was reportedly intended to promote the bands upcoming tour and ultimately prove they could still rock out.

The hourlong set included the outspoken Roth saying, It's like climbing into a rocket in here, and it's a rocket that comes from way, way back in our past, all the way into what the future's going to look like according to -- Welcome to Occupy Van Halen.

Their revamped reunion tour will feature support from legendary R&B act Kool & the Gang on select dates, MTV reports. Fans can expect to hear some new songs on the tour alongside some of the band's most beloved tunes, including Eruption, Running With the Devil, the Kinks' You Really Got Me, Everybody Wants Some, Jump and Hot for Teacher.

But what does all of this say? Do they intend to give the fans what they want, or are they doing it just for the money? The latter would not be surprising considering that their last reunion tour with Roth was the highest grossing in the band's history, raking in almost 93 million dollars, according to the Van Halen News Desk.

In order for this tour to really mean anything, they must get through the full schedule -- no backstage antics or trips in and out of rehab, like last time. In order for it to be about the music, there must be a sense of enjoyment and comrodery on that stage. If there is any hope for the the future of Van Halen, now is the time for some reassurance.

According the New York Times, while performing Hot for Teacher, at the Café Wah? Roth shouted, I told you we was comin' back!

Looks like he meant it!