How Kool and the Gang Landed Van Halen Tour

03/05/2012
. (hennemusic) Kool & The Gang have been opening shows for Van Halen on their current tour, and the thought of the unlikely pairing of the 70s pop-funk icons with the kings of 70s high-energy hard rock took a little getting used to, according to KATG co-founder Robert "Kool" Bell.

It turns out, Bell says, the pairing was David Lee Roth's idea. "He [Roth] saw our show in London last year for the big Glastonbury Festival and as they were putting together the Van Halen reunion tour, he went back to his camp and said, 'Hey, man, I'd like to have Kool & The Gang open up for us,' " Bell tells The Morning Call.

"They kind of felt it was a little strange in the beginning, but David kind of said, 'Hey, I think it'll work because in the '80s, Van Halen was sort of like the rock party band and Kool & The Gang was the pop funk party band. He said [Van Halen's] audience is 60 percent ladies � and of course, with 'Ladies Night,' we wrote a song for them. So it all came together." more on this story

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