Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, who is opening for KISS on their End Of The Road tour, spoke with Lexington Herald-Leader ahead of the show on February 13 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

Asked about his inspiration, his first reference goes to West Side Story before discussing his devotion to soul music.

“Most of my material is a reprise of ‘When you’re a jet, you’re a jet all the way’ times Wilson Pickett," says Roth. "I didn’t spend time trying to imitate the fella in Led Zeppelin. I didn’t try to mimic the fella in the Rolling Stones. I spent my time trying to be black.

“I didn’t do what I’ve done in search of acceptance. An ‘American Idol’ paradigm may compel that thinking, but for me it’s the thrill of invention. For me, it’s the getting ready way more than the actual. During the actual, the monitor always blows up and the bass player is always angry. It rains and your knee hurts. But those three months working with the 80 people getting ready, that’s spectacular. And you really need to have the taste for that as opposed to everything else so you can get to the show.

“I’ve done some very, very high mountain climbs in the Himalayas, like up to 24,000 feet, and I can tell you, it’s all about the going up and the getting back down in one piece. The top? It’s about the size of your kitchen table. And it’s really, really, really cold there.”

Read the complete interview at Lexington Herald-Leader.

Upcoming tour dates are listed below.

February
13 - Lexington, KY - Rupp Arena
15 - Peoria, IL - Peoria Civic Center
16 - Fort Wayne, IN - Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
18 - Springfield, MO - JQH Arena
19 - Wichita, KS - INTRUST Bank Arena
21 - Sioux City, IA - Tyson Events Center
22 - Grand Forks, ND - Alerus Center
24 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
25 - Lincoln, NE - Pinnacle Bank Arena
29 - Laughlin, NV - Laughlin Event Center (no David Lee Roth)

March
2 - Bakersfield, CA - Mechanics Bank Arena (formerly Rabobank Arena)
4 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
6 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
9 - El Paso, TX - UTEP Don Haskins Center
10 - Lubbock, TX - United Supermarkets Arena
12 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
14 - Lafayette, LA - Lafayette Cajundome
15 - Biloxi, MS - Mississippi Coast Coliseum

August
28 - Burgettstown, PA - KeyBank Pavilion
29 - Atlantic City, NJ - Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
31 - Canandaigua, NY - Constellation Brands – Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center

September
3 - Bangor, ME - Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
4 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
5 - Hartford, CT - XFINITY Theatre
8 - Atlanta, GA - Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
9 - Raleigh, NC - Coastal Credit Union Music Park
11 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
12 - Tinley Park, IL - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago, IL
14 - Dayton, OH - Wright State University Nutter Center
15 - Milwaukee, WI - American Family Insurance Amphitheater
19 - George, WA - Gorge Amphitheatre
20 - Ridgefield, WA - Sunlight Supply Amphitheater
22 - Boise, ID - ExtraMile Arena
24 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
27 - Chula Vista, CA - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
29 - Phoenix, AZ - Ak-Chin Pavilion

October
1 - Austin, TX - Germania Insurance Amphitheater at Circuit of the Americas
2 - Fort Worth, TX - Dickies Arena