David Lee Roth spoke to the Van Halen News Desk about his upcoming Las Vegas residency as well as the current status of VAN HALEN.

"Four summers have gone by [since VAN HALEN last played a show]," he said. "And for a singer, that's paralyzing. Like a boxer, or a tap dancer, I am dependent upon my whole rig. My whole body. Perhaps playing a guitar, or piano, for example, with your hands, is a bit more forgiving over the years. If you come watch me now, I'm 65 going on 23. If you saw my X-rays, I'm 65 going on 80. [Laughs]

"I've paid a price for the time off, frankly," he added. "Enough said there. I hope the best for the fellas. But I don't know what's coming up with VAN HALEN. It's time for me to use whatever talents and skills that I have. I'm bettin' the rent on it. You're going to have a ball. This is the smile that launched a thousand hips."

Roth's nine-show residency at the House Of Blues in Las Vegas will feature "26 instantly recognizable songs, including 'Jump', 'Panama' and 'California Girls'," according to a press release. It goes on to label the music "the sound of a generational prison break."

Tickets for "David Lee Roth: Rocks Vegas" start at $63.50 and are on sale now.

The full itinerary: January 8, 10-11; March 18, 20-21, 25, 27-28.

Earlier this year, rumors were rampant that the classic-era lineup of VAN HALEN would reunite for the first time since 1984. It's unclear why the tour didn't happen, though there has been online chatter that a health setback involving Eddie Van Halen might have been responsible.

Roth reunited with VAN HALEN in 2007 after 23 years apart and released a comeback album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", in 2012.

VAN HALEN has been inactive since it completed its U.S. tour in October 2015 in Los Angeles, California.

The trek was VAN HALEN's first since an aborted North American run three years earlier in support of "A Different Kind Of Truth".