LET HIS SPIRIT BE UNCHAINED >>>

UPDATE: Tickets for Van Halen and openers Kool & the Gang (natch!) go one sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 28 through Ticketmaster, LiveNation.com and or charge by phone 1.800.745.3000. Ticket prices haven't been released.

As KZOK FM and Tacoma KOMO reported yesterday, Van Halen will hit the road with a stop May 5 at the Tacoma Dome.

To be precise, it's Van Halen, not Van Hagar. The band is, once again, front by David Lee Roth back by the Van Halen brothers and Wolfgang Van Halen on bass.Credible rock fans agree: David Lee Roth is the only legit Halen frontman.

Any Van Halen track with the Red Rocker's eardrum-searing caterwaul and milksop lyrics might as well be struck from rock 'n' roll's permanent record. Everything else Van Halen did, from strutting rockers like Fair Warning's "Mean Streets" to chops-busting rave-ups like 1984's "Hot for Teacher," should be sent by unmanned spaceship to each corner of the galaxy, so emerging civilizations can get proper, early training in the rock 'n' roll arts.

We'll let you know when tickets go on sale.

Van Halen's website tour announcment is here.