Rock legend David Lee Roth made a real splash at his epic show in San Diego on September 8, just four months after coming out of retirement as a live artist.
The original Van Halen frontman, 70, put on an incredible, high-energy performance at the Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay in San Diego, during which he rocked an incredible black all-leather look. It consisted of a form-fitting leather jacket, a leather vest, tight leather pants, a brown belt with a large buckle, and black leather boots.
He also accessorized the outfit with a pair of sunglasses, arguably looking cooler than ever.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 08: David Lee Roth performs on stage at Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay on September 08, 2025 in San Diego, California. Daniel Knighton/Getty Images
The singer was previously on a multi-year hiatus from performing, so it’s been great seeing him back in a big way with his U.S. summer tour. He played his first show in five years at the M3 Rock Festival at Merriweather Post Pavillion in Maryland back in May, which had fans going wild. Prior to that show, Roth was last seen on stage in Lubbock, Texas in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was on the rise.
The icon went on to play all over the United States this summer, kicking off his new tour at the end of July with a show at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. He’ll conclude the run next weekend in Napa, California with a show at the Blue Note Napa on September 14.
Fans are thrilled to see Roth back on stage after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the singer into an early retirement. When he played that show in Texas, he was opening for rock icons Kiss on their U.S. tour at the time — but halfway through the tour, it was canceled due to the pandemic.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 08: David Lee Roth performs on stage at Humphrey’s Concerts By the Bay on September 08, 2025 in San Diego, California. Daniel Knighton/Getty Images
Over a year later in October 2021, he announced a new set of nine residency shows at the House of Blues in Las Vegas, as well as his intention to retire after those shows. However, the shows ultimately never happened and Roth ended up going into retirement with his Texas performance with Kiss as his final performance before calling it quits.
However, he’s back — and we couldn’t be happier to see him doing his thing once again.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 9, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.