Van Halen's plans for a live comeback in Australia have been dealt a blow - the touring Soundwave Festival has been axed.
The band was due to headline its first shows in three years in September, starting with a concert in Brisbane.
The touring festival bill was also expected to feature Alice Cooper, Panic! At the Disco and Sum 41, but now promoter AJ Maddah has announced the five-date tour is no more after failing to secure another big headliner.
Maddah reportedly told Sydney-based radio station Nova: "The festival as we know it has been cancelled. We were scheduled to make a second announcement on the first of August, about our festival co-headliner.
"Their circumstances changed at the last minute, and they had to pull out. Unfortunately, we don't have enough time to replace them."
Reports suggest the act in question was Limp Bizkit - but frontman Fred Durst has blasted the claims and is convinced it was Van Halen themselves who called it all off.
In a post on his Twitter.com blog, he writes, "Hello my Australian people! Little FYI (for your information) for you - we were never on the bill to play any festival down under. So, looks like VH (Van Halen) cancels and we get thrown in the mix, classic.
"All I can say is that we are very excited to rock OZ as soon as possible. I'll drink to that!"
The Soundwave Festival shows would have seen brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen reteam with frontman David Lee Roth and Eddie's son Wolfgang for the headlining gigs.
Van Halen is currently working on new material for its first studio album with Lee Roth since 1984.
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