Van Halen Absent from Grammy Nomination Concert

For months now, the Grammy people have been hinting -- in a non-subtle fashion -- about Van Halen making an appearance at the Grammy Nomination concert, which took place last night. Well, the concert came and went, and no Van Halen. What gives?!

Early in November, we were promised "a special live announcement from a truly iconic group regarding their historic reunion set to take place on the Grammy stage on February 12, 2012" by the organizers of the Grammy Awards. Of course, that could have still meant any number of people, but they later posted on their Twitter feed: "Does this hint make u wanna 'Jump' and 'Dance the Night Away'?" Yep, that's gotta be Van Halen.

When questioned about Van Halen's absence from the concert, Recording Academy President Neil Portnow -- while not officially confirming the band in question was Van Halen -- told Reuters: "In the world of creativity, everything is fluid ... there was the expectation that the artist involved and we would be ready to announce, but the artist was not quite ready. We were genuine about the intention and discussion (but) the time frame has moved."

When asked again if the announcement was meant to be about a Van Halen reunion, Portnow said simply that the band "would have to address that themselves."

Van Halen have been anything but forthright about their impending reunion and new album. The band, for instance, never officially made a statement about a new album and a tour, but merely posted a picture with the band's current lineup -- David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Wolfgang Van Halen -- with big wigs from Interscope Records and Live Nation. At this point, the boys in Van Halen seem content to quietly work on their new album and let the rumor mill fill in the gaps between their occasional hints. And why not? They've earned it.

Take your time, boys. The world can wait.