Rocker Eddie Van Halen has broken his silence about Van Halen's postponed summer tour dates, insisting he and his bandmates "bit off more than we could chew" when planning an extensive reunion tour.

The group has axed 30 dates following its 26 June concert in New Orleans, Louisiana and now band leader Van Halen has responded to reports he and his bandmates are not getting along, claiming nothing could be further from the truth.

He tells newspaper USA Today, "We bit off more than we could chew... We went on tour earlier than we wanted to so we could play (New York's) Madison Square Garden (before a renovation), and that threw the schedule out of whack."

But the guitarist insists the band will pick up where it left off later on in the year and plans to tour Japan in November are still on.

He adds he and his Van Halen bandmates are also planning "something special" for next year. (KL/RS/MT)