Over the previous couple of years, there’s been rumblings about staging some type of tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen, however as of but nothing has come to fruition the place the guitarist’s Van Halen bandmates are involved. Throughout a current look on the THAT Rocks! podcast with Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson, the subject got here up as soon as once more with visitor Sammy Hagar.
Hagar, who fronted Van Halen between 1985 and 1996 and returned for a 2004 reunion tour, has shared his openness to participate in any such tribute to the late guitarist, however informed the hosts that at this level, it is doubtless not going to occur.
“It is the identical outdated story. It is the identical outdated fucking story. Alex [Van Halen] will not reply to me. I attain out to him. I have never completed it in a very long time now, ‘trigger it is, like, ‘Hey, you wanna discuss to me? Name me.’ However there’s not going to be a Van Halen reunion,” acknowledged Hagar (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
He then ran down a listing of the reason why it is not taking place. “Initially, it is too late. I’ve already stated it one million instances — Wolfie [Van Halen] is doing such a fantastic job with what he is doing, and he could be the proper man [to play with us at a tribute concert], in order that’s out. Dave [Lee Roth] and I are nonetheless alive, however there is no approach he would cooperate with me,” added Hagar.
The singer then defined, “So if [Dave] goes out by himself, that is not a Van Halen reunion; that is half a Van Halen reunion. If I am going out on my own with out him, it is a half a Van Halen reunion. Solely excellent news about that’s that I might sing his songs simply tremendous. However Mike [Anthony] and I are like this [crosses fingers], and if Al wished to come back and play with us… I’d like to play with Al. I stated it lately, that I’d like to play music with Al. I wish to write a music with Al. I wish to go within the studio and jam with Al. However the considered a Van Halen reunion with out Eddie, no, there is no such factor.”
Final 12 months (July 2022), Wolfgang Van Halen alluded to some dysfunction when it got here to the thought of placing one thing collectively musically to honor his late father that featured distinguished members of the band, telling Rolling Stone that “some folks” are making it “very troublesome” to maneuver forward with plans of any type.
He elaborated, “What I can say is that there was an try at doing one thing. However, you realize, I don’t like to talk negatively about folks, however there are some those that make it very troublesome to do something in terms of Van Halen. After being in Van Halen for a very long time, I actually have strived to have an setting the place there is no such thing as a strolling on eggshells and there’s no persona that you need to cope with. It’s simply guys having enjoyable making music and simply having a very good time. However, you realize, from my time in Van Halen, there was at all times some stuff that will get in the way in which from simply making music and having a very good time. And, I feel, that’s what occurred.”
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In the meantime, Hagar has maintained his shut friendship and musical partnership with former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony. They’ve continued to tour with Jason Bonham and Vic Johnson below the moniker The Circle, and have a pair of Nevada exhibits scheduled for Friday and Saturday (July 14 and 15) in Stateline and Las Vegas.
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