Van Halen Reunion? Sammy Hagar Has One Condition And It Involves David Lee Roth
Is Van Halen reuniting? Again? As classic rock bands reunite left and right, sometimes adding new members to the lineup or asking other iconic musicians to sit in on a tour, there’s greater pressure than ever to offer up a final tour or a new chapter. In many cases, band members have to come to terms with old grudges. That could be no truer than for Van Halen and its long-running David Lee Roth troubles. As the idea of a Van Halen reunion spreads, Sammy Hagar, who served as Roth’s replacement, stipulates the one thing that might keep him from joining Eddie Van Halen and the rest of the crew for another concert tour.
No David Lee Roth? No Sammy Hagar!
The one-time lead singer for Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, has declared his intention to sit out of a band reunion, unless, as Blabbermouth reports, David Lee is included in that lineup. The statement may come as a surprise to Van Halen fans, debunking gossip that there was animosity between Hagar and Roth. Sammy, of course, is essentially thinking more about the fan experience, instead of focusing on the interpersonal relationships between Van Halen members.
Speaking on the rumors of a Van Halen reunion, Hagar first hints that there may be some band drama to deal with before a reunion could be considered. While he tweeted a “happy birthday” to Eddie Van Halen last year, Sammy indicates that things aren’t quite cozy between everyone in the group.
“That whole Van Halen thing lurking in the woods out there, I feel there’s a sniper out there — any minute the bullet is going to come flying in that says ‘VH’ on it, ‘You’re it!’ We’ll see what happens. I don’t understand them,” says Sammy. “I haven’t understood them in a long time.”
Further considering the idea, Mr. Hagar commented on what he thinks would make the most desirable Van Halen reunion tour.
“I would only do it with Sam and Dave [Lee Roth] anyway. I’d rather Dave go out and sing his own songs. I’ll sing my songs,” suggested the former Van Halen singer. “That would be the ultimate show, I think. If we could do it that way, I would suck it up. It would be fun.”
Michael Anthony is On Board with Sammy Hagar’s Van Halen Reunion Proposal
Loudwire reports that Sammy Hagar isn’t the only Van Halen member keen on reuniting the band and both singers. Michael Anthony, former bass player for the band, revealed that he would be excited to go on a tour with both Hagar and Roth, just as Sammy is offering in recent interviews.
“I think now’s the time, especially if you listen to some of the interviews [Hagar] has been doing,” said Anthony. “Right now he’s saying the proper way to do a Van Halen tour, he’s saying, ‘Let’s do it with Dave and myself.'”
Michael seems to have given even more thought to this type of a Van Halen reunion than Hagar, as he suggests that each singer could be given one hour of stage time for each concert. The bassist added that he feels certain that not one Van Halen fan would leave the concert feeling cheated if they were able to come together for that reunion.
Michael Anthony adds that he would only consider the reunion if everyone felt passionate about doing it.
“Because you don’t wanna go out and have it be work, you don’t wanna do it and have people say, ‘Well, they’re doing it just for the money.’ I wanna truly go out there and just kick a– and give the people everything, and that’s what it would have to be,” said the former Van Halen bassist.
[Featured Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]
