Sammy Hagar has returned to the topic of a tribute show to his former bandmate Eddie Van Halen , something that has been discussed since the guitarist's death in 2020.
Asked about the topic on the Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern , the vocalist expressed disappointment with the delay in holding an event to honor Eddie ( via Blabbermouth ) : "As far as the tribute is concerned, I'm very disappointed with how they handled everything, including when I left the band, what they did and everything else."
He also recalled his early years in Van Halen : “I don’t know – the dysfunction in that band… When I was in the band for the first nine years, we got along like damn brothers and sisters and we were happy together and like a big family.”
“Things went wrong. Drugs and alcohol are a bad thing when they get ugly, and it was never the same again. And for them not to have done something for Eddie Van Halen, the greatest guitarist in the world, the greatest rock musician, I'm telling you… It's ugly, but it's not my job,” Sammy Hagar concluded.
The Circle
The vocalist is in the project The Circle , along with Michael Anthony , also from Van Halen. Regarding this, Hagar commented on the group's plans: “Mike and I are doing our thing and we're going to go out again next year. I'll do this as long as I can. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to sing these songs and sing my own songs and go out and jump on stage and do a great show, a great performance. So, as long as I can do this, I have to keep doing it.”
“But I think we keep adding more Van Halen songs to the set; that’s what we’re doing. Mikey sang ‘Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love’ last night. We’re doing Van Halen stuff really well,” the musician concluded.
Rumors of a tour
A series of rumors involving a possible Van Halen tour have been circulating on the internet, with different musicians involved. Last year, Jason Newsted said that Alex Van Halen had approached him and Joe Satriani with a proposal for a tribute tour to Eddie Van Halen.
Furthermore, host Eddie Trunk revealed that David Lee Roth "has been an obstacle to anything happening with Van Halen .
Collaboration between Hagar and Eddie Van Halen
Recently, Sammy Hagar revealed his plans, along with Eddie Van Halen, to produce new material before the guitarist's death. After years without speaking, the vocalist commented: "He was saying, 'Yeah, I'm working on some [songs].' Because I kept asking, 'Ed, what are you working on? I want to get in there and work with you. Let's write together again.'"
