David Lee Roth recently made humorous comments about Sammy Hagar’s claims regarding a spiritual encounter with Eddie Van Halen. A fan’s video captured these remarks from his August 13 performance.
Roth addressed Hagar’s previous statements about receiving a song from Eddie Van Halen’s ghost during his show at Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. He made these comments while performing Van Halen’s “Dance The Night Away.”
“One of my esteemed colleagues — he’s a contemporary, he’s got a great voice, he’s got a great catalog. You all know Sammy Hagar, right? He’s got a great voice,” Roth told the crowd. “And Sammy, aloud, he described to the media about six weeks ago that the ghost of Eddie Van Halen visited him and graced him with a song that he memorized and then went home and recorded. It’s on the Internet.”
Roth then shared his own fictional encounter with Van Halen’s spirit. He claimed Eddie’s ghost shared a confession about his help to Sammy with writing his new song.
“I don’t know what the odds are, but last night the ghost of Eddie Van Halen visited me at the f*cking hotel room. I was watching the weather report, and he came in and he was laughing. His f*cking ghost was laughing,” he continued. “I said, ‘What did you do now?’ He said, ‘Dave, Dave…’ Actually, you want me to do his accent? [Adopts Eddie’s accent] ‘Hey, Dave.’ He said, ‘Dave, you know that song I gave Hagar?’ I said, ‘What now?’ He said, ‘It’s actually [Iron Butterfly’s] ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’ backwards. Don’t f*cking tell him.’ This all stays in this room, right? I laughed.”
The story concluded with an emotional note about their friendship.
“We shared a ghost cigarette, a ghost Marlboro. Not one of those p*ssy-ass white ones, but the [Marlboro Reds]. And I hugged my brother Ed, and I said, ‘Man, do I f*cking miss you.’ And he said, ‘I miss you too, Dave.’ He said, ‘But you know what? You should still go to hell.’ And I said, ‘Save me a seat.'”
Roth’s playful mockery comes against the backdrop of a complex history between the two Van Halen vocalists and their shared connection to the late guitarist Eddie Van Halen.
American Songwriter reported that Hagar explained how Eddie showed him a unique guitar lick in the dream. He then used this lick to write the song “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight” as a “thank you” to his late bandmate. The song reflects their enduring musical connection despite years of tension within the band.
The relationship between Hagar and Eddie Van Halen was notably complicated throughout their time together. WROR noted that Hagar has expressed regret over Eddie’s struggles with addiction and shared that they made peace before Eddie’s passing. He emphasized the emotional significance of their reconciliation. This reconciliation adds weight to Hagar’s claims about the spiritual encounter.
Both Roth and Hagar have maintained respect for Eddie’s musical legacy despite their past tensions. Blabbermouth revealed that Hagar has publicly apologized for exposing Eddie’s personal struggles in his book. He stated his regret about revealing the guitarist’s darker moments during their time together.
The ongoing dynamic between the two former Van Halen frontmen continues to fascinate fans. Both singers maintain their own interpretations of their relationships with the legendary guitarist who passed away in October 2020.
