Jason Bonham has publicly shared his disappointment on social media about being let go from Sammy Hagar’s band.
Hagar recently shared a video on Instagram about the ‘big announcement’ he had teased earlier in last week — ‘The Best of All Worlds Stays in Vegas – The Las Vegas Residency.’ While fans were happy he would be in Vegas, Jason Bonham wasn’t.
“I had always planned to come back once mom was better. She is home now so I was always supposed to be doing more shows but he decided to use Kenny. I gotta say I was devastated after doing 25 of those big shows this summer then holding dates in April / May July Aug for Sam to be let go was heartbreaking,” he commented under Hagar’s post.
Bonham earlier revealed that it wasn’t his decision that he left the band, but instead, was forced to leave. He explained how it all happened in an interview a couple of days ago. “Sammy rang me awhile ago. He was asking about my mom, but then he said, ‘Y’know, I’m not gonna do much next year,’ blah, blah blah, ‘and I’m gonna go with Kenny.’ I was a little shocked, I must say. I’d be lying to you if I wasn’t a little sad, because we were on fire at the end of the tour. And I got a little upset. That was strange, after 10 years of being with him,” the drummer explained.
After Bonham’s departure from the band, Kenny Aronoff stepped in as his replacement. Aronoff made his first appearance with the band at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati on August 27. During the concert, Hagar dedicated the performance to Bonham and his family. That night, the band played a setlist full of Van Halen songs.
