The much-discussed Van Halen tribute show, which first broke the news in April, has been on the table for some time now. Though many have shared their thoughts on the issue, nothing is clear yet. When asked about the possible show in a recent interview with Eddie Trunk, Sammy Hagar said it was not just about David Lee Roth and recalled Wolfgang Van Halen’s words.
As you may recall, Jason Newsted’s statements about being contacted for an EVH tribute show occupied the headlines for quite some time. While David Lee Roth had already shared his views, Joe Satriani’s recent comments on the topic and getting a call from Alex Van Halen ignited the fire once again.
“It ain’t just one guy,” revealed Hagar, asserting that Alex Van Halen can also be held responsible for putting the blocks on the Van Halen tribute show. “Alex Van Halen and I don’t talk. I reached out to Alex. I’m going to tell you right now — I reached out to Alex again recently. Mikey had a sad thing happen in his family, and I reached out to Al, and he wouldn’t return my call or my e-mail.”
The singer continued, “And so I said, ‘You know what? F*ck it.’ It’s not on the top of my list, my agenda. I think Eddie deserves, definitely, a tribute… And the whole world would show up, and the whole world would do it. I don’t know why people put it on Roth. I don’t talk to Dave. And if he did it, he’d want to do it without me. I’m sure that’s part of the dysfunction that Wolfie’s talking about.”
Besides Alex Van Halen’s non-constructive attitude, Sammy Hagar also blames David Lee Roth for not being compatible. The Red Rocker said, “I’ll make a statement that I don’t know is true or not, but what do you wanna bet that he goes, ‘I will only do it if Hagar’s not there.’ And if that were the case, that’s typical Roth, and that’s part of the dysfunction. It’s not like he controls it; it’s just that he doesn’t play well with others.”
Hagar concluded, “And like I said, if Alex came to me and wanted to do it, I’m in. Absolutely — let’s go and do it somehow. But Alex has got a stick up his a** about something with me still, and he’s going to take it to his grave, I guess. I made peace with Eddie before he died, but I don’t think I made peace with Al. And I don’t think I’m going to unless he reaches back out to me. I’ve done it about five times now.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Sammy clarified that he has never meant to start a feud with Alex Van Halen, but he is still not happy with how Alex has behaved. Hagar and the drummer would get along well during his stint in Van Halen, so the rocker does not know why Alex is being so harsh towards him.
