Sammy Hagar has opened up about his continued commitment to performing Van Halen songs live. Many are interpreting his remarks as a veiled message to fellow Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth, shared in an interview with Total Rock.
Hagar explained his deep sense of obligation to Van Halen fans. He stated that following Eddie Van Halen’s death, he felt compelled to keep the band’s legacy alive on stage. The comments came in response to a question about his motivations for continuing to tour despite his success outside of music.
When asked: “You’ve got a very successful business with tequila, you got the Cabo Wabo. You don’t need to do these shows. You do it for the right reasons. You don’t do it for the money. Is your reason to do this the love of music and wanting to continue to perform?” — Hagar gave a candid and emotional response.
“Yes, it really is. And one other thing. I used to play 5 Van Halen songs in my two hour show. And when Eddie died, the band was so big and powerful, I just felt all of a sudden my heart was bleeding for the fans. I go, ‘Somebody has to play this music. Somebody has to continue this thing on,'” he said.
“I really felt an obligation. The obligation I feel to those people that put me in this position to live this life and to be, you know, this is the best life in the world. And I earned it, maybe, but they also gave it to me. And I feel, all of a sudden, I just, in my old age, I feel this obligation, as long as I can still sing those songs and as long as I can still physically go out there and perform a decent rock and roll show for the prices they charge today, that I’m doing it for the fans, probably, more than myself.”
Hagar then appeared to take a thinly veiled shot at artists — widely interpreted as a reference to David Lee Roth — who he believes are not delivering for their fans.
“I’m serious, it’s hard to even express it. I get choked up. I feel sorry for those people that support you all them years and say, when people retire, they go out and do this horrible show, like some of these people are doing nowadays, with people that can’t even sing, and they go out and they do that to them, and they go, don’t you realize what these people did for you? And that you’re gonna just go piss on them? I don’t, I can’t do that,” he continued.
Hagar also described the moment he and bassist Michael Anthony decided to significantly expand the Van Halen setlist.
“So Mike and I had a big high-five and an epiphany about it, and we said, you know, let’s go do it. And then that’s when I started doing like 14 Van Halen songs in the show. And I’m going, it was the biggest band, you know, in my career. F*ck, you know, Montrose, you know, we were starving to death. We were a great band. But so I’ll give you, I’ll give you guys one song. But no, it’s really about the mass thing that I wanna do right by those people,” he said.
He also made clear that he intends to perform until he is physically no longer able to do so — and not a moment longer.
“And until the day I die, I will continue to try and do right by them. The day I walk out there and can’t sing though, I’m telling you right now, I’m done. And not like, not the next day. On stage, I will walk off and say, I am sorry. Unless I’m sick. If I’m sick, I’m going, hey, I’ll be well tomorrow and I’ll be better. That’s my retirement, and that’s the way I’m gonna quit, is when I just can’t do it anymore,” Hagar said.
“I would quit because, thank God I don’t need that money. Otherwise, I’d be going, well, I need some money, so I’m gonna go do it. You know, like a lot of these guys do. I’m not criticizing other people, but that’s not in my heart, I think,” he added.
Hagar’s remarks have drawn significant attention from Van Halen fans. Many view his comments as a direct critique of David Lee Roth’s recent live performances, which have faced widespread criticism over vocal quality.
The contrast between the two Van Halen vocalists has never been more visible. One is doubling down on the band’s legacy, while the other faces mounting scrutiny over his ability to deliver on stage.
The Music Universe reported that David Lee Roth’s appearance at the M3 Rock Festival in May 2025 sent shockwaves through the rock community. His performance was described as deeply polarizing and sparked widespread debate about the state of his vocals. The show drew a divided reaction from fans and media alike, with some defending Roth while others expressed genuine concern over his vocal decline.
The criticism did not stop there. Sonic Perspectives noted that Roth’s M3 performance marked a truly significant moment. It reignited long-running questions about whether the iconic frontman should continue performing at all. Fan reaction footage from subsequent shows reportedly included walkouts, further intensifying the conversation around his live appearances.
Eddie Van Halen’s death in October 2020 served as the defining turning point for Hagar’s approach to touring. Hagar has said that losing Eddie made him feel a personal responsibility to ensure the band’s music continued to be heard live. It is a responsibility he has since taken seriously by building Van Halen material into the core of his setlists rather than treating it as a footnote.
That shift has been significant. Hagar and Michael Anthony, who also played bass for Van Halen, expanded their live Van Halen repertoire from just five songs to as many as 14 per show. The move has been widely praised by fans who feel the music deserves to be celebrated rather than shelved. For many in the Van Halen fanbase, Hagar and Anthony’s touring commitment has become the closest thing to a living tribute to Eddie’s legacy.
Hagar has been consistent in his message: performing is no longer just about personal satisfaction, but about honoring the fans who built Van Halen into one of the biggest rock bands in history. His willingness to speak openly — and pointedly — about what he sees as a failure of that obligation by others only underscores how seriously he takes that responsibility.
