Our Lady Peace singer Raine Maida recently revealed how Sammy Hagar attempted to remove his band from a Van Halen tour. Eddie and Alex Van Halen ultimately saved them, as reported by Ultimate Classic Rock.
Maida described the tense situation that arose during their opening slot for Van Halen. He explained the clash in performance styles between himself and then-frontman Sammy Hagar.
“I love Eddie (Van Halen). I love Alex. For whatever reason, Sammy and I didn’t get along. Sammy kicked us off that tour, basically, one night,” Maida said. “We were nervous. We were playing in these sold-out amphitheaters in the summer. The fans, unlike (Page and Plant), really didn’t want to see us. We had a couple hits at this point, but they didn’t care about us. They were there to see Van Halen. I would have guys in the front row giving me the finger the whole time, which is…whatever. I’m fine paying my dues.”
The conflict stemmed from different approaches to live performance. Hagar expected a more party-oriented atmosphere.
“Sammy’s just a different performer than me; he came up to me a couple times and said, ‘Hey, this is supposed to be a party. You’ve got to get the crowd pumped up more,'” Maida continued. “And I was like, ‘Respectfully, Sammy, I totally get that. You’re an incredible singer. I love what you do. But I’m a very different performer, I guess. I’ve never seen myself as an entertainer, really. It’s not what I do. So I apologize. I don’t know if I’m a guy to get out there and treat it like it’s a party.’ And (Hagar) was like, ‘Eh, OK…'”
The situation escalated when Hagar decided to make a change to the opening act lineup.
“And I guess one night he was really frustrated. He had his tour manager, who we’d actually made friends with, come up to me and said, ‘I’m sorry, man, Sammy says they’re gonna make a change for the opening act,'” Maida recalled. “‘What? Are you serious?!’ I went back to my tour manager and said, ‘Holy shit, I think we just got kicked off this tour.’ He went back to the production office and came back on the bus, and was like, ‘Oh my God!’ and I’m like, ‘Holy shit! What am I gonna tell my mom?! This is awful…'”
However, the Van Halen brothers intervened to save the band’s spot on the tour.
“Then we get this knock on the door. It’s the (Van Halen) tour manager again and he says, ‘Hey, Alex and Eddie want to see you.’ We’d become really good friends with Alex; he and I both had back problems, so we bonded over that,” Maida said. “I went into their dressing room. Eddie and Alex said, ‘Don’t listen to Sammy; he doesn’t have the power to do that. You’re not getting kicked off the tour.’ My head was spinning. I ended up talking to Sammy again; it wasn’t a great vibe, but Eddie and Alex saved us.”
This incident occurred during a pivotal period in Our Lady Peace’s career. They were building momentum in the alternative rock scene.
The Van Halen tour represented a significant opportunity for Our Lady Peace to reach larger audiences. Wikipedia noted that the band had recently released their album Naveed in March 1995 through Relativity Records. The Van Halen tour served as a major platform for exposure to mainstream rock audiences. The Canadian alternative rock band, formed in Toronto in 1992, was still establishing their presence in the American market at the time of this tour.
Prior to their Van Halen experience, Our Lady Peace had already gained valuable experience opening for established legacy acts. Concert Archives documented that the band had previously opened shows for Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, which Maida referenced in his comments about fan reception. This experience with Led Zeppelin’s former members had prepared them somewhat for the challenges of winning over audiences who came specifically to see legendary rock acts.
The strong connection that developed between Our Lady Peace and the Van Halen brothers proved valuable beyond just this tour incident. Ultimate Guitar reported that their relationship with Eddie and Alex Van Halen reflected the respect they had earned in the rock community despite the challenging reception from some Van Halen fans. The fact that the Van Halen brothers were willing to override Hagar’s decision demonstrated their appreciation for Our Lady Peace’s musical integrity.
The incident highlights the complex dynamics that can exist within touring lineups. This is particularly true when different generations and styles of rock music collide. While Hagar’s party-focused approach had made him successful with Van Halen, it clashed with Our Lady Peace’s more introspective alternative rock style. This created tension that nearly derailed an important career opportunity for the Canadian band.
