Perhaps Michael Anthony didn’t receive much recognition during his long tenure within Van Halen. Still, he appeared on the band’s every record except for their final studio album, ‘A Different Kind of Truth,’ released in 2012. He contributed to the band as the bassist, a backing and harmony vocalist. His and Eddie Van Halen’s distinct harmonized back-vocal sound was one of the things that defined Van Halen’s unique style.
Although Anthony was still a member of Van Halen, his participation in the band started to decrease after 1996. He was even rumored to have been fired from the band during this period. He started performing with his former bandmate Sammy Hagar on his solo tours. In 2006, he parted ways with the group, and Wolfgang Van Halen took over the bass. Although Anthony wasn’t a member of Van Halen in its final days, he was still eager to perform with his other former bandmate David Lee Roth.
How Did David Lee Roth React To Michael Anthony’s Offer To Perform Together?
Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth had a chance to work together for a long time in Van Halen until Roth’s departure. The singer rejoined the band in 2007, but it coincided with Wolfgang Van Halen playing the bass, so Anthony was no longer a group member.
During an appearance on The Jeremy White Podcast in March 2021, Michael Anthony was asked whether he would consider joining Roth at one of his solo concerts to perform together. Anthony stated in his response that he had an opportunity to have a show with him, but a scheduling conflict hindered that possibility. However, he was still open to the idea.
When asked about the possibility of reuniting with David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony replied:
“When he did his residency stuff in Las Vegas out here, because it turned out I couldn’t do it anyway; I think we had something going on with the Circle, but I was actually going to show up and see about going up on stage and jamming with Dave. Because I’ve got no beef with any of the guys about any of that stuff. At this point in my career and my life, it’s, like, hey; I’ll play it all. I’m sure if it came up, if it was the right situation, let it happen.”
The bassist was very eager in his offer to perform together again with Diamond Dave, but Roth wasn’t interested much since he announced his retirement in the following months. DLR stated that he would perform after his last five shows in Las Vegas. However, later on, he gave disappointing news to the fans by announcing the cancellation of some of the shows. Therefore, Michael Anthony’s wish to perform live with Roth doesn’t look like it will happen soon as the singer didn’t accept his offer while busy retiring.
You can watch the part in which Michael Anthony talked about joining DLR on the stage below.
