Sammy Hagar on the Highly Rumored Van Halen Tribute Tour

Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

August 22nd, 2022 3:52 PM

Sammy Hagar has chimed in on the highly rumored Van Halen tribute tour honoring the late Eddie Van Halen.

As previously reported, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post published on April 14 that he was contacted by Alex Van Halen for a “possible Van Halen tour.” Newsted also said Joe Satriani was selected by Alex to play guitar.

Hagar told Michigan newspaper The News Herald, “What’s that about, Jason Newsted playing bass for Van Halen? Great guy. Great musician. But in Van Halen? No, not when [Michael Anthony’s] still here and alive to do it.”

The Red Rocker added, “I’m so happy with everything I’m doing now, I don’t think I’d go back there. Maybe if Alex was interested, it might be something to talk about, with him and Mikey and a superstar guitar player. But it’s really not Van Halen without Eddie, so…I just don’t know.”

Anthony chimed in about the tribute tour back in May saying, “The only thing that was kind of a surprise to me was the Jason Newsted thing when he came out and said that Alex [Van Halen] had talked to him last year or something like that, which is kind of interesting, because I actually had been talking on a conference call with [Van Halen manager] Irving Azoff, Alex and Dave [Lee Roth] last year, so I don’t know what the Jason thing was all about.”

Anthony would add, “I spoke to Joe about it, and it was more, you know, just something kicking around…I hope something happens in the future here. I think Joe was mentioning in some of the interviews that it’s more a celebration of the band and of the music than calling it ‘Van Halen.’ Obviously, Eddie being probably the most integral part of the whole band, you can’t really call it Van Halen after that.”|

In July, Wolfgang Van Halen told Rolling Stone about the tribute tour, “What I can say is that there was an attempt at doing something. But, you know, I don’t like to speak negatively about people, but there are some people that make it very difficult to do anything when it comes to Van Halen. After being in Van Halen for a long time, I really have strived to have an environment where there is no walking on eggshells and there is no personality that you have to deal with. It’s just guys having fun making music and just having a good time. But, you know, from my time in Van Halen, there was always some stuff that gets in the way from just making music and having a good time. And, I think, that’s what happened.”

Wolfgang, acknowledging his elusive answer, would add, “I would love to just sit here and say everything and say the truth. There are plenty of interviews my dad did, where he straight up just said everything. And people hated him for it and thought he was lying. So I could just say s—, but people have already decided how they feel about things, facts or not. So I can say the facts. But that may not align with how certain people feel. I know how Van Halen fans get. They are very motivated by which specific people they like in the band. And it’s just not worth it. Just, we made an attempt, and some people can be hard to work with, and made it not happen.”

Wolfgang would go on to clarify that the tribute to his father was actually just supposed to be a one-off performance, not a tour as has been previously reported. However, even trying to organize a one-off performance led to various issues, and apparently, none of this tribute business was supposed to come out.

“People love to pin every decision Van Halen has ever made on Dad. But [Alex Van Halen’s] the brain,” said Wolfgang. “Al has been the guy forever. He’s the dude. When it comes to Van Halen, Dad just wanted to play guitar. But, you know, Al’s mentality, and it’s the mentality that Van Halen took for the entirety of its band, is that there’s nothing worth talking about unless it’s happening…And just because one person [former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted] decided to talk about it when they weren’t supposed to, it f—ed everything up.”

When pushed on whether the biggest issue with getting a tribute show together was David Lee Roth, Wolfgang responded with, “I would say, ‘Do your research on the history of Van Halen, and come to your conclusions.'”

Van Halen: Their 30 Best Songs, Ranked

• 30. “Dirty Movies” – ‘Fair Warning’ (1981)

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  One thing that doesn’t get discussed enough about Van Halen is how funky they could be. This song, about a prom-queen-turned-porn-star, features one of Van Halen’s deepest grooves, courtesy of Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen, but it’s Eddie’s evocative leads and riffing (along with Dave being Dave) that really makes the song work.

• 29. “Happy Trails” – ‘Diver Down’ (1982)

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  A song by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans that Van Halen covered as a one minute long acapella jam for their most uneven album, this might not have ranked as one of their best songs before October 6, 2020. But if you were putting together your own Van Halen mix today, this would be a great final track, and it definitely sounds different now that Eddie is gone. It also showed that not only were the band members great instrumentalists, they were great vocalists as well.

• 28. “Ice Cream Man” – ‘Van Halen’ (1978)

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  Like all other hard rock bands from the ’60s and ‘70s, Van Halen was influenced by all forms of blues. But Van Halen had more fun with it than most, as evidenced here. Dave would play the acoustic guitar at the beginning of the song, starting it out solo, but the band kicked in and Eddie came in hot with one of his greatest solos. The end where Dave and Eddie are dueling with their instruments, is just a blast.
• 27. “Right Now” – ‘For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge’ (1991)

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  It’s difficult for a hard rock band to grow up and Van Halen were one of the few who were able to pull it off gracefully. Let’s be honest -- they wouldn’t have been able to do it without Sammy Hagar. But the band evolved as songwriters and players. This socially conscious song was built on an amazing Eddie Van Halen piano riff, but it also included one of his many incredible solos.

• 26. “Intruder/(Oh) Pretty Woman” – ‘Diver Down’ (1982)

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  Van Halen were, of course, a great songwriting team, as this list attests to. But they were also amazing song interpreters. They kicked off their career with a supercharged version of the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” but their unexpected take on Roy Orbison’s “(Oh) Pretty Woman” is nearly as iconic.

• 25. “Finish What Ya Started” – OU812 (1988)

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  When the Eddie Van Halen/Sammy Hagar team worked, it *really* worked. The two of them worked this song out on two guitars in the wee hours of the morning and it sounds like it. This song sounds unlike anything else VH ever did; Eddie’s playing, even without distortion, is fantastic.
• 24. “Little Dreamer” – ‘Van Halen’ (1978)

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  David Lee Roth reminds us that he can sing on this song, and his lyrics are a bit more empathetic than usual: “And then they went and they voted you/Least likely to succeed/I had to tell them baby you were armed with/All you'd need.” As flashy as Eddie could be, he knew how to let the song breathe; his playing during the verses dances around Roth’s narration. Of course, he also gets his time to shine on his wailing solo.

• 23. “Best Of Both Worlds” – ‘5150’ (1986)

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  ‘5150,’ Van Halen’s first album with Sammy Hagar, made a strong case that the band’s second iteration would be as strong as the first, and this song was a big reason why. Eddie played a monster riff during the chorus, and his playing glided through the verses. And it’s one of Sammy’s best VH performances.

• 22. “Feel Your Love Tonight” – ‘Van Halen’ (1978)

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  An ode to teenage horniness; as always, Eddie, Alex and Michael’s playing was great but the real star is the interplay of their backing vocals with Dave’s leads. As with “Happy Trails,” it makes a good case that Van Halen could have been a great doo-wop group in a different era.
• 21. “Summer Nights” – ‘5150’ (1986)

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  With the addition of Sammy Hagar, it was clear that Van Halen could do a lot more, stylistically, and they weren’t going to stick with just party jams. But they weren’t going to ditch them, either, as they pointed out with “Summer Nights.” And obviously, Eddie still had riffs for days.

• 20. “Atomic Punk” – ‘Van Halen’ (1978)

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  “I am the ruler of these nether worlds/The underground/On every wall and place my fearsome name is hear/Just look around, whoa yeee-ah!” It sounds like something Black Sabbath might have cooked up. The opening interplay between Eddie’s guitar scratching (reminiscent of “Voodoo Chile” by his idol Jimi Hendrix) and Alex’s cymbals is hair raising. Which Eddie Van Halen solo is the best one? Tough to say, but this one kind of defines “face-melting.”

• 19. “Dreams” – ‘5150’ (1986)

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  Another example of a Hagar-era classic that just wouldn’t have been possible with Van Halen’s original lineup. Here, it’s Sammy’s vocals that take center stage, but Eddie’s keyboards drive the song. Of course, Eddie steps away from the keys for a bit to blow our minds with a solo.
• 18. “So This Is Love?” – ‘Fair Warning’ (1981)

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  Give the bass player some! This is one of Michael Anthony’s funkiest performances; it almost sounds like something a jazz or blues band could have done in a prohibition-era speakeasy, and you could certainly imagine Roth performing in those snarky vocals in a dark, seedy joint. It’s Eddie’s guitar and Alex’s drums that bring it to the ‘80s; of course, it still sounds amazing today, and it always will.

• 17. “Jamie’s Cryin’” – ‘Van Halen’ (1978)

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  Roth showed empathy for the lead character in “Little Dreamer,” and he also did it on “Jamie’s Cryin’.” “Now Jamie's been in love before/And she knows what love is for/It should mean, a little, a little more/Than one-night stands.” Of course, many of his songs actually were about one-night stands, but here he shows some feeling for the person on the other end of a tryst.

• 16. “Dance The Night Away” – ‘Van Halen II’ (1979)

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  One thing that set Van Halen apart from their rivals was their ability to write a perfect pop song, and a danceable one at that. Here’s another great example of Eddie Van Halen getting out of the way of the song.
• 15. “Panama” – ‘1984’ (1984)

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  After hearing the lead single from ‘1984,’ “Jump,” fans might have worried that Van Halen was ditching hard rock. No such luck: this ode to fast cars was a guitar-driven masterpiece.

• 14. “I’m The One” – ‘Van Halen’ (1978)

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  More than forty years later, this song is still mindblowing; at parts, it’s nearly as fast as speed metal, at other parts it sounds like cabaret. And they slip into doo-wop/acapella mode for good measure, just to show you that they can do it. One of the most underrated songs in the VH catalog.

• 13. “Somebody Get Me A Doctor” – ‘Van Halen II’ (1979)

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  The “woo-woo!” at 1:24, going into Eddie’s solo is perfect, as is Eddie guitar fill at 2:09. You can hear how much fun they’re having here and it’s infectious.
• 12. “Hot For Teacher” – ‘1984’ (1984)

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  Alex Van Halen is the star here; his drumming on this song is as iconic and instantly recognizable as any of Eddie’s guitar work. Of course, Eddie’s guitar here is stellar. Even though it was their last album with David Lee Roth (for a few decades), they were firing on all cylinders And not only on the song but on the video, which was their last with Roth and certainly their best.

• 11. “Everybody Wants Some!!” – ‘Women And Children First’ (1980)

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  Now, sure...we just gushed about Alex Van Halen’s drumming in the previous entry, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t do the same on “Everybody Wants Some!!” While not as frenetic as “Hot For Teacher,” the lengthy drum intro on “Everybody Wants Some!!” is just as infectious, as is its chorus.

• 10. “Little Guitars (Intro)/Little Guitars” – ‘Diver Down’ (1982)

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  ‘Diver Down’ is generally thought of as the most uneven of the first six Van Halen albums, but most other bands would kill for an album that good. “Little Guitars” is the best original on the album; Eddie’s acoustic intro is even more intense than “Spanish Fly” (from ‘Van Halen II’) and “Little Guitars” itself is one of the band’s most joyful songs. Eddie’s riff almost seems to be bouncing around during the song.
• 9. “1984/Jump” – ‘1984’ (1984)

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  Van Halen’s lone number one hit is, of course, the synth-heavy “Jump,” because irony is just funny like that sometimes.

• 8. “On Fire” – ‘Van Halen’ (1978)

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  Closing out Van Halen’s self-titled debut, “On Fire” sends listeners out on a hard rock high note (literally) with DLR and Michael Anthony’s wails of “I’m on fire!” It’s the type of closer that immediately just makes you want to start an album from track one again and go for another ride.

• 7. “Unchained” – ‘Fair Warning’ (1981)

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  Take a look at this! Some songs are just tailor-made to be performed in massive arenas, and “Unchained” is one of them. From the chugging opening riff to the group vocal on the chorus, “what a rocker” this song is!
• 6. “You Really Got Me” – ‘Van Halen’ (1978)

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  Van Halen had a way with covers and really had a knack for putting their own spin on classics, especially a rock standard like “You Really Got Me.” It’s undoubtedly VH’s best cover and can easily stand up to the original by the Kinks. Of course, it didn’t hurt to have a lead in like “Eruption” either.

• 5. “Mean Street” – ‘Fair Warning’ (1981)

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  Serving as the opening track on Van Halen’s fourth studio album, “Mean Street” is a unique standout not just on the LP but in the band’s entire catalog. Dave, Eddie, Michael and Alex all shine on this track, and it’s a shared spotlight that’s hard to ignore.

• 4. “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” – ‘Van Halen’ (1978)

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  The final single from Van Halen’s stellar debut album, “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” remains a mainstay of rock radio over four decades after its initial release. It’s easy to understand why with its brash chorus and ridiculously memorable lines like “You know you're semi-good lookin'/And on the streets again.” Oh, and that opening riff is just killer.
• 3. “And The Cradle Will Rock…” – ‘Women And Children First’ (1980)

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  “Have you seen Junior's grades?” More than just a little tongue in cheek lyrically, “And the Cradle Will Rock…” famously gave fans the first taste of Eddie Van Halen dabbling with keyboards, without taking away from his guitar. That sure had some decent returns down the line!

• 2. “Eruption” – ‘Van Halen’ (1978)

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  In 1:42 and only the second track into Van Halen’s debut album, Eddie Van Halen cemented his status as a guitar god, and there was no turning back. “Eruption” is so ingrained in rock culture now it’s almost difficult to think of a time without it. It’s the solo that inspired countless people to pick up a guitar; it also caused thousands of six-stringers to sit dumbfounded, trying to figure out how EVH played the damn thing in the first place. Perhaps, it’s both.

• 1. “Runnin’ With The Devil” – ‘Van Halen’ (1978)

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  Out the gate, Van Halen just weren’t messing around. They were young, hungry and with a mission statement like “Runnin’ With The Devil,” they told you who they were right away. When you’re “livin' at a pace that kills,” there isn’t time for pleasantries. In a debate on the best opening track from a debut album ever, “Runnin’ With The Devil” is always part of the conversation, and it may well be the greatest. In the case of this list, we think it’s Van Halen’s best song ever. Simply put, this song is perfect, even when you isolate DLR’s vocals.

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Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

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• Music

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Sammy Hagar