Sammy Hagar has extended an invitation to Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth to join him on his 2024 tour.
The Red Rocker announced that he’ll hit the road next year and perform a set list focused on Van Halen material.
“It’s time. Nobody else is gonna do it,” Hagar declared to radio host Howard Stern. “If [original Van Halen singer] Dave [Lee Roth] goes out, he can’t sing my stuff. [But] we can do a few of the early Van Halen songs. I have no problem with that; I did it when I was in Van Halen. This is really a celebration of all that, and we are the only ones who can do it.”
Hagar will be backed by his band the Circle, featuring former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony. Guitar legend Joe Satriani, who joined forces with Hagar in Chickenfoot, will also be along for the trek. Hagar also explained that he’ll have an open invitation policy to other musicians, including Van Halen’s former members.
READ MORE: Van Halen Albums Ranked Worst to Best
“We’re gonna invite every musician in every town,” the singer insisted. “First of all, whenever you play, if there’s a guitar player in town, no matter what city it is, they come out to see Joe, just like they used to for Eddie [Van Halen]. So if we’ve got other guitar players, we’ll get them involved, other singers, get them involved. If Alex Van Halen wants to jump up, if David Lee Roth wants to come out and join us, come on, motherfucker. You are welcome. This is about Van Halen.”
Don’t Expect Either Musician to Accept Hagar’s Offer
Despite Hagar’s enthusiasm, the likelihood of Roth or Alex Van Halen joining him onstage seems extremely remote. Previously, all of the parties were involved in conversations surrounding the Kitchen Sink tour, which would have seen every past and present Van Halen member taking part in an extended trek. Those plans fell apart when Eddie’s health began to rapidly deteriorate.
READ MORE: All 48 Sammy Hagar-Era Van Halen Songs Ranked Worst to Best
Following the guitar great’s death in 2020, there were reportedly several efforts to organize a tribute concert. However, nothing materialized amid reports of disputes among the former bandmates.
“For them not to have done something for Eddie Van Halen, the greatest guitar player in the world, on the planet. Greatest rock musician, I’m telling ya. It’s ugly,” Hagar bemoaned in a recent interview, prior to the announcement of his tour.
“I don’t know, maybe it’s just ’80s bands,” Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie’s son, commented in a separate interview discussing Van Halen’s tumultuous nature. “There’s something about ’80s bands where it was the cool thing to be dicks. But some things just don’t work out and it seems like [a tribute concert] is one of them.”
Van Halen Lineup Changes
Three different singers and two different bassists joined the Van Halen brothers over the years.
