Michael Anthony will be hitting the road soon with his good friend and former Van Halen bandmate Sammy Hagar on The Best of All Worlds Tour, which will celebrate the music of their old group. Anthony has regularly collaborated with Hagar for decades, but during a Q&A at a recent installment of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, the bassist revealed that he hasn’t had much of any contact lately with the guy Hagar once replaced in Van Halen, David Lee Roth.
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At the interview session, which took place in March 2024 in Los Angeles, Anthony was asked if he had “any relationship with Dave at all.”
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“I haven’t spoken with Dave in quite some time,” he admitted. “The last time I actually spoke with him was when [there was talk] about a possible [Van Halen] reunion thing.”
Anthony continued, “It’s really crazy, ’cause I hadn’t heard anything about [former Metallica bassist] Jason Newsted coming into the fold [and doing the tour]. And I got a call from Alex [Van Halen] and Dave from [manager] Irving Azoff’s office some years back asking about my thoughts on doing a reunion … tour. And Joe Satriani was gonna be the guitar player. And that was probably the last time I talked to Dave. That was—God, I don’t know—about a few years ago now.”
[RELATED: Drink In Ex-Van Halen Singer David Lee Roth’s Danceable New Solo Tune, “Scotch and Sofa”]
Anthony then commented on Roth’s eccentric personality, saying with a laugh, “Dave’s kind of a crazy guy. It’s hard to explain Dave. We don’t have enough time.”
Anthony Is Still Willing to Collaborate with Roth
Having said that, the 69-year-old musician maintained, “I don’t have anything against Dave. And I’ve said this in the past to different people. … [I]f the chance ever came up or whatever, I would definitely … be willing to … jam with him or whatever.”
Anthony then shared that he almost made a surprise appearance at one of Roth’s shows during his 2020 Las Vegas residency at the House of Blues.
“I was actually gonna come to one of those shows and surprise him, and come up and jump on stage,” he reported, “but, unfortunately, [Sammy and I] were playing a gig somewhere else.”
What Inspired The Best of All Worlds Tour
Earlier in the Q&A, Anthony discussed what inspired The Best of All Worlds Tour, which will feature him, Hagar, Satriani, and drummer Jason Bonham playing a set heavy on Van Halen material, along with various other classic songs.
“Sammy and I figured it’s 20 years ago this year that we did the last Van Halen reunion,” he noted. “And Sammy and I were talking about it. … We’re always reminiscing and stuff like that, and we thought, ‘Gosh, 20 years. And who knows what’s happening now?’ We obviously can’t wait much longer. Sammy’s an old man now.”
He continued, “But we didn’t want to wait any longer. And with Ed [Van Halen] unfortunately passing away the other year. And Alex … I know he still grieves and stuff like that, and he doesn’t really get out … and play. And so, Sammy and I wanted to get the music out to everybody, and we thought … ‘Let’s get together and take it and play it. Someone’s got to play it!”
More About The Best of All Worlds Tour
As previously reported, Hagar’s The Best of All Worlds Tour is scheduled to kick off July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida, and conclude on August 31 in St. Louis. Loverboy will be the opening act throughout the trek. You can check out all of the dates at RedRocker.com.
Tickets for the shows are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
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