Alex Van Halen won’t take part in Sammy Hagar’s upcoming Best of All Worlds Tour, but the former Van Halen lead vocalist said he isn’t holding a grudge.
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“You know, he, I guess, just doesn’t like playing without his brother [late lead vocalist Eddie],” Hagar recently told AZ Central. “Don’t blame him. God bless him.”
Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zeppelin legend John, will replace Van Halen on the upcoming 2024 tour, which also features former Van Halen member Michael Anthony on bass and Joe Satriani on guitar. Both Anthony and Satriani joined forces with Hagar in 2008 to form rock supergroup Chickenfoot.
‘You Are Welcome’
Previously, Hagar extended tour invites to both Van Halen and former frontman David Lee Roth. “If Alex Van Halen wants to jump up, if David Lee Roth wants to come out and join us, come on, motherf—er,” the “I Can’t Drive 55” singer boldly declared in November 2023 to radio host Howard Stern. “You are welcome. This is about Van Halen.”
Even then, Hagar admitted the odds were long. The rockers’ tempestuous past has been tabloid fodder for years, and the late Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang publicly blamed more recent “drama” among the bandmates for the disintegration of plans regarding a tribute concert to his father.
This year marks two decades since Van Halen reunited on tour for the first time since 1998. Hagar appears to have finally abandoned all hope of getting the band back together again.
“I’m going, I don’t have another 20 years to be waiting on Alex Van Halen, who’s the only guy left,” Hagar told AZ Central.
Still, Hagar believes he has found a perfect alternative in Bonham.
“Jason plays just like his dad,” Hagar said. “So it’s pretty much the music is gonna be served as good as it can be served today.”
Hagar Says Tour Will Go ‘Really Heavy’ on Van Halen Music
Hagar concluded the AZ Central interview with a promise to play “a whole lot of Van Halen, the whole catalog” on the Best of All Worlds Tour.
“I mean, we’re gonna go back into the early years for three or four songs, sprinkle ’em in there, because I’m calling it not just the Best of All Worlds Tour, I’m calling it the Thank You Tour,” the sunglasses-wearing rocker said. “For me it’s thank you. Thank you, Eddie. Thank you to the fans. Thank you for this wonderful life, being able to do this, because I don’t know how much longer I can do it.”
(Photo by Kayla Oaddams/Getty Images)
