No more Van Halen?

**Ali** · 07-12-2005, 04:50 AM

Straight cut and paste from Sammy's most recent interview:

Norway's Metal Express recently conducted an interview with Sammy Hagar. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

On the Van Halen 2004 reunion tour and whether there was a chance of it coming to Europe:

"The tour was worthwhile for everyone, but it was a really expensive ticket price in America, and I think that if we would have come to Europe, it would have been twice that much. And I wasn't down with that. And we signed on a contract… which sounds kind of business-like, but it really became that. By the end of the tour, if it wasn't for the business, I probably would have stopped at 40 shows. But we signed on for 80, we did 80 shows, and at the end of that, I think it was better to let that go for awhile. I'm not saying that we would never do it again, but some people would have to change, including maybe myself — maybe I'm the first guy that should change. But we would have to change. We couldn't just do it the way it was being done. It was falling apart."

On the possibility of a new Van Halen album:

"We tried to do an album. We only got three songs done. It took four months to do three songs. So I was saying, 'Let's go out and play for the people before this whole thing ends.' 'Cause if you remember right, they tried to do an album with Gary Cherone — the second record — and that didn't finish. Then they tried to do a record with Dave [Lee Roth] three times, and they never got it done. So I was seeing that coming. As a person who wanted to go out and play for the people, I said, 'Let's stop recording, and let's go out on the road while we still can.' And I think it was a smart move. The management was into that as well. We had shows on sale. We pretty much had to go out and do some shows. That's why we only did three songs."

On the last show of the Van Halen reunion tour:

"The last show with Van Halen was a disaster — it was a horrible experience. We had to be pushed off the stage separately, and me taking this way, and Eddie [Van Halen] taking this way, and Alex [Van Halen] and Michael [Anthony] down the middle, because we were ready to go to blows — it was that bad. So that was horrible. The rest of the tour wasn't that bad. But at the end… I don't know. Something got crazy."

Sad, sad new this. I'm gutted that I won't get to see VH in Europe one last time,or get to hear new material, unless Dave can be persuaded again, but look what (didn't) happen last time...

**koogie2k** · 07-12-2005, 07:06 AM

Interesting read.....but, it is the 'Net and I remember a big long drawn out thread about EVH several months ago. This thread will become one as well because there are soooo many Van Halen fans.

It would be nice for them to get together, get along, write and record. I would like to see a new album, but, I personally don't think it is going to happen.

**pack-rat** · 07-12-2005, 08:01 AM

If they could just hold hands and sing kumba-ya....

**Mick** · 07-12-2005, 08:13 AM

Let´s turn the clocks back to 1993 and everything is good. Ed plays MMs and is makin good music.
And me is ordering a solid black, gold top and trans green EVH.

**Top_Michael** · 07-12-2005, 08:37 AM

If Ed, Alex and DLR could put aside their egos and make a great comeback together.... I'd be the most happiest man on Earth!

**pack-rat** · 07-12-2005, 08:51 AM

It seems Michael Anthony is the only one who does not have an ego.

**SteveB** · 07-12-2005, 09:16 AM

Well, friends.. nothing lasts forever. Perhaps it's time the VH era ended while we still have some good memories of those boys. I'd really hate to see it go further downhill. It sure was a great ride, though!

**kbaim** · 07-12-2005, 10:40 AM

Yep. stick a fork in it.

Like an athlete that stays around being a sliver of his former self, that's kind of what I felt when I went to see them twice on that tour.

Man they put out some good music though. Their best songs never seem to get old.

**dwf1004** · 07-12-2005, 11:48 AM

...you know, it was a really weird tour.

The Phoenix show was just on fire...the band, yes, even Eddie, was hitting everything on the mark. NorM can attest that things were not so out of whack as Sammy puts it.

The Vegas show the next night, albeit the fact that EVH got hit with a liquor truck, was rather good. I really wish that EVH hadn't been drunk, this concert would have been on par with the night previous.

The night before the last show mentioned above, NorM, a friend of mine, and myself went to in Tucson, and it was a pretty spot on show. EVH seemed to noodle a little more here and there, and it did seem out of place in some instances, but overall it was a very good show.

The show that followed it (which I tried to sweet talk NorM and my friend into, hehehe) was one of those that you just had to be there for, because otherwise you don't believe that it could happen. I've seen video, and have heard some of the stories, enough to come to the conclusion that it wasn't just someone that was trying to make sh*t up, etc. -- why and how it happened, the jury was still out on.

I don't get too much into it, though...I just try to take it as good music, and leave the business to the people that need to worry about it: them. It would be great to see more music coming from the mighty VH, whichever incarnation it may be, but I think I'm (reluctantly) ready to hang up the pair of striped Converse and revel in the good 'ol days.

**Dr Freeman** · 07-12-2005, 05:30 PM

wait, so what happened on these shows? did they screw up songs? or what?

Edit: forgot to add when I was posting... It seems that the Dave issue is with the Halen bros. At least from what I've heard that those three are the ones who have a problem... Mike is not involved... Like when they did the DLR reunion thing, it got pretty hot backstage... The Halen ego vs David L Roth ego is just too big not to oversee

**Victrola** · 07-12-2005, 05:51 PM

It's kind of a shame that all the egos and such have made them into a bit of a joke. But, that's nothing new in the music world. Who knows what will happen.

I did get to see Van Halen, twice - once in March of 1978 and again in May of 1980. They were both great performances, even though at the 1980 one it was very clear that they were all feeling no pain whatsoever.

**dwf1004** · 07-12-2005, 05:51 PM

...as long as EVH and DLR are involved, there will never be a VH reunion of that nature. Factor in egos, but moreover "my way or the highway" attitudes. EVH was quoted in an article quite some time ago that the reason that he built 5150 was because he was tired of being left out, or not having any say in matters on these albums...he built it so that it was HIS recording studio, and that his opinions were going to matter (read: do things HIS way!)

As far as the VH tour in '04, it was an on/off thing with EVH, one night he's playing like he was semi-sober, one night he was lit up like a firecracker.

8/5 Phoenix: semi-sober
8/6 Las Vegas: trashed
11/18 Tucson: semi-sober
11/19 Tucson*: trashed

* this was the fabled "last show" that everyone was talking about, and mentioned in the article.