SAMMY Hagar says he’s finished doing Van Halen-focused shows.
In the wake of his latest spat with Alex Van Halen – which is not to say there’s a link – Hagar made the statement as his latest Best Of All Worlds residency opened in Las Vegas.
“I’m kinda done with being the Van Halen guy,” he told SiriusXM.
“I mean, I’ll always keep some of it in my show. But originally, the Best of All Worlds tour with Joe Satriani, was supposed to only be once and that was in 2024. But it was so damn successful that we got the [Las Vegas] residency, which is what I really wanted.
I’ve got so much Montrose, those are great songs and fun stuff, I’ve got fans that have been following me since then. You know, the red album [1977’s Sammy Hagar], the red rocker era, pre-Van Halen, the Geffen years. …I want to do so many things, I don’t want to just go out there and just do Van Halen. But Mike and I are kind of obligated. I like it, but I feel like I owe my old fans more than that.”
Alex Van Halen, 73, has said he did not believe Hagar, 78, was honouring Van Halen’s legacy properly. Hagar’s response during the Faction Talk interview was also widely reported.
“I don’t know what Alex’s problem is,” Hagar told host Eddie Trunk. “I’m always honest. I tell the truth. And I have never lied in my book.
“I want to call Alex out and say, ‘Dude, we all know. You act like there was never a Sammy Hagar. You act like there was never a Van Halen,. We sold 40-some million records, four number-one albums, and you just scratched that off of your brother’s legacy… You don’t even want to acknowledge it… That’s weird. That’s not right for Eddie, for me, for Mike [Anthony], for anybody.”
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