The “Best of All Worlds Tour” is set to celebrate the rich legacy of both Sammy Hagar and Van Halen, and starts in mere days. The lineup, besides Hagar, features Joe Satriani on lead guitar, Michael Anthony on bass, and Jason Bonham on drums, creating a powerhouse ensemble. Hagar has been teasing fans with the setlist, while Satriani has been humorously flaunting his modified EVH Frankenstein guitar, jokingly hinting that Eddie Van Halen might haunt him for it.
Most recently we have known about Hagar‘s futile efforts to engage Alex Van Halen for the trek. Despite the excitement surrounding the tour and the presence of two Van Halen veterans, everyone can’t help but notice Alex Van Halen‘s absence, especially after the unsuccessful attempt at a Van Halen all-star tribute. In a recent conversation with Ultimate Classic Rock, Hagar revealed the efforts made to include the drummer.
“Mike and I reached out to Alex before we did this. We reached out to him a dozen times before this tour, in every way. E-mail, text message, phone call, message on the machine, okay? No response. No response. I mean, we made every offer to get together or to just talk or to have breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Go to the studio and play. Come to my house or I’ll come to your house. Go ride horses, go sit on the beach. What do you want to do? Let’s just do something. Let’s get together. And nothing.”
Hagar further expressed his frustration, pointing out the strained relationship: “When the tour came, the first person we called and left all of the messages, sent all of the emails, it was Alex Van Halen. Mike and I said, ‘We’re wanting to do this thing.’ Alex‘s famous line to me was, ‘Sammy, we ain’t getting any younger.’ Mike and I said: ‘Alex, we ain’t getting any younger. We’re going out and playing for the people. We’re going to go honor the Van Halen catalog. Let’s just get together and let’s talk about it. Mike and I, we’re going out, we’re going to do this, Alex. Please join us. Let’s be friends, let’s bury the hatchet, whatever.’ There was no response.”
Reflecting on Alex‘s apparent final decision, Hagar noted: “I was saying, ‘He’ll come to a show, he’s got to in L.A. or something. I’m sure he’ll come.’ But no, no, he sold all of his equipment. That was his statement. That was like, ‘Nah, I ain’t coming nowhere.'”
Michael Anthony, in a recent interview with Ultimate Guitar, shared his surprise over Alex Van Halen‘s choice to auction off his gear, interpreting it as a sign of ongoing grief for his brother Eddie.
“I know that he continues to grieve today over Eddie‘s passing. And basically, Eddie was the only person that he actually ever played music with. I never really knew Alex to be a person to go out and jam with other people or other bands. Unless Eddie was a part of it. Maybe he feels that… Since his brother’s gone, he doesn’t feel the desire to go out and play anymore. But I can only speculate. When I found out about this auction and started checking it out, it is pretty sad, because it truly means that it’s the end of anything that that could have been as far as tribute-wise, you know?”