Official Sammy Hagar/David Lee Roth/Van Halen Thread

[Malcolm]

Launch Radio Networks reports: Waiting to hear what VAN HALEN's next move will be? So is bassist Michael Anthony. Anthony said that since VAN HALEN's reunion tour finished in the fall of 2004, he hasn't heard a thing from Eddie and Alex Van Halen about plans for more recording or touring. "To tell you the truth, I haven't spoken to either of the brothers since we finished the tour," he said. "They have not gotten in touch with me about anything. We thought we'd keep rolling and, you know, I wanted it to. You know, it's kinda sad, because, God, it was great being out there playing again, you know, on that level."

The 2004 tour was VAN HALEN's first since 1998.

Anthony isn't sitting around waiting for the call, however. He and VAN HALEN singer Sammy Hagar are on tour together as LOS TRES GUSANOS, a side band they have with David Lauser. Lauser is the drummer in Hagar's regular band, THE WABORITAS.

Hagar, THE WABORITAS and LOS TRES GUSANOS perform tomorrow in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

[SLCPUNK]

DLR would be my favorite era.

I liked both though.

Too bad for DLR now...what a mess he is.....

is he a mess now?

Well compare the 84 Dave to the 2005 Dave, and it ain't pretty. He didn't age well, and what once was a nutty personality today seems more like he's really mental. His hair that was all long and cool, is now this comb-over-Donald-trump-tribute....He was this sexy rock God back in the day, now he's this dork ass with bad hair.

I hate to knock him, I really do, and I'm not attacking him personally. It just is what it is.

On the other hand, he seems to be exactly how he wants to be, and for that: more power to him!

[Cornell]

Well compare the 84 Dave to the 2005 Dave, and it ain't pretty. He didn't age well, and what once was a nutty personality today seems more like he's really mental. His hair that was all long and cool, is now this comb-over-Donald-trump-tribute....He was this sexy rock God back in the day, now he's this dork ass with bad hair.

Exactly!  When I hear him talk now, I cringe.  He seems like such a loser and yet 20 years ago I almost killed myself to get up in the front row to be close to him. 

[Butch Français]

hey Cornell, you told me you never really liked Dave that much!
you said you were mostly lookin at Eddie! hmmmm

[Cornell]

hey Cornell, you told me you never really liked Dave that much!
you said you were mostly lookin at Eddie! hmmmm

Ha - nice to see that someone pays attention to what I say! 

Yeah, I did say that, but I have seen VH several times and the first time, I did want to be up front for Dave, but after that I shifted more the Eddie side of the stage. 

Does that clear it up for ya? 

[Malcolm]

Launch Radio Networks reports: Last year's VAN HALEN reunion tour thrilled fans around North America, but things were not quite as euphoric inside the band. Bassist Michael Anthony told Launch that guitarist Eddie Van Halen's continued drinking made things a bit erratic and seems to have halted plans for future touring. "I hate to talk smack about anyone in the band or whatever, but, y'know, Eddie, you know, he's still doing a bit of drinking and everything," he said. "There were nights where it was kind of like a rollercoaster, up or down, and myself, I would have liked to have seen him totally clean up if we were gonna take this further and, like, 'cause, gosh, we could've gone all around the world with it."

VAN HALEN put three newly recorded songs on its 2004 compilation, "Best of Both Worlds", but no future recordings or tour plans have been set.

Anthony and VAN HALEN singer Sammy Hagar are on the road together with the Cinco de Mayo tour, which features Hagar and his WABORITAS, as well as LOS TRES GUSANOS, a side band Hagar and Anthony put together with WABORITAS drummer David Lauser.

The Cinco de Mayo tour arrives tomorrow (Tuesday, May 10) in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

[Butch Français]

hey Cornell, you told me you never really liked Dave that much!
you said you were mostly lookin at Eddie! hmmmm

Ha - nice to see that someone pays attention to what I say!?

Yeah, I did say that, but I have seen VH several times and the first time, I did want to be up front for Dave, but after that I shifted more the Eddie side of the stage.?

Does that clear it up for ya??

yeah, it does.
damn you're lucky too have seen VH in the DLR era LIVE!!

[Malcolm]

ABC ePrep is reporting that former VAN HALEN frontman David Lee Roth just went to Fort Sam Houston, Texas ? where the Army medics in Iraq are trained ? for military emergency medical technician (EMT) training. Roth was being trained to transport patients to military helicopters. As previously reported, Roth is an EMT in New York, and he says that the tactics he uses as a paramedic are similar to those the military uses. He also noted that unlike some acts, he's not using his commitment to the military to get publicity for his projects.

[Malcolm]

Launch Radio Networks reports: VAN HALEN bandmates Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony are doing a handful of dates with their side project, LOS TRES GUSANOS, a trio that plays Hagar songs, some VAN HALEN material and classic rock covers. Would the group ever consider writing and recording its own material? Anthony told Launch it could happen. "We actually have kind of been thinking about that," he said. "You know, we're mainly a cover band. You never know, we might get a bunch of material together and re-record some of the great, you know, rock songs of the past. You never know."

Anthony previously told Launch that VAN HALEN is back on hiatus, with no plans for the foreseeable future.

LOS TRES GUSANOS is opening for Hagar and his WABORITAS on the Cinco de Mayo tour, which plays tonight at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.

[Malcolm]

Launch Radio Networks reports: Prior to its 2004 reunion with Sammy Hagar, VAN HALEN made repeated attempts to put together a project with original singer David Lee Roth. But bassist Michael Anthony told Launch that none of the Roth reunions took hold. "We tried to do the reunion thing with Roth, I think, three, four, I don't know how many times, you know, on any kind of level," he said. "At the end it was almost like, 'Let's just see if we can go out and play some shows and not even go in the studio,' and we couldn't even work that out with Roth. And at that point, I was so frustrated."

Roth and VAN HALEN parted ways in 1985, after which he was replaced by Hagar. Roth rejoined the group briefly to record two new songs for 1996's "The Best of Van Halen, Volume 1".

Since leaving the band, Roth has maintained a career as a solo artist and actor, and also wrote an autobiography called "Crazy From The Heat". He also trained as an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) technician.

VAN HALEN is currently on hiatus after last year's tour with Hagar.

[Malcolm]

ABC ePrep is reporting that Sammy Hagar joined country star Kenny Chesney onstage a couple of nights ago during Chesney's concert at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. Hagar and Chesney performed three songs together. The two artists are friends ? Chesney played at Hagar's Cabo Wabo Cantina at Hagar's Meltdown and Birthday Bash last year.

[Rob]

They were never a great band after Roth left.  He wrote far better lyrics, and he's ten times the frontman Hagar is.  Not that Hagar is bad.  I actually think he's pretty good, but Roth VH is worlds better than Hagar VH.

[Malcolm]

 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."

[MikeB]

His hair that was all long and cool, is now this comb-over-Donald-trump-tribute....He was this sexy rock God back in the day, now he's this dork ass with bad hair.

I hate to knock him, I really do, and I'm not attacking him personally. It just is what it is.

Ah just put a wig on his balding head, that's what Axl did.

[Lineker10]

DLR and his era Van Halen rule. He truly was a great frontman. Ive got some live songs from 1999 and even as late as then he could still nail the songs - hopefully next time he tours the UK ill catch him.

[Malcolm]

Sammy Hagar spoke to Doug Podell of Detroit's WRIF 101.1 FM earlier this month about the current status of VAN HALEN and his upcoming solo album, tentatively due in early 2006. When asked to comment on the rumors that VAN HALEN may once again have been shelved following reports of internal disagreements, Hagar said, "It's really a shame? I don't know what happened. But, you know, Eddie [Van Halen] and I? everybody knows? I thought it was gonna be OK, and it wasn't OK. We did some great shows ? don't get me wrong; we did some amazing shows in the Detroit area and some [other] places ? but there were times off stage when him and I were? they were holding us back. We don't get along anymore. This guy? I'm sure he'd tell you a whole different story, but from my perspective, he doesn't know how to have fun, he doesn't wanna have fun, he wants to be a miserable human being and make everyone around him miserable. He just goes around firing people, and he tried to fire some of my people, [and I went], 'Get the hell outta here, man. This guy works for me, not you.' He's not any fun to be around. David Lee Roth was more fun to be around. [laughs] Unless he changes to where Mike [Anthony] and I can even handle being around? His brother can't even stand to be around him, but his brother is his brother, so he goes over and tries to deal with him all the time. If the guy wants to come around and say, 'Hey, look, let's go back to being friends and being happy musicians and playing music for the people,' and get rid of these $150, $200 dollar ticket prices and all this crap, then we could probably do it again. But I would never do it again for those prices ? never ever ever. And I can say never ever ever. People say, 'Don't ever say never.' Well, I'm saying it. [laughs] but that's part of the deal. And the other thing, I wouldn?t do it unless we could become friends, and he's gotta change, 'cause I'm happy ? I'm having a blast."

[Malcolm]

 According to The Los Angeles Times, Howard Stern, who is literally counting the days before he leaves terrestrial radio for satellite, revealed on the air Monday (July 18) that comedian Adam Carolla and ex-VAN HALEN frontman David Lee Roth will take over his popular morning time slot, at least in the Los Angeles and New York markets, respectively.

Roth has reportedly been experimenting with his "Diamond Dave" morning show at a classic-rock station in Boston. The singer still tours occasionally and has a performance scheduled July 29 in Redding.

Stern made his announcement Monday morning on his show following an elaborate hourlong ruse he staged in which it appeared Roth already had taken over the show and the longtime shock jock has been summarily bounced out of his job. In fact, Stern used comic Bill Mira, who has been doing a credible Roth voice imitation for months for the show, to be "Diamond Dave". Monday was Stern's first day back on the air after a two-week vacation.

[Malcolm]

Launch Radio Networks reports: VAN HALEN recorded three new songs for last year's greatest hits collection, "The Best of Both Worlds", but frontman Sammy Hagar says the group could have finished a whole album. Hagar told Launch that the hang-up was guitarist Edward Van Halen, who simply took too long to record his parts. "We tried to make a record, but, you know, it just was taking so long we only got three songs done, and not 'cause of me, I'll tell ya straight up," he said. "If anyone ever says anything like that I was the problem on that record, they're crazy. I had my stuff totally together. I went in, I knocked my stuff out, and then Eddie would take months to do a guitar solo or something. It was just way too drawn out. I can't work like that."

With VAN HALEN now on hiatus, Hagar resumed touring this year as a solo act. His "The Tequila Made Me Do It" tour, during which he'll play with both MONTROSE and his own band, THE WABORITAS, begins August 6th in Clarkston, Michigan.

Hagar and VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony continue to play together in another group, LOS TRES GUZANOS.

[SLCPUNK]

According to The Los Angeles Times, Howard Stern, who is literally counting the days before he leaves terrestrial radio for satellite, revealed on the air Monday (July 18) that comedian Adam Carolla and ex-VAN HALEN frontman David Lee Roth will take over his popular morning time slot, at least in the Los Angeles and New York markets, respectively.

Roth has reportedly been experimenting with his "Diamond Dave" morning show at a classic-rock station in Boston. The singer still tours occasionally and has a performance scheduled July 29 in Redding.

Stern made his announcement Monday morning on his show following an elaborate hourlong ruse he staged in which it appeared Roth already had taken over the show and the longtime shock jock has been summarily bounced out of his job. In fact, Stern used comic Bill Mira, who has been doing a credible Roth voice imitation for months for the show, to be "Diamond Dave". Monday was Stern's first day back on the air after a two-week vacation.

How strange.

That Dave could talk enough for 10 people, much less be teamed up with Carolla.

I give that show less than the VH reunion with Dave.....

[Malcolm]

Launch Radio Networks reports: Sammy Hagar hopes that in the near future he won't have to charge for a concert ticket again. Hagar told Launch that his other ventures, like Cabo Wabo tequila and his Cabo Wabo Cantina clubs, are making enough money to subsidize his live dates. He plans to pass that benefit on to the fans. "I'm getting real close to being able to go out and perform, big concerts with huge production, for free," he said. "That's what I'm trying to get to. It's a year or two early from being able to do it for free, assuming the company keeps growing the way it is."

Hagar's "The Tequila Made Me Do It Tour" kicks off this Saturday (August 6) in Independence Township, Michigan. Besides music from Hagar with both THE WABORITAS and MONTROSE, the shows will also feature a parking lot tailgate party with beach volleyball, auto shows, a "Sammy-oke" karaoke stage, Mariachi bands, and photo ops with donkeys wearing sombreros.

Hagar, who spent most of 2004 with a reunited VAN HALEN, hopes to start work on a new album later this year.