In a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Sammy Hagar said his efforts to reach out to Alex Van Halen went unanswered.
Fans won’t see Van Halen on Sammy’s Best of All Worlds tour with Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, and Jason Bonham, though Hagar tried to get him involved:
“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. Email, text message, phone call, message on the machine, OK? 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.”
Sammy Shared What He And Michael Anthony Told Alex
Hagar said he and the drummer ‘don’t have a relationship’ and added:
“When the tour came, the first person we called and left all of the messages, sent all of 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.”
The Red Rocker had hope that Van Halen would come to the show:
“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.’”
Van Halen announced his retirement in May 2024 and thanked fans for their support on Instagram. Alex also auctioned his personal gear, including drum kits, cymbals, and awards, through Backstage Auctions, Inc. The auction ran from June 1 to June 9, featuring 350 items, all with a signed certificate of authenticity. The Best of All Worlds tour starts on July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida.