Prior to Eddie Van Halen’s tragic death, Sammy Hagar reflected back on his “disappointing” 2004 reunion tour with Van Halen and recalled their reconciliation.
Even while the initial years of the story were amazing, Sammy Hagar and Van Halen’s ending was not quite as charming. It was clear that things hadn’t gone as planned during the 2004 Hagar reunion tour because of the drug addiction, interpersonal conflicts, and even on-stage confrontations. Two years later, bassist Michael Anthony would be replaced by Wolfgang, Eddie Van Halen’s then-teenage son. The Red Rocker quit after the tour concluded and never came back.
While on the “Best of All Worlds” tour honouring his career with Van Halen and elsewhere, Hagar tells AZCentral in a recent interview that he was “so disappointed and, honestly, hurt by the way that thing went down in 2004.” Furthermore, he said:
“I was expecting that would be the best thing ever, the start of a brand-new chapter in which we would get together, write songs, put out amazing recordings, and become the largest, greatest band on the planet. That was not how things ended out. And it left me feeling really let down.
Nevertheless, I refrained from tending to my injuries. I returned to the Wabos right away and carried on the celebration outside. I had the most fun with The Wabos. First five or six years, except from Van Halen in the beginning. We overindulged in our enjoyment. (Laughs)”
Hagar says, “there was always that hope in the back of my mind that Eddie would get better and there was still a shot at having Van Halen together again” despite the acrimonious nature of the split. But when Edward lost his fight with cancer in 2020, there was little chance that the Van Hagar lineup would make a comeback on stage. Years passed without a second reunion.
“I believe that just being out there, singing, remaining joyful, occupied, and being creative helped me heal. It’s all about it, Hagar continues.
Hagar described her final Van Halen performance as “a disaster”.
Hagar claims that the 2004 tour was nothing short of a “disaster” and that things only got worse as it went on. He started, remembering that Van Halen had performed during the final performance of the 2004 tour in Arizona.
“Yes, that incident when Eddie kind of lost it outside. He was really not in good form the entire tour. He was really abusive to himself and was not well. I do not mean to bring up a painful topic. His breakdown on the second night was such a mess. All I can recall is Irving Azoff grabbing me as I was leaving the stage and telling me to get in the car. He threw me and my wife in the car, and we headed directly to the airport, getting on our plane and heading home while still drenched.”
“I sat there shaking my head on the plane, thinking, ‘God, that was a terrible experience.'” It was not what it could have been—it could have been so lovely and amazing. Returning to do additional gigs didn’t appeal to me. I said, “If anyone wants to extend this tour, please don’t discuss it with me,” you know? They naturally walked out and did something else.”
Though it takes two to tango, Hagar now wishes he had positioned himself better when it came to Edward in the past:
Nobody was entirely certain of the man’s situation. We now know. It’s also a tiny bit simpler to comprehend his annoyances, which is most likely the reason he was abusing drugs and booze more than before. I suppose that he was feeling things that we were unaware of, or that he knew things that we did not. God be with him.
“There are moments when I wish I had known a bit more about his situation. I think I would have given it much more effort. I made every effort to establish a connection with him, start him on the right path, and ensure his health. But rather than responding “(Expletive) it,” I might have tried a bit more and shown a little more compassion.”
conciliation with Eddie Van Halen
Hagar claims that reaching closure with Edward—at least over the phone—made all the difference in the world, even though the second reunion tour never materialised:
“Although I can’t speak for Ed, we had several very touching phone conversations about how delighted we were to be friends once more. I can only speak for myself when I say that it was crucial that we found closure before Dad died away because I’m not sure how I would have felt in that situation. Every now and again, I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking, “Man, I wish we could’ve fixed that.”
“I don’t have to do it anymore. I just think, “Hey, I miss Ed. I miss the music,” at this point.
“Not having anything to carry to your grave is a beautiful thing. That has always been my way of thinking. No. 1: I like to establish friends rather than enemies. No. 2: I have no desire to carry any grudges or any negative emotions to my grave. Furthermore, I don’t want any adversary to carry it into death. I’ll get in touch with you and take whatever action I can to stop that.”
“I dealt with Ed in that way. Upon learning of his serious illness, I acted quickly. I was half expecting him to give me a call. “He owes me the phone call,” I reasoned. However, I contacted him right away after learning that he was in terrible condition. That’s how it needs to be done.”