Sammy Hagar says there’s now no chance of any sort of Van Halen reunion after Eddie and Alex Van Halen snubbed him on his 70th birthday.
The Red Rocker reported in March that he would consider hooking up with his old bandmates again – but only if bassist Michael Anthony and vocalist David Lee Roth were involved.
He reiterated those comments in August, saying that if he, Roth, Anthony, Eddie and Alex Van Halen were to hit the road together, it would give fans “one of the greatest rock setlists of all time.”
But after celebrating his 70th birthday in October without receiving a message from either of the Van Halen brothers, Hagar says that shows him that they’re not interested in any sort of reunion.
He tells Eddie Trunk: “People say, ‘What’s going on with Van Halen?’ Absolutely nothing. I have no idea – I haven’t heard from the guys.
“To me, they made a real strong statement by not wishing me a happy birthday for my 70th – especially amongst the fact that so many people have died. A week before that, Tom Petty died. Tom Petty’s birthday was the next Thursday after mine, and he was still a young man, as far as I’m concerned.”
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Hagar continues: “With all those people dying, if somebody turns 70, that’s a monumental thing. You would think if they ever wanted to be friends, it would be so easy. And even if they didn’t wanna be friends, it’s just something that would be the right thing to do.”
Hagar also reports that his Chickenfoot bandmate and former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony didn’t receive a message from the brothers when his young grandson died earlier this year and adds: “I don’t know what’s wrong with those two brothers.
“For them not to do anything for Michael and then again on my birthday. All that says to me is that it’s over, man. Those guys do not want to be friends – and if they don’t want to be friends, then we certainly ain’t gonna do a reunion. I would love to do it for the fans, I really would – but other than that, no. I’m over it, man.
“We’ve got to be friends before we can do any kind of business together. To me, it’s put the nails in the coffin.”
Hagar’s Chickenfoot released their latest album Best + Live earlier this year, while he also launched a video for his track No Worries in April from This Is Sammy Hagar: When The Party Started, Vol.1.
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