In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Alex Van Halen discussed the proposed all-star VAN HALEN tour that never happened, explaining that it was David Lee Roth‘s refusal to include the drummer’s brother, the iconic VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, that ultimately prevented the event from taking place.
The article states that Roth and Alex had started rehearsing for the tour with members of Roth‘s solo band, intending to complete the lineup with former VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony and Joe Satriani on lead guitar. During those initial rehearsals, Alex began experiencing numbness in his feet, a sign of peripheral neuropathy. He had also been in touch with Brian May of QUEEN to discuss the best way to honor his late brother, similar to how QUEEN paid tribute to Freddie Mercury during their reunion shows.
Alex said: “The thing that broke the camel’s back, and I can be honest about this now. Dave, at some point, we have to have a very overt — not a bowing — but an acknowledgment of Ed in the gig. If you look at how QUEEN does it, they show old footage.’ And the moment I said we gotta acknowledge Ed, Dave f**kin’ popped a fuse.… The vitriol that came out was unbelievable.”
“I’m from the street. You talk to me like that, motherf**ker, I’m gonna beat your f**king brains out. You got it?’ And I mean that. And that’s how it ended.”
Alex added: “It’s just, my God. It’s like I didn’t know him anymore. I have nothing but the utmost respect for his work ethic and all that. But, Dave, you gotta work as a community, motherf**ker. It’s not you alone anymore.”
Alex added that, in any case, he wouldn’t have been physically able to do the tour.
“It’s too bad on one hand, but it’s fine on the other,” he said. “Because now, in retrospect, playing the old songs is not really paying tribute to anybody. That’s just like a jukebox, in my opinion.… To find a replacement for Ed? It’s just not the same.”
In April 2022, former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted revealed to The Palm Beach Post that Alex had approached him about six months prior to join the project as the bassist. Newsted told the newspaper that he agreed to travel to California to jam with Alex and Joe Satriani to see if it was a good fit, but ultimately realized it would be impossible to truly honor VAN HALEN‘s legacy.
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