Michael Anthony reveals last conversation with David Lee Roth was over “possible reunion”
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(Credit: YouTube)
Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony remains dedicated to celebrating the legacy of the iconic rock band, however, his communication with singer David Lee Roth has dissipated over recent years.
Following the death of guitarist Eddie Van Halen in 2020, the rest of the band knew they couldn’t carry on without him. However, just because they vowed to retire the Van Halen name doesn’t necessarily mean Anthony had any plans to move on musically from the group, and has since teamed up with former vocalist Sammy Hagar.
Although Roth was the original singer for Van Halen, serving initially for 11 years before departing in 1985. He was then replaced by Hagar, who was part of the group during many of their most commercially viable years until exiting for the final time in 2005 when Roth returned to the fold, and remained until 2020.
Now, Anthony, Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Jason Bonham are touring later this summer, playing all the biggest hits from Van Halen’s discography. However, Anthony has revealed they previously discussed a live show that would see Roth and Hagar rotate vocal duties, which didn’t come to fruition.
Furthermore, the dream tour doesn’t seem like it will happen anytime soon, as Anthony is no longer in contact with Roth. He explained in a Q&A at the Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp last month (via Blabbermouth), “I haven’t spoken with Dave in quite some time. The last time I actually spoke with him was when [there was talk] about a possible reunion thing.”
Elaborating on the failed reunion, Anthony stated: “It’s really crazy because I hadn’t heard anything about Jason Newsted coming into the fold. And I got a call from Alex and Dave from [manager] Irving Azoff’s office some years back asking about my thoughts on doing a reunion, a tour. And Joe Satriani was gonna be the guitar player.”
He heartbreakingly concluded: “And that was probably the last time I talked to Dave. That was — God, I don’t know — about a few years ago now. I forget — something like that.”
While there has been no fallout between the pair, they are simply busy working on their respective projects and haven’t had the opportunity to catch up. Anthony added: “Dave’s kind of a crazy guy. It’s hard to explain Dave. We don’t have enough time. But, no, other than that, no. I mean, I don’t have anything against Dave.”
Although the Van Halen duo aren’t speaking, Anthony would jump at the chance to team up with Roth once again, stating, “If the chance ever came up or whatever, I would definitely be willing to jam with him or whatever. In fact, I think the last time he did his last shows at the House Of Blues in Vegas some years back. I was actually gonna come to one of those shows and surprise him and come up and jump on stage, but, unfortunately, we were playing a gig somewhere else — Sammy and I were.”
In the world of rock ‘n’ roll, nothing can be ruled out, and plans may not currently be in place for Anthony to reunite with Roth, stranger things have happened in the music world.
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