Alex Van Halen has claimed that David Lee Roth stopped any chance of a tribute tour for his brother, Eddie Van Halen.
Alex, the brother of late, great rocker Eddie, who passed away in 2020, opened up to Rolling Stone about the ill-fated tribute tour.
According to Alex, the tour was all coming together and they were hoping to secure guitarist Joe Satriani and bassist Michael Anthony, who had not been involved in the group since 2004.
However, the idea quickly fell apart following an altercation with frontman David Lee Roth, who refused to include a tribute to Eddie as part of the set.
“The moment I said we gotta acknowledge Ed, Dave fuckin’ popped a fuse,” said Alex. “The vitriol that came out was unbelievable.
“‘You talk to me like that, motherfucker, I’m gonna beat your fucking brains out. You got it?’ … And that’s how it ended… 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.”
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Despite the fallout, Alex acknowledged the tour would never have come to fruition due to his back injury that prevented him from performing anyway.
“In retrospect, playing the old songs is not really paying tribute to anybody,” he concluded. “That’s just like a jukebox, in my opinion… To find a replacement for Ed? It’s just not the same.”
