It looks as though those rumours of a Van Halen reunion were indeed true after all, with former bassist Michael Anthony revealing that “the plug got pulled” on the very notion.
Late last year, rumours began to circulate that the original lineup of Van Halen was set to reunite for the first time in 35 years.
In an interview with frontman David Lee Roth, the singer inferred that Van Halen would be doing “the original thing” sometime in 2019, playing all sorts of large-scale venues along the way.
However, when the information reached the press, Roth backtracked, stating he “can’t say” what will be happening in the future. Despite this, respected music journalist Eddie Trunk noted he too had heard claims of a reunion tour from the band, including original bassist Michael Anthony, who had been fired in 2004.
“The rumors from reliable sources — but still rumors that are unconfirmed — is that the band will tour in 2019 with the original band, which would mean the return of Michael, and that it’s gonna be some sort of stadium package,” Trunk explained.
However, despite these claims, Michael Anthony downplayed any news of a reunion, noting that while he did run into Alex Van Halen “a few years back”, he simply stated that, “the only comment I have is that I haven’t spoken to any of the guys since we last played together back in 2004.”
However, in a new interview, Michael Anthony has changed his tune, revealing that a reunion was indeed on the cards, but was unceremoniously cancelled along the line.
Check out an interview with Michael Anthony:
Michael Anthony says to @EddieTrunk in regards to a @VanHalen reunion … that had it worked out, we’d be rehearsing right now … catch the full interview from Wednesday’s show anytime you want via @SIRIUSXM on-demand! @siriusxmvolume #TrunkNation pic.twitter.com/OskYFdpMuo
— SiriusXM VOLUME (@siriusxmvolume) June 20, 2019
Speaking to Eddie Trunk on his Trunk Nation broadcast (via Consequence Of Sound), Michael Anthony confirmed a reunion tour had been planned as of last October.
“I can tell you, I spoke with [Van Halen’s manager] Irving Azoff last October — that’s when I first heard from him — and he asked if I would be interested in any kind of a reunion, and I told him, I said, ‘Yeah.’
“I was finishing up a couple of shows with Sammy [Hagar] and I said, ‘Yeah, I’d be interested to hear what you guys have going on. I’ve got these few dates left, and give me a call.’
“And then, right after the first of the year, David Lee Roth’s business manager or lawyer, or something, got ahold of me about a meeting or something. And so at that point, I gave it over to our manager, because I didn’t wanna start getting in this whole thing — I wanted to do it the correct way, especially after the way things went for me in 2004.
“From what I’ve heard, and I haven’t spoken to any of the guys, they were gonna try to plan a thing for this summer, And for whatever reason… I was never… My people were never… They never got in touch with us about any kind of a contract or any kind of a meeting to discuss or whatever. And the next thing I knew, the plug got pulled on it.”
However, plans of a reunion seemed so concrete that Michael Anthony even alerted his bandmates in Sammy Hagar & The Circle as to the future plans.
“The reason the Circle is taking a break right now is that if things would have worked out as they were starting to go and was planned,” he added. “We would have been in pre-production rehearsals with Van Halen right now.”
Check out ‘Panama’ by Van Halen:
In a recent interview with Classic Rock, vocalist Sammy Hagar – who fronted Van Halen from 1985 to 1996, and from 2003 to 2005) revealed he had no plans to partake in any sort of reunion, even avoiding contacting his old bandmates as a result.
“I’m afraid if I ever reached out and really tried to contact Ed and Al, they would think that I was trying to get back in the band or I was trying to do a reunion,” Hagar explained. “And I’m not.
“I am so content with The Circle – we play the Van Halen songs that I wrote with Ed as good as anybody, but I’m happy to have just five or six Van Halen songs in my set. It’s almost like I don’t want to be asked to do because I’d feel like I had to do it, but I don’t really want to. I’m sorry I don’t.”
As it stands, Van Halen haven’t performed live since 2015, with no current plans to return to the stage in the near future.
While there’s no word when, or if, the original lineup will indeed reunite at some point, it seems as though the gears have been in motion, so who’s to say what the future holds?
Check out ‘Jump’ by Van Halen:
