Following the death of his brother Eddie Van Halen in 2020, drummer Alex Van Halen had plans with Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth to stage a tour. But, according to an interview with Rolling Stone, Alex claims that it came crashing down after Roth refused to incorporate a tribute to Eddie in their set.
As Alex recalls, he and Roth began rehearsals for a tour following Eddie’s death caused by complications relating to throat cancer in Oct. 2020. They planned to bring in guitarist Joe Satriani and potentially bassist Michael Anthony, who hadn’t played in the band since 2004.
After he chatted a few times with Queen’s Brian May to learn how that band honored the legacy of Freddie Mercury in their live shows, Alex brought the idea of acknowledging Eddie during their own reunion performances. “The moment I said we gotta acknowledge Ed, Dave fuckin’ popped a fuse,” he said. “The vitriol that came out was unbelievable.”
Roth, whose reps did not respond to a request for comment from Variety, reportedly found the idea “offensive.” “I’m from the street,” said Alex. “You talk to me like that, motherfucker, I’m gonna beat your fucking brains out. You got it?’ And I mean that. 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, motherfucker. It’s not you alone anymore.”
Alex shared that he would not have been able to tour regardless due to a 2022 back injury that rendered him immobile for a year. “It’s too bad on one hand, but it’s fine on the other,” he says. “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.”
