The former Van Halen singer plays his first solo show in five years at the M3 Rock Festival in Columbia David Lee Roth has played his first live show in five years. The former Van Halen frontman performed a 16-song set at the 19,000-capacity Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia the second night of this year's long-running M3 Rock Festival Roth's setlist was entirely made up of songs originally recorded during his first stint with Van Halen, with no room for his solo output or – perhaps less surprisingly – from Van Halen's 2012 Roth reunion album A Different Kind of Truth famously covered by Van Halen on their debut album Full setlist and fan-shot video of the full concert below Roth's previous show was at the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock but fans won't have to wait another five years for a show as the singer has another already booked: On September 12 he'll perform at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga as part of the venue's annual Summer Concert Series PanamaDrop Dead LegsYou Really Got MeUnchainedDance The Night AwayRunnin' With The DevilMean StreetAtomic PunkAnd The Cradle Will Rock...Jamie's Cryin'I'm The OneEverybody Wants Some!!Romeo DelightHot For TeacherAin't Talkin' 'bout LoveJump Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock Classic RockOnline Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014 Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović Ghost's $130 Papa V Perpetua 'Ghildo' sells out in minutes "Metal is the most positive thing in the world" The latest in-depth documentary from Simon Alkin focuses on the talent behind Eruption – a song that changed the guitar world forever The mini-documentary is the sixth short film to be masterminded by EVH obsessive and filmmaker Simon Alkin offering a comprehensive insight into the writing of the band’s 1978 self-titled debut album The newly-released part puts its game-changing track Alkin utilizes old interviews from Eddie Van Halen to tell the story through the words of those who were a part of it is “to make it as truthful and impactful as possible” with Eddie Van Halen discussing how the band “wouldn't take no for an answer” in their quest to earn a record deal to sign the band “because of Ed” “I didn't care about anybody else,” Templeman says “I just wanted that genius to be recognized by the world.” It also takes in the young band’s ignorance and how they signed “the worst deal for us you could ever imagine” with David Lee Roth joking that “Ted still makes more money than I do on those first two records” The band had recorded the album in five days Speaking of his father’s impact on the guitar world, which was immediate upon Eruption’s release, Wolfgang Van Halen says his dad “kind of ruined” the 1980s guitar scene as an army of Eddie impersonators vied for the world’s attention and one that Alkin says is “a significant step up on anything I've made previously” with no official Van Halen content out there his work helps “fill the void” for the band’s devoted fanbase Alkin has also been thorough with his fact-checking, and has thanked Guitar World contributor and Van Halen expert Chris Gill – “an absolute authority on the subject” – for his help with the film Gill co-wrote the book Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen and also granted Alkin access to previously unheard audio Alkin has also credited author Steve Rosen who let him lift limited amounts of his Tonechaser interview with the late virtuoso The documentary’s release comes after hours of unseen B-roll footage, captured for a canned documentary on the band during the 1980s, was released on YouTube in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original churning that low string through a variety of tunings He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot you will then be prompted to enter your display name ‘Do you want to play with Joe?’ Before I could say ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ he brings Joe over and tells him ‘Jason wants to play a set’”: Jason Sinay on jamming with Joe Bonamassa – and why his early sessions with Mike Campbell were a struggle “I remember there was a video of Gary Moore and he played Red House on this Fiesta Red Strat and I thought it was just the most incredible thing”: Is Toby Lee Britain’s next blues-rock superstar Klon Centaur creator Bill Finnegan once said that the hype around his pedal was “ridiculous,” yet originals still fetch $10,000 or more on the secondhand market why does the Klon remain a holy grail pedal Wolfgang Van Halen wasn't counting on encountering zombies at a recent Mammoth gig But that's exactly what happened when the guitarist/vocalist and his band received an invite to perform at a mysterious venue While club owners can sometimes have certain demands the circumstances with this particular show presented some challenges don't play loud," the owner tells Van Halen "Some of our customers are sensitive to loud noises." There wiill be "no frickin' solos," he decrees Watch Mammoth's 'The End' Video "I always had it in the back of my mind that if we ever did a video with Robert I would want to do a light homage to From Dusk till Dawn," he tells UCR "That's where the whole concept of a bar with zombies since he's the bartender and the titty twister in From Dusk till Dawn It was Robert's idea to tie the whole thing to the previous videos with the Wolfies who hate me It was just a happy family working on this insane thing for two days." READ MORE: See the Cast of 'From Dusk till Dawn "We've got our own Mammoth Cinematic Universe going on," he laughs Watch Mammoth's 'Another Celebration at the End of the World' Video we're Mammoth,' so now it's just fun to officially be living it." When Van Halen started working on songs for the third Mammoth album the concept for what became "The End" was something that had been hanging out in his memory banks for a good while "It was actually an idea I had a while ago that I always just felt was too much for me considering the centerpiece of it is the solo over the top tapping thing," he explains "I went back to it when I was going through old ideas and I was like 'What feels good that I haven't really taken advantage of?' Now that I'm a bit better from the last few years at writing I wanted to see if there was anything I'd missed it would be really fun to try and palletize this idea and make it more comfortable instead of it being so jarring." "I think it's important for me to evolve and take more chances," he continues I think I've been uncomfortable and I found that to be a good thing in hindsight If I'm unsure and a little uncomfortable doing it it means I'm doing something that I wouldn't normally do and I'm in a new area He tells UCR about the experience of making his new music video for \"The End.\"\nRead More Wolfgang Van Halen wasn't counting on encountering zombies at a recent Mammoth gig READ MORE: See the Cast of 'From Dusk till Dawn In a new interview with Audacy Music who has been fronting his band called MAMMOTH (formerly MAMMOTH WVH) for the past five years was asked to name his favorite tour that he has been on so far having already shared the stage with the likes of GUNS N' ROSES He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wouldn't necessarily pick a favorite — I think I'm just blown away to be a part of all these — but I think the most insane one was for sure the METALLICA tour Touring with them for two years — we were the one band who played every building with them on the 'No Repeat Weekend' for the 2023 to '24 dates They even gave us this plaque where it was Elaborating on what made the METALLICA tour so special Wolfgang said: "I think just the grandioseness of it was so insane it was certainly an out-of-body experience Asked what was so different about playing "in the round" that made the METALLICA tour so unique Wolfgang said: "It's tough because I've got a [guitar] pedal board and I'm glued to the mic mainly I had my bandmates running around as much as they could I know we figured it out at some point where if I just place my mic somewhere else facing in a different direction I can at least kind of get a look at most of the people But it was a tough thing to get used to for a bit." Wolfgang spoke to Matt Pinfield of 95.5 KLOS's "New & Approved" show about what it had been like to open for METALLICA on the latter band's "M72" world tour He said: "It's been crazy… It's been such a pleasure and honor to be a part of such an insane tour The crew is so kind so wonderful and the band They come by the dressing room all the time just to kind of see hilarious stage in the coolest way — it's just very odd to be in the middle of a stadium in the round Wolfgang added: "They've been so wonderful Wolfgang told Pinfield that MAMMOTH landed the opening slot on the METALLICA tour after seeds were likely planted when he met METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in London in September 2022 "We shook hands and talked for a little bit I had no idea that that would lead him asking us to take part in the tour I kind of can't believe that we'll be opening for them for the whole tour I think we're the only opener to be playing every building with them very excited and honored to be a part of it." Speaking specifically about the "M72" tour's in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage Wolfgang said: "Walking into the stadium [to play the first show in Amsterdam] 'We've never done anything like this before.' We were all just kind of shocked during even soundcheck 'This is really what we're doing here?' [Laughs] And then you do the show with the actual people there This is unreal.' It's the most extravagant form of a concert MAMMOTH played its first concert as the opening act for METALLICA on April 27 2023 at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam Wolfgang was asked by the Rock 100.5 The KATT radio station if he was looking forward to sharing the stage with METALLICA I don't know if it's so much 'looking forward to' as it is having a meltdown in my head figuring out how we're gonna play in the round So that's gonna be definitely a trip to try and figure out… You can't really rehearse that until you just do that." Asked if he had met the METALLICA guys before Wolfgang said: "I've met Lars and I've met James [Hetfield so it's an honor for them to have asked us to take part in such a crazy tour I don't think I've ever known what I was doing two summers from now but I know that now I am opening for METALLICA next summer which that's just kind of a crazy thing [to think about]." Regarding how MAMMOTH got the gig as the opening act for METALLICA Wolfgang said: "It could have been in London when I played the Taylor Hawkins tribute show And I shook his hand and he was super nice Let's check them out.' And then he just decided to ask us to be a part of it Wolfgang Van Halen is the ex-bassist of VAN HALEN and son of the late guitarist Eddie Van Halen Wolfgang once again wrote all of the songs and performed all of the instrumentation and vocals himself on the 10-track LP which was recorded at the legendary 5150 studio and was produced by Wolfgang's friend and collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette MAMMOTH released a new single called "The End" The track is expected to appear on the band's third album an occasional roundup of the best Heavy Metal News features and pictures curated by our global MetalTalk team MetalTalk is Europe's leading independent Heavy Metal news publication For more details, contact Steve Ritchie at Editor@MetalTalk.Net is owned and managed by MetalTalk and must not be used elsewhere without written permission Over 20 years after Sammy Hagar ended his stint as a singer for Van Halen the musician detailed why he is no longer in touch with the former band’s drummer Alex Van Halen Sammy Hagar knows why there can’t be love between him and Alex Van Halen “I think Al’s angry because I’m out doing it, Mike and I are out doing it and he can’t,” Sammy—who admitted he is no longer in contact with his former bandmate—told Rolling Stone in an article published April 29 And he seems like he doesn’t want to play drums or can’t play drums anymore Indeed, during Sammy’s time with Van Halen—which was between 1985 and 1996 and again between 2003 and 2005—he acted as the lead singer and penned the band’s songs “Alex wasn’t the songwriter in the band,” Sammy continued I think that really bothers him that Mike and I are still out there doing it I would feel terrible if I couldn’t do it anymore.” But while Sammy, 77, believes the bandmates’ feud stems from his ability to continue on in his music career, he also addressed a few other theories, including his 2012 memoir, Red which exposed Alex’s brother Eddie struggling while touring with Van Halen and Sammy turning the brothers’ band into a profitable venture “It was well documented that Eddie was a mess on that tour But I don’t want to drag Eddie through no coals now And as for Sammy taking over control of Van Halen “How the f--k could they be angry about that?” Sammy argued They made me indemnify them in case I got sued and lost everything Sammy noted that he made “hundreds of millions of dollars” for the rock band, and their former manager Irving Azoff believes that may be the root of his issues with Alex Alex, for his part, has alluded to preferring the version of Van Halen that was led by vocalist David Lee Roth—who sang from 1974 to 1985 As the 71-year-old wrote in his memoir Brothers “What happened after Dave left is not the same band.” Bobby (pictured second from left) addressed rumors of a falling out with Tan (middle) in January 2024 two months after he announced his exit from Queer Eye after eight seasons "I want people to know that Tan and I—we will be fine," he told Vanity Fair It was something personal that had been brewing—and nothing romantic In March 2024, Tan responded to allegations that he had campaigned to replace Bobby on Queer Eye with his friend Jeremiah Brent "Netflix and the production companies did a full-on casting I didn't put my friend up for the job They ended up getting it because they were the best person for the job," he said on Instagram "But I didn't get them hired by getting rid of somebody else." Following years of rumors of a feud between the two on a December 2023 episode of her podcast Let's Be Clear Shannen's former Charmed costar Holly Marie Combs alleged that Alyssa had once made an ultimatum to a show producer to choose between herself and Shannen which ultimately led to the latter leaving the show in 2001 "I did not have the power to get anyone fired" and that "this was so long ago that any retelling of these stories from anyone is just revisionist history." A day later, Shannen said at a panel event at MegaCon Orlando "There is no revisionist history happening in the truth that I know we told." Shannen passed away in July 2024 after a yearslong battle with cancer while playing a game called Stir the Pot with her daughter Kelly Osbourne on E Sharon said the That '70s Show alum was the rudest celebrity she had ever met rude little boy" and a "dastardly little thing." He did not respond to her remarks publicly Five years prior, Sharon told Larry King that when Ashton appeared on The Talk in 2014 he had an "attitude" after she got his name wrong what have you done in this industry?'" she recalled because I'm gonna eat you up and s--t you out.' So I was just like 'You don't know what you're dealing with In August 2022, Cassadee and Maren traded harsh words with Brittany after she shared an Instagram Reel of herself applying makeup on Aug "I'd really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase JoJo Siwa described Candace Cameron Bure as the "rudest" celebrity later explaining that she felt snubbed when Bure once refused to take a picture with her on a red carpet the Full House alum apologized: "I kind of broke your 11-year-old heart Candace was asked if she expects the Great American Family network of which she serves as chief creative officer to feature same-sex couples as leads in holiday movies "I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core." who came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in 2021 wrote on Instagram that the actress' comment is "rude and hurtful to a whole community of people." Back in June 2021, Courtney Love accused Olivia Rodrigo of copying her band Hole's album cover for a promotional photo without giving credit "Love u and live through this sooooo much." Courtney then replied I look forward to reading your note [winking face emoji]." During an appearance Watch What Happens Live the Happy Days actor was asked why he didn't get along with the Forrest Gump star on the set of the 1989 flick Turner & Hooch "I was directing that movie for 13 days and then I was called into [producer] Jeff Katzenberg's office and he said seem to get along with Hanks' four-legged co-star He also refused to admit if he's even seen the flick Fans of The Hills will remember that iconic line delivered by Lauren on the season three premiere Their feud began when Heidi started dating her now-husband Spencer Pratt and hit its peak when Lauren accused Heidi and Spencer of starting a rumor that she had made a sex tape with Jason Wahler Tyrese then opened up about the feud, telling Van Lathan on The Red Pill podcast "I have yet to talk to The Rock to this day and we will have a conversation." He shared that he did have a conversation with the former wrestler's producing partner "I found myself being the messenger on behalf of various people associated to the franchise but stupid me was the only one who went public about those feelings Taylor and Katy had been in a feud for years, even allegedly inspiring Taylor's song "Bad Blood." The drama, which reportedly started over a backup dancer and competing tours, came to an end after Perry sent Taylor a literal olive branch before her Reputation Tour kickoff "So I just got to my dressing room and found this actual olive branch," Taylor said in an Instagram video Sex and the City costars Kim and SJP had dodged feud rumors for years. But they were reignited after Kim decided not to return for a third movie and made comments about her costar that raised eyebrows "What was your reaction to Kim Cattrall telling Piers Morgan that you were never friends just colleagues?" Andy Cohen asked SJP on a Sept you and I spoke about it because I was just...I don't know I found it really upsetting because that's that's not the way I recall our experience." "So...it's sad but I'm kind of...I don't know I always think that what ties us together is this singular experience is the thing It was a professional experience but it became personal because it was years and years of our lives So I'm hoping that that sort of eclipses anything that's been recently spoken," she continued "That many years spent doing something so special that people had a connection with is such a privileged." And though they didn't film scenes together Kim did make a small appearance on And Just Like That The iconic singers have been feuding since 2004. While accepting the Classic Songwriter Award at the Q Awards that year, Elton said to attendees but I think everyone who lip-syncs in public on stage The former Grey's Anatomy star sparked a feud with the series creator in 2008 when she removed her name from the Emmy Awards consideration The actress stated that her reason for the move was because she wasn't "given the material to warrant a nomination." Shonda later opened up about Katherine's decision during an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Oprah's Next Chapter in 2012 "On some level it stung and on some level I was not surprised," she said It was the New York Fashion Week fight heard 'round the world when Nicki and Cardi got into a heated altercation at the Harper's Bazaar Icon party Cardi opened up about the catalyst for the fight with Nicki "For a while now she's been taking a lot of shots at me," Cardi said in W magazine's Art Issue The real spark of the fight came when Cardi saw that Nicki had allegedly liked and then unliked a tweet about Cardi's parenting skills "I was going to make millions off my Bruno Mars tour and I sacrificed that to stay with my daughter," Cardi continued So for somebody that don't have a child to like that comment So many people want to say that party wasn't the time or the place but I'm not going to catch another artist in the grocery store or down the block." Kanye updated his Instagram to follow only Taylor and the fellow musician did not respond publicly to the move It's been over 15 years since Mariah and J.Lo's "feud" has been going on It all started when the Queen of Christmas was asked to give her opinion on several singers during an interview and producer Wolfgang Van Halen is back with the latest single from the band he masterminds "The End" is an adrenaline-driven rocker that kicks off with a signature lead guitar riff that has become a fan-favorite element in Wolfgang's music The anthemic build of the intro gives way to the driving verse melody with each part carefully created and performed by Van Halen and his returning collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette The chorus is driven by the unforgettable vocal melody and the message of "Take your hand in mine and watch the end with me." The song is available via all digital service providers here Wolfgang explains: "I've had the tapping idea on the intro for 'The End' since before MAMMOTH I was doing some different things on the record and I knew this was going to be a big step Wolfgang and MAMMOTH have released a music video for "The End" that's one for the history books and rarely seen in music videos anymore Wolfgang teamed up with legendary director Robert Rodriguez to do a modern-day interpretation of Rodriguez's 1996 hit film "From Dusk Till Dawn" The video tells the story of a rock band that is booked to play a show at a dive bar and given an ominous warning from the club owner portrayed by Danny Trejo and things quickly turn dire for the band before a surprising revelation during the final moments tie the complete video lore from the band together Myles Kennedy and Wolfgang's mother Valerie Bertinelli Horror effects icon Greg Nicotero offered his talents to the video to create zombies and vampires that bring a deadly end to the attendees of the show The music video for "The End" can be seen below With a short run of May dates creating excitement for a MAMMOTH tour the band has also announced an autumn headline run across the USA "The End" tour kicks off on October 31 for five weeks Longtime friend Myles Kennedy will be the special guest Tickets will be on sale starting May 5 via artist presale and go on sale to the public on Friday More information on all tickets and VIP passes as well as all previously announced 2025 tour dates fans will be able to see Wolfgang Van Halen as part of the lineup at BLACK SABBATH's special "Back To The Beginning" final concert on Saturday MN - Grand Casino Mille LACS Event CenterNov Last July, Wolfgang Van Halen confirmed to TimesReporter that he was working on material for MAMMOTH's third album and we've been touring like crazy this year so I've been kind of compiling ideas and coming up with stuff that I want to attack once I get in the studio again," he said "The plan is definitely to get the third album done this year … or at least by the beginning of next year "We've been going for a while now [releasing music and touring] So it's important to kind of go away and give people a little rest from us because we've been going non-stop for three years at this point." Asked what the new MAMMOTH album would sound like Wolfgang said: "I think I'm really looking forward to seeing what that new branch is gonna be for this next album because … in order for me to really want to keep doing this it's like I want to keep adding new flavors and new freshness to that So I've been messing around with some piano ideas I'm not sure if that will make it yet or if I'm good enough to pull that off but I just want to start adding some new vibes and just kind of see what happens." In February 2024, Wolfgang was asked by Ethan Jackson of Topeka's rock radio station KDVV/V100 if he was hoping to have a little bit more time to work on MAMMOTH's next LP considering that "Mammoth II" had to come together rather quickly but the second album was only about a month and a half maybe we get two to three months of work done over the course of time I can always be writing demos and stuff and kind of preparing for that we're definitely trying to squeeze more time out and make it a bit more comfortable than 'Mammoth II' was." "Mammoth II" was released in August 2023 via BMG The 10-track record was recorded at the legendary 5150 studio and was produced by Wolfgang's friend and collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette MAMMOTH WVH's touring lineup features Wolfgang on guitar and lead vocals Frank Sidoris (SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS) on guitar Since the release of MAMMOTH's debut album in 2021 the band has headlined shows in North America played arena gigs with ALTER BRIDGE and stadium concerts with both GUNS N' ROSES and METALLICA Wolfgang confirmed that he asked his father for permission to use the MAMMOTH band name for his solo project MAMMOTH is a nod to family history — Eddie Van Halen and Alex Van Halen's band was called MAMMOTH when singer David Lee Roth first joined it in 1974 In the aftermath of Eddie Van Halen's death the divide between Sammy Hagar and Alex Van Halen has remained The onetime bandmates haven't spoken in 21 years and the drummer even failed to mention Hagar by name in his recent memoir So why has the relationship remained so frosty When the Rolling Stone interviewer suggested that Hagar's past memoir might not have set well with Alex Hagar countered that he felt it might have been another reason "I’ve had this conversation with a few people 'What’s the problem?' And some people have said to me And then they didn’t want it anymore when it was losing money and you turned it around and made hundreds of millions of dollars on it Hagar said he hopes that's not the case "How the fuck could they be angry about that And they made me indemnify them in case I got sued and lost everything In 2024, Hagar recalled their Cabo Wabo venture being a bone of contention, enough so that he was banned from wearing Cabo Wabo clothing onstage during their 2004 reunion run READ MORE: Sammy Hagar Says He Makes More Money From Alcohol Than Music "At the time they didn't care [about Cabo Wabo]," Hagar explained in his book Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock the tequila was everywhere and people were always coming up and talking about the cantina the Van Halen brothers went to great lengths to keep Hagar's brand name off their stage "They put it in the contract that I could not wear any Cabo Wabo T-shirts onstage or mention anything about the tequila or the cantina on the mic." Hagar recalled getting a Cabo Wabo tattoo on his shoulder He would then hide the tattoo during rehearsals with long-sleeved clothing but he lost the long sleeves during the show with the tattoo visible on the concert big screens as they played As for the possibility that it might be the memoir It was well documented that Eddie was a mess on that tour But I don’t want to drag Eddie through no coals now That’s just water under the bridge." The former Van Halen singer says there's one other possibility on why Van Halen has cut him off "I think Al’s angry because I’m out doing it And he seems like he doesn’t want to play drums or can’t play drums anymore Alex wasn’t the songwriter in the band "I think that really bothers him that Mike and I are still out there doing it," continued Hagar I would feel terrible if I couldn’t do it anymore. But I’m the happiest guy out of all of them He concludes of the lack of relationship with the drummer I’m out there selling Van Halen records and keeping the name alive While much has been made about Sammy Hagar's new song "Encore Goodnight" being inspired by a dream about Eddie Van Halen Hagar admits he's had an Alex Van Halen dream as well ‘What are you pissed off at me about Hagar says the dream version of Alex laughed at him. “It was kind of a friendly laugh,” says Hagar I don’t.’ And so then it became this game suffer.’ Now that’s a fucking pretty realistic dream.” Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire Sammy Hagar points to a soured past business venture with his Cabo Wabo tequila brand that led to the harsh feelings.\nRead More In 2024, Hagar recalled their Cabo Wabo venture being a bone of contention, enough so that he was banned from wearing Cabo Wabo clothing onstage during their 2004 reunion run READ MORE: Sammy Hagar Says He Makes More Money From Alcohol Than Music though it’s mostly in one direction from Sammy towards Dave but it does ignore one thing - the two of them were both fantastic frontmen for Van Halen high-kicking force of nature with the charisma of a movie star and the presence of a neutron bomb Sammy was the powerhouse singer and songwriter who didn’t just come in to rescue Van Halen after Dave’s acrimonious departure Classic Rock writers Paul Elliott – a Dave devotee – and Jerry Ewing – a Sammy man – make the case for each of these monsters of rock’n’roll you can have your say in this ultimate showdown and it was a friend from college – Graham Stroud – who broke the news to me in a phone call one weekend “Are you sitting down?” he asked Then he told me: “There’s bad news This was my favourite band he was talking about and a big part of what made this band so great was the singer Eddie was the greatest guitar player on Earth and the band was named after him and his brother Alex Diamond Dave might not have been a great singer in any conventional sense He couldn’t hit the notes that Ronnie James Dio could but his whiskey-and-cigarettes voice oozed rock’n’roll attitude Roth was pretty much in a league of his own funnier and better looking than guys like Vince Neil could ever dream of being Diamond Dave was like the quarterback and cheerleader all rolled into one The sheer force of his personality was a big part of what gave Van Halen their edge over other arena rock acts I was still in shock when Graham said: “Here’s the really bad news he was brilliant in Montrose – on the first album I liked his song I Can’t Drive 55 – definitely the best thing he’d done as a solo artist But while I could appreciate that Sammy was a good singer In 1984 – as Van Halen and Dave had been riding high with Jump – Hagar had made an album V.O.A on which he positioned himself as the Voice Of America was the kind of hawkish bullshit that I despised that bozo was going to ruin the band I loved… I have even grown to like Sammy as a person after interviewing him several times over the years I’ve interviewed Dave many times too and both he and Sammy were exactly as expected: loud Van Halen were never as great without Dave In the band’s original line-up – the two brothers Roth and bassist Michael Anthony – there was a magical chemistry Every one of the six albums they made between 1978 and 1984 is a classic Nothing from Van Hagar – not even the brilliant 5150 – can match what the band created in those six albums with Roth I received as a birthday present a t-shirt made by the singer’s fan club Roth Army The back print stated in huge block capitals: DAVID LEE ROTH IS VAN HALEN When I wore that t-shirt to a Def Leppard gig in California I lost count of the number of people who said they loved the shirt and agreed with that statement I was shocked when Dave left Van Halen and I was shocked again when It’s just a shame that Michael Anthony wasn’t invited to be a part of this reunion It’s like Black Sabbath without Bill Ward Roth once called heir music “turbo pop” testosterone-charged hard rock with killer tunes and a knowing sense of humour Van Halen with David Lee Roth – it’s what summer was invented for Was any Van Halen album that David Lee Roth sang on as good as the band’s electrifying 1978 debut Women And Children First and Fair Warning are cool records But is anyone other than the most foolhardy Diamond Dave zealot going to deny that Diver Down represents worthy evidence that Van Halen in 1982 washed up imitation of the incendiary band they once were They may have fluked a hit with Jump on 1984 Every damn song just peters out into a disinterested fade but the lack of impetus from the band in getting the job finished is all too evident And given that a stack of ideas that had cropped up on early demos were even appearing on 1984 suggests they were a band fast running out of ideas and interest And David Lee Roth was the biggest culprit The band’s performance at Donington in 1984 when they were widely expected to blow headliners AC/DC away A chance blown with indulgent solos and Roth’s ego-run-wild raps between songs the chance to reaffirm their position as one of the world’s greatest hard rock acts Little wonder it all fell apart with Roth within the year early Van Halen with Roth on stage must have been a sight to see But then people used to think The Darkness were an an enjoyable sight to behold Now Sammy Hagar – he’s got real class An album Van Halen had largely based their entire career on So with the cartoon Pinocchio of rock out the band Sammy Hagar was the perfect fit at the perfect time for Van Halen who’d brought in the relatively unknown Brian Johnson to replace the much-loved Bon Scott and still reaped enormous commercial and creative dividends the move by Eddie and Alex Van Halen after they’d be introduced by a garage mechanic was far more astute Hagar was already an incredibly successful solo artist in his own right An unknown in this instant could never have worked (see the sorry plight of the reasonably well-known Gary Cherone when he hooked up for the dire Van Halen III) Hagar was a star who could fill the boots of Roth He’d already helped lay the blueprint for Van Halen worked with Van Halen producer Ted Templeman on that Montrose album Hagar was simply a greater singer and better songwriter than Roth had ever been and the sense of excitement when I first heard the new-look Van Halen’s debut single Why Can’t This Be Love pumping out the radio was insane The flood of delight at hearing it’s blend of Eddie’s dexterity and Sammy’s ear for a melody combining for the first time a release of gargantuan proportions It’s got everything – marrying the finest Van Halen had offered to that point with the class of Hagar’s exemplary solo career Paul ElliottFreelance writer for Classic Rock since 2005 Paul Elliott has worked for leading music titles since 1985 He is the author of several books including the first biography of Guns N’ Roses and the autobiography of bodyguard-to-the-stars Danny Francis He has written liner notes for classic album reissues by artists such as Def Leppard and currently works as content editor for Total Guitar He lives in Bath - of which David Coverdale recently said: “How very Roman of you!” "The universe is not fair like that." Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson tells new bands they'll get nowhere without self-belief “We did get very wild and crazy at points ‘Why aren’t we getting arrested?’”: The violent “This is my first band since Deep Purple It’s out of this world – I’m back in a rock band Led Zeppelin and a modern blues icon came together to form Black Country Communion In a new interview with Rolling Stone Sammy Hagar spoke about his relationship with his former VAN HALEN bandmate Alex Van Halen and refused to even mention Sammy by name in his recent memoir Regarding why there has been no communication between the two in the last couple of decades Sammy said: "I've had this conversation with a few people including [former VAN HALEN manager] Irving Azoff 'What's the problem?' And some people have said to me And then they didn't want it anymore when it was losing money 'How the fuck could they be angry about that They made me sign off big time.' And I'm going Referencing his 2011 autobiography "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock" in which Hagar slammed Alex's brother Eddie Van Halen missing part of his tongue (after a cancer scare) and several teeth Sammy continued: "The book has been brought up But I don't want to drag Eddie through no coals now "I think Al's angry because I'm out doing it former VAN HALEN bassist] and I are out doing it And he seems like he doesn't want to play drums or can't play drums anymore And I think that really bothers him that Mike and I are still out there doing it I would feel terrible if I couldn't do it anymore But I'm the happiest guy out of all of them When interviewer Andy Greene noted that Alex has had real health issues and has reasons to feel bitter I'm out there selling VAN HALEN records and keeping the name alive Last December, Alex Van Halen was asked by Bringing It Back To The Beatles why he made "the conscientious decision" to end his book in 1984 and not cover any of the band's later years He responded: "Because the original band was the band that was the driving force That was the connection between the disparate parts of the musical world The first record going platinum — it's incredible That's something you can really never expect to happen again it was different — that's for another book — but the excitement and the confusion and the groping in the dark but those are the things that are in the back of your head When the interviewer noted that this attitude is "true rock and roll," Alex concurred it became much more — I don't know; I can't explain it But it's not to say that it was not any good We always did our best at whatever we were doing He added earlier in the interview: "I think I picked up where Ed [legendary VAN HALEN guitarist and Alex's brother Eddie Van Halen] left off in terms of saying… His example was that we were actually happier playing in clubs than we were when we hit the so-called big time because in the clubs you weren't quite sure what you were doing you can play anything you want and there's nobody that holds you accountable or they have expectations of any sort People are right there in front of your face And that kind of goes away when you get to the place where you have five lines of security people Two months earlier, Alex gave a slightly different answer to USA Today when asked about his decision to end the book when VAN HALEN's original singer David Lee Roth first quit the band 41 years ago the spirit of the band ended in 1984," Alex said our mutually strange backgrounds — that's what made VAN HALEN Those kinds of intangible things make the fabric of how we were tied together." Asked about his current relationship with David Alex said: "I think Dave is laying low right now I don't know his mental state in terms of how he's dealing with all of this "I was taught early on that the music field isn't about the notes and things it's about relationships and what we all had [in VAN HALEN] was deeply entangled "I don't hold [Roth leaving VAN HALEN] against him But it was very telling how the dynamic of certain entities got warped by the people around him "Dave was in the middle of [huge success] where he wasn't thinking clearly That's the reason I called him first [after Ed died] — only to find out that 23 years changes people." Asked if that means that the conversation didn't go as expected "Brothers" ignores Sammy Hagar's stint with VAN HALEN as well as that of EXTREME vocalist Gary Cherone and even VAN HALEN's reunion with Roth that started in 2007 "What happened after Dave left is not the same band," Alex told Billboard "I'm not saying it was better or worse or any of that The fact is Ed and I did our best work whenever we played Alex also explained his refusal to participate in this past summer's "The Best Of All Worlds" that focused largely on the music of VAN HALEN The trek featured Hagar and former VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony along with guitarist Joe Satriani and drummer Jason Bonham The 2024 tour came more than two years after Satriani revealed that he was approached about participating in a VAN HALEN tribute show with Alex and David Lee Roth reportedly because Roth was "holding up" getting everything approved Alex said about why he was not responsive when Hagar and Anthony reached out about him taking part in some way in "The Best Of All Worlds": "I'm not interested In a separate interview with Rolling Stone "The heart and the soul and the creativity and the magic was Dave his only acknowledgment of the "Van Hagar" era reportedly came in the line "We had a lot of other singers over the years." Hagar mended his relationship with Eddie Van Halen months prior to the legendary VAN HALEN guitarist's October 2020 passing Hagar replaced Roth in VAN HALEN in 1985 and recorded four studio albums with the band — "5150" "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" and "Balance" — all of which topped the U.S Alex and Mike last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S Anthony reportedly had to agree to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the band name and logo Sammy Hagar is moving on from the long-standing discourse with his former Van Halen bandmate, Alex Van Halen During a recent interview with Rolling Stone the Red Rocker seemed resigned to the fact that he and the drummer will remain estranged Everything’s good,” Hagar remarked Hagar expressed confusion as to why Alex holds a grudge towards him The singer theorized that it stems from jealously regarding the state of their current careers READ MORE: Sammy Hagar on Alex Van Halen Schism: 'I Want to Be Friends' I would feel terrible if I couldn’t do it anymore.” The Red Rocker went on to describe himself as “the happiest guy out of all of them Even at 77 years old, Hagar remains very active. The singer’s Best of All Worlds Las Vegas residency – which will largely focus on Van Halen material – kicks off April 30. He also recently released a new song titled “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight,” inspired by a dream he had of Eddie Van Halen Hagar admitted he had a recent dream about Alex READ MORE: All 48 Sammy Hagar-Era Van Halen Songs Ranked Worst to Best And it was so friggin’ real,” the singer recalled \"I’m making you money, by the way, Al. I’m out there selling Van Halen records and keeping the name alive.\"\nRead More Sammy Hagar is moving on from the long-standing discourse with his former Van Halen bandmate, Alex Van Halen During a recent interview with Rolling Stone READ MORE: Sammy Hagar on Alex Van Halen Schism: 'I Want to Be Friends' Even at 77 years old, Hagar remains very active. The singer’s Best of All Worlds Las Vegas residency – which will largely focus on Van Halen material – kicks off April 30. He also recently released a new song titled “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight,” inspired by a dream he had of Eddie Van Halen READ MORE: All 48 Sammy Hagar-Era Van Halen Songs Ranked Worst to Best “It was crazy. And it was so friggin’ real,” the singer recalled. “I was saying, ‘What are you pissed off at me about, man? What the fuck? Now just tell me what your problem is. What did I do? Just tell me.'” Dream Alex laughed. “And he goes, ‘You really don’t know, do you?’ And I said, ‘No, I don’t.’ And so then it became this game, and he was saying, ‘Well, I’ll tell you what, let’s flip a coin, and heads, I’ll tell you, tails, suffer.’ Now that’s a fucking pretty realistic dream.” The End“It’s still over-the-top and shreddy but it’s also melodic and controlled…” Listen to Mammoth’s new single The End ahead of a star-studded music video premiere later today Wolfgang Van Halen has unleashed a new single with his project Mammoth (seemingly no longer going by the original band name Mammoth WVH) which he reveals actually started to come together before he even formed this group “I’ve had the tapping idea on the intro for The End since before Mammoth,” Wolfgang says There’s a star-studded accompanying video – featuring Danny Trejo, Slash, Myles Kennedy Valerie Bertinelli and the Mammoth live band – premiering at 3pm BST today (May 1) Catch Wolfgang in the UK on July 5 for Black Sabbath’s colossal Back To The Beginning show at Villa Park Mammoth WVH have just announced a summer return to these shores… Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators will be hitting a whopping 32 cities next year on tour… Foo Fighters are hitting stadiums across America next summer – and they’re bringing along the Pretenders Uber-talented guitarist and frontman Wolfgang Van Halen redefines the notion of ‘big’ on Mammoth WVH’s massive-sounding follow-up album… an ’80s-style power ballad sung by Ryan Gosling Listen to Mammoth WVH’s new single Take A Bow which features Wolfgang using his late father Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein guitar and Marshall head Celebrating an incredible 20 years with a whopping anniversary spectacular here’s all the best stuff from Download Festival Mammoth WVH shares the next single from upcoming album Mammoth II – listen to Like A Pastime now Wolfgang Van Halen does his family name proud on new Mammoth single "The End," an up-tempo rocker featuring a healthy dose of the guitar heroics his late father Eddie Van Halen made famous "The End" explodes out of the gate with a furious tapped guitar lick that's evidently embedded in the Van Halen DNA After a brisk secondary lick that evokes "Mean Street," the song shifts into a driving verse propelled by Van Halen's energetic drumming "The End" climaxes with a soaring READ MORE: Mammoth WVH, 'Mammoth II': Album Review "I've had the tapping idea on the intro for 'The End' since before Mammoth," Van Halen explained in a statement "I was able to fit it into this world Once we finished 'The End,' it felt really special to me." Van Halen also recruited director Robert Rodriguez for the epic "The End" video a modern-day interpretation of Rodriguez's 1996 action-horror hit From Dusk Till Dawn It stars Danny Trejo as a seedy nightclub owner who allows Mammoth to perform at the venue under the condition that they play quietly Naturally, the band doesn't comply, and calamity ensues, featuring a horde of zombies, werewolves and vampires. Several Van Halen friends and family members also make cameos in the video, including Slash his mother Valerie Bertinelli and his wife Andraia Allsop Tour DatesOct 31 – Show information to come soonNov 1 – Las Vegas NV – House of BluesNov 4 – Dallas TX – House of BluesNov 5 – Houston TX – House of BluesNov 7 – Lake Buena Vista FL – House of BluesNov 8 – Atlanta GA – TabernacleNov 9 – Charlotte NC – The FillmoreNov 11 – Silver Spring MD – The Fillmore Silver SpringNov 12 – Show information to come soonNov 14 – Montclair NJ – The Wellmont TheaterNov 15 – Pittsburgh PA – Roxian TheatreNov 18 – Cleveland OH – The AgoraNov 19 – Detroit MI – The Fillmore DetroitNov 20 – Columbus OH – KEMBA Live!Nov 22 – Onamia MN – Grand Casino Mille Lacs Event CenterNov 23 – Green Bay WI – EPIC Event CenterNov 25 – Chesterfield MO – The Factory at The DistrictNov 26 – Chicago IL – House of BluesNov 28 – Oklahoma City OK – Diamond BallroomNov 29 – Show information to come soonDec 2 – Kansas City MO – Uptown TheaterDec 3 – Denver CO – Ogden TheatreDec 6 – Tempe AZ – Marquee TheatreDec 7 – Show information to come soon Danny Trejo, Slash and Myles Kennedy appear in the epic, zombie-filled video.\nRead More Wolfgang Van Halen does his family name proud on new Mammoth single "The End," an up-tempo rocker featuring a healthy dose of the guitar heroics his late father Eddie Van Halen made famous READ MORE: Mammoth WVH, 'Mammoth II': Album Review Naturally, the band doesn't comply, and calamity ensues, featuring a horde of zombies, werewolves and vampires. Several Van Halen friends and family members also make cameos in the video, including Slash This originally appeared on E! Online “I think Al’s angry because I’m out doing it, Mike and I are out doing it and he can’t,” Hagar — who admitted he is no longer in contact with his former bandmate — told Rolling Stone in an article published April 29 Get top local Connecticut stories delivered to you every morning with the News Headlines newsletter Indeed, during Hagar's time with Van Halen — which was between 1985 and 1996 and again between 2003 and 2005 — he acted as the lead singer and penned the band’s songs READ: Eddie Van Halen's Son Reflects on Rocker's "Unfair" Death on First Anniversary “Alex wasn’t the songwriter in the band,” Hagar continued But while Hagar, 77, believes the bandmates’ feud stems from his ability to continue on in his music career, he also addressed a few other theories, including his 2012 memoir, "Red" which exposed Van Halen's brother Eddie struggling while touring with the band and Hagar turning the brothers’ band into a profitable venture And as for Hagar taking over control of Van Halen “How the f--- could they be angry about that?” Hagar argued Hagar noted that he made “hundreds of millions of dollars” for the rock band, and their former manager Irving Azoff believes that may be the root of his issues with Van Halen Van Halen, for his part, has alluded to preferring the version of the band that was led by vocalist David Lee Roth — who sang from 1974 to 1985, and took over again in 2006. As the 71-year-old wrote in his memoir "Brothers," published in October, “What happened after Dave left is not the same band.” VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth played his first full solo concert in more than five years Saturday night (May 3) at the 2025 edition of the M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Roth's setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm: Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below. Roth will also perform in Saratoga, California on September 12 as part of the Mountain Winery's 67th Summer Concert Series. Roth originally left VAN HALEN to pursue a solo career following the success of the band's album "1984", but he returned for a stint in 1996 and then took over as VAN HALEN's frontman again from 2007 until 2020, although the band had not toured since 2015. In January 2022, Roth canceled the remaining farewell shows he was set to play in Las Vegas after he vowed to retire from performing live. In a statement, event organizers said the cancelations were made "due to unforeseen circumstances related to COVID and out of an abundance of caution for those working and attending the shows." When Roth's Vegas residency was first announced, organizers promised "a changing set of 26 instantly recognizable songs, including 'Jump', 'Panama' and 'California Girls...'" In March 2020, Roth postponed the final six shows of his Las Vegas residency due to the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the globe. Roth's last Vegas residency kicked off on January 8, 2020 with a 15-song set that included 10 VAN HALEN classics and five songs from his solo career. Backing the singer were lead guitarist Al Estrada from the VAN HALEN tribute band ERUPTION, rhythm guitarist Frankie Lindri, bassist Ryan Wheeler, keyboardist Danny Wagner and drummer Mike Mussleman. Roth explained that he chose Vegas as the place to debut his new band because "this is where you come to celebrate and do the victory dance, whatever that means to you." In a February 2020 interview with StarTribune, Roth openly wondered whether his first tour since VAN HALEN completed its 2015 run of shows would be the last time he would perform. "I'm calling it 'The Last Tour'," he said at the time, "and then underneath it in parentheses: 'Unless It Isn't'. ... At my age, everything is a possible farewell tour." "It's been a long great trip, a long great run," he continued. "But this kind of music requires the kind of energy that people in their 20s bring. You know what NFL stands for: Not For Long. It's similar in rock. I remember the days when we would stand around and say, 'Let's go have a cigarette.' And that's what we did: Four guys having one cigarette. I remember those days. They go by fast, so enjoy them while you're in them." In February/March 2020, Roth performed as the opening act for the North American leg of KISS's "End Of The Road" farewell tour. A post shared by STEVE BROWN (@stevebrownrocks) 2025Van Halen fans were in for a treat as original frontman David Lee Roth took the stage at M3 Rock Festival – his first live performance in five years sang at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia Maryland with a four-person band and four backup singers He sang a ton of Van Halen hits like "Dance the Night Away," "Hot for Teacher," "Drop Dead Legs," "Panama" and more Fans flooded social media to gush over seeing him perform again "DavidLeeRoth just opened his first show in five years with Panama he sounds amazing!!!" one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter) "Just saw DavidLeeRoth's comeback show Very pleasantly surprised!" A third commented "DavidLeeRoth footage shows why he’s always been and always will be better than Sammy Hagar." "We've reached the end of my first retirement," Roth joked with the crowd, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. "How many retirements did Rocky have The last time he was on stage was when he opened for KISS back in March 2020 right before the COVID-19 pandemic began Wolfgang Van Halen‘s Mammoth WVH now goes by just Mammoth The band introduced the shorter name while releasing a new single called “The End.” The track, which is out now via digital outlets opens with a tapping guitar part that will surely remind listeners of Wolf’s late father “I’ve had the tapping idea on the intro for ‘The End’ since before Mammoth,” Wolf says “I was able to fit it into this world but it’s also melodic and controlled.” and I knew this was going to be a big step,” he continues “Once we finished ‘The End,’ it felt really special to me.” “The End” is accompanied by a video co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and is described as a “modern-day interpretation” of the filmmaker’s 1996 vampire movie Also in the video is a shot of Wolf walking down a stage while shredding the song’s solo using a camera angle very reminiscent of Van Halen‘s “Hot for Teacher” video. You can watch it on YouTube launching Halloween night at an as-yet announced location The run will feature support from Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy Presales begin May 5, and tickets go on sale to the general public on May 9. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Mammoth.band There are no listening rewards available at this time Need help accessing the FCC Public File due to a disability Please contact Melissa Johnson at publicfilestlouis@hubbardradio.com This web site is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area Kesha and former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar go way back so it’s no surprise the brash pop star joined the Red Rocker onstage at his Las Vegas residency kickoff Wednesday night She stormed the stage at MGM Grand while Hagar’s band — which features guitar magazine hero Joe Satriani — was performing David Lee Roth-era Van Halen classic “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love.” VH bassist Michael Anthony The show also featured Hagar’s first performance of Van Halen’s “Love Walks In” since 1993 Check out footage of both of those songs below [image or embed] — Stereogum (@stereogum.bsky.social) April 30, 2025 at 11:03 AM The most important stories and least important memes Van Halen News Desk The Latest News & Info about The Mighty Van Halen April 6, 2025—by VHND Leave a Comment A Different Kind of Cover… Van Halen’s ‘Panama’ performed on Violin & Ukulele Performed by Sav Madigan (of The Accidentals) and Patty PerShayla Filed Under: 2025, News, Van Halen, Video All Rights Reserved · Disclaimer: VHND is not affiliated with Van Halen It doesn’t matter what genre you’re interested in; the structure of songs and playing style of some instrumentalists is a direct result of Eddie Van Halen who completely changed the world of rock with his chaotic finger-tapping technique Ted Templeman was working on the band’s debut album with them He was happy with Lee Roth’s ability to scream and pack a punch with his vocals but didn’t think he could carry the more melodic parts of the song he was distinctive as a singer; his train-whistle screams were identifiable in a good way But every time I heard him get pitchy or completely miss a note I worried that the public was going to be turned off by his band because of his limitations.” he realised the singer had an incredibly diverse range not just with his vocals but also with his muses Some of the classic tracks available on Van Halen’s debut are the direct result of Lee Roth It wasn’t just their producer who ended up happy with the band’s input, though. Eddie Van Halen knew they were on the brink of making something special and was pleased with the finished product so much so that when asked to name his favourite albums of all time This isn’t just because he was happy with how it sounded but he also felt as though it added some much-needed energy back into rock music “All we’re tryin’ to do is put some excitement back into rock’n’roll,” he said “Because it seems like a lot of people are old enough to be our daddies it seems like they forgot what rock’n’roll is all about We’re very energetic and get up there and blaze on the people.” as his guitar playing style and the whole energy surrounding the band completely dominated the music industry Everyone who liked rock music was listening to Van Halen and everyone who wanted to play rock music was trying to emulate his style There have been very few guitarists who have impacted music quite as much as Eddie Van Halen 2025Since entering the industry in the early 1970s Sammy Hagar has enjoyed one of the most prestigious and storied careers in the entire music medium Garnering critical success both in his solo ventures and during his tenure with the hard rock groups Montrose and Van Halen the 77-year-old music icon has more than earned his various accolades over the years including a 2007 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame In spite of his successful time in the legendary band Van Halen, however, Hagar continues to maintain an incredibly complex relationship to former bandmate Alex Van Halen, as revealed in Hagar's recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine the original Van Halen lineup consisted of founding members Eddie Van Halen Hagar was promptly brought in as a replacement launching the band to new heights in the music industry it was this newfound success in the '80s that ultimately fueled his falling out with Alex Van Halen Reasoning the potential animosity expressed by his former bandmate Hagar also theorized Van Halen's recent health issues caused him to feel jealousy towards his ex-Van Halen bandmates "I think Al’s angry because I’m [performing]," Hagar said "Mike [Anthony] and I are out doing it and he can’t go write a new record." Evaluating his current relationship to the 71-year-old drummer -- with whom he hasn't spoken in 21 years -- Hagar ended by saying he'd prefer to keep his distance from Van Halen even though he feels no personal ill feelings towards the band's co-founder Everything’s good," Hagar said I would feel terrible if I couldn’t do it anymore," Hagar said of the Van Halen drummer Denise Truscello/Getty; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic Wolfgang Van Halen’s band Mammoth has released a brand new single and video for the song “The End” with nods to “From Dusk Til Dawn and Michael Jackson’s Thriller video Directed By: Robert Rodriguez & Greg Nicotero Written by: Wolfgang Van Halen & Robert Rodriguez Check out The End here: https://Mammoth.lnk.to/TheEndID Check out The End Tour here: https://mammoth.os.fan Bobby Caughron is a music journalist and Editor-In-Chief for XS ROCK He began a life-long fan of hard rock and metal music after hearing KISS as a kid He is still an avid fan of the 80s metal scene and continues to discover and write about new music in all rock genres today Apparently, not even the afterlife can keep Eddie Van Halen from shredding – or songwriting Sammy Hagar has revealed that his upcoming single, Encore, Thank You, Goodnight, includes a guitar lick that came to him in a dream, courtesy of his late Van Halen bandmate “About two months ago, I had this dream and Eddie came,” Hagar told Ultimate Classic Rock in an interview back in 2022 “[Eddie] did this harmonic thing and he slid it up to a chord We wrote a song with that lick,” Hagar explained I got up in the morning and I wrote the song I used the fuckin’ lick that he showed me in the song.” Hagar and the late Van Halen had a famously on-and-off working relationship Hagar fronted Van Halen during two separate stints from 1985 to 1996 and again from 2003 to 2005 After the band’s 2004 reunion tour ended in tension the two eventually mended fences before Eddie passed away in 2020 following a battle with cancer Featuring Joe Satriani ex-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Kenny Aronoff Goodnight was previously described by Hagar as a “final bow to that part of my life” “It’s not meant to be anything more than a thank-you – with love and with one hell of a guitar solo,” he said Earlier this year, the Red Rocker slammed former bandmate Alex Van Halen for skipping the “Van Hagar” era of Van Halen in his much publicised memoir, Brothers. “Alex is not doing his brother’s musical legacy justice by not acknowledging all the No. 1 albums and some great music Eddie and I wrote together – not Alex – but Eddie and I wrote together,” Hagar said. “To not acknowledge 10 years of music is blasphemy to his brother’s musicianship, songwriting and legacy.” Encore, Thank You, Goodnight will be released on Friday, 25 April. 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