Talks about the Van Halen reunion tour began in 2022 as an effort to honor their late bandmate and guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who died in October 2020. The project was supposed to involve past members like David Lee Roth, original bassist Michael Anthony, and Jason Newsted.
Sadly, the tour will no longer be held due to tensions among the bandmates, specifically from David, who refused to partake in an important scene. Eddie’s brother, Alex, added that he would not have been able to physically attend the tour anyway, having suffered a spinal injury.
Van Halen reunion tour scrapped – why?
The plan was to honor Eddie with a display of respect during the tour, but David was strongly against it and immediately snapped at the idea. Alex recalled his attempt to make David see reason, but the 70-year-old got angrier and even threatened to beat him up.
Alex was baffled by his former bandmates’ reaction, noting that although he respected David’s solo career and work ethic, he needed to work with the community. This led to a drastic drop in Alex’s morale, such that he canceled tour plans immediately. The 71-year-old decided it was to his advantage either way, as he is unable to play his drums due to his health condition.
More excuses from Van Halen
David was not the only one with a problem with the tour, as guitarist Joe Satriani turned down the offer to join the tour three weeks after accepting at first. He claimed the songs were too difficult to master because he and Eddie played very differently.
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While fans’ hopes for a Van Halen reunion get dashed, Alex is working on a new memoir, Brothers, which promises to give readers a peek into his and Eddie’s childhood and their rise to fame, including their disbanding in 1984 after David left to form his group.