Alex Van Halen Invited To Be Part Of Sammy Hagar's Best Of Both Worlds Tour

Michael Angulia | 07-09-2024 10:02 PM EDT

Sammy Hagar says that he and his Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony reached out to Alex Van Halen to ask him to take part in their upcoming The Best Of Both Worlds Tour that celebrates Van Halen's legacy, but Alex did not respond.

The tour will be kicking off later this week, July 13th in West Palm Beach, FL at the iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre. Hagar spoke to Ultiimate Classic Rock ahead of the trek and that is where he broke the sad news that Alex did not answer when they attempted to invite him to be part of the tour.

"Mike and I reached out to Alex before we did . We reached out to him a dozen times before this tour, in every way. Email, text message, phone call, message on the machine, OK? No response. No response. I mean, we made every offer to get together or to just talk or to have breakfast, lunch or dinner. Go to the studio and play. Come to my house or I'll come to your house. Go ride horses, go sit on the beach. What do you want to do? Let's just do something. Let's get together. And nothing."

He added, "When the tour came, the first person we called and left all of the messages, sent all of emails, it was Alex Van Halen. Mike and I said, 'We're wanting to do this thing.' Alex's famous line to me [was], 'Sammy, we ain't getting any younger.' Mike and I said, 'Alex, we ain't getting any younger. We're going out and playing for the people. We're going to go honor the Van Halen catalog. Let's just get together and let's talk about it. Mike and I, we're going out, we're going to do this, Alex. Please join us. Let's be friends, let's bury the hatchet, whatever.' There was no response."

Alex surprised fans last month when he auctioned his musical equipment, a move that many speculated was a signal that Van Halen has retired from music. Anthony was asked about the auction by Ultimate Guitar and responded, "I was pretty surprised when I heard about this auction that he's going to be holding in the beginning of June. Somebody had sent me the link to it, and it appears like he's selling everything right down to his last drumstick.

"So, I don't know. I really couldn't tell you. I know that he continues to grieve today over Eddie's passing. And basically, Eddie was the only person that he actually ever played music with."

7/13 - West Palm Beach, FL - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
7/14 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
7/16 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
7/19 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
7/20 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
7/22 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Broadview Stage at SPAC
7/24 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
7/26 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
7/27 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
7/29 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
7/31 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage
8/2 - Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre
8/3 - Tinley Park, IL - Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
8/9 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
8/11 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
8/13 - Spokane, WA - Airway Heights, WA BECU Live at Northern Quest
8/14 - Ridgefield, WA - RV Inn Style Resort Amphitheater
8/16 - Wheatland, CA - Toyota Amphitheatre
8/17 - Concord, CA - Toyota Pavilion at Concord
8/19 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum
8/20 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resorts Amphitheatre
8/22 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion
8/23 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
8/25 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP
8/27 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
8/28 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
8/30 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center
8/31 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre