Sammy Hagar Invites David Lee Roth to Play with Him in Vegas after Roth Cancels Summer Tour
On Thursday (July 23), David Lee Roth canceled six of his remaining seven U.S. tour dates between July 24 and September 3. No official explanation was offered. This prompted an unexpected public show of sympathy and an intriguing offer from Sammy Hagar. The two famously have not gotten along since Hagar replaced Roth in Van Halen in 1985, publicly exchanging potshots as recently as last year.
“I want to say from the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry,” Hagar said in an Instagram video. “I hope you’re well. I hope there’s not a physical problem … And, yeah, I’m really sorry. That’s fucked up.”
Hagar then extended the olive branch further, inviting Roth to perform during his band’s “The Best of All Worlds” residency when it restarts at the Park MGM’s Dolby Live in Las Vegas Sept. 18, 19, 23, 25 and 26.
“Come on, join us, sing a couple of songs, MC the damn show,” he said. “Come out and just do what the fuck you do, which is pretty damn entertaining.”
Check out the video below:
Both Hailin’ Van Halen
Six years after the death of Eddie Van Halen from tongue cancer, both Hagar, 78, and Roth, 71, have fully embraced their Van Halen past. Fully two-thirds of each of their solo concerts consist of material they recorded with the group.
“Honestly, Mike and I love the fact that you’ve been out there doing it, supporting the greatest band in the world that we were both part of — supporting what we did in this band to keep this music alive,” Hagar said, referring to Michael Anthony, the founding Van Halen bassist who remained with Hagar after he was exiled from Van Halen (for the second and final time) in 2005.
“You and I, Mikey, Al [Alex Van Halen], Ed, cannot be replaced,” Hagar said. “So, when you’re ready to carry on, you go, brother. Mike and I support you.”
Hagar clarified his intentions in the video’s caption.
“I’m looking rough, but who cares I’m serious with this post,” he wrote. “Those of us that can still go out and play, should do it as long as they can physically and emotionally carry that torch.”
Top 3 Reasons Roth Won’t Accept
Roth has yet to publicly acknowledge Hagar’s offer, and is unlikely to accept it for several reasons, chief among them being:
1) The offer was made publicly, not through private channels, indicating that Hagar wanted the world to know he was reaching out as much as he wanted Roth to
2) Roth’s acceptance would heavily suggest that his shows were canceled due to low ticket sales and not because of a health or family emergency
3) Singing on “a couple of songs” and or just “MCing,” whatever that means, would represent a severe drop in guaranteed income for Roth
