David Lee Roth has canceled almost all of the remaining dates on his current U.S. tour — and received an unexpected message of support from his longtime rival, Sammy Hagar.
The original Van Halen singer launched the tour in April and later extended the run through September. But on July 23, all but one of the remaining dates were removed from Roth’s official website without explanation.
Roth had been scheduled to play six shows between July 23 and September 4. As of now, the only date still listed is an August 7 appearance in Sturgis, South Dakota.
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The news prompted a surprisingly sympathetic response from Hagar, the singer who replaced Roth in Van Halen in 1985. The two have spent much of the past four decades taking shots at each other, but Hagar took a markedly different tone when addressing Roth’s tour cancellation.
In a seemingly earnest video message, delivered while sipping a tequila cocktail, Hagar said he had heard about the canceled dates from former Van Halen bass guitarist Michael Anthony. He also invited Roth to join him and Anthony at an upcoming Las Vegas show.
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“Hey Dave, Sammy here. I just got a call from Michael Anthony as I’m sitting down having my favorite cocktail, I don’t have to tell you that this is about your tour getting cancelled,” Hagar said.
“And I want say from the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry. I hope you’re well. I hope there’s not a physical problem.”
Hagar then acknowledged that both he and Roth have continued to perform songs from their former band almost six years after the death of guitarist Eddie Van Halen.
“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,” he said. “And, yeah, I’m really sorry. That’s fucked up… You and I, Mikey, Al [Alex Van Halen], Ed, cannot be replaced.
“So, when you’re ready to carry on, you go, brother. Mike and I support you.”
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Hagar then invited Roth to join him and Anthony at their Las Vegas residency in September.
“Come on, join us, sing a couple of songs, MC the damn show. Come out and just do what the fuck you do, which is pretty damn entertaining,” Hagar said.
“Anyway, hope you’re well, I really do. God bless, brother.”
The message is a striking departure from the singers’ usual public exchanges. Hagar replaced Roth in Van Halen in 1985, and the two spent much of the following decades criticizing each other in interviews and through the press.
They did manage to share a stage again in 2002, when Roth and Hagar both took part in a Van Halen tour. But the reunion did little to permanently settle their long-running rivalry, and the two continued to clash in the years that followed.
They were still taking shots at each other as recently as last year, when Roth mocked Hagar’s claim that he had been visited by the ghost of Eddie Van Halen.
Hagar’s latest message, then, is an unusually warm gesture from one former Van Halen frontman to the other — particularly given their history.