“Hey Wolfie, let’s do a residency some day. Just one show of Van Halen songs”: Sammy Hagar wants Wolfgang Van Halen to do a residency with him some day
It’s no secret that Sammy Hagar has a rocky history with some of his former Van Halen bandmates – the former frontman and Alex Van Halen haven’t even exchanged a word in over two decades. However, Hagar insists he is keen to perform some Van Halen tunes with Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen.
In a recent interview with radio station WRIF, Hagar gave Wolfgang a shoutout on air – despite the Mammoth frontman previously stating that he would never again play and Van Halen songs live. “Hey Wolf,” he says. “Let’s do a residency someday – just one show of Van Halen songs! That would be awesome!”
READ MORE: “There was something fake about him”: Why Sammy Hagar found it hard to “respect” David Lee Roth
Despite this, Hagar goes on to praise Wolfgang for forging his own path Mammoth without mimicking his father’s heavy metal tones. “He’s not trying to be his dad, and I love that,” Hagar explains. “Let that boy boogie!”
One thing he didn’t ask Wolfgang to be part of however is Hagar’s latest track – Encore, Thank You, Goodnight, which the Red Rocker claims he wrote the song with the guitarist’s late father… in a dream.
“I had a friggin’ dream and wrote a song with Eddie,” Hagar insists. “I mean, come on! That’s as real as it gets!”
Hagar explains that the track is the ultimate form of closure, a final nod of respect for Eddie. “The song is like: dream, thought, word, action,” Hagar continues. “We rehearsed it. Played it live. That was closure for me. That ‘what if’ is gone now. I feel good. Healthy, even.”
The track also saw Hagar joining forces with Joe Satriani, who Hagar insists “channelled Eddie, no question”. And it’s a performance he couldn’t have managed without him. “The intro… I don’t even try to figure out what Joe’s doing!” he says. “I ain’t torturing myself with that.”
Hagar also didn’t approach Alex Van Halen – for obvious reasons. “Al and I… we’ve got a problem,” he admits. “You’d have to ask him what it is. I don’t know. But I knew he probably wouldn’t be part of it.”
When asked if Hagar regrets his time with Van Halen, he responds firmly: “Oh, hell no! The only regret I have is that we didn’t make more music. Eddie and I were just getting started. We were capable of so much more.”
The interview also saw Hagar opening up about the upcoming Black Sabbath farewell show. “I love Ozzy,” Hagar says. “I got to choose my songs and at first I picked No More Tears. Then it was gonna be Rock Candy – until Ozzy said he wanted to sing it! So I’m doing Flying High Again.”
“You try singing his stuff without sounding like him – it’s tough,” he continues. “The melodies are so unusual. But I’m honoured to be part of it.”
The post “Hey Wolfie, let’s do a residency some day. Just one show of Van Halen songs”: Sammy Hagar wants Wolfgang Van Halen to do a residency with him some day appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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