Sammy Hagar has issued a response to comments by David Lee Roth over credibility issues regarding material from the Van Hagar years as Van Halen prepare for their summer tour of North America.
“The boys are out on tour – happily doing well, I hope,” Hagar said during his new weekly radio countdown show, “but they’re not playing any Van Hagar songs. My buddy Diamond said it was something about a quality issue.
“I laughed. I’m cracking up. You know, sometimes the guy says the wackiest things. But there’s a lot of truth in that. A quality issue – you think about that. Think about them with Diamond, singing this next song, it would definitely be a quality issue, OK? [Chuckles.] It would definitely be a quality issue.”
Hagar then played a live version of Van Halen’s 1992 hit, “Right Now”, as performed by his latest supergroup The Circle.
Following Van Halen’s appearance at the recent 2015 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Roth was asked if the group would be performing any Hagar-era material, to which he replied, "Well, there's a credibility issue there. Good, bad or in the middle, you know Roth means it; the other guy doesn't. And that's why it sold half as well. Literally, Midas Bible half. Never did better than half.
“And why would you bring that into the proceedings? This hamburger don't need no helper. Ain't no rehearsing pants in my closet."
Hagar joined Van Halen in 1985 and typically performed the same three Roth-era songs in concert during his time with the group – “Panama”, “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” and the band’s cover of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” – while playing three tunes from his solo career in the set.
Van Halen will kick off a North American tour in support of their latest release, “Tokyo Dome Live In Concert”, in Seattle on July 5.
See also:
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Van Halen: Roth has no plans to sing Hagar era songs
VIDEO: Van Halen open the 2015 Billboard Music Awards
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