While the Van Halen musical prodigy first revealed his desire to honor his late father with some sort of event following his passing in October of 2020, he initially had no timetable in mind due to the ongoing global pandemic, among other things.
This past April, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted leaked news of his invitation to participate in the Van Halen project, with guitarist Joe Satriani soon confirming his involvement alongside organizer Alex Van Halen, which was followed by comments by David Lee Roth outlining some possible lineup considerations.
“What I can say is that there was an attempt at doing something,” Wolfgang tells Rolling Stone. “But, you know, I don’t like to speak negatively about people, but there are some people that make it very difficult to do anything when it comes to Van Halen. After being in Van Halen for a long time, I really have strived to have an environment where there is no walking on eggshells and there is no personality that you have to deal with. It’s just guys having fun making music and just having a good time. But, you know, from my time in Van Halen, there was always some stuff that gets in the way from just making music and having a good time. And, I think, that’s what happened.
“I would love to just sit here and say everything and say the truth,” he continued. “There are plenty of interviews my dad did, where he straight up just said everything. And people hated him for it and thought he was lying. So I could just say s**t, but people have already decided how they feel about things, facts or not. So I can say the facts. But that may not align with how certain people feel. I know how Van Halen fans get. They are very motivated by which specific people they like in the band. And it’s just not worth it. Just, we made an attempt, and some people can be hard to work with, and made it not happen.”
When asked about what his involvement would have been in the project, Wolfgang shared: “When it comes to Van Halen, and decision-making overall and what Van Halen does, it’s Al, and then I’m there and supportive. You know, I basically help make the decisions that dad would be there to make, because I’m in there in his stead,” further adding: “It didn’t even get to that point. It was in such an early stage that it never even got off the ground”, and, “I would really like to do something for Pop.”
While previously-issued comments in the spring left fans puzzled as to the scope of the tribute, Wolfgang confirmed the plan was to organize a one-off concert honoring Eddie. See also:
David Lee Roth streams new song Pointing At The Moon
David Lee Roth hints at change in retirement status
Eddie Van Halen rivalry leads Randy Rhoads documentary preview
David Lee Roth comments on possible Van Halen tribute tour
Search Van Halen at hennemusic
