In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Sammy Hagar was asked if he could see any scenario where he would play with Van Halen again. Sounding both jacked and terrified about the idea, here's what he had to say:
"A tour like that would be the coolest thing for the fans ever. I would do it for the fans. I wouldn't do it just for the money. Everybody would have to be cool and have their hearts in it. I hate to give out bad news, but I just doubt it'll ever happen. I would like to just see Mike [Anthony] back in the band with Dave. If that works, all right, I'll come in next."
"I would play with anybody that loves me and that I love. That would include Van Halen, but the love's not there right now. I do love those guys. We really bumped heads on the last tour," Sammy said referring to the 2004 "Sam & Dave" Tour. "On the reunion tour, we traveled on separate planes. You check into the hotel at different times so you don't even see them in the lobby. You don't really see them until the gig. I could deal with Dave on that level. [Huge laugh.] But he'd have to be cool."
"You know, I don't think about this kind of stuff too much. But then someone like you comes around and stirs the Van Halen ashes. Believe it or not, I'm a big sucker for it. After these interviews someone always goes, "Oh my God, you shouldn't have said that." I'm like, "F*** that!" I say what I want, all the time. I love those guys. I love what we did. I would be involved with them again in a second if it was cool and right. But if it's not, I would never go back to that nightmare. That's the basic, bottom line."
Van Halen reunited with David Lee Roth in 2007 after a 23-year gap, touring several times and releasing an album called "A Different Kind Of Truth" in 2012. Original bassist Michael Anthony was left out of the reunion, replaced by Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang.
The question remains whether Eddie Van Halen would be open to the idea, especially after some of the things Sammy said in his book, "Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock." Here's Sammy on that topic from an interview a year ago:
-Spencer