Guitar icon Eddie Van Halen turned 61 yesterday, January 26th, and guess who sent him a tweet to wish him a “Happy Birthday”?
If you guessed former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, give yourself a pat on the back. But, even more surprising? Van Halen sent a tweet back. See their online exchange below.
Happy Birthday Eddie – hope you’re doing good. #5150time #BestOfBothWorlds pic.twitter.com/SwTKiwGkXt
— Sammy Hagar (@sammyhagar) January 26, 2016
@sammyhagar Thanks Sammy. Hope you’re well too.
— Eddie Van Halen (@eddievanhalen) January 26, 2016
Perhaps, the tap master and the red rocker are ready to bury the hatchet? Only time will tell.
33 Responses
And somebody said fair warning, lord strike those rumors down now!!!
On your marks, get set….GO!
Now that G&R are back together, rock & roll needs another reunion to speculate about endlessly, and in a mere six words, EVH just lit the fire for an endless barrage of it.
That said, no one wants back into VH like Sam Hagar. I don’t think I’ve read a single interview with the guy in the last 10 years where he didn’t give unsolicited career advice to EVH that involves a Van Hagar reunion. I’m sure Sam’s heart’s a-flutter by Ed’s reply….
I don’t give a f-k what anybody says, Van Hagar made a lot of great music together, and I for one would love to hear some more. But even if this exchange doesn’t turn into anything more, it’s still really nice to see Sammy & Eddie being civil to each other, for a change. And hopefully it will continue…
Yeah, I’m with you on that. I always thought of the Dave VH and Sam VH as different bands, and I had no problem with Sammy. I think he did great, and took the band to a popularity that didn’t happen with Dave.
It’s ok to like both versions of the band. I don’t get the childish comments people make about Sammy. What a great entertainer, singer, business guy, etc…
Admittedly, I’ve been harsh on Dave for his singing, mainly because after seeing them in recent years, the only thing that kept me listening was tuning him out. He had some off nights, that’s for sure.
I think DLR should should do a small tour with the Eat ’em and Smile band. Sammy does a farewell VH tour with Michael Anthony, and then call it a day. Everyone kisses and makes up. It’s just music folks, you aren’t saving the free world.
It did happen with Dave. 1984 sold more than any Van Hagar album and the only reason it did not go to number 1 was because of a little album you might have heard of called thriller!
4 #1 albums in a row with Hagar, not too shabby either!
Exactly Michael, I’ve always been a fan of both versions of VH, and always will be.
Doug and Michael:
I agree with both of your comments. I think both the Roth and Hagar versions were great, different bands. While I personally prefer the harder edge of the Roth version, the band had great success with both versions. My favorite VH albums are their first three albums, and I still listen to them regularly.
Rtunes68,
once again if anything, Van Halen needs Hagar a lot more than Hagar needs Van Halen. Sammy don’t want back in VH or needs it, not saying he wouldn’t like to do a gig here & there with Ed & Al, I’m sure he would, but between his very successful solo career, Chickenfoot, The Circle, and dozens of other things the Red Rocker always has going on, he’s too busy and too happy to take a chance on going down that road again. Like I said, a jam or a gig here and there, maybe, but there’s no time for a full-time reunion, although that would be cool, and I would love to see that! Even though the last reunion was a disaster, time heals all wounds, and 12 years is a long time.
Oh come on! Van Halen needs Hagar more than Hagar needs them? Hagar played Ribfest here last year, VH played to 20k at a shed. Hagar would drop everything he’s doing if EVH was on the phone asking him to rejoin the band.
Sammy is not a ego maniac, he has said what he has done for years, he has always, (even with VH) loved to play smaller venues as much as the big venues, maybe even more, he plays where he wants by choice, clubs, arenas, Indy 500, even Ribfest, all by choice!
Sammy plays where he wants and VH plays where the money is….he can buy all of VH 20 times over…doesn’t need the money….
Really? Hagar wants to play State Fairs, casinos and Ribfests? That’s absurd! I would bet he’d much rather play arenas and sheds like he did years ago. He’s not an egomaniac? He’s the first to comment on how many albums he’s sold and how many arenas he’s played. Rock stars are egomaniacs…even your hero Sammy!
Really Jason? At least Sammy has a past to be proud of, unlike say, your heroes, the “mighty” (gasp) Steel Panther. Coredrum said it best, Sammy is super rich, he plays for fun wherever he wants, big, medium, small venues, doesn’t matter to Sammy. All that matters to the Red Rocker is having a good time, and making sure his audience has a good time, and we do, every time! Sammy wouldn’t reunite with VH for money, obviously he doesn’t need it, if he did reunite with VH, it would be for the love of the music, and the fans, does that sound like a ego maniac to you? I’ve met the Red Rocker twice, by far the most humble, real and down to earth “rock star” I and a lot of other fans have ever met.
Craig,
Thank you. I deleted a comment from a poster, who has been harassing me under different names, he/she wrote that I should be “fired” for posting this non story and that I was an insult to “true” writers. Of course, I find him/her be an insult to homo sapiens, but that is another story.
However, I digress, and want to thank you for appreciating this news. Although, it may seem trivial and speculative to a news snob like him/her (lol), at least this was some slightly positive news. It is certainly a nice change from all the depressing stories we have had over the past several weeks.
Cheers,
D 🙂
Thanks Craig, have a great day buddy, “Mas Tequila!” Cheers! 🙂
No thanks
Stick with DLR until you are done
Sammy has zero respect for VH’s back catalog
At least Sammy acknowledged that Van Halen had a past and would do old VH. DLR probably still thinks that was a big hiatus between 85 and 96 and 96 though 04 where the band took a break so he could do his solo records. The guy will sing anything, anytime and anywhere but probably wouldn’t take 2 seconds to print the lyrics to Poundcake. Come on Dave…(fill in the rest)
Have you actually read interviews with the people involved? Hagar refused to do more than a few Roth classics per tour…this coming from his best friend Michael Anthony.
Van Halen 1 also sold more than any Van Hagar album