Rumors began to swirl about a potential Van Halen tribute tour earlier this year when ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted revealed he was approached by Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen. Newsted said the tour would potentially feature Joe Satriani on guitar, which Satriani confirmed but eventually states he had no idea what was happening. Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth also issued a statement, saying things were discussed, while Wolfgang Van Halen eventually revealed it would've been a one-off show and not a tour.
At the time, Wolfgang all but said the show was off the table because "there are some people that make it very difficult to do anything when it comes to Van Halen" and later added that "we made an attempt, and some people can be hard to work with, and made it not happen." Now in an interview with Classic Rock Magazine, Wolfgang further asserts that a Van Halen tribute show is very unlikely.
Wolfgang revealed to the magazine that playing a handful of Van Halen songs at the recent Taylor Hawkins tribute show provided the same catharsis as a potential Van Halen tribute show would've, saying "I think I already [did the tribute] with the Taylor Hawkins [shows]. I feel a lot of closure because my part of the show was a tribute to my father."
Wolfgang also elaborated on what happened with the Van Halen tribute shows, saying "When it comes to Van Halen and entities surrounding the band it’s unfortunate, certainly compared to Foo Fighters who have their shit together with inter-personal relationships."
"I don’t know what it is with some bands but certain personalities just can't get over themselves to work collectively for one purpose – that's been the curse of Van Halen for its entire career. So my playing at the Taylor shows delivered that catharsis without the stresses of dealing with the Van Halen camp, and the players involved. Their camp is very dysfunctional – everyone! – hell, it was difficult to make plans even when the band was active."
So there you have it. Now go listen to some Mammoth WVH.
