The former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony recently expressed his desire to become a part of the proposed Van Halen celebration tour. Moreover, he also confirmed that he has been in touch with his former Van Halen bandmates Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth about the idea. It appears if the tour happens, the lineup will likely be David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and Joe Satriani.
Michael Anthony talks about possible reunion with the band
Anthony during a new interview with The Mitch Lafon and Jeremy White Show made the huge revelation. He then added that the only thing about the fuss that’s strange to him is why it was ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted who let the plan slip.
“When [Jason] came out and said that Alex had talked to him last year or something like that, which is kind of interesting because I actually have been talking on a conference call with [Van Halen manager] Irving Azoff, Alex and Dave last year,” Anthony said. “So I don’t know what the Jason thing was all about. And that’s with [Joe] Satriani. I spoke to Joe about it.”
Anthony joked that maybe Newsted revealed the news to promote a new album (although the interview in question was to promote a fundraiser). He added that there had been no developments recently in regards to the Van Halen tribute tour.
“I hope something happens in the future here,” Anthony said. “I think Joe was mentioning in some of the interviews that it’s more a celebration of the band and of the music than calling it ‘Van Halen.’ Obviously, Eddie being the most integral part of the whole band, you can’t really call it Van Halen after that.”
It has been noted that it remains unclear if Roth himself plans to perform live again after canceling his Las Vegas residency this past winter. It is believed that if Roth isn’t up for it, Anthony’s longtime partner Sammy Hagar would be hopeful for such an opportunity.