Our Lady Peace Recall Van Halen Tour Scare
Our Lady Peace singer Raine Maida is looking back on a tense moment from the band’s early U.S. breakthrough, when their 1995 run as an opening act on Van Halen’s Balance tour nearly ended abruptly. Speaking as the Canadian rock band marks its 30th anniversary on the road, Maida described how a disagreement with then-Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar escalated to the point where he believed Our Lady Peace had been removed from the bill.
Maida said that after Hagar criticised the band for not treating the warm-up slot like “a party,” Hagar’s camp told him an opening-act change was coming, a move Maida took as being kicked off the tour, Ultimate Classic Rock reported.
According to Maida, the situation shifted when Van Halen tour management summoned him to the brothers’ dressing room, where Eddie Van Halen and Alex Van Halen told him not to worry and that Hagar “doesn’t have the power to do that.” Maida said he had bonded with Alex Van Halen on the road over shared back problems, and that the guitarist and drummer ultimately “saved us” from being dropped, even if the vibe with Hagar remained strained afterwards.
The recollection lands as long-running tensions around the Hagar-era lineup continue to surface, including claims that Sammy Hagar says Alex Van Halen snubbed him in later years.
Maida also used the memory to highlight Eddie Van Halen’s work ethic, saying he would arrive early to soundcheck and practise constantly, treating the guitar as “another limb.” Our Lady Peace’s anniversary tour continues into early April, with the band also planning a documentary and studio sessions for a new album.
