Gary Cherone has had quite the career for himself over the years. Most known for being the lead singer of the rock group Extreme, Cherone also had a short stint as the frontman of Van Halen from 1996 to 2000. As the group’s third lead singer, Cherone would lead the group through one studio album, entitled Van Halen III before leaving the group would take a hiatus from the public and reunite with Sammy Hagar in 2003.
Recently, there has been great talk about a potential Van Halen tribute. In a recent interview with Sirius XM and talking to heavy metal insider Eddie Trunk, Cherone discussed the possibility of taking part in that tribute while also stating how when it comes to that very topic, singers are secondary. Cherone would tell Trunk the following comments to the SiriusXM host.
“I think the singers are secondary,” he said. “You know, this is an Eddie Van Halen tribute, so it’s all Eddie’s disciples. Or whatever, not even Eddie disciples but the hierarchy of guitar players – you think of Vai [and] Satriani.”
He continued: “All I can see is a soundcheck nightmare,” he said. “It’s one thing for singers – you give them a mic, they sing. But with guitar players, soundcheck is going to be crazy, because everyone’s got their amps… it’s going to be a nightmare. It is gonna blow up before the gig! [Laughs] You’re dealing with guitar players. Singers are tough but when it comes to the equipment it’s just a mic. That’s the first thing I thought, soundcheck – who is going on before who?”
It should be noted as well that as of now, the ex-Van Halen frontman has not been contacted to take part in this potential and certainly unfinalized project. However, he also did say he would “of course” welcome the opportunity to take part in it, should the opportunity arrive.
