Sammy Hagar just opened up big time on a new episode of the Cumulus Podcast. And he’s talking about the 2004 Van Halen reunion tour. You know, the tour that was supposed to be a triumphant “brothers back together” moment, but ended up feeling more like a family Thanksgiving where everyone’s drunk and throwing mashed potatoes at each other.
According to Sammy, the tour was a disaster behind the scenes. Not because the band forgot how to play, no, the music was still fire when they clicked. But because Eddie Van Halen was seriously sick. And nobody, not even Sammy, fully understood how bad it really was.
“I got to say we had a horrible experience, Eddie and I and Alex Van Halen on the reunion tour in 2004,” Hagar said. “I didn’t realize that he was so sick. Looking back now and even that I probably could have been a little more user-friendly and a little more tolerant.”
“But my tolerance level on tour is tough because I’m a singer. I got to get my sleep. I can’t be yelling screaming in the dressing room,” he continued. “I got a job to do. My tolerance on tour to someone else’s problems is not so good. My wife would tell you the same thing. She calls it whenever I’m getting ready to go on a tour or whenever I’m working on a record, that it’s like I’m having a baby.”
“So I’m a little selfish. But it’s okay, it comes out good on stage,” Hagar added. “Those times man, looking back now, my God. The one horrible year compared to the 10 good ones or nine good ones just doesn’t even count.”
Sammy was pissed at the time. Eddie was showing up late, erratic, sometimes just flat-out struggling to hold it together. And Sammy, being a frontman, a singer who needs sleep, who needs focus, couldn’t deal.
Sammy compared himself to someone having a baby before a tour. He joked about it, saying he gets super selfish.
