In a recent interview on “The Hook Rocks” podcast, renowned guitarist Joe Satriani discussed his upcoming 2024 summer tour with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Jason Bonham. The conversation inevitably turned to the topic of the long-discussed Van Halen tribute tour, which had initially included Satriani, David Lee Roth, and Alex Van Halen but never materialized. Satriani reflected on why this tribute failed to come to fruition while his current tour with Hagar and others is going ahead.
Satriani admitted that the complexities of the Van Halen tribute project are challenging to grasp, particularly because he did not personally know Eddie Van Halen or the Van Halen family. He remarked, “I didn’t know Eddie and I don’t know the family, and I don’t think I’ll ever really understand David Lee Roth. I thought I really understood Alex, and I think I do. I really think I understand his point of view or where he’s coming from.”
He suggested that one of the key differences between the failed Van Halen tribute and the current tour is Sammy Hagar’s inclusive and pragmatic approach. According to Satriani, “Sammy has a real sort of inclusive way of looking at life and he notices when there’s conflict that is getting in the way of doing something good and he’ll try to fix it.” Satriani contrasted this with Roth’s apparent inflexibility, noting, “You ask David Lee Roth, ‘Hey, are you gonna do ‘5150’?’, and of course he’s never gonna do it.” Satriani expressed his confusion over Roth’s rigidity, stating, “I don’t know why Dave is so inflexible on a couple of subjects, I really don’t, because I don’t know him.”
Satriani conveyed his belief that Alex Van Halen was genuinely interested in the tribute project and had pure intentions. However, he was less certain about Roth’s motives. He described Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony’s intentions as sincere, emphasizing their commitment to celebrating the music and overcoming any obstacles to make the tour happen. Satriani noted, “Sammy and Mike, their intentions are pure. They really do wanna celebrate the music and they’re willing to mend any fence to make it happen on stage.”
Reflecting on the upcoming tour, Satriani expressed the profound impact of playing alongside Hagar and Anthony. “There’s just an immense amount of power and love with the two of them and playing those songs. And people, they want to experience it and they should be able to experience it,” he said.
Satriani also expressed hope that at some point, the Van Halen family—including Alex, Eddie’s son Wolfgang Van Halen, and David Lee Roth—might come together for a tribute. He acknowledged that Wolfgang, in particular, would be the ideal person to lead any such effort. Satriani concluded, “Wolfgang is the guy to do it, he’s the guy to do any tribute there is. The rest of us are just gonna be copying the album as close as we can…because we’re not Eddie, and we’re not Wolfgang.”
