Fans and Michael Anthony Surprised That He’s The Only Touring Van Halen Member Left

Michael Anthony, the bassist from Van Halen’s classic lineup, remains the only member still actively touring—a realization that caught him by surprise.

“I don’t really think about it consciously that I’m the only person,” Anthony shared in a recent chat with Sirius XM’s Eddie Trunk. He mentioned that it wasn’t until a friend pointed it out that he realized:

“I’m the only one from the original band left out here doing this. And I thought, ‘Whoa, that’s a trip.’ I never thought about it.”

The death of Eddie Van Halen in 2020 marked the end of the original band or any of its incarnations. Anthony reflected:

“I always thought that it would have been either him and Alex or whatever that would have carried on after everybody was gone or everyone broke up or everyone stopped getting along.
“And here I am, I’m the guy.”

As for the other original members of Van Halen, their touring days seem to be over. David Lee Roth, the band’s singer, last performed in 2020 and later announced his retirement in 2022. His planned farewell residency in Las Vegas never came to fruition. Meanwhile, drummer Alex Van Halen has stayed out of the spotlight following his brother’s passing and even sold most of his musical gear. “He was selling everything right down to the last drumstick,” Anthony noted.

“Now that really kind of surprised me, but maybe that’s his way of just, that’s going to be his closure on the whole thing with doing that and the book now.”

Michael Anthony Attempts to Reconnect with Alex Van Halen

Michael Anthony has tried to reconnect with Alex, without much success. “I tried to get ahold of him on his birthday in May,” Anthony said. “I did not hear back from him. So, I don’t know. I didn’t want to push it or keep trying to get ahold of him or whatever.” He added that Sammy Hagar, who tours with him on the Van Halen-focused Best of All Worlds Tour, has also attempted to reach out to Alex.