Michael Anthony Reveals Journey Tries To Kick Out Van Halen Off Tour
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA - OCTOBER 06: Musicians Michael Anthony (L) and Sammy Hagar (R), former members of Van Halen, perform onstage during the 2018 High Tide Beach Party at Huntington State Beach on October 6, 2018 in Huntington Beach, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
Music enthusiasts were in for a treat back in 1978 when Journey embarked on a legendary tour. What made this tour particularly special was the lineup: Journey, Montrose, and the then-rising star Van Halen. With three rock powerhouses sharing the stage, the competition was fierce and the bands were pushed to their limits. This intense rivalry led to some backstage drama, as Michael Anthony recently revealed that Journey attempted to get Van Halen kicked off the tour.
Speaking with Sirius XM’s Eddie Trunk, Anthony his memorable tours, with the 1978 tour standing out. “We were just freaking fired up so much that first tour in ‘78 with Dave [Lee Roth],” Anthony recalled. Van Halen, fresh off the release of their debut album, had a commanding stage presence that consistently energized the crowds. As the opening act, they set the bar high, creating immense pressure for both Journey and Montrose to follow.
Anthony added, “They were trying to kick us off the tour every week on that one. But we were selling tickets. The record company kept going, ‘No, you can’t kick them off the tour.’” Van Halen’s electrifying performances were drawing in the crowds, making them an indispensable part of the tour despite the friction.
Steven Perry Recalls the 1978 Tour
Journey’s frontman Steve Perry also acknowledged Van Halen’s impact.
“Now, you’ve got to remember that Eddie [Van Halen] and the group were on their first tour with Journey and we brought them out to open at the 3,000 seaters we were doing at that time. They cleaned our clock plenty of times and woke us the f**k up pretty quick. They were so focused and so on fire that they were just relentless. That was the most musical relentlessness that I’d ever seen.”
Neal Schon, Journey’s guitarist, echoed this sentiment in a separate interview.
“All I can tell you is that at that time, Eddie was red hot, but I was jamming hard, Ronnie [Montrose] was jamming hard, we were all jamming hard, you know? [We were] holding onto our own, but I was glad I wasn’t coming after Van Halen at that point…”
