Michael Anthony Reveals Eddie Van Halen Was Planning a Massive Reunion Tour Before His Death
via TheManFromCabo / YouTube
Things Didn’t End the Way They Hoped
Michael Anthony recently spoke about his biggest regret—how Van Halen ended. He revealed that before Eddie Van Halen passed away in 2020, there were serious talks about a reunion tour that would have brought the original members back together.
Anthony, who played bass for Van Halen until he left in 2006, said on the Get On The Bus podcast (via Ultimate Classic Rock), “The only regret that I have is how things, unfortunately, turned out for Van Halen. It should have gone out with a fricking bang that shook the world, and it was more like a whimper, the way everything ended.”
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Missed Chance to Reconnect
Sadly, Anthony didn’t get a chance to make peace with Eddie before his death. “Unfortunately Eddie and I never [made amends]. We had some issues, and I’m sure that if he had not passed when he did that we would’ve reconciled or we would’ve really calmed all that stuff down,” Anthony explained.
He also mentioned that he had spoken with Eddie’s son, Wolfgang, about the possibility of a reunion. “I did hear, and I’ve talked to Wolfgang about it, that they were planning on coming to all of us and putting together a big reunion tour with all of us.”
Eddie’s New Outlook
According to Anthony, Eddie was ready to let go of the past and move forward. “At that point in Ed’s life, I think he was a little bit more like, ‘Hey, the past is the past. Let’s all… ‘Fricking water under the bridge,’ that whole bit,” he said. “But, unfortunately, it was not to be.”
Anthony reflected that Eddie had a strong bond with his son, which influenced the band’s direction. “We’ve always been friends,” he said. “Eddie, he wanted to play with his son. The way I kind of feel is that Wolfgang probably wasn’t excited, really, about being in Van Halen.”
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Wolfgang’s Own Path
Anthony added that Wolfgang seemed more interested in creating his own identity in music. “That’s why in his band, he doesn’t play any Van Halen, ’cause he wants to carve out his own niche. But just to be able to get up and play with his father, I can totally understand that.”
