COULD A YEAR OFF HAVE SAVED VAN HAGAR? SAMMY THINKS SO...

[James in New York]

Ultimate Classic Rock

COULD A YEAR OFF HAVE SAVED VAN HAGAR? SAMMY THINKS SO

Martin Kielty
July 17, 2021

Former Van Halen members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony discussed the personality and wardrobe failings of the band’s Balance tour of 1995, which led to the lineup’s collapse.

In a new post on their Van Halen / Other Half Facebook page, containing a clip from a live performance of “Aftershock,” singer Hagar speculated that the group could have survived if they’d taken a different approach to the problems they were dealing with at the time.

Sammy: Well, I nearly totally forgot about this song. It was a rough time in the band. I had just gone through a three-year, brutal divorce, and obviously wasn't concerned about my stage outfit hahaha!!!

Those are actually red Rocker overalls, a prototype. Thank God I never made them hahaha.

That’s a bad ass track we will be adding to the Circle setlist.

As good as we played on the Balance Tour, there was a darkness that was coming into the band - we weren't having the fun we used to have and you could feel the end of Van Hagar era was coming on this tour.

Looking back now, Alex was in the neck brace and Ed was pre-hip surgery & in a lot of pain. Makes me wish we could go back and have taken that whole year off. Makes you wonder what could've been ��❤️

Mike: Sammy is totally right about not having the fun that we had in the past on stage.

Alex and Eddie were both suffering from their ailments and there was much more of a seriousness to everything live then there had been in the past.

There was also not as much interaction between the four of us on stage on this tour. I don’t know if that was because of Sammy‘s overalls or what. It’s a good thing Sammy ended up not making those, that look is better left on a farm!!

[Jedi McFly]

Here’s the Instagram post. These guys are sitting on a few IMAG/soundboard recordings off at least 90s era tours.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRaBrKDo...dium=copy_link

[Number 47]

Hard to trash Sam if you can't see what he was wearing... here ya all go!

[Rokgtar]

Damn, that’s funny! Looks like he had an Amish groupie make him some clothes

[Al Van Bundy]

Here’s the Instagram post. These guys are sitting on a few IMAG/soundboard recordings off at least 90s era tours.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRaBrKDo...dium=copy_link

Does it say what show that is from? I'm guessing the last leg of the tour as Ed is playing a Wolfgang prototype and not an EBMM.

[Al Van Bundy]

Also, I would LOVE to see the snowstorm show from Fiddler's Green in Colorado during this tour.

[Ain't Talkin' Bout' Love]

I think he's right, how many of us kept trying to force a relationship to work when some time off might have been the key? Or burnt out at work but didn't take time off?

Loved the music that the tension resulted in though, wish we could have got even a little more Balance/Crossing Over/Humans Being

[wombattt]

Now this is some serious ‘Monday Morning Quarterbacking’ 25 years later….

[phast]

"Enquiring minds want to know"

[VH1986]

A year off and a manager that Lefler had suggested may have saved the day.

[I Coulda Hada VH]

Damn, that’s funny! Looks like he had an Amish groupie make him some clothes

Over all, not a great look.

[VH1986]

Over all, not a great look.

I see what you did there.

[I Coulda Hada VH]

Meanwhile, back in Amish country ...

[James in New York]

Over all...

[I Coulda Hada VH]

Sammy should have worn those overalls to Farm Aid in 1985 ...