In 2007, the Rock Hall inducted several acts including Van Halen. That night the Rock Hall inducted the David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar era of the band.
Van Halen’s last tour wrapped up in 2004 with Sammy Hagar fronting the band and it ended on pretty bad terms. The singer left the group shortly after. Bassist Michael Anthony left the band around 2006, being replaced by guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang.
Velvet Revolver Inducts Van Halen Into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Inducting Van Halen that night was Velvet Revolver. It was the second time they were asked to induct a band into the Rock Hall in just 2 years.
The first band they were asked to induct was the Sex Pistols in 2006, but the Pistols were a no-show. The released a statement to the rock hall that read, “Next to the Sex Pistols, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a piss stain. Your museum. Urine in wine. We’re not coming. We’re not your monkey and so what?
Fame at $25,000 if we paid for a table, or $15,000 to squeak up in the gallery, goes to a non-profit organization selling us a load of old famous. Congratulations. If you voted for us, I hope you noted your reasons. You’re anonymous as judges, but you’re still music industry people. We’re not coming.”
Something similar happened the following year to Van Halen. No members of the current lineup showed up to the ceremony and the only people who did show up were Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony.
“I was a small part of their history, I was certainly not a part of their legend…” – Gary Cherone
Van Halen’s third singer, Gary Cherone was excluded by the Rock Hall and commented on his exclusion, saying, “To answer the few fans who are wondering whether I should, or shouldn’t, be included. While yes, I was a small part of their history, I was certainly not a part of their legend, and that is what we, the fans, are celebrating!”
Sammy Hagar gave MTV his thoughts on Gary Cherone being excluded, saying, “I got nothing against Gary, but I would’ve voted against him getting in. David Lee Roth and I were in the band for so long, and we sold so many records. I don’t think you can deny that. As it stands, it seems a little goofy if you let Gary in. Because, there was questions about me getting in, because I’ve only been in the band 21 years.”
It was initially reported that all of the members of Van Halen being inducted that year, would be in attendance, according to Premiere Radio Networks. The outlet revealed that all the inductees had already reserved a table, but stressed that Eddie and Alex would not be performing.
The induction ceremony took place on March 12, 2007 in New York City. By late 2006 and early 2007, there were rumblings of a Van Halen reunion with David Lee Roth.
Eddie Van Halen Enters Rehab
Four days before the induction ceremony was set to happen, Eddie Van Halen announced that he was entering rehab. It was also around this time that David Lee Roth confirmed the reunion, revealing the band would be hitting the road that summer.
Eddie Van Halen released a statement that read, “I have always and will always have a responsibility to give you my best. At the moment, I do not feel that I can give you my best. That’s why I have decided to enter a rehabilitation facility to work on myself, so that in the future I can deliver the 110 percent that I feel I owe you and want to give you.”
He would add, “Some of the issues surrounding the 2007 Van Halen tour are within my ability to change and some are not. As far as my rehab is concerned, it is within my ability to change and change for the better.”
“I always got hammered to be able to cope.” – Eddie Van Halen
During a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, the guitarist admitted he had already gone to rehab twice. He revealed he once got arrested for driving under the influence after leaving an AA meeting, after hearing people’s horrific sob stories. He stated, “I always got hammered to be able to cope. I have zero social skills and I don’t know how to act, so I get drunk and then I make a real ass out of myself.”
By April of 2007, Eddie left the treatment facility, forcing him to skip the hall of fame induction. His brother would follow suit, staying close to his sibling to lend him support.
It was initially reported that David Lee Roth would be in attendance with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, but disputes between Roth and Velvet Revolver led him to pulling out.
“We said we’d do ‘Jamie’s Cryin” or ‘You Really Got Me,’ and he was adamant that that wasn’t ok.” – Scott Weiland
Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland revealed the reason behind the dispute, recalling backstage at the Rock Hall, “We were asked to perform… David Lee Roth wanted to sing the song ‘Jump.’ We felt from an artistic standpoint, and I’m being totally honest with you, that it wasn’t a song we felt comfortable with. We don’t have keyboards. To bring a keyboard on stage wouldn’t work for us. We said we’d do ‘Jamie’s Cryin” or ‘You Really Got Me,’ and he was adamant that that wasn’t ok.”
David Lee Roth released a statement to the LA Times that read, “It’s just not an option for me to go and watch some other band, who are only performing because they have some new record coming out, to do our music. I have nothing against Velvet Revolver. I’m not familiar with their music but that was my 3 minutes and 22 seconds up there.”
The Rock Hall put out their own statement that read, “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is sorry that David Lee Roth will not attend this year’s induction of Van Halen. We offered him opportunities to play and sing a Van Halen song of his choice with our house band, including his own guitar player or a song with Velvet Revolver and he refused those opportunities.”
Velvet Revolver ended up covering 2 Van Halen songs, as part of the induction ceremonies, including the David Lee Roth era hit “Ain’t Talkin ‘Bout Love” and the Sammy Hagar era song “Runaround”. Meanwhile, Hagar and Anthony got on stage to perform “Why Can’t This Be Love.”
“Dave wanted to do it his way and they were only allowed to do 2 songs, and he was trying to do 2 songs with them and not me.” – Sammy Hagar
In a 2009 interview Sammy Hagar gave to Thiago Sarkis, he slammed Roth’s behaviour in the run up to the ceremony, “I know the guys in that band,” referring to Velvet Revolver.
“Dave was calling them up every day driving them crazy to get them to let him sing with them. That’s why it got all screwed up, because Dave wanted to do it his way and they were only allowed to do 2 songs, and he was trying to do 2 songs with them and not me.
Dave was playing his bs Dave games and he f’ked it all up! And ’cause they told him, ‘No, Sammy’s gonna sing a song and you’re gonna sing a song with Velvet Revolver,’ and Dave said, ‘Eff you, then I am not coming.'”
“It was unfair to take a young band like that, that had only been together for one album and try and make them try to be Van Halen.” – Sammy Hagar
In the same interview, Hagar criticized Velvet Revolver’s performance, “I don’t think it was very good and I really like those guys. It was unfair to take a young band like that, that had only been together for one album and try and make them try to be Van Halen.
I think it was a little bit of a mistake but it wasn’t their fault, they’re great and I like those guys a lot. They are really good friends. Slash is a great guitar player when he is playing his stuff but for Slash to try and play Eddie’s stuff was wrong. They should have had a legend inducted and put together a great bunch of guitar players who are more adapted to Van Halen to do the tribute.”
The Rock Hall induction ended up being a mess and it was a foreshadowing of what would happen to Velvet Revolver, who broke up a year later. It also foreshadowed the Guns N’ Roses induction ceremony that took place 5 years later in 2012.
Frontman Axl Rose was still on bad terms with Slash, who was a no show and even sent an open letter requesting that he not be inducted.
“The Van Halen induction was a nightmare.” – Slash
Following Guns N’ Roses’ induction that year, Slash told the Star Tribune his thoughts on the Van Halen induction and how it compared to his own experience, “The Van Halen induction was a nightmare. It wasn’t fun and we were potentially a mirror image of that. Now at this point, GNR’s induction is something I’m really happy I did because it was very close to not happening at all. It turned out that, in the moment, it was a really positive and fulfilling experience.”
In 2020, Eddie Van Halen passed away due to a stroke while also battling cancer for half a decade. During the virtual 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, a month after his death, a tribute was held to the Van Halen guitarist. Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, Metallica’s Kirk Hammet and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello took part in the tribute.
During an appearance on the Howard Stern show in November of 2020, Eddie’s son Wolfgang announced that Van Halen would not continue without his father, saying, “You can’t have Van Halen without Eddie Van Halen.”
Like this story? Check out The Cranberries’ Story Of The Band
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Wow Sammy Hagar doesn’t stop at trying to take another man’s credit. Him and his hometown liers are a problem, they sneek, and try to sabootage while lying to everyone about everything. Enough people!! Don’t let people like the hagars and others that want to be famous get away with lieing about themselves (no loyalty to you) or about others( they love their fans and people they grew up with and are real talent and other things that make your world go better. Those liers of all things want your approval but won’t be loyal about important things thinking or wanting you to believe they got something for you are there to destroy you for a ride they can’t afford themselves. So you got to pay and do their time somewhere down the line so instead of getting cought they drop the dime Everytime on someone withthem or not and in the confusion walk away and convince others while being backed up by some one who heard the lies or was affected and they run around like they don’t know there just the new guy, the lost guy, but marooning everyone. Him and that hometown are stiring up a situation that allows a nightmare on the indians this and all other people and nation’s jjust because they are leaving the country and going to change names and hide somewhere real low blend in and in a few years or generation, like they re teaching this kids to lay low and leave again someplace mild and low and so forth and the whole time live off what sadam haidans family members in hiding can shuffle them, while living on the street and eating out of the trash the rest the time and causing their victims like some family members they use as a tool to go threw also. I know that much. I’m one of them while for now they brag living off the bands they had to be fired from and people not knowing they set up situations and he got fired from Montrose all that’s left are the ftje old fans who still will buy a record or listen to something having to do with him. He sabatoged and is killing them off even if it looks like it’s not. I think they did it to Elvis too and to and a new person but had a musician family”the beach boys” and pleged Micheal Jackson too. That’s why the songbook thing. Good luck everyone it probably can’t be stopped, but im not giving up. They could have what ever it is without their personilised will be done.,, Because they want and don’t actually need nor do they care about what anyone else needs or wants or has to have. That’s what’s funniest to them if someone has to have it but can’t having to do with them, then they can’t be stopped because it takes people fooled or not to protect him or help his victim there is no in between. There are a few who made it in show business who don’t understand but most do, the confusion is with the fans and general public can’t get it or don’t believe they hold the key to stop all disorders all at once, stop him and those amongt the maingroup he employee who believe he helps cause, it doesn’t! He had a person who is 100 percent Navajo and spoke their ancestrial language as as a first language could read it and wright it and used people with a mix that don’t equall just that one person who he had no regard for and had murdered in the worst way just because he has the support of the people who are of that haritage because he misleads them claiming he would not bring harm on his own which how much does he have?not more than his lieing self. He had the man and female counter part done in, just separate time.
Your long, long run-on sentence is very disjointed and doesn’t make much sense!
I loved Van Halen, both the DLR version and the Hagar version, they were just different sounds, but Eddie’s distinctive guitar work, Anthony’s bass lines, and Alex’s drumming tied them together. Neither was better, they were just different. I am a fan ever since “Runnin’ with the Devil”, what a great band!
That is an awfully long post to say absolutely nothing of value or truth whatsoever. 🙄🙄🙄🙄
it took Wolfgang on Howard Stern (who had once called him Coyote-Face) that Van Halen was not a band without Eddie? I think we all knew that….