Michael Anthony nixes Van Halen reunion tour rumors
By aoligschlaeger on April 2, 2019
Former bassist Michael Anthony dashed the hopes of Van Halen fans last week with naught but an Instagram comment.
Rumors of an original-lineup reunion have been circulating since last year, when frontman David Lee Roth dropped a cryptic hint about a “reunion thing” in an interview. But when a fan asked about the tour in the comments of Anthony’s Instagram, the bassist put the rumors to rest: “VH tour not gonna happen,” he wrote.
It’s not clear if Anthony is referring to the entire tour or simply his involvement in it, but in either case, it’s time to accept that we won’t be seeing the original Van Halen lineup in stadiums this summer. While some iteration of the band has been consistently active since its formation, the four original members have not played together since 1984.
Anthony last played with Van Halen in 2004, when the band was fronted by Sammy Hagar. He was not invited to join the band’s 2007 reunion tour, and is reportedly not on great terms with the band.
But in 2017, Anthony admitted that he could see “some kind of proper closure or something” in a reunion, adding, “I’m not sure. Everybody in the band is still relatively healthy and alive. So there’s one thing right there… I personally am through with all of the drama that comes with everything. I want to go out, play music and have a good time. I want to go to my grave a happy guy.”
Anthony is currently preparing for another tour with Sammy Hagar and The Circle. Their album Space Between will be released May 10th.
