New DAVID LEE ROTH Bassist SEAN MCNABB: 'My Boss Is Awesome'

In a new interview with Mike Gaube and Shaggy of the 94.9 and 104.5 The Pick radio station in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Sean McNabb discussed his latest gig as the bassist in David Lee Roth's solo band. Regarding what it's like to share the stage with the legendary VAN HALEN frontman, Sean said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, dude, it's incredible. And I was the biggest VAN HALEN fan growing up. I mean, those records changed all of our lives. In '78, my life changed, when I heard that. And to be able to hit the stage with probably the greatest frontman to ever do it, pretty much wrote the book on rock and roll fronting, it's incredible. And, yeah, my boss is awesome."

Asked what his favorite VAN HALEN song is to play with Roth, Sean said: "Man, there's so many. And we've got a list of 24, 25 songs, and we switch it up. But I think 'I'm The One' is one of my favorites to play. And 'Beautiful Girls'. I mean, come on. How can you go wrong with that? And just to get to play this catalog with the guy, I still get goosebumps every night."

On the topic of "how challenging" the bass parts in the VAN HALEN songs are for him to play, Sean said: "Well, they're amazing. And, obviously, [former VAN HALEN bassist] Michael Anthony, amazing and one of the coolest guys. So for me to get to dive into that. And we had this other thing called BROWN M&MS, which was an homage to early VAN HALEN. So I've been playing these songs for a good number of years and have done the deep dive on it. But I feel like I'm always learning something from watching old live versions from the '80s and things like that, and I'll always pick up something new. But, yeah, some of them are a handful, but that's what I live for. I'm a bass player that wants to always keep learning. And, yeah, it's amazing to be able to play that catalog. It's just unbelievable."

In addition to playing with Roth, McNabb is known for his bass work with such bands as LYNCH MOB, QUIET RIOT, DOKKEN, GREAT WHITE and HOUSE OF LORDS. He is also a TV and film actor, show host, writer, singer and composer, and he does a lot of charitable work.

In a 2018 interview with Bass Player magazine, McNabb admitted that bass was not his first instrument. "I started on cornet but I just couldn't get a sound," he said. "My brother was the drummer in a jazz band, and I always gravitated toward the rhythm section. I switched to bass shortly after that. My mother had a guitar, I started playing it with my fingers and it just kind of made sense."

The 71-year-old Roth kicked off his 2026 solo tour on April 16 at Spokane Live! at Spokane Tribe Casino in Airway Heights, Washington.

Joining David on stage for all the shows is his current backing band consisting of Al Estrada on guitar, Sean McNabb on bass, Francis Valentino on drums, and Danny Wagner on keyboards. McNabb was enlisted as the new bass player, replacing Ryan Wheeler. There are also several backing singers.

Roth recently added several new shows to his spring/summer 2026 tour schedule, which currently runs through early September.

The tour continues under the banner "Don't Love Me, Rent Me", featuring Roth performing solo material alongside a heavy dose of VAN HALEN classics that defined his legacy in rock music.

Last year, Roth reversed his decision to retire from the touring circuit, announcing a U.S. tour which took place over the 2025 summer.

Roth's summer 2025 U.S. tour concluded on September 14, 2025 in Napa, California.

Roth played his first full solo concert in more than five years on May 3, 2025 at the 2025 edition of the M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.

Roth originally left VAN HALEN to pursue a solo career following the success of the band's album "1984", but he returned for a stint in 1996 and then took over as VAN HALEN's frontman again from 2007 until 2020, although the band had not toured since 2015.

In early 2021, Roth announced that he would be officially retiring following a residency at Las Vegas's House Of Blues at Mandalay Bay in 2022. "I am throwing in the shoes. I'm retiring," Roth said at the time. "This is the first, and only, official announcement. You've got the news. Share it with the world."

"I'm not going to explain the statement," he added. "The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows."

Roth's 2022 Las Vegas residency was eventually canceled because of "circumstances related to COVID".