SAMMY HAGAR: 'I Would Love To Be Friends' With DAVID LEE ROTH

Sammy Hagar has once again downplayed David Lee Roth's recent comments about Hagar's claim that the fellow former VAN HALEN singer drew inspiration for a song from a dream he had where he reunited with his late bandmate Eddie Van Halen.

In 2022, Hagar recounted being greeted by Van Halen in a dream where they got together and made a new track. The resulting song, "Encore, Thank You, Goodnight", was released this past April via Big Machine Rock.

On August 13, while performing the VAN HALEN classic "Dance The Night Away" at Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire during his recently launched summer 2025 U.S. solo tour, Roth addressed Hagar's claim, telling the crowd: "One of my esteemed colleagues — he's a contemporary, he's got a great voice, he's got a great catalog. You all know Sammy Hagar, right? He's got a great voice. And Sammy, aloud, he described to the media about six weeks ago that the ghost of Eddie Van Halen visited him and graced him with a song that he memorized and then went home and recorded. It's on the Internet."

Roth continued: "I don't know what the odds are, but last night the ghost of Eddie Van Halen visited me at the fucking hotel room. I was watching the weather report and he came in and he was laughing. His fucking ghost was laughing. I said, 'What did you do now?' He said, 'Dave, Dave…' Actually, you want me to do his accent? [Adopts Eddie's accent] 'Hey, Dave.' He said, 'Dave, you know that song I gave Hagar?' I said, 'What now?' He said, 'It's actually [IRON BUTTERFLY's] 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' backwards. Don't fucking tell him.' This all stays in this room, right? I laughed. We shared a ghost cigarette, a ghost Marlboro. Not one of those pussy-ass white ones, but the [Marlboro Reds]. And I hugged my brother Ed, and I said, 'Man, do I fucking miss you.' And he said, 'I miss you too, Dave.' He said, 'But you know what? You should still go to hell.' And I said, 'Save me a seat.'"

Although Roth's comments were widely perceived as poking fun at Hagar, the Red Rocker had a different take. During a September 16 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Hagar noted that Roth didn't say anything derogatory about him and that David actually praised Sammy's "great voice" and "great catalog". Hagar said: "Davenever does stuff like that. To me, it was, like, 'Wow, Dave actually became cool for a minute about me,' and I think him and I can be friends. Honestly, I would love to be friends with Dave. He is the wackiest guy. He would be a blast — in my opinion, he would be a blast to hang. Get on a boat and go cruising around in the islands or something with that guy and some of our friends and stuff.

"We've got so much in common and so much history together, if you think about it," Sammy continued. "We both spent 10 years of our lives with VAN HALEN — Eddie and Alex Van Halen. Eddie Van Halen, right? I mean, we wrote songs with [Eddie]. There's so much that we have in common. And we're totally two different kinds of people, but that's what makes it fun. The people around us would be having more fun.

"But anyway, I just think he really did have that dream. And he's a great storyteller. So the guy gets up there and tells his story a little bit more elaborate — 'we smoked a Marlboro,' a ghost cigarette together. He's a good storyteller. And I just thought it was wonderful that he actually said, 'You know Sammy Hagar. The guy's got a great voice' or something like that, he said, 'and he's got a good catalog.' Whoa. Dave. Right on, brother.

"I've got no problem with Dave and what he's doing," Hagar added. "I've said it to my publicist, to everyone, people always asking, 'What do you think about this? Give me a comment about these people that are posting all this crazy stuff from his shows out there. What do you comment?' I said, 'I would never negative comment, man.' The guy's got the balls to go out there and do it and do it for the fans. He's not doing it for money. Dave's got plenty of money, for God's sakes. Nobody in VAN HALEN's broke. And he's doing it 'cause he loves it. And he looks like he's having a good time. He's got a pretty damn good band, there ain't no question about that. And the smartest thing — I even told him this; I sent him a note about it when we had that little Instagram comment thing — I sent him a personal note and said, 'Hey, smartest thing you ever do is get them background singers.' Those choruses in VAN HALEN are the most important part besides of Eddie's guitar playing, some of the most important parts of that music to those fans. They love singing along to those songs. And you got those guys singing it, and they sound good singing it. And I think it was a good move. If he can't do it, get somebody that can do it and just go out there and do your thing, whatever.

"Anyway, I'm all cool with Dave," Sammy concluded. "I just wanna make that straight and clear."

Three years ago, Hagar spoke about the inspiration for "Encore, Thank You, Goodnight", telling Ultimate Classic Rock: "About two months ago, I had this dream and Eddie [Van Halen] came. It was just like he'd been gone. It was not like he was passed, but he had just been out of my life and we hadn't seen each other for a while. He's going, 'Man, let's write some music!' I said, 'Yeah, fuck it, man. Here, let's go!'"

Hagar co-wrote the song alongside his CHICKENFOOT bandmate, legendary guitarist Joe Satriani, who produced the track with Hagar and Eric Caudieux.

When "Encore, Thank You, Goodnight" was finally released, Sammy clarified in a statement that "it's not meant to be anything more than a thank you — with love, with respect and with one hell of a guitar solo. Joe [Satriani] brought in that big, emotional, guitar-driven energy that feels like Eddie's spirit but is entirely of Joe's creation. With Michael Anthony's thundering bass and stellar VAN HALEN-esque background vocals and Kenny Aronoff's relentlessly powerful driving rhythms, the song really came together on all levels."

Three months ago, Hagar commented on Roth's return to the live stage, saying he was "happy" that Roth was "out there supporting some of the greatest rock songs in history."

The original VAN HALEN frontman played his first full concert in more than five years on May 3 at the 2025 edition of the M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. His 75-minute set consisted of classics by VAN HALEN, in which he was accompanied by a band that included guitarist Al Estrada and four backing vocalists.

Hagar — who replaced Roth in VAN HALEN in 1985 and recorded four studio albums with the band, all of which topped the U.S. chart — weighed in on Roth's stage comeback in an Instagram post, writing (edited for clarity): "If I may add my two cents here, comparing us today or comparing us in the old days really is not what it's all about. It's all about VAN HALEN, one of the greatest bands, some of the greatest songs in rock history. We were both involved and both had pluses and minuses.

"I am happy that Dave is out there doing it like Mikey [former VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony] and I," he continued. "Supporting some of the greatest rock songs in history, like I said. The fans deserve it, good or bad. I believe we're both doing our best and I'm actually happy. Dave is supporting his era and I will support mine as well as my solo career and side projects for the rest of my life. Everyone should enjoy what we're both trying to do. Keeping the music alive [and] his legacy is important and so is the music both Dave and I wrote with Eddie [Van Halen]."

The highest-charting Roth-led VAN HALEN album was a No. 2, and it took until "1984" to achieve that. (2012's "A Different Kind Of Truth" also landed at No. 2.)

Hagar, who, along with Roth, spent the summer of 2002 co-headlining the laboriously titled "Sammy Hagar And David Lee Roth Tour 2002: Song For Song, The Heavyweight Champs Of Rock And Roll", reflected on the run of shows during an April 2023 appearance on Steve-O's "Wild Ride!" podcast. He said: "At that time [Roth] didn't have a solo career, really. I mean, he did, but he wasn't selling out. I was selling out arenas. I was selling out amphitheaters as Sammy Hagar with the WABOS. And I had a solo career.

"Ask Mick Jagger. Ask Robert Plant. You can be the biggest band in the world and you can't necessarily have a solo career," he continued. "But I had a solo career. So when I joined the big band, I went back to my solo career, I'm good. I still sell a lot of tickets. Dave, he had that sort of a big album, one kind of a big album, but he didn't have a solo career. He was playing small places. So when he came in with me, he was making, like, 25 grand a night, I was making 150 grand a night, and they said, 'Oh, you guys are gonna make the same money. Dave gets to make 150.' I said, 'He ain't fucking made 150 in his life except in VAN HALEN.' But I said, 'I've gotta do this.' So I bent over backwards. And he still always tried to fuck with the rules. He's not a fun guy. He doesn't play well with others. I'm not sure what his problem is… He just always is about, 'How can I make this guy look bad?' And not just me — in life. He's a chest-beating motherfucker. And God bless him, 'cause the early stuff is frickin' great. I personally, I've tried to say… [I thought] he'd be a fun guy to know. But he ain't like that. He ain't like his persona. When you get around him, he ain't that guy. He's some other cat. [Laughs]"

Hagar went on to praise Roth's skills as an entertainer, saying: "He's a showman. Hey, listen, I'm a showman too. But that's his gig. He doesn't care about singing. If he did, he'd take care of his voice or he'd take voice lessons and get warmed up and do something. 'Cause the guy sang so bad last time he was doing shows, it was embarrassing… But he's a showman. Everything's show, show, show, show, show, show, show. And he doesn't care about his voice, which drives me nuts, man. I care more about my voice than I do my dick. If my dick didn't work a couple of times, I'd be okay with it — I'd be bummed out — but if my voice fucks up onstage, I'm fucking bummed, man."

Back in October 2021, Hagar said that he had "no problem" with Roth, telling "The Mike & Carla Morning Show" on the 96.3 KKLZ radio station: "Him and I don't even have a feud. To be honest with you, I have no problem with Dave. I don't know what he's got going with me, but I think he always feels competitive. I think he feels like he has to raise his flag, like, 'I'm VAN HALEN.' 'Cause I had a solo career before VAN HALEN. I was in MONTROSE before VAN HALEN. I've had CHICKENFOOT. Dave has got VAN HALEN, so I think he has to hold on to that kind of tight. But I don't care about that. If someone said, 'Oh, I never knew you [were] in VAN HALEN,' I'd say, 'Eh…'"

In June 2021, Hagar blasted Roth, saying his voice "hasn't aged well" and describing the original VAN HALEN singer's onstage persona as "totally bullshit." He told Brazil's "Inside With Paulo Baron" Internet show: "[David is] a real character. He's a showman. He's all show. I enjoy him. But you talk about cringing. I can't imagine how he feels when he looks at some of them old videos, the way he was dancing and moving, and the way he was singing live sometimes. I don't know how he feels about all that, but I don't think he cares. The difference between him and I [is] I sincerely care — I care about everything I do and I care how it affects people and I care what they think. I care that it touches them and it makes them happy. And what is important to me is enlightening and elevating people spiritually and making them happy and making them have big dreams, making them want to be better themselves. And that's my goal with everything I do — is to bring that to people and change their life, if I can. I don't think he cares about anything like that. And that's the difference between our presence. He's very much into himself, very much into being a showman and doesn't really care. I don't know what he cares about; I really don't. I don't know him. I have no idea who that guy is; I don't think anyone does. But he entertains me. I enjoy watching him do stupid shit."

Asked what he thinks when he sees the way David presents himself to the public, Sammy said: "Well, the first thing I'd say is I look at him and I think, 'Wow. He's a strange person. He's a strange character.' He's not what he's saying he is; he's pretending. He's totally bullshit. Everything he does is thought up and it's an image. It's nothing to do with who he is; he's not exposing who and what he is. And I know this for a fact. I knew that the first time I saw him. I said, 'This guy, he's putting on an image, putting on a show.' He goes back home and goes in his house, and he's a whole different guy — nothing to do with that guy [you see on stage]. He's not honest about his image and his performance. That's what I see when I see him; that's how I feel. But I tried to be friends."

Referring to the time when he and Roth teamed up for the co-headlining tour in 2002, Sammy continued: "When we did our together, I thought it was gonna be so much fun. I thought, 'If he's anything like he claims to be, we're gonna have a good time.' But he wasn't. He was the worst guy to be around. He wasn't ever around. He hides out. You never see him. He puts on this whole big front and comes out, 'I'm here. David Lee Roth is here,' and then he goes and hides again. I don't think he's happy. He's never been married; never had a relationship; never had children. It's, like, man, how do you live like that? I don't know. I'm a family man. And I love women — I love women and children… He hasn't aged well — his voice. [Laughs] I don't know. It's hard."

According to Hagar, he has tried a number of times to be respectful to Roth, particularly because of David's immeasurable contribution to VAN HALEN's legacy.

"I used to not wanna cause trouble," he said. "First, in the old days, before I was in VAN HALEN, I ripped him through the fucking coals when I [did] the press, before I ever was in that band. And then when I joined the band, I tried to be nice. And then when I left the band, I tried to be nice about him. And then we did our together, and then I fucking said, 'Fuck this guy. He's an asshole. You can't get along with him. He's no fun. He's full of shit.' And then now, after [VAN HALEN guitarist] Eddie's [Van Halen] death, I feel, once again, he's part of the VAN HALEN legacy and he's important. So I wouldn't wanna ruin anything to do with what he brought to that legacy. I want VAN HALEN to go down as one of the greatest rock bands of all time — but not just my [era]; Dave's era [as well]. I want Eddie to be the legend and get the respect that he deserves, and the only way to preserve that is by being kind about the past. And, like in my [2011's autobiography, 'Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock'], like I said, that's the only thing I would probably [change in the book if I was writing it now is I would] soften it up [as it relates to Eddie]. But it's too late — it is what it is. And it's honest. So I'm not lying, I'm not backpedaling — nope, nope. It's all true. But God rest his soul. He brought a lot to this planet, to this business of rock and roll, Eddie Van Halen did. And Dave was a part of it. It's too bad what he's become. [Laughs] But that's different. It's not VAN HALEN anymore."

In November 2020, Eddie's son Wolfgang revealed that his father had contemplated a "kitchen-sink tour" that would have included classic-era bassist Michael Anthony, as well as vocal turns from both Hagar and Roth. There was even talk about bringing back Gary Cherone, who sang with VAN HALEN on one poorly received album, 1998's "Van Halen III".

Eddie died in October 2020 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

Prior to M3, Roth's most recent performance was a private corporate gig for Home Depot in 2023.