WOLFGANG VAN HALEN Rules Out Making Album With SAMMY HAGAR And MICHAEL ANTHONY: MAMMOTH Is 'All I Wanna Do'

In a new interview with the Thinking About Guitar podcast, Wolfgang Van Halen, who replaced Michael Anthony in VAN HALEN, once again confirmed that his father, legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, had contemplated a "kitchen-sink" VAN HALEN tour that would have included Anthony, as well as vocal turns from both Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth. There was even talk about bringing back Gary Cherone, who sang with the band on one poorly received album, 1998's "Van Halen III". Asked why the tour ultimately didn't happen, Wolfgang, who fronts his own band called MAMMOTH, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was dad's health. But that had been always our idea. Dad and I came up with that idea, the kitchen sink tour, when we were in the hospital in 2019. And it just always was working under the assumption that things would get better, and it didn't. So that's why."

Asked what the chances are of him one day making an album with Sammy and Michael, Wolfgang responded: "Never. It's not in the cards for me. MAMMOTH is very much where I'm happy. I have nothing but appreciation for VAN HALEN and its history. But when it comes to MAMMOTH, that's all I wanna do."

In early 2019, a rumor surfaced that the classic VAN HALEN lineup would reunite that summer for a run of stadium shows. This would have been the first time that Michael, Eddie, David and Alex Van Halen performed together since 1984.

The rumors originally started with Roth, who hinted to Vulture that VAN HALEN would be playing stadiums with Anthony back in the lineup.

VAN HALEN and Anthony had not been on good terms for more than a decade, with Anthony not invited to join the reunion with Roth that began in 2007. The subsequent two tours and studio album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", featured Wolfgang on bass.

Anthony took a pay cut and signed away all of his rights to the band name and logo in order to participate in VAN HALEN's 2004 tour, which featured Hagar.

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

In January 2024, Wolfgang spoke to Loudwire about what it was like to reconnect with Michael at MAMMOTH's December 8, 2023 concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. The MAMMOTH leader said: "He's family. It was long overdue. I think we had planned that at least since I've been touring and it just worked out and it was very wonderful to see him. [I] love that my mom [Valerie Bertinelli] was there [and] my uncle Patrick who is also part of the MAMMOTH team; he goes way back with them. It's really nice to have that little reunion."

A few hours after MAMMOTH's concert in Las Vegas, Wolfgang took to his social media to share a couple of backstage photos of him with Michael at the House Of Blues, and he included the following message: "Ran into an old friend at the @mammothwvh show in Vegas tonight. (Love ya, Mikey)"

Michael shared a video of the MAMMOTH concert and a backstage photo of him and Wolfgang, and he wrote: "Went to see MAMMOTH last night here in Vegas, and they threw it down! Love ya Wolf, so great to see ya! (Proud of you brother!!)" Asked by a fan how long it had been since he and Wolfgang last met, Michael replied: "First time in 20 years."

In an interview with New York's Q104.3 radio station conducted prior to the House Of Blues show, Wolfgang said he was looking forward to meeting Michael. "I'm gonna be seeing Mike in Vegas, so I'm stoked to give him a hug," he said. He also said that he was "stoked" that Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani and Jason Bonham were planning a 2024 tour focusing largely on VAN HALEN music. "Yeah, that's super cool, man," he said.

Photo by Travis Shinn