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Sammy Hagar: ‘I Will Cancel My Show For a Tribute to Eddie Any Day’

Sammy Hagar is very serious about making sure he’ll be available to perform at a potential Eddie Van Halen tribute show. The Red Rocker has always been a “show must…

Sammy Hagar and Eddie Van Halen
Kevork Djansezian, Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Sammy Hagar is very serious about making sure he'll be available to perform at a potential Eddie Van Halen tribute show.

The Red Rocker has always been a "show must go on" type of guy, but he said during an appearance on the Kyle Meredith With... podcast, "Whoever wants to call me up and say, ‘Here’s the date,’ I will be there. I don’t care where I am. I’ll cancel a show — something Van Halen would never do."

Hagar added, "I went out sick without being able to sing. Eddie went out with a crutch. Alex went out with a f---in' neck brace. We wouldn’t cancel shows. But I will cancel my show for a tribute to Eddie any day."

So far, an Eddie Van Halen tribute concert hasn't been announced, but Hagar said in an interview last month, "It's gotta happen. Of course, it's gonna happen. No one's really connected all the dots with everyone involved, but I have been told, and I have read interviews with various people involved — with Wolfie [Wolfgang Van Halen] and Valerie [Bertinelli] and Eddie's wife [Janie] that he was married to at the time — they all said as soon as this is over, we're gonna get everybody together and do a tribute or whatever. Just a 'thank you,' a goodbye, a send-off."

Hagar adamantly added, “And that's an absolute must. I don't care if it takes 10 years — that will happen. And if we're available to do it, we'll do it."

Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, who also took part in this interview, concurred saying, "We've got to celebrate the music — so much good music."

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Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights