Van Halen Tribute Never Got Off The Ground Says Wolfgang

Michael Angulia | 07-18-2022

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Wolfgang Van Halen said in a new interview that the proposed Van Halen Tribute Tour "never even got off the ground", and also shared that the idea was for a one-off tribute show and not a full tour.

He was asked about the reported tribute tour during a new interview with Rolling Stone. He responded, "What I can say is that there was an attempt at doing something. But, you know, I don't like to speak negatively about people, but there are some people that make it very difficult to do anything when it comes to Van Halen. After being in Van Halen for a long time, I really have strived to have an environment where there is no walking on eggshells and there is no personality that you have to deal with. It's just guys having fun making music and just having a good time. But, you know, from my time in Van Halen, there was always some stuff that gets in the way from just making music and having a good time. And, I think, that's what happened."

In a follow-up question, Wolfgang was asked, "So basically, you gave your blessing to this attempt that didn't work out?" and responded, "It didn't even get to that point. It was in such an early stage that it never even got off the ground." He also said, "I would really like to do something for Pop."

Van Halen also explained that the proposed tribute was not a tour. He was asked, "So it was a one-off tribute concert. And even on that, they couldn't get together?" and Wolfgang responded, "Right, surprise. Look at anything that's happened with Van Halen. And look how things have fallen apart. You know? The fact that in my tenure, in Van Halen, we managed to do three tours, put an album of original material and a live album out is a f***ing miracle."