Michael Anthony Confirms He Was In Talks of Van Halen Tribute Tour

Michael Anthony

Last month it was revealed that Joe Satriani has been in talks with drummer Alex Van Halen about a Van Halen tribute tour. The guitar legend has since said it would be a “true tribute to Eddie [Van Halen] and the Van Halen legacy.”

Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted was approached about filling the bass spot, but now we’ve learned that longtime Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony has also been approached about it.

In an interview with Mitch Lafon and Jeremy White, Anthony said he had been on a conference call with Irving Azoff, Alex Van Halen, and David Lee Roth late last year. He said that Satriani’s idea for a tribute tour was brought up in conversation as “just something kicking around.”

“I think Joe was mentioning in some of the interviews that it’s more a celebration of the band and of the music than calling it ‘Van Halen,'” he said. “Obviously, Eddie being probably the most integral part of the whole band, you can’t really call it Van Halen after that.”

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