Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted said that he came close to joining Van Halen late last year. According to The Palm Beach Post, drummer Alex Van Halen had already tapped Joe Satriani to replace the late, great Eddie Van Halen, and the two were searching for a bass player for a possible Van Halen tour. Newsted apparently agreed to go to California to jam with the pair, but he thought it would be impossible to do justice to Van Halen’s legacy. “How could you?” he said. “There’s nobody that can top it, so how do you show it honor? I didn’t want it to be viewed as a money grab. And then it kind of just all fizzled.”
But now, Satriani has confirmed in an interview with Rock of Nations with Dave Kinchen, that he, Roth and Alex Van Halen have been talking about doing a touring tribute to Eddie. “I’ve been talking with Alex and Dave for about a year about doing something — a tour, something like that — that was gonna be a true tribute to Eddie and the Van Halen legacy. For me, it was a terrifying prospect of doing something like that, but I realized that it was something that would be a real labor of love for me. I was just so honored to take on the challenge. It’s very complicated,” Satriani continued. “And all I can really say about it is that if it does happen, I know we’ll make it the greatest thing ever for the fans and we’ll all celebrate together not only the great Eddie Van Halen but the legacy that that band created, the amazing amount of music and the goodwill and good vibes they created as a band.”
Satriani said he was surprised that Newsted revealed the potential plans before things were confirmed. “These things are always happening in the music industry, and you’re supposed to keep very quiet about it [laughs], because sometimes they don’t work out,” he said. “There’s usually about 10 crazy ideas that float around and musicians are always, like, ‘Okay, I won’t say anything about this ’cause it may not work out. I don’t wanna hurt this person’s feelings or disrupt any other business plans.’ So, yeah, we were all pretty shocked that Jason wanted to go public with it ’cause we were all sworn to silence. [Laughs]”
Satriani also said that he’s been excited to have the opportunity to get to know Alex Van Halen. “I have to say that just getting to know Alex has been really wonderful,” Joe said. “He’s a great human being, and, obviously, I can’t imagine losing a brother that way, so soon. And they were really close; their relationship was really quite unique.” As for Roth, the guitarist said: “I don’t know Dave that well. I think I’ve only met him once — maybe when Steve [Vai] invited us to see the David Lee Roth tour. I was in Australia with Mick Jagger at the time, so we all went; it was quite an experience. But, yeah, I’ve only spoken to Dave on the phone a number of times over the last — I don’t know — 25 years or so. But he’s David Lee Roth; they’re Van Halen. It’s a big deal. Like I said before, if it ever does happen, it will be a great honor and a terrifying challenge,” Satriani said. “Eddie, you can’t reproduce what he did — you can’t. You can learn the notes and you can be taught all the fingerings and get the gear and everything, but there was only one Eddie and he was the epitome of an original genius. But if it does happen, I know that Alex will make sure that it’s the right way to do it.”
Sammy Hagar, who fronted Van Halen from 1985 to 1996 and again from 2003 to 2005, has said if any kind of tribute takes place for Eddie, he wants to be a part of it. “I have nothing to do with the [Eddie Van Halen] legacy,” he said. “That’s their business — that’s Wolfie, Alex Van Halen; they’re family members. 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 [solo] show [if I need to]. [That’s] something Van Halen would never do. I always make that joke — canceling a show was [out of the question with] Van Halen. I went out sick without being able to sing, Eddie went out with a crutch, Alex went out with a f*cking neck brace — we wouldn’t cancel shows. But I will cancel my show for a tribute to Eddie any day.”
