New releases, music videos and album news — indie, rap, rock and pop. Always covering Ren, Chris Webby, Sam Tompkins, bbno$, CHINCHILLA, Muse, Yungblud and more.
Sammy Hagar Offers David Lee Roth a Spot at His Las Vegas Residency Following Tour Cancellation
Sammy Hagar has publicly reached out to David Lee Roth after Roth cancelled most of his upcoming tour dates, offering him a guest slot at Hagar's Las Vegas residency in September. The gesture is notable given the pair's long-running rivalry as successive Van Halen frontmen, and reflects Hagar's stated wish to keep the band's music and legacy alive through live performance rather than AI-generated substitutes.
Roth's tour, announced in January, saw shows in Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky and Illinois pulled from his website, though he retained a booking at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on 7 August and had not commented publicly on the cancellations. In a video posted on X, Hagar expressed concern for Roth's wellbeing and invited him to sing, MC or otherwise appear during his Best of All Worlds Tour residency at Dolby Live, Park MGM, running 18–26 September. Hagar fronted Van Halen from 1985–1996 and again from 2003–2005 after replacing Roth, who originally led the band from 1974–1985 and later returned from 2007 until shortly before Eddie Van Halen's death in 2020.
In short
- Hagar invites Roth to guest at his September Las Vegas residency
- Roth cancelled most tour dates; reason undisclosed publicly
- Hagar's video stressed keeping live rock music, and Van Halen's legacy, alive
Explained simply
Van Halen are an American rock band whose best-known line-ups were led by David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar at different times. Roth was the band’s original singer, while Hagar took over in 1985; both later returned for further periods.
The change of singers became a long-running source of tension between the two frontmen. Their careers remain closely linked to Van Halen’s music and legacy, which they have each continued to perform.
Hagar’s Las Vegas residency is part of his ongoing live work with Van Halen songs. The band’s history and the different eras associated with Roth and Hagar help explain why an invitation between them draws attention.