Wolfgang Van Halen has said that he “loathes” COVID-19 for stealing away the potential to see VAN HALEN’s final performance.
After the death of Eddie Van Halen, it was revealed that there had been talk of a “kitchen sink” tour reuniting VAN HALEN’s original lineup plus all of the band’s primary members over the years, including vocalist Sammy Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony. While Eddie’s ailing health made the tour already unlikely, Wolfgang Van Halen recently shared his disdain for the role COVID-19 played in the scrapped tour plan in a new interview.
Speaking with the Washington Post, Wolfgang reveals that his father was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in late 2017. At the time, Eddie was flying to Germany for treatments that seemed to stabilize his health, which allowed Eddie to visit Wolfgang as he was recording his debut solo album.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, shutting down touring worldwide, Wolfgang believes that as a result, his father may have missed a chance for a final performance prior to his death in October.
Wolfgang explains that had the pandemic not occurred, his father could have flown to Germany for more cancer treatments, and a positive result could have seen Eddie return to the road.
“The way we figured it, if I were to open for Van Halen, he would come out and play a solo for a song,” Wolfgang says. “That would have been the end-all dream.”
He adds, “I will forever loathe COVID and how it was handled, because they stole that moment from me.”
The all-encompassing “kitchen sink” tour would have seen Michael Anthony return on bass, while both David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar would sing, and there was talk of inviting the band’s third vocalist, Gary Cherone, to return as well. “If only things had been better, it would have been amazing,” said Wolfgang at the time, revealing that he would open the shows with his band, MAMMOTH WVH.
MAMMOTH WVH’s debut album is set to arrive on June 11.