Wolfgang Van Halen Regrets Eddie Didn’t Get to See ‘Grand Finale’
Wolfgang Van Halen said it was a “bummer” that his late father Eddie Van Halen didn't get to enjoy the “grand finale” that was being planned before his death.
He’d previously confirmed that a "Kitchen Sink" tour celebrating Van Halen’s entire history – including a reunion with Sammy Hagar and original bassist Michael Anthony – had been in the works before Eddie’s cancer made it impossible to proceed. “We’d already semi-confirmed Mike coming back and me opening,” Wolfgang told 100.3 The X Rocks in a recent interview, embedded below. “Once that was kinda set in stone we had to put it on the back burner because Dad’s health wasn’t doing so well. Throughout that time we were like, ‘What if we took it a step further?’ and the more we talked about it the more excited we became. It was like, it could just be this grand finale of some sort.”
Becoming emotional, he added: “It’s really a bummer that that never happened.”
But the younger musician said he was pleased to be able to offer Van Halen fans some “solace” and “closure” with the release of his tribute single “Distance” and his public discussion about the iconic guitarist.
“I think the reason all this press stuff has been so easy for me is because it’s just all about Dad,” Wolfgang continued. “I love talking about how amazing he was, how loving of a father he was.” He added: “I think when we transfer over to talking about my music, moving forward, is when I might be a little more shy and nervous.”
Asked about how he felt about having to deal with rumors over Van Halen’s future, he replied: “I think it’s less fights and more kind of – pew, pew – like, taking things out.” He continued: “When I see the development of some rumor, something stupid like me taking over for Dad, or me going on tour but playing to isolated tracks of Dad … It’s like, ‘No, that’s stupid, and I’m gonna tell you right now so you guys don’t sit there and hope for something dumb like that. You can’t do that. My Dad would be really upset. He’d be like, ‘What are you doing? You just recorded all this music that I love so much. Why aren’t you going out and doing that?’”
Wolfgang said it was “nice” to see that the release of his tribute song, “Distance,” along with his public speaking, was offering fans “some sort of a therapeutic side, some sort of solace and closure, if you will, to my dad’s life,” He reflected: “He’s not here anymore [but] he’s definitely left a mark for eternity… right now this is all about Dad and “Distance” and having all the proceeds go to his favorite charity. It’s kind of my gift and my tribute to him.”
Wolfgang Van Halen Interview