Wolfgang Van Halen Says Hawkins Tribute Won’t Lead to VH Reunion
Wolfgang Van Halen delighted and moved viewers last weekend when he blazed through effortless covers of Van Halen's "On Fire" and "Hot for Teacher" during the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium. Unsurprisingly, the performance also set off a fresh wave of internet commentators clamoring for Wolfgang to take part in a Van Halen reunion, prompting the younger Van Halen to once again shut them down.
Van Halen has repeatedly faced — and dismissed — these types of comments since his dad Eddie Van Halen died in October 2020. The fresh discourse seemed largely motivated by a recent Sleaze Roxx article with the headline "Van Halen should reform with Wolfgang Van Halen assuming the guitar duties." Van Halen issued a succinct response on Twitter, quote-tweeting the article with a meme of Bugs Bunny uttering "no."
He also retweeted or responded affirmatively to several tweets aimed at journalists who "completely [misconstrued] the meaning behind the heartfelt song choices" during his Wembley performance.
This stance shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody who's followed Wolfgang Van Halen's career even remotely. Last year, the Mammoth WVH bandleader swatted away a fan who told him "the time to honor Dad is now" with the instantly iconic response: "I honor my dad by existing and doing what I do every day. I'm not fuckin' playing 'Panama' for you guys."
A few months after his father's death, Van Halen also declared, "I can confidently say I will NEVER replace my father in Van Halen and tour around the world disrespecting my father’s memory. No EVH = No VH. Get the fuck over it, but if you can’t, just quit bothering me about it and demanding I do it when I’ve made it very clear how I feel."
Van Halen did, however, have some good news for fans of Mammoth WVH. Replying to another fan who asked for a follow-up to Mammoth WVH's 2021 self-titled debut, Van Halen wrote, "I start next week!"