Wolfgang Van Halen ‘Loathes’ COVID-19 for Stealing Potential Final Van Halen Performance
Shortly after the death of Eddie Van Halen, it was revealed that there had been talks of a "kitchen sink" tour reuniting Van Halen's primary players over the years, and while the guitarist's ailing health made the run an impossibility, Wolfgang Van Halen shares in an interview his disdain for the role COVID-19 played in the dashed tour plan, as well.
Speaking with the Washington Post, the younger Van Halen reveals that his father was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in late 2017. But the guitarist flew to Germany for treatments that seemed to stabilize his health, which allowed Eddie to visit Wolfgang as he was recording his debut solo album. As the cancer spread, Eddie made more frequent trips to the hospital for treatments.
But 2020 brought the COVID-19 pandemic, shutting down touring and the younger Van Halen reasons that as a result his father may have missed a chance for a final performance prior to his Oct. 6 passing.
According to the paper, Wolfgang reasons that had the pandemic not occurred, his father could have flown to Germany for more treatments and that with a positive result he might have joined him on 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.”
Wolfgang first spoke of the "kitchen sink" tour on SiriusXM's Howard Stern Show last November. The all-encompassing 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.
Last fall, Wolfgang Van Halen introduced the first music from his upcoming Mammoth WVH solo album, a tribute to his late father called "Distance." In the months since, he's followed with the tracks "You're to Blame," "Don't Back Down," "Think It Over," "Feel" and most recently "Mammoth." The self-titled record is due June 11.