Watch MICHAEL ANTHONY Sing DAVID LEE ROTH-Era VAN HALEN Classics With SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE

February 16, 2022

Fan-filmed video of SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE performing the VAN HALEN classics "Runnin' With The Devil" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" live this past Saturday, February 12 as part of Hagar's 2022 "Sammy Hagar & Friends" residency at The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod can be seen below. Handling lead vocals on the David Lee Roth-era VH songs was THE CIRCLE's Michael Anthony, who was also a member of VAN HALEN's classic lineup.

In a 2014 interview with the "Lamont And Tonelli Show", which airs on the Bay Area rock station 107.7 The Bone, Anthony was told by the radio hosts that he is such a great lead singer in his own right that he could probably front his own band. "Yeah, you know, but I don't need that kind of pressure on me," he responded. "Lead singers, they're their own breed."

He added: "It wasn't until the fourth or fifth VAN HALEN record that people would go, 'Wow! You're singing backgrounds on those records. That's not David Lee Roth.' And I go, 'Hell, no! That's not David Lee Roth.'"

Asked which classic VAN HALEN song he would pick to sing lead vocals on, if he had to choose one, Anthony said: "Ahh…. Oh my God… I sang 'Somebody Get Me A Doctor'. That actually goes over quite well. But I don't know… Man, I'd sing any of 'em. I could sing any of that crap. C'mon! I can sing it all. [Laughs]"

Back in 2013, VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth spoke to Rolling Stone magazine about the touchy subject of Anthony potentially replacing then-VAN HALEN bassist — and Eddie Van Halen's son — Wolfgang Van Halen. He said: "Ed has his own vision, I'm assuming. We haven't really been able to speak about it and it's a disappointment, just as not having a chance for a reunion of the original band. Clearly, vocals are every bit as much a component of success as a rhythm section or a guitar solo… What we have at our fingertips is arguably one of the greatest high tenor voices ever — that was in Michael Anthony. In our tiny little corner of the universe, that voice is as identifiable as the high voice in EARTH, WIND & FIRE, as identifiable as the high voice in the BEACH BOYS. VAN HALEN is an indelicate house blend of both — that's intentionally."

In October 2011, Sammy Hagar accused VAN HALEN of using tapes of backing vocals originally done by Anthony on its 2007/2008 reunion tour, for which Anthony was replaced by Wolfgang. Hagar told Attention Deficit Delirium, "Those vocal harmonies on the last tour were Mike on tape. Mike should've reamed them for it. Wolfie don't sing like that, and Ed sure as hell don't. Go on the Internet and listen to Ed's voice live from the reunion with me. Hear him sing on 'When It's Love' and some of those songs. Ed can't sing, and his voice is shot if he can, from cigarettes and booze anyway."

Anthony and Hagar both last played with VAN HALEN on a 2004 reunion tour that ended acrimoniously. Both later claimed that Anthony was booted from VAN HALEN for maintaining a friendship and working relationship with Hagar.

A few years ago, Hagar told The Pulse Of Radio that he thinks VAN HALEN made a grave mistake leaving Anthony out of the reunion tour with Roth. "Anyone in their right mind would know if you're gonna get Roth back finally. after all these abortions they've had, you get Mikey and you do the reunion tour, what the world really was waiting for. Not just fuck it up again. It's almost like they don't care about their fans. They just want to badger them until — see how much they'll take."

Find more on Van halen
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).