It’s something that we probably would have gotten used to, but it still would be incredibly strange to refer to Van Halen by another name.
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That hypothetical scenario was pretty close to becoming a reality as former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony said their label was pushing the band to change their name after the departure of David Lee Roth.
Anthony was a guest on former Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman’s radio show and spoke about the behind-the-scenes discussions that took place when Sammy Hagar was brought in as the band’s new vocalist.
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"We had everybody, Warner Brothers [their record label], our management, our lawyers, going, 'Oh my God. David Lee Roth's gone.' They thought that that was such a strong identity," Anthony said.
"Warner Brothers wanted us to change the name of the band. I remember Eddie and Alex [Van Halen], we were at Warner Brothers, and they were yelling, going, 'Hey, hey, this is our last name. This is our careers. And we're VAN HALEN.'"
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Shortly after Eddie Van Halen’s death, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony both discussed the possibility of holding a tribute concert to honor the rock icon.
“No one's really connected all the dots with everyone involved, but I have been told, and I have read interviews with various people involved — with Wolfie and Valerie and Eddie's wife that he was married to at the time — they all said as soon as this is over, we're gonna get everybody together and do a tribute or whatever; just a 'thank you,' a goodbye, a send-off. And that's an absolute must,” Hagar said at the time.
Anthony added “we’ve got to celebrate the music - so much good music.”
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