Touring is not for the faint of heart. While recording in the studio can be a controlled environment, taking those songs on the road night after night tests any musician’s endurance—mentally, physically, and emotionally.
For Van Halen, that pressure became especially clear during one of their reunion tours, as Sammy Hagar watched Eddie Van Halen crumble before his eyes.
Fans were lucky to even see Hagar back with the band at all.
Van Halen had already tried to reunite with David Lee Roth in the 1990s for a few new tracks, but Roth’s antics at an awards show quickly derailed that plan.
The band instead went with Gary Cherone from Extreme for the album Van Halen III.
But while the record represented Eddie’s vision, it was a commercial and critical failure, leaving Eddie’s confidence shattered.
With Cherone out of the picture, Van Halen turned to Hagar to contribute to a greatest hits album in the 2000s.
But Eddie was a shell of himself by then, his confidence shaken by the rejection of Van Halen III and his personal life spiraling into chaos.
Though he could still shred on guitar, Eddie had stopped taking care of himself. His odd side projects—like composing music for an adult film—reflected just how far he had drifted.
Despite his fragile state, Eddie insisted on hitting the road, and Hagar did his best to keep the band functioning.
The tour was a financial success, but live footage painted a grim picture of Eddie’s condition. His iconic “Eruption” solo lacked its usual intensity, dulled by Eddie’s struggles with alcohol and drug abuse.
Reflecting on that time, Hagar still feels the weight of those memories.
In an interview with Louder, he recalled his deep concern for Eddie’s well-being, saying, “Eddie was completely whacked out off the charts on alcohol and drugs.
And poor guy, I mean, he was really in bad shape, I thought he was going to die. Eddie’s a sweet human being.
He’s talented, and he’s a sweet wonderful guy. He’s got some demons, you know… he’s not the only person I know like that, but when I saw those demons take over him, it was pitiful.”
Things improved once Van Halen returned to the stage with Eddie’s son, Wolfgang, playing bass.
Eddie seemed to find his balance again, kicking his addictions and performing with the same fire and precision that made him a legend in his prime.
Tragically, Hagar never got the chance to properly close the chapter on his time with Van Halen.
He and Eddie reconciled only months before Eddie’s death, and they never shared the stage together again.
The “Van Hagar” lineup may have been the casualty of Eddie’s personal battles, but Hagar’s fondness for Eddie never waned.
