Michael Anthony served as the long-term bassist for the legendary rock band Van Halen, participating in every album except one. He was part of all significant and influential albums created by the band. He’s aware of the highs and lows the group experienced, but harbors no regrets about his tenure with them.
Except for one. He doesn’t like how the band ended.
The last studio album by Van Halen, released in 2012, was titled “A Different Kind of Truth“. This album included all the original members from their 1978 debut, with the exception of Anthony. In place of Anthony, Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang, played the bass parts.
Michael Anthony names his one regret about Van Halen
However, it seems Anthony doesn’t express remorse about not being part of that particular recording. Rather, what he regrets about the band is their ending, as he feels they fizzled out with a weak note, rather than making an impact significant enough to shake the world.
On the “Get on the Bus” podcast, Anthony expressed his thoughts about the situation of Van Halen. He lamented, “My one regret is how things unfolded for Van Halen. It should have ended with an explosive impact that rocked the globe, but instead, it seemed more like a quiet sigh, the way everything wrapped up.
After departing from the band in 2007, Anthony has since joined a couple of Sammy Hagar-led supergroups, namely Chickenfoot and Sammy Hagar and the Circle. However, it’s worth noting that while Hagar may have contributed to some of the group’s best-selling tracks, Van Halen started to experience a decline in its authenticity.
Back in 1985, I found myself stepping into Roth’s shoes in Van Halen, and it was all about versatility that Eddie and Alex were after. This move opened up the realm of power ballads, a genre where Roth never got to shine. While Roth had a more flamboyant vocal style, Hagar brought a level of excitement that was hard to match.
Roth significantly enhanced the band’s lively and memorable performances on stage. However, Anthony didn’t specify his favorite Van Halen era (given that he continues to perform with Hagar, it might not be fair for him to compare), but some fans believe that the group started to fade in the mid-1980s, possibly reaching an anticlimactic end when they dismissed Roth and brought in the less charismatic Hagar.
Anthony described being part of the legendary band as if he was living in a “magical storybook.” Despite having a large fan base today, opinions differ on who is the best vocalist, with some preferring Sammy Hagar over David Roth (and some might even favor Gary Cherone over both). However, most agree that their best albums were released during the late 1970s and early 1980s. These are the periods that people will look back on with great affection.
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2025-06-12 15:00