Sammy Hagar didn’t wait long to respond after learning that David Lee Roth had canceled the remaining dates of his 2026 tour. Just before 11 p.m. on July 23, Hagar posted a raw, unedited video message on Facebook addressed directly to his old bandmate.
Hagar opened by explaining he’d just heard from Michael Anthony, the bassist who played alongside both men in Van Halen, and said he wanted Roth to know his reaction was coming straight from the heart. He told Roth he hoped there wasn’t a physical problem behind the cancellations, then turned emotional, saying “you go, brother, Mike and I support you,” adding “Mike and I love the fact that you’ve been out there doing it, supporting the greatest band in the world that we were both part of.”
Then he inviting Roth to come sing a song or two, or even emcee, at his upcoming Las Vegas residency.
The caption on Hagar’s post showed how immediate his reaction was: “i’m looking rough, but who cares I’m serious with this post. I hope the news about Dave is not AI!!!!! if it is, my post is still coming from my heart.”
Roth’s team has not issued an official statement explaining the sudden cancellations. The reported cause is weak ticket sales rather than something like a health issue. The news came as something of a surprise since the 71-year-old had already played several dozen dates without incident this year, though reviews seem to have have been mixed. His last show took place July 18 in Fort Hall, Idaho. Every remaining date through September has now been pulled except for an August 7 stop in Sturgis, South Dakota, which still appears on his tour schedule.
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The abrupt halt follows months of turbulence for the tour. A June concert in Fort Wayne, Indiana, was scrapped just hours before doors opened after reportedly selling only around 200 tickets. Online chatter dubbed the pattern “Blue Dot Fever,” referencing the sparsely filled seating maps that became a recurring sight on ticketing sites as the summer wore on.
Hagar, who took over as Van Halen’s frontman when Roth exited the band in 1985, is in the middle of his own victory lap. His “Best of All Worlds” residency returns to Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas for five shows running September 18 through 26, backed by a lineup that includes Anthony and guitarist Joe Satriani. It’s that stage Hagar pointed to when he extended his invitation, which seemed to be a heartfelt offer for a pair of people who are in an extremely exclusive club despite past personal differences.
Whether Roth takes him up on it remains unknown. For now, Hagar’s message stands as a rare public moment of goodwill between two men whose rivalry has shadowed Van Halen’s legacy for decades, offered at a moment when one of them clearly needed to hear it.
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