Van Halen guitarist Sammy Hagar has said that there's no way he'll join the band on tour unless leader Eddie Van Halen proves he's completely clean. As previously reported, tour dates were delayed last year when the musician checked into rehab, but he's now back on the road with his son Wolfgang on bass. Hagar was rumoured to be set to also rejoin the group, but he says it's not so.
"That's just not something I'm really interested in doing again right now", he's quoted as saying. "Eddie would have to be able to bring himself back to ground zero; by that, I mean he'd have to be completely clean. After the last Van Hagar tour, Eddie became my enemy; he wasn't the same guy he was when we started the Van Hagar era of the band; he made what should have been a great experience just down right miserable. When I say that, I'm talking about the Eddie Van Halen that is struggling with his personal demons... Last time I saw Eddie, he was in really bad shape. I did see a recent photo and he looks healthier than he has in a long time. That, to me, is a great thing, Eddie has all the support on the planet from me if he is finally getting his shit together."