Veteran bass player Michael Anthony, best known for his long tenure with Van Halen, recently shared his sole regret from a career spanning decades in music. Anthony, 70, served as Van Halen‘s bassist from 1974 to 2006, contributing to the band’s first 11 studio albums.
The passing of iconic guitarist and band leader Eddie Van Halen in 2020 at the age of 65 extinguished any remaining hope for the various former members to reunite for a grand farewell to the legendary group. This, Anthony reveals, is his biggest regret.
Speaking to Get on the Bus, Anthony candidly expressed his feelings: “The only regret that I have is how things, unfortunately, turned out for Van Halen. It should have gone out with a fricking bang that shook the world, and it was more like a whimper, the way everything ended.”
Despite what Anthony describes as a “fairytale” existence when Van Halen was at its peak, he explained that internal tensions often presented an insurmountable challenge for the band members. He also shared the sorrowful reality that he and Eddie Van Halen were unable to reconcile their differences before the guitarist’s death.
Anthony added: “We had some issues, and I’m sure that if he had not passed when he did that we would’ve reconciled or we would’ve really calmed all that stuff down, because I did hear, and I’ve talked to Wolfgang about it, that they were planning on coming to all of us and putting together a big reunion tour with all of us.”
He continued, reflecting on what might have been: “And at that point in Ed‘s life, I think he was a little bit more, like, ‘Hey, the past is the past. Water under the bridge. But, unfortunately, it was not to be.”
Following Anthony’s departure, Eddie‘s son, Wolfgang Van Halen, took over bass duties for the band. Wolfgang has since achieved success with his own project, Mammoth WVH, while consistently opting not to perform Van Halen songs, despite calls from some segments of the fanbase.
