Sammy Hagar on Van Halen Live Album: ‘Can These Guys Do Anything Worse to Their Reputation…?’

The current David Lee Roth-led incarnation of Van Halen just released a live album Tokyo Dome Live in Concert, which has received mixed reviews. Now, the band's former singer Sammy Hagar has weighed in on the release, and gives it a resounding thumbs down.

In a new interview with the Las Vegas Review Journal, Hagar says, “They’ve got some pretty rough vocals.” He also says, "I’m trying to tread lightly on the whole thing. Every time they do something, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, can these guys do anything worse to their reputation and to the level of the music of the band?”

Hagar didn't seem to be treading too lightly when he said, "Standing back, I’m just going, ‘What the (expletive) are these guys thinking?’”

He admits that he sometimes has second thoughts after reading his comments about his former band. “Yeah, I’ll tell you anything,” Hagar says. “Then I read my interview, and I go, ‘Dammit, I shouldn’t have said that. Next time, I gotta watch out.’ After my 30,000th interview of my life, I’m still going, ‘Oh boy, I shouldn’t have done that.’ The truth of the matter is, everyone is welcome, and has the right, to their own opinion. That would include me.”'

The Red Rocker isn't a fan of Van Halen's last studio album, A Different Kind of Truth, either. In an interview a few years ago, Hagar said, “I think there’s zero inspiration and zero creativity."

Hagar's latest musical project is The Circle, which includes his former Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony along with guitarist Vic Johnson and drummer Jason Bonham. They'll be releasing their own live album At Your Service on May 19.

Hagar says checking out the Circle is the only way to hear Van Halen musicians playing songs from his time in the band: “The Van Hagar era — those great songs, "Poundcake," "When It’s Love," "Right Now," "Why Can’t This Be Love?," "Top of the World," "Finish What Ya Started," "Best of Both Worlds" — you’ll never hear those songs again, unless I’m singing them.” Check out The Circle's tour dates at this location.

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