Michael Anthony addresses Van Halen snubb

Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony has addressed the band's decision not to include him in its upcoming reunion tour with original vocalist David Lee Roth. Anthony, who is instead touring this fall with ex-Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar, was replaced with guitarist Eddie Van Halen's teenage son Wolfgang. In a statement at his personal blog, Anthony wrote in part, "A lot of you have been asking about the upcoming Van Halen tour and my response to it. It's not that I'm not touring with Van Halen because I'm going out with Sammy. I'm going out with Sammy because I was not invited to do the VH tour. Sammy told me that if I was asked to be part of the VH tour and decided to do it, it would be totally cool, and it would not tarnish our friendship in the least!! Well, it's not to be, and life goes on."

As for his replacement, Anthony added, "One last note from myself to all the Van Halen fans out there who will be attending their shows...Wolfgang is a great kid, so don't judge him too harshly. I'm sure he'll do just fine!!"

Anthony and Hagar will start their tour on October 19th in Biloxi, Mississippi, on which they'll play a selection of tunes they recorded with Van Halen.

A furor erupted online last week after photos of Anthony at the band's official web site were either removed or replaced by an image of Wolfgang Van Halen. The photos were restored less than two days later.

Van Halen's first tour with Roth on the mic will begin on September 27th in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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