Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt revealed that Van Halen had been planning to reunite with Michael Anthony for the farewell shows
(Image credit: Ross Marino/Getty Images)
According to Nuno Bettencourt, Eddie Van Halen was planning on reuniting the original Van Halen lineup for a final farewell tour before he passed away.
Speaking to Total Guitar, the Extreme guitarist – whose name has been closely linked with Van Halen’s in recent months, following the release of Rise – spoke casually about the plans, specifically mentioning that Michael Anthony would also have been involved.
Recalling the time Eddie Van Halen visited him in the studio, Bettencourt revealed, “[Eddie Van Halen] was telling us, ‘Hey guys, keep it between us but I’m excited. The band’s gonna come together again, the original cast with Michael Anthony.
“‘We’re gonna do a tour and gonna go out the way we came in.’ This is really heartbreaking when I tell the story,” he went on, “but it’s amazing to know that’s what it was going to be.”
During his visit to the Extreme studio, Van Halen also showed the band some material from the then-unreleased debut album of his son, Wolfgang Van Halen – and said it was Wolfgang who had been the main party in approaching Anthony for the tour.
In a recent interview with SiriusXM, Bettencourt once again discussed Van Halen’s plans for a potential farewell tour: “I'm like, ‘Amazing. Overdue, way overdue,’” he recalled. “[Van Halen] was even saying, like, ‘You know Wolf, he's the one who's like, he's reaching out to Michael.’ It was like a really cool thing, right?”
Nuno Bettencourt Shares Fateful Eddie Van Halen Story While Recording “RISE†- YouTube
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As it happened, when Van Halen visited Bettencourt in the studio the virtuoso was recording Rise – a fiery display of electric guitar mastery that showcased Bettencourt’s new sense of self-responsibility “to keep guitar playing alive” following Van Halen’s passing.
He didn’t, however, let Van Halen hear his work in progress. “He’s like, ‘You guys working on an album?’ I'm like, ‘Yeah, I’m up in the studio, but I don’t want you to come up and hear it yet. When it’s done will you come back and hear me?’ Stupid now in retrospect, not letting him come up and listen, but it wasn’t meant to be.”
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
