Former Metallica guitarist Jason Newsted has said he was approached six months ago to take part in a potential Van Halen tribute tour.
He went on to reveal that acclaimed guitarist Joe Satriani was also approached to take part.
Speaking to The Palm Beach Post, Newsted said he went to California for a jam session, but didn’t go ahead with the project when thinking about the weight of Van Halen’s legacy.
“How could you?” Newsted said to the publication. “There’s nobody that can top it, so how do you show it honour? I didn’t want it to be viewed as a money grab. And then it kind of just all fizzled.”
Van Halen died from throat cancer on October 6, 2020. Tributes from members of AC/DC, KISS, Muse and Pearl Jam among many others, poured in following news of his passing.
A tribute band or tour to Van Halen has been touted for some time. Eddie’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen, has previously said that a tribute concert “definitely should happen” but that it was “not in the immediate plans” due to logistical hurdles.
Van Halen signed off on the design of his Funko Pop! vinyl figure back in 2019, according to his son Wolfgang.
“Pop signed off on this way back in 2019 and it’s wonderful to see it finally come to fruition,” he tweeted about the figure last week. “So stoked with how it turned out!”
The announcement of Van Halen’s Funko Pop! figure came shortly after the unveiling of a memorial plaque in his hometown of Pasadena, California.
The plaque has been installed outside the Pasadena Civic Auditorium where his band Van Halen played a number of their early shows.
“Given the band’s connection to Pasadena, we agreed it was appropriate to place a plaque outside the Civic Auditorium,” city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
Back in October, Wolfgang Van Halen marked the one-year anniversary of his father’s death with a moving written tribute.
“I’m not OK. I don’t think I’ll ever be OK,” he wrote in the tribute, which was shared on social media. “There’s so much I wish I could show you. So many things I wish I could share with you. I wish I could laugh with you again. I wish I could hug you again. I miss you so much it hurts. I love you with all of me heart, Pop. Watch over me.”
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