Sammy Hagar has offered a conciliatory response to recent onstage comments by David Lee Roth
During a show at the Hampton Casino in Hampton, NH, Roth talked about Hagar's claim to have been visited by the ghost of Eddie Van Halen.
"I don't know what the odds are, but last night the ghost of Eddie Van Halen visited me at the fucking hotel room," Roth told the crowd. "I was watching the weather report and he came in and he was laughing. His fucking ghost was laughing.
"I said, 'What did you do now?' He said, 'Dave, Dave… Dave, you know that song I gave Hagar?' I said, 'What now?' He said, 'It's actually [Iron Butterfly's 1968 classic] In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida backwards. Don't fucking tell him."
Roth's comments were widely perceived as poking fun at Hagar, but the Red Rocker has a different take.
"I can't believe social media is trying to make something out of this," Hagar says on Instagram. "This is the first compliment and real olive branch moment Dave and I have had in 100 years. Listen closely and you will see that this is not negative whatsoever.
"And I believe Dave had the dream as well. Dave's a good storyteller, but there's some truth in between the showmanship. All good with me. Keep it up, Dave. These songs we both wrote with Eddie need to be carried on forever."
Hagar has claimed several times to have been visited by the ghost of Eddie Van Halen, and that the guitarist showed him a lick during the dream that was later used when composing this year's Encore, Thank You, Goodnight single.
