Van Halen was one of the biggest Hard Rock bands of all time that continued to be successful even when their original singer David Lee Roth left the band. Sammy Hagar joined the band in 1985 band and left in 1996. After that they were looking for a new singer and Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach revealed now in an interview with Eddie Trunk that the band’s manager talked to him about becoming Van Halen’s singer, however he never had the chance to make an audition. Eventually Gary Cherone (Extreme) was the chosen one for the group.
Sebastian Bach said about almost auditioning for Van Halen in the 90’s:
“Doc McGhee (Skid Row manager) had me up at the office, and Ray Daniels was managing [Van Halen] at the time, and Ray and Doc were talking. But they didn’t want Eddie (Van Halen) to smoke weed. And I go, ‘That’s funny,’ because I was smoking weed with Ray Danniels. I go, ‘So you can [smoke weed] but I can’t. What the fuck? The lead singer of Van Halen can’t smoke pot? What?’ But that was a discussion.”
“I was summoned into Doc’s office, and there was talk about it,” he reiterated. “At the time, they were looking for a singer. But I didn’t get to audition. I don’t think Doc was into me leaving Skid Row either; there was something about that.”
“I mean, when they’re looking for singers and they pick Gary Cherone, they’re thinking in ways that we’re not. I mean, I love Gary. He’s a really nice guy, but you can’t be a really nice guy and be the lead singer of Van Halen. It just doesn’t go together. You got to kick some ass, man, and he does kick ass in his Gary Cherone way. But David Lee Roth was doing kicks off of the drum riser and flying 40 feet in the air. It’s a tough act to follow. I can’t do that, but I can sing the Sammy Hagar stuff and the David Lee Roth stuff. I’m not bragging, I’m stating a fact.”