Michael Anthony Reflects on Van Halen’s Rock Hall Induction
Michael Anthony, like many Van Halen fans, still looks back at the band’s 2007 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a bittersweet moment. Understandably, there’s a sense of honor, but there’s also a major sense of “what could have been.”
The former Van Halen bassist touched on this during a recent appearance on The Hook Rocks! podcast. Even when honored by the Rock Hall, the past and present members of the band just couldn’t bury the hatchet. Only Anthony and Sammy Hagar showed up to the ceremony, and at that point, neither of them was in the band. Both David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen declined to attend. Meanwhile, Eddie Van Halen was the only member with a legitimate excuse not to attend, due to being in rehab.
Anthony noted, “I turned to Sammy during the show, I forget who was on stage playing, and we were sitting at our table, and I go, ‘Sammy, could you imagine if all of us, if we were all here, and everybody got along, and we got up there? We would kick the ass out of this thing! It’d be an induction ceremony that nobody would ever forget.’ Sadly enough, it wasn’t to be.”
Details on the 2024 Rock Hall Class and Induction
In case you missed the initial announcement, the Rock Hall 2024 class is as follows:
Performer Category
- Mary J. Blige
- Cher
- Dave Matthews Band
- Foreigner
- Peter Frampton
- Kool & The Gang
- Ozzy Osbourne
- A Tribe Called Quest
Musical Influence Award
(Given to a performing artist or group whose music and performance style have directly influenced and helped inspire and evolve rock & roll and music that has impacted youth culture.)
- Alexis Korner
- John Mayall
- Big Mama Thornton
Musical Excellence Award
(Given to artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.)
- Jimmy Buffett
- MC5
- Dionne Warwick
- Norman Whitfield
Ahmet Ertegun Award
(Given to non-performing industry professionals who, through their dedicated belief and support of artists and their music have had a major influence on the creative development and growth of rock & roll and music that has impacted youth culture. )
- Suzanne de Passe
When is the Rock Hall 2024 Induction Ceremony?
The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. As previously reported, the 2024 ceremony will live stream on Disney+. An edited special will air on ABC at a later date, which will be available on Hulu the next day.
John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement, “Rock & Roll is an ever-evolving amalgam of sounds that impacts culture and moves generations. This diverse group of inductees each broke down musical barriers and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps.”
For the first time this year, the Rock Hall induction class was announced on American Idol. Host Ryan Seacrest and judge/2022 Rock Hall inductee Lionel Richie did the honors.
The Rock Hall noted in a press release, “Four out of the eight inductees in the Performer category were on the ballot for the first time, including Cher, Foreigner, Kool & the Gang and Peter Frampton.” However, it should also be noted that Ozzy Osbourne was on the ballot for the first time as a solo artist, despite being eligible since 2005.