Daryl Hall has confirmed a rumor that he was approached to be the singer of Van Halen following David Lee Roth’s exit in 1985.
Hall says Eddie Van Halen mentioned the opportunity to him shortly after Roth’s departure. Hall & Oates shared crew members with the Van Halen camp, so there was already common ground.
When asked by New York’s Q104.3 in a new interview if he was a candidate to replace Roth, Hall answered in the affirmative before giving some backstory.
“Actually, yes,” Hall said. “I knew those guys really well. We actually shared some people: crew, and things like that. And Eddie came to a show with [his then-wife] Valerie [Bertinelli]. … And David had just left the band.”
Hall continued: “And Eddie said, ‘Do you wanna join Van Halen, man?’ He was half joking, but I think he was serious. I really do believe he was serious. And I took it seriously. I went, ‘Meh, I think not. I think I’ve got my own shit going on.'”
By 1985, Hall & Oates had long since established a prolific career, becoming one of the era’s most successful pop acts. It’s interesting to imagine Hall’s soulful voice alongside Eddie Van Halen’s masterful guitar playing. After all, Van Halen would move into a more pop direction with eventual frontman Sammy Hagar, so Daryl Hall wasn’t a totally left-field suggestion. In fact, Hall’s voice at the time provided a closer match to DLR than that of Hagar.
Before settling on Hagar, Eddie would also approach ex-Journey frontman Steve Perry, as well as Scandal singer Patty Smyth. A couple of years ago, Ozzy Osbourne even said he was approached by EVH (though it’s possible this was to replace Hagar prior to 1998’s Van Halen III album with Gary Cherone).
As for Daryl Hall’s current happenings, the pop-rock icon is set to release an archival album and embark on a US solo tour with support from Todd Rundgren. Hall just announced a new May leg that takes place in the Western half of the States, following a previously announced April leg that primarily covers the Eastern half of the country. A pre-sale for the newly announced shows begins Tuesday (March 15th), with the general on-sale date set for Friday (March 18th). Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Hear the radio interview with Hall and see his full list of tour dates below.
Daryl Hall’s 2022 US Tour Dates with Todd Rundgren:
04/01 – Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre
04/03 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
04/05 – Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
04/07 – Northfield, OH @ MGM Northfield Park
04/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia
04/11 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
04/14 – New York, NY @ Carnegie Hall
04/16 – National Harbor, MD @ The Theatre at MGM National Harbor
05/12 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
05/14 – San Francisco, CA @ Paramount Theatre
05/16 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
05/18 – Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
05/20 – Tulsa, OK @ Tulsa Theater
05/22 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater
