Stryper legend Michael Sweet has come out and supported David Lee Roth over Sammy Hagar as Van Halen’s ‘amazing singer’.
Sweet said:
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – there’s only one DLR. I became a @vanhalen fan in 1978. From the first note that I heard. I enjoyed the vocal delivery every bit as much as the guitar delivery. @davidleeroth was an amazing singer!
Why? Because he had attitude and passion. He delivered a vocal line with authority and energy. With great melodies and with sass and soul.
For anyone who says he couldn’t sing – I couldn’t disagree more! He was an amazing singer in my humble opinion. I’d rather listen to a vocal with character and personality that isn’t technically perfect than a technically perfect vocal that’s lifeless.
DLR will always be the man to me👊 And he seems to like Y&B to boot;-)
Recently, Sammy Hagar, the former frontman of Van Halen, has taken aim at his former co-headliner David Lee Roth once again. Hagar, who toured with Roth in the summer of 2002, has criticized Roth’s ego and deteriorating singing voice.
During an appearance on Steve-O’s “Wild Ride!” podcast, Hagar reflected on the tour, stating, “Dave, he had that sort of a big album, one kind of a big album, but he didn’t have a solo career. He was playing small places. So when he came in with me, he was making, like, 25 grand a night, I was making 150 grand a night, and they said, ‘Oh, you guys are gonna make the same money. Dave gets to make 150.’ I said, ‘He ain’t f*cking made 150 in his life except in VAN HALEN.'”
Hagar also criticized Roth’s personality, saying, “He’s not a fun guy. He doesn’t play well with others. I’m not sure what his problem is… He just always is about, ‘How can I make this guy look bad?’ And not just me — in life. He’s a chest-beating motherf***er.” Despite his criticisms, Hagar did praise Roth’s skills as an entertainer, saying, “He’s a showman.”
Hagar also expressed frustration with Roth’s lack of concern for his singing voice. “He doesn’t care about singing. If he did, he’d take care of his voice or he’d take voice lessons and get warmed up and do something. ‘Cause the guy sang so bad last time he was doing shows, it was embarrassing… But he’s a showman. Everything’s show, show, show, show, show, show, show. And he doesn’t care about his voice, which drives me nuts, man. I care more about my voice than I do my d*ck. If my d*ck didn’t work a couple of times, I’d be okay with it — I’d be bummed out — but if my voice f*cks up onstage, I’m f*cking bummed, man.”
Hagar emphasized his own success as a solo artist, noting that while Van Halen was a big band, not all big bands have successful solo careers. “Ask Mick Jagger. Ask Robert Plant. You can be the biggest band in the world and you can’t necessarily have a solo career,” he said. Despite his disagreements with Roth, Hagar remains grateful for the opportunity to have toured with him, saying, “God bless him, ’cause the early stuff is frickin’ great.”
4 comments
Was……
He’s just nuts. Sammy Hagar is better than DLR.
Absolutely 💯. Although DLR did kill it with early VH. I’m still a fan but Sammy is the man.
Hagars voice and personality are 10 to 1 above diamond daves!
I loved DLR early VH but Hagar took them to another level!!