Legendary drummer Jason Bonham has opened up about his unexpected departure from Sammy Hagar’s band, addressing the emotional and professional fallout during a recent interview.
In a candid conversation on the May 30 episode of SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, Bonham discussed how his long-standing tenure with Hagar came to an abrupt halt in 2024. The decision followed a personal crisis: Bonham had to leave the tour to care for his mother after she suffered a stroke.
He was replaced by renowned drummer Kenny Aronoff at the end of the “Best Of All Worlds” tour. Hagar, Aronoff, guitarist Joe Satriani, and bassist Michael Anthony later wrapped up a Las Vegas residency without Bonham earlier this month.
When asked if things are back on good terms between him and Hagar, Bonham made it clear:
“We’re good. I was a little upset with him, obviously — when it happened, I was upset, because I had 10 years — great years — with Sam. Love him, love his family, kids, everything, his wife. His wife and my wife are very, very close. So it was a bit of a shock, but I get it.”
Bonham explained that his focus during the period was entirely on his mother’s health and that he had already cleared his schedule for the following year, save for a prior commitment with Black Country Communion.
“At that time I couldn’t commit to the Japanese tour because mom was still in a bad way… I didn’t have any dates booked or anything. So I could have done rehearsals. The only thing I had booked was the three weeks in June [with BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION]. But so is Joe and Kenny; [they] are gonna be away at that time [as well].”
Bonham went on to suggest that there may have been more going on behind the scenes.
“I don’t know if there’s more to it than the eye. And he kind of said Kenny was way more upbeat and I was a bit drama. But oh, well.”
Despite the tension, Bonham holds no grudge. In fact, he still speaks regularly with bassist Michael Anthony:
“I love Sam to bits. Me and Mike, we speak every week. Mikey, I really miss him. But we had a great time… To get where we got playing those songs, who wouldn’t want to do that gig? So, we had a great time last year. If that was my swan song with Sam, then we ended up on a high.”
