Since guitarist Eddie Van Halen passed away earlier this year, people have speculated about whether the band could continue on without him. I'm not sure that is a good idea, but we have bands touring without any original members. When there's money involved, anything is possible.
A Twitter poll posed an interesting question today. Who is the face of Van Halen now? The choices were David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, Gary Cherone and Wolfgang Van Halen. Let's look at this question.
Wolfgang is Eddie's son. He is the heir to his father's legacy and has a voice in all matters concerning the Van Halen brand. Gary Cherone was a blip on the radar. It's an insult to see him included and a certain band member excluded for the choices here.
Roth was the lead singer and in many ways the face of the band as it rose to the top. He's still touring and is probably the best authentic connection to those years. Love him or hate him, that's just the truth.
Hagar was the voice of the band from the mid 1980s through the mid 90s. When it comes to those years, Sammy is the best authentic voice representation of those songs. He's the one who made them famous.
As for who the face of the band is now, however, I'd have to say it's Alex Van Halen. Alex was there as the drummer every step of the way. The Van Halen brand name likely belongs to he and Wolfgang. Whether Roth has legal claim to the brand name, I don't know.
If there is still a Van Halen that would have a "face" to it at this point, Alex would be it. If he so chose to do something new, he could do it. Wolfgang might have a say in that. The others probably don't.
It's not likely to happen, but you never know when there's money involved. Replacing Eddie is not an easy task. At the moment, every other player in the band is still out there, and fans would pay to see them.
I don't think Alex or Wolfgang would feel good about doing it, and I don't blame them. Can't we just let a brother and a son grieve for the loss of a loved one? It's way too soon for discussions like this.
