The Van Halen bassist discusses what Alex Van Halen's gear auction means for the much-rumored VH tribute project

Michael Anthony has said that he believes the chances of any potential Van Halen tribute project have now been extinguished by Alex Van Halen's upcoming gear auction.

“I was pretty surprised when I heard about this auction that he's going to be holding in the beginning of June. Somebody had sent me the link to it, and it appears like he's selling everything right down to his last drumstick,” reveals Anthony in an interview with Ultimate Guitar.

“I know that he continues to grieve today over Eddie's passing. And basically, Eddie was the only person that he actually ever played music with.”

He continues, “I never really knew Alex to be a person to go out and jam with other people or other bands. Unless Eddie was a part of it. Maybe he feels that... Since his brother's gone, he doesn't feel the desire to go out and play anymore. But I can only speculate.

“When I found out about this auction and started checking it out, it is pretty sad, because it truly means that it's the end of anything that that could have been as far as tribute-wise, you know?”

In 2022, Joe Satriani and former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted confirmed that they were approached by Alex Van Halen in relation to a possible Van Halen tribute band. Fast forward to May 2024, Michael Anthony mentioned that internal disputes were preventing the project from going forward.

However, with Alex Van Halen auctioning off his gear, all signs point to the tribute project not happening, at least not in the near future.

Fans can still experience a Van Halen-heavy setlist at Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham, and Joe Satriani's The Best of All Worlds tour, which is set to take place this July in cities across North America.