Sammy Hagar Blasts ‘Showman’ David Lee Roth: “He Doesn’t Care About Singing”

In a new appearance on Wild Ride! podcast, Sammy Hagar blasted David Lee Roth by commenting on his voice and live shows.

Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth are two iconic singers who have fronted the popular rock band Van Halen at different points in their careers. The band’s history is a story of ups and downs, marked by creative highs and personal lows, and the two singers played a significant role in shaping its legacy.

David Lee Roth was the face and voice of Van Halen during their initial period of success. With his flamboyant stage presence and charismatic personality, he helped to define the band’s image and sound. Roth‘s vocal style, which blended rock and roll swagger with pop hooks, was a perfect match for Eddie Van Halen‘s inventive guitar playing until he parted ways in 1985.

After Roth quit, Sammy Hagar became the new vocalist for Van Halen. At the time, Hagar had already established himself as a successful solo artist, with hits like I Can’t Drive 55 and There’s Only One Way to Rock. He brought a different energy to Van Halen, with a more straightforward, hard rock approach that emphasized his powerful vocals. Hagar‘s tenure with Van Halen was marked by some of the band’s biggest hits, including Why Can’t This Be Love and Right Now.

However, recently, Sammy Hagar shared his opinion on David Lee Roth and his playing style. He blasted the singer, saying that he never cared about his voice.

“He’s a showman,” Hagar says. “Hey, listen, I’m a showman too. But that’s his gig. 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.”

Sammy Hagar then mentioned Roth‘s latest show and said it was bad. He once again defended Roth never cared about his voice because he was a showman.

“The guy sang so bad last time he was doing shows, it was embarrassing,” he continued. “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 dick. If my dick didn’t work a couple of times, I’d be okay with it — I’d be bummed out — but if my voice fucks up onstage, I’m fucking bummed, man.”

In November 2021, Sammy Hagar mocked David Lee Roth. Speaking to The Mike & Carla Morning Show, the singer said the only thing David Lee Roth had was Van Halen.

“I had a solo career before Van Halen,” Hagar said. “I was in Montrose before Van Halen. I’ve had Chickenfoot. Dave has got Van Halen, so I think he has to hold on to that kind of tight.

“But I don’t care about that. If someone said, ‘Oh, I never knew you [were] in Van Halen,’ I’d say, ‘Eh…’”