Sammy Hagar has responded to Dave Mustaine’s resurfaced comments comparing Hagar’s era in Van Halen to Axl Rose joining AC/DC, addressing the statement in a comment on Axis: RockBlog’s Instagram post.
The discussion began when the social media account shared a quote from Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine’s 2022 interview with Classic Rock, where he shared his thoughts on Hagar singing for Van Halen after David Lee Roth’s exit.
“Look at Van Halen,” Mustaine said in the 2022 interview. “I love Sammy Hagar, but for me, him being in Van Halen makes as much sense as Axl Rose being in AC/DC.”
Hagar reacted to the resurfaced statement with a new comment on the social media post, expressing his respect for Mustaine despite their differing views.
“Dave Mustaine is a bad ass, tells it like it is, and a longtime friend,” Hagar said. “I have no problem with his opinion.”
Mustaine’s comparison touches on two very different vocalist changes, and the history behind each one explains why the remark drew attention in rock circles.
Hagar joined Van Halen in 1985 after David Lee Roth left the group, and the partnership quickly paid off in commercial terms. Van Halen began working with Hagar in the summer of 1985, and the resulting album, 5150, arrived on March 24, 1986, as the band’s first release with its new frontman.
The album also marked a chart milestone for the group. The record became Van Halen’s first album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200, surpassing the peak of the band’s previous album, 1984, which had stalled at No. 2. Later Hagar-fronted albums would also top the chart.
The AC/DC side of the comparison unfolded under very different circumstances. Axl Rose said he meant “no disrespect” to Brian Johnson when he replaced him for the remainder of AC/DC’s Rock or Bust World Tour, after Johnson was advised to stop playing live or risk total hearing loss.
The medical warning was explicit, as Johnson himself described it. Johnson said doctors told him that continuing to tour could lead to “total deafness,” which led AC/DC to bring in Rose for the final legs of the tour.
Hagar’s response to Mustaine fits the tone of the exchange so far, with both men framing the comparison as a matter of personal opinion rather than a conflict. Mustaine’s remark was originally made in a 2022 interview, while Hagar’s reply arrived only after the quote resurfaced online.
The exchange highlights the ongoing discussion surrounding Van Halen’s lineup changes, the circumstances behind AC/DC’s 2016 tour, and the mutual respect between the two rock icons.
