Former Great White singer Mitch Malloy recently shared a message about living out his Van Halen fantasies at the Vegas Rocks! Magazine Awards, admitting he considers himself “just a small part of the Van Halen past” in a Facebook post. Malloy, who auditioned to be the singer of Van Halen after Sammy Hagar’s departure thirty years ago, was welcomed onstage by Michael Anthony to sing “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘bout Love.”
The singer expressed his excitement about performing with Anthony and praised the event’s organizer.
“What a night!!” Malloy said. “Michael Anthony is just as great and nice now as he’s always been. So great to see you again kind sir. And even better to rock with you again and this time in front of a crowd. Sally Steele makes amazing things happen she is a legend.”
Following the performance, a Van Halen fan commented, asking, “Here’s the new future of VH?”
“No man, I was just there to receive my Vagus rocks best front man award and I’m just a small part of the VH past,” Malloy responded. “So that was the second time rockin with Michael as the first time was at 5150 with VH. Total blast!”
This onstage reunion marked only the second time Malloy has performed with Anthony, following his initial audition at the 5150 studio decades ago.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Malloy’s brief association with Van Halen remains one of rock’s most discussed “what if” scenarios. Malloy auditioned for the band during the summer of 1996, before the group brought in Gary Cherone. During that session, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and Michael Anthony jammed a few Van Halen classics with Malloy at 5150 Studios.
The audition was reportedly so successful that the band led Malloy to believe he had landed the job. Malloy came within an inch of becoming Van Halen’s lead singer in 1996, only to lose the position to Extreme’s Gary Cherone.
The situation unraveled after Van Halen made a surprise appearance with David Lee Roth at the MTV Video Music Awards. Reports note that Malloy recorded audition material with the band and was later passed over in favor of Cherone, with some writeups later calling him Van Halen’s “official third singer” in 1996 even though he never fronted the band publicly.
Anthony, meanwhile, has remained active with outside projects and live side appearances since his Van Halen years. Malloy performed “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” with the former Van Halen bassist at Sally Steele’s eighth Vegas Rocks! Magazine Music Awards.
Malloy has previously spoken openly about his near-miss with the band, describing how the opportunity came together and then slipped away. His comments this week make clear that he holds no resentment over how it ended, choosing instead to frame his time with Van Halen as a meaningful chapter rather than a claim to the band’s legacy.
For Malloy, the Vegas performance was less about revisiting an old disappointment and more about sharing a stage with a musician he respects. His decision to describe himself as “just a small part of the VH past” suggests he is content to let Van Halen’s history belong to the fans and the men who built it.
