The Red Rocker shared a video from one of his recent rehearsals and wrote in the caption, “My partner in crime Beechnut, Cabo Wabo, taco eaten, tequila, drinking buddy, Michael Anthony, rehearsing with the band we are jamming with at halftime at the allegiant Stadium for the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos game tomorrow. See you there.”
Fans were angry with Hagar in the comment section because he fired Bonham. “Sam canned him. He’s played with Sammy for ten years. He said that really hurt,” someone said.
When another fan asked, “Why did you let Jason go?” one other user replied, “Ego.” “Man there is a lot complaining on here today. Hang in there Sammy and Mike you can choose and do as you please. Jason is going to be ok,” another commenter added.
One individual also expressed their disappointment, writing, “You lost me Sammy…life long fan…letting Jason go the way you did was wrong. Did you can him because he stopped drinking?”
In a recent chat with Ultimate Classic Rock, Jason Bonham talked about being upset that he was made to leave Hagar’s band. He said, “Sammy rang me awhile ago. He was asking about my mom, but then he said, ‘Y’know, I’m not gonna do much next year,’ blah, blah blah, ‘and I’m gonna go with Kenny.’ I was a little shocked, I must say. I’d be lying to you if I wasn’t a little sad, because we were on fire at the end of the tour. And I got a little upset. That was strange, after 10 years of being with him.”
The drummer added, “Listen, I love the guy to bits. I don’t wish him any ill. I still speak to him. Honestly, the guy has taught me so much – about business, being positive. I’m an English guy; I can be really negative half the time. Even if the sun is shining, ‘but it could rain.’ He really helped me in that aspect big-time, and business sense and never taking no for an answer, always believing in yourself.”
“I had always planned to come back once mom was better. She is home now so I was always supposed to be doing more shows but he decided to use Kenny. I gotta say I was devastated after doing 25 of those big shows this summer then holding dates in April / May July Aug for Sam to be let go was heartbreaking,” Bonham also commented undergone of Hagar’s recent posts.
In September, Bonham had missed the last four tour dates on Hagar’s tour to care for his mother. Kenny Aronoff replaced him in those shows.
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