Mitch Malloy joins Michael Anthony for Van Halen song in Las Vegas
The singer once told he had the job as Van Halen's lead vocalist has finally sung one of the band's songs on stage with its former bass player. Mitch Malloy joined Michael Anthony for 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love' at the Vegas Rocks! Magazine Awards in Las Vegas on 20 September.
Video footage of the performance was published online after the show, alongside photos of the two musicians together on stage. The 2026 edition of the awards, organised by Vegas Rocks! Magazine, used an all-star backing band for the moment that included guitarists Tracii Guns and Gilby Clarke, drummer Blas Elias and singer Jeff Scott Soto, according to Rolling Stone.
Anthony played bass in Van Halen through the band's main commercial years. The crowd knew the words. Malloy handled lead vocals while Anthony played and sang alongside him.
After the show, Malloy wrote on Facebook that it was great to see Anthony again and to rock with him in front of a crowd. Specialist outlet Blabbermouth now refers to Malloy as Van Halen's "lost" singer, a nod to a story that goes back three decades, as reported by Blabbermouth.
Malloy auditioned for Van Halen in 1996, after the band's split with singer Sammy Hagar. He was told after the audition that he had landed the job as lead singer. The position then went instead to Gary Cherone of Extreme.
Malloy later sent Van Halen a letter declining to join the band. The decision followed the group's surprise appearance with former singer David Lee Roth at the MTV Video Music Awards, which happened without Malloy being told in advance. A recording of Malloy singing 'Panama' with Van Halen at his audition has since leaked out.
What makes this stand out is the length of the wait. Thirty years passed between that audition room and the Las Vegas stage. Van Halen has not existed in any form since the end of the group's 2015 tour.
For listeners meeting Malloy for the first time, he is a working American rock singer who started on the New York music scene in the 1980s. He signed a worldwide recording deal with RCA/BMG, appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and later spent several years as frontman for Great White. He released the solo album MAKING NOISE in 2016.
