Weeks of speculation and drama came to an end last night (3/12) when former Van Halen [ tickets ] members Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar were the only representatives from the band to attend its ceremonial induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Of the five acts inducted this year--Van Halen, R.E.M., Patti Smith, Grand Master Flash and The Ronettes--VH had generated the most pre-induction buzz because of the band members' turbulent history, conflicting reports about who among them would attend, and whether or not any of them would perform during the event.

"I can't tell you how much I wish everyone was here tonight," Hagar said during his acceptance speech. Original Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, whom Hagar replaced in the mid-'80s, was a no-show, as were brothers Alex Van Halen (drums) and Eddie Van Halen (guitar). Eddie, the group's chief musician, announced last week that he would enter a rehab facility for undisclosed reasons, which presumably prevented him from attending.

"First off, I'd like to say god bless you to Edward Van Halen," Anthony said during his remarks. "I wish you were here, buddy. He couldn't be here tonight. He's home gettin' some help. I love you, man."

"I think Eddie's gonna come out the other side a better person, and maybe we'll get our buddy back," Hagar added. "This is ... it's just hard for Mike and I to stand up here and do this, but you couldn't have kept me from here with a shotgun. I'm honored to be here."

Following their acceptance speech and a Van Halen-tribute performance by Velvet Revolver, Hagar and Anthony joined the house band--led by Paul Shaffer--for a rendition of the Hagar-era Van Halen hit "Why Can't This Be Love."

After leaving the stage, Hagar and Anthony faced the media in the pressroom. During a brief Q&A session, Hagar said he favors a Van Halen tour featuring himself, the Van Halen brothers, Anthony and Roth.

"If we all grew up--including me and Mike--[if] all of us can all grow up and all of us do it together, I'm down with that, anytime, anyplace, anywhere," he said. "But let's just hope that Eddie comes out the other side, you know, better than ever, and I think that'll make everything a lot easier."

Hagar added that, whether or not he tours with Van Halen again, he thinks the band should definitely mount a reunion tour with Roth.

Late last year, Van Halen announced a summer 2007 tour that was to have featured Roth, Eddie and Alex Van Halen, and Eddie's son, Wolfgang Van Halen, who was to fill in for Anthony.

Anthony, who was dumped from the lineup after choosing to spend some of the band's downtime by touring with Hagar, was asked last night why he wasn't invited to participate in the 2007 outing.

"I don't know," he said. "I'm here. I'm ready to play."

Last month, word surfaced that negotiations for the summer tour had fallen apart; the outing has since been "indefinitely postponed," according to sources.

Van Halen last toured in 2004, an outing that marked Hagar's return after splitting with the group in 1996. By the end of the 2004 run, Hagar and Eddie Van Halen were again on bad terms. Both Hagar and Anthony subsequently claimed in various interviews that Eddie Van Halen's excessive drinking had derailed the brief reunion.