Editing Michael Anthony (musician) (section)

=== (1996&ndash;2003) Diminishing role with Van Halen and side projects ===
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As early as 1996, rumors periodically surfaced that Anthony had been fired from Van Halen, despite claims to the contrary. Anthony continued working with the band although the rumors persisted until his actual departure following the 2004 reunion tour with Hagar.

Anthony's involvement in recording the 1998 album ''[[Van Halen III]]'' was dramatically less than previous albums. Anthony played bass on three songs, with Eddie playing the bass parts for the six other songs that featured bass. Anthony is credited as a songwriter for the album along with the rest of the band. Anthony performed with the band for the 1998 tour, and was credited on messages from the band thereafter. He participated in the band's three reunion efforts with David Lee Roth in 1996, 2000 and 2001 (with the latter resulting in early versions of ''[[A Different Kind of Truth]]'' tracks<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/van-halen-2000-roth-album/|title=Did Van Halen Almost Finish a David Lee Roth Reunion LP in 2000?|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=July 21, 2021 }}</ref>). Anthony's name was also credited in a few band newsletters and appeared in band interviews during this time. Sometime after this, Anthony disappeared from public view until the 2004 reunion.

Anthony began periodic appearances with [[Sammy Hagar]] during his solo tours. He usually played as part of both [[the Waboritas]] and Los Tres Gusanos, two of Hagar's bands. During 2002's [[Sammy Hagar#Sammy Hagar & the Waboritas (1996–2005)|Roth/Hagar tour]] (otherwise known as the "Sans Halen" or "Sam and Dave" tour), both Anthony and ex-Van Halen vocalist [[Gary Cherone]] made guest appearances at concerts, sometimes together.

In 2002, Anthony, Hagar, [[Neal Schon]], [[Deen Castronovo]], and [[Joe Satriani]] formed the supergroup [[Planet Us]] and Anthony began making more frequent performances at Hagar concerts. Planet Us recorded two songs, including "Psycho Vertigo", which was intended for the original ''Spider-Man'' soundtrack but ultimately did not make the album. That and the other Planet Us song written for the band, "Peephole", were later released on the 2008 Hagar solo album ''[[Cosmic Universal Fashion]]''.