Adam Bomb’s Van Halen story
Guitarist Adam Bomb shares his story and personal photos from meeting Van Halen in the late seventies.
The Van Halen portion below is from the full story on his Myspace page.
His Van Halen story starts off in September of 1978. Adam was just a 15-year-old kid who was obsessed with rock ‘n’ roll, girls, smoking pot, and playing guitar, who just scored tickets to see Van Halen in Seattle…
This new band called “Van Halen” had just come out. I saw them and met the guitarist, Edward Van Halen. They were supporting Black Sabbath. But while Sabbath was onstage, I spent the whole time staring at Eddie through a backstage curtain and trying to get his autograph. I ended up meeting Eddie and getting him to sign the cover of my Led Zeppelin 3 album. He wrote “Make your mama scream for me!” on the spinning wheel on the cover.
Edward Van Halen at the Seattle Arena. I was in the front row!
During the summer of 1979, my friend Mike McCrae & I followed Van Halen up & down the west coast. We went to at least 10 shows. They started the Van Halen 2 tour at UPS college in Tacoma. We knew these 21 year old girls who came to our gigs with Jake, Susie Wimberly & Debbie who worked for John Bauer Concert Company. Debbie & Susie dated Edward & David Lee Roth on the first Van Halen tour. McCrae was in love with Debbie, but she tried to fuck me at an after gig party at my dad’s condo. I loved her but I was good friend (and stupid) so I set her up with McCrae instead. The party moved outside to watch them through the window shade I left open. McCrae pussed out, she was in my bed naked & he was too shy to fuck her. They eventually found out they were being watched. Later John Bauer divorced his wife Ivy & married Debbie.
Debbie booked the hotels for the Van Halen tour & we got the list of where they were staying & their fake hotel names. We booked a room at the same hotel. The first one was the Roadway Inn in Tacoma Washington.
We were front row for the Van Halen show at University of Puget Sound & I got on McCrae’s shoulders to take pictures. I still have the slides.
I took these photos and turned them in as an assignment for photography class.
After the UPS show we caught Michael Anthony & the roadies having a pizza fight in the hallway. I asked Mike to take a photo with my guitar. He put his teeth marks in it.
Michael Anthony holding my V.
Then I asked Michael Anthony if Eddie would sign my V. He said “ask him yourself” and he yelled out “Hey Ed”. Eddie opened his door & we ran up to him and he ducked behind the door but didn’t close it. I ask him if he would sign my V, he invited me & Mike McCrae to come in.
I was so excited. Edward Van Halen was my world. He was just a kid, 22 maybe. I was 15 but I felt like I was 12. He scratched an autograph in the back of the bit, put some teeth mark in it, and then I asked, ‘How do you play the intro to “I’m The One”?’ He played in on the V. Mike and I were fucking amazed. I asked him, “Am I doing this right?” And I played the solo to “On Fire”. He told me to hold on, opened up his Haleburton metal suitcase. We noticed he had girls panties with “Edward” written on them in marker & pulled out a Dan Electro neck & guitar body & a screwdriver. He put the guitar together then and there & strung it up.
He pulled out some cocaine in a bindle & did a bump on a guitar pick. He said “I’d offer you guys some, but I don’t have that much.” I’d done it a couple if times before but I never really got high on that back then. I was a pothead. He also had a little roach of joint he was saving to put him to sleep.
He was the absolute coolest, most beautiful person, let alone rock god, I’d ever seen. I pulled out every Van Halen riff I knew, & I knew most of them. We’d play together & then he’d stop & I’d do the solo riff, like in “I’m The One”. He was blown away. I was this tiny little kid, but I could play. He showed me every guitar trick and riff on his 2 albums. He told McCrae I was better than the guy in Bad Company & I should start a band but whatever I do, he told me, “Don’t just copy me like every asshole in L.A., take it somewhere further, somewhere else.”
He signed a piece of hotel stationary for me “Adam, keep pickin’ your ass off” and he dated it & wrote the room number on it. It’s in a book somewhere that I can’t seem to find but I’ll find it. It;s actually what started me looking through all my old shit. I keep finding other things, but not that book.
We sat in Ed’s room for three hours. Just him, me & Mike McCrae. I didn’t take the camera in cause I didn’t wanna scare him. He was the nicest rock star I’ve met still to this day, & if I could ever influence anyone the way he did me, it’s really all because of him.
After we left, the roadies were still throwing pizza & trashing the hallway. Alex Van Halen put his teeth marks in my V.
Alex VH at The Rodeway Inn. I got a B on this picture. “Needs Spotting”
We got backstage most gigs like Seattle Coliseum & followed them all the way to the California World Music Festival.
Mike McCrae, Michael Anthony, & Rudy who was Edward’s guitar roadie.
We’d always stay in the same hotel, we’d see Edward in the mornings, he’d invite us in while he had his breakfast. His manager Noel Monk came in & told us to leave Ed alone while he eats & Ed said “no don’t worry, they’re cool”, & he let us stay.
Michael Anthony used the name Biff Malibu at hotels
I went to the airport to see Van Halen off when the tour ended. Thanks to Debbie, we also had their flight info. I said hello to Alex and sat down with him while he waited for his flight. He asked me how I got money to get around, he’d seen me everywhere from Seattle to California.
I didn’t have an answer, if they were playing, I was going. He told me how he’d seen Black Sabbath at a festival and 200,000 were in Ozzy’s control. I still told him I though Sabbath sucked. They had just broken up after Van Halen demolished them last year. Never Say Die was the tour. The didn’t have to say it. Alex talked to me till he boarded. That was the best education anybody could ever give me. I followed them again the next year when Rail & Company was the support act for 18 shows.
Backstage at VH in Seattle, I met this guy that had a guitar with a locking tremolo bar that he invented and he was showing it to Edward. His name was Floyd Rose. He offered to make me one of his tremolo bars for 300 dollars. A few weeks later I got a Boogie Body strat body & neck from a guitar repair shop called Guitar Works. I used to hang out there & smoke pot with Mike Lull who used to repair guitars at Bandstand East. Guys like Roger Fisher from Heart used to bring in guitars to him get big bags of weed. My dad bought the guitar body & my aunt gave me the money for the tremolo. It was the 5th Floyd Rose tremolo bar ever made.
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March 9th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
What a cool story and what great pictures!
“Make your Mama scram for me!!” I love Ed. I don’t care what anyone says, I still love him..
March 9th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
I love Ed and hate typos that I miss…’scream’…
I also can’t believe no one’s posted here yet…where’s Scott, Panama Red, I’m the One, Kimberly and the other usual suspects??
March 9th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
thanks for the posting, but you should of left the Cocaine part out, some of these critics around here may start Hating on that and send it to TMZ.
March 9th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Dude, great story… Too many names & too much information that doesn’t need to be posted for the public. I would probably be pissed if my name was mentioned with some of these “activities”.
I wish I had a time machine…
March 9th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Yo freddiegirl…;)…that IS an awesome story!! Ed IS the coolest!
March 9th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Wow…..cool story and cool photos. Thanks for the post! Awesome! And who gives a shit about the coke part? Everyone knows that everyone did it and it was a lifetime ago….
March 9th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Relax guys…geeeez.
March 9th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
Scott’s right; relax. Me personally, I hate coke and have seen a lot of friends’ lives destoyed by it; but then I’ve seen a lot of lives destroyed by speed and alcohol as well. Coke always has and probably will continue to be a large part of the entertainment industry’s lifestyle be it film or music. Or sports for that matter. Everybody did it in; it’s not a shock. I’d rather focus on the postive parts of the story like how kind Eddie was to a young fan. One thing that’s always impressed me about Ed and Michael Anthony as well is how nice they are to (most) of thier male fans. It’s easy to be nice to a hot girl.
March 9th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Biff Malibu? That doesn’t sound like an alias at all
C’mon Mike, even Ron Mexico thinks that is lame (Michael Vick’s alias once upon a time).
And the cocaine reference? If that is news to anyone then you need to get out of the basement.
March 9th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
That is the most insane story ever. And who gives a shit about the Coke story. Valerie told the same stories in her book and on Oprah. Biff Malibu, Classic!
March 9th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
Awesome story man! Hi freddiegirl, didn’t know I was a usual suspect with my handful of posts, but thanks for the honour
Totally agree with you, its a lot easier to be nice to a hot girl, and the cooler it is he’s been so nice to his male fans. How easy it would have been for him to just be a total prick. Wait for it, some people will come out of the closet now bashig Ed that he has changed in this respect, but think about it, this was the beginning, I think it got much harder for him once EVERYBODY wanted a piece of him. Not easy to cope for a guy with a more recluse character. And I’m not intending to take anything away from Mike if I say in that respect it was probably easier to be Mike Anthony than Eddie Van Halen. On the drug reference, I live in Amsterdam, here these things are viewed in a much more relaxed fashion, if anybody really thinks OMG, I can only say what the hell…
March 9th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
I’mTheOne..the few posts you’ve made have been good ones..
And..’I'm the One’ is one of my fav all-time VH songs; you get points for that..! Visited Amsterdam once, beautiful city; would love to go back and spend more time there. I’m in Los Angeles.
It’s totally easier for a guy in Eddie’s shoes to be nice to a chick. That’s why I always thought it said something very positive about his character that he really tried to be cool to all his gearhead fans. I can’t tell you all the times I met some celebrity of some sort or another and my industry friends would say, “What a prick!” and I’d be thinking…”He was ok to me…” I had the good fortune to meet both Eddie and Dave (although at seperate times) once and although both were cool to me it was Ed that had real warmth and kindness in his eyes and seemed to really listen to what I said.
March 9th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Now that’s awesome stuff.
March 9th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
Ah to be young again. A very cool story.
March 9th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Awesome story. I had my run in’s with the band backstage in 85′. I concur Ed was incredibly kind and present. He looked you in the eyes and was engaged and present. He was very interested in ME? He asked;(1) Do you like the new album ?(2) How many times have you seen us? (VH). ALex and Mike were funny as hell!! I have met and hung with several celebrities and to this day the VH’s were the most polite and fun rockers I have ever had the priviledge to party/hang with.
March 9th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
A very cool story. I wish we could hear more about the old days and Eddie’s generosity towards his fans. But now a days, everyone seems to bitch about how he doesn’t release anything, music-wise, which I am guilty of. But it does seem like he is a very kind man, especially towards his fans, although we dont hear too much about it.
March 9th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
Ameicano….yes. That. Exactly. Asked me similar things along with, 1) Where are you from? 2)How long have you played guitar? 3)What do you play? Ok..I know that doesn’t prove that Ed’s a stand-up guy all the time but none of us are. The point is the guys in VH have hardly had anything resembling a normal life. Yes, they worked hard to get where they were/are but they did hit at a young age. Who’s to say any of us would handled that kind of fame and stress any better? Marriages, divorces, revolving-door band mates, drug and alcohol abuse, cancer….I don’t know that I’d have handled it any better. Heck, I’ll be honest and say I might’ve handled it worse!
March 9th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
Great story. We dont always need to have fresh VH news but stories like this remind us how great this band was and still is or can be. Maybe their pizza throwing days are gone and Alex doesnt burn rubber tires outside hotels anymore but they are still cool cats. They live the life only few have and to have a great attitude about it makes it even better. Although there are a lot of musicians I have met that are very cool. I ahve not met Ed or Al but have hung with Sammy and Mike and they are both awesome. One time I met Zackk Wylde and asked him if I could get a picture with him. He looked at me with a straight face and said, “no.” I stood there with a dumb look on my face and didnt expect that. Then he started laughing and said im just fuckin with you. He put on his shades and put his arm around me and faced the camera and we bith gave the camera the finger. Then we chatted for about 10 min or so. He looks like a mean mother but nice as hell. However, as much as most of us like David Lee Roth, I could see him being not so generous.
March 9th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
Thanks for posting this. That’s one of the best Van Halen stories I’ve read. Great pictures as well.
March 9th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Now THAT’S the Van Halen we all know and love!
March 9th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Nice post freddiegirl….bravo.
Too many people attempt to pigeon-hole others without understanding what has brought them to a certain point, high-profile or not. Have those folks live another 25 or 30 years and see what’s bouncin’ around in THEIR noggin…
In 25 years what band will still live on as delivering the most potent, electrifying, nut-rattling rock-n-roll? The Mighty Van Halen!
March 9th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
where was Dave in all of this and where is he today??
March 9th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
yeah i agree the cocaine referance wasnt great , didnt really need to know that , we know what it has done .
Cool story , wld of been great to be there back in the day .
Surely u wld of thrown a DLR quote in there somewhere??????
Look im sure if its broken down at all between dave n ed , u wld of heard dave yelling about it , the silence makes me think its the calm b4 the storm n 2010 is goin to be one rockin yr 4 VH
March 9th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
great story! in my younger years i have done snooters off a guitar pick….to be young and dumb!
March 9th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Great read and thanks for sharing. Not sure why a few people are hung up on the coke reference, even Eddie admitted there was a tonne of coke around between 81 – 84. As for this story – it was the 70s and no one new the true impacts of coke till much later.
March 9th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Despite all the negative press and web site stories, I still think Ed is a nice, down-to-earth guy. I’ve met him on a few tours and he was always nice to me. Same with Michael. Ed even invited me to eat with the crew and the band backstage one time. But that’s another story. There’s a guy I know well who is in semi-regular contact with Ed and his “handlers.” I can’t really share why, but some day in the future I hope to share the story. Anyway, Ed has been really nice to this friend of mine, and is always cool. Out of the spotlight, he is the same cat that he was in 1979. My guess is that all the guys in VH, past and present, are pretty much the same people they were before they were famous.
March 10th, 2010 at 12:00 am
One of the best stories i’ve read in a long time! great pics as well!
March 10th, 2010 at 12:07 am
All of your stories are way cool. There are very few things on this earth that I wouldn’t give to have had the chance to have even been alive when VH was in it’s prime let alone meet Ed and the gang. You lucky ones got VH as kids … I am stuck with lil Wayne and other shit like that
March 10th, 2010 at 12:08 am
Best VHND release in long, long time. I almost felt like an extra from ‘Up in Smoke’ broke away that movie and went to follow VH-then later wrote about it.
Definitely a time capsule.
I wonder if Ed’s happier now(?)
March 10th, 2010 at 12:36 am
That was awesome!
Imagine sitting there trading licks with
a young EVH. I don’t know why people are shocked by the cocaine
reference. I’m glad he told the whole story.
I wonder if Debbie and Susie will ever talk.
I wish I had been a teenager in the 70′s.
Long live the mighty =VH=
March 10th, 2010 at 3:25 am
Tommy Boy…thanks..
Canes_fan5150…I feel your pain. I’m in my 30s so my young time was really early 90s with all the Grunge Seattle rock and the birth of Rap/Hip-Hop as a huge music force. There will never ever be a rapper cooler than Tupac. But…I was lucky enough to have VH around as a kid..I was introduced to them by my parents’ cool young friends. Funny story…my god daughter is getting into music and loves the Rock Band games and told me about this cool band she’d found that she loved. The band was Bon Scott-era AC/DC.
March 10th, 2010 at 3:50 am
I’ve got an idea for someone who wants to be a writer or maybe VHND can pick it up as a business venture: find and engage all people with stories like that and make a book out of it, the unofficial VH anthology! Don’t forget to ask the band for permission, though, and reference me as the idea giver, I’m happy with a symbolic royalty
Imagine if the band could be drawn into the project and also comment themselves, kind of like Mötley Crue’s “The Dirt” for VH! It could be packaged and released together with a DVD of unreleased material from Eddie’s vault, then everybody would buy the package and not pirate (wink wink Eddie, I know you are Dutch in your heart and love the $$$ 
) nothing wrong with that 
)… Man how I’d love to research and write that book myself! Janie Liszewski, if you read this CALL ME!!! VHND please forward my email to Janie 
Lol, guys, before you start the slandering, I promise I’m stone cold sober right now, just high on a little daydream… 
Freddiegirl, Amsterdam is indeed a beautiful city and a cool place to live, if you come around next time drop me a note, I’ll take you out and show you the real Amsterdam, away from the tourists. I also know that Eddie is here once in a while and has a house here (probably shouldn’t say this, sorry Ed).
March 10th, 2010 at 4:16 am
I thought the story was great. It brought us back to way things were then. Ahh the good ol days.
March 10th, 2010 at 5:25 am
Again…wow, freddiegirl. Tupac was amazing and there’ll never be another like him. As much as the other idiots try…
For those of ya askin’ for Dave references in this story…WTF? This kid was obsessed with Ed, and was a guitarist as well. I’m sure he loved the band as a whole, but when it boils down and reduces itself, most musicians are drawn to other musicians as influences…not lead singers.
March 10th, 2010 at 5:56 am
@ Canes_fan5150
Feel your pain man. I’m 19 and the best days of Van Halen are long, long gone. There are NO bands like this out there at the moment. Yeah there are some good ones that are keeping rock music alive but nowadays it seems to be all about reunions (not bad in VHs case) and reformations and new money for old rope.
However, it is great to see some of these older bands. The music industry has changed and bands don’t seem as hungry anymore – you read stories about bands like Van Halen and Nirvana who had to travel around in a tiny van and eat corndogs for dinner. They didn’t play for money but they played because they loved to do it and brought their love to the rest of the country and the rest of the world.
This was a great story – I love hearing about young VH. Its also brilliant to hear some good about Edward in the midst of a lot of hating and bashing. I have been guilty of this but its all due to fan-frustration. These stories make us realise how great this band was and still is.
March 10th, 2010 at 7:09 am
Heyy freddiegirl=) Haha still here!!
This is an incredible story..people would kill for an experience like this! I hate being just a kid=( I grew up with all the crappers like NSYNC and Britney Spears…I need VH to come back they are everythin to me.
Pictures are incredible, man what I wouldn’t give to have something like this happen to me on their next tour=) Haha..we shall see
March 10th, 2010 at 7:11 am
Rich– I feel ya I am 19 as well=(
What is with the lame music nowadays huh?! It is such a let down mann..then again even if someone tried I do not think I would be able to say anyone was better than VH…they are just outta this world<3
March 10th, 2010 at 8:17 am
Great read, and the pics are fantastic. More posts like this please!!
March 10th, 2010 at 8:20 am
I remember I saw Van Halen in concert once upon a time in 2007. Then they disappeared like smoke in thin air.
March 10th, 2010 at 9:33 am
This is a Fucking Rock N Roll site, it’s about the coolest fucking rock band ever!!! Shit, of course there is going to stories about pussy, weed, cocaine, JD, wild crazy sex and other fucked up shit!!! That’s what happens when you get to party as a ROCK STAR!!! If you don’t want to hear words like “cocaine”, then piss off (it’s just a word)!!! Some of us want to see the old pics…and read about the wild fucking backstage and hotel parties…. that’s where all the good shit took place!!!!!
March 10th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Andym:
lmao…yeah, those were the days…
March 10th, 2010 at 10:13 am
Damn, you guys are making me feel old, lol. I’m only 40, but still 16 inside..:)! Times and the music biz are so different for those growing up these days, at least games like guitarhero and rockband have given a little resurgence in getting kids to pick up instruments and away from the Brittney Spears crap. I teach guitar up in Seattle, and just yesterday was showing this kid how to play some Cream…and he’s like 10! Amazing how many young little whippersnappers know about, are interested in and have good taste in some of the classic rock stuff like VH and such as a result. All is not lost! Lol.
March 10th, 2010 at 10:34 am
Don’t forget backstreet boys Kimberly! No just playin. I remember that one amazing day in 2004 when my brother Brought home the best of vol 1. I was only 10 but I new that the guitar playing was like nothing I had ever heard.
March 10th, 2010 at 11:18 am
somebody mentioned a time machine here. I wish I had one as well. I was only 9 in 1978.
March 10th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Canes– Haha my bad!! Totallyyy forgot the Backsreet Boys;)
Haha God what a tragedy to music
March 10th, 2010 at 11:51 am
Kool story. I’ve met Dave three(3) times and was not just kool but paid for drinks on one(1) of those times. My wife and I met Ed backstage at the 2008 Madison Sq. Garden show and he only spoke to her. So what does that say. Do I care? Not realy.
March 10th, 2010 at 11:54 am
I love stories like this….
When rock and roll was badass…not energy drinks and all this politically correct bullshit.
For all those out there who love classic van halen or just those getting into the band, these are the stories that matter! Dont listen to the people around here who love to constantly bitch about every little detail of VH and how horrible they have been to their fans. Most are frustrated old farts who wish they were still living their glory years.
The others feel that a band owes us all something, therefor they continue to waste their’s and everyone else’s time bashing on a band they supposidly loooooove so much! Explain that one to me….actually dont.
Life is too short to drink bad wine…
Reading that story above truly brought the biggest smile to my face. Many here could give a shit, but to me, reading that was like smelling perfume in a store and flashing back to the girl you loved who wore it years ago!
It brought me back to a time when rock and roll was dangerous, fun, crazy, and a little acary. Remember the first time you heard a sabbath song as a kid and it creeped you out a little? Had to keep the volume down when mom and dad were home so they didnt think little johnny was involved in devil worshipping? Now granted, I dont remember much of the 70′s but in the 80′s VH was everywhere! So reading this story about someone who witnessed the “beginning” / “roots” of one of (to me) the greatest rock and roll bands of all time is refreshing. Those stories are priceless and I wonder if he still has that guitar with mike’s and al’s teethmarks in it! Very cool…..
As far as the cocaine reference….who cares? It was the late 70′s! I cannot believe that information ruined someone’s day! Eddie did drugs!!? Who would’ve thunk it!!!?
Christ….
SCAR- I’m behind you 100% brother! THOSE WERE THE DAYS MY MAN! Understatment of the year huh? Maaaaan…I wish I could have seen those early shows.
Sometimes I’d like to think that heaven is: A classic vh concert every night….unlimited beer….and a cool girl by my side!
Then again, for some of you (including the author of this story)that was heaven back in the late 70′s early 80′s, and for that I’ll forever be envious!
March 10th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Great story — great photos. Damn, Mike looks like a kid I went to highschool with. I agree with everyone how exceptionally cool it is to hear about Ed just kickin it in the early days.
ABOUT THE COKE: Hey, it WAS the 70′s! Cocaine was prominent, ESPECIALY in music… David Bowie, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton (Ed’s idol) and, well, EVERYONE else back then. I was reading where 90% of American dollar bills contain traces of cocaine. Also, the U.S. cocaine market in 2005 was in excess of $70 Billion, surpassing that of fucking Starbucks! Anyways, *ALL* rock stars did coke back then. Quote from Walk Hard, the Dewey Cox story:
Sam: “Get out of here, Dewey.”
Dewey Cox: “What are y’all doing in here?”
Sam: “It’s called cocaine, and you don’t want no part of this shit.”
Dewey Cox: “Cocaine? What’s it do?”
Sam: “It turns all your bad feelings into good feelings. It’s a nightmare.”
Dewey Cox: “I’m thinking maybe I’d like to try me some of that cocaine.”
(Nothing to do with Van Halen, but a hilarious movie, IMO)
I love stopping by VHND every day or 2 to see what’s posted, but the lack of DLR stories is sad.
We always here what Sam & Mike are up to. Reverend Al had that cymbal, Ed has this nice story and his exciting drum clamp outing a couple days ago… so how about Roth? Did he stop by a drug store to pick up some throat lozenges recently?… Any more of those neat-o drawings to share? Give us SOMETHING, man!
March 10th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
freddiegirl:
Guess what I watched last night?
“Above The Rim” ….lol! Funny you mentioned Tupac!
Havent seen the movie in quite sometime. It was great revisiting it last night. “Cool” film.
It’s funny as you get older you like movies more than when you first saw em’. It’s like you see it in a different light or something!
Here is one of my favourite lines from “strictly for my niggaz”: “….yo get a real job, rappin doesnt pay the rent/
I hate the studio cause thats where all my money went/ never surrender, it’s all about the faith you got/ dont ever stop, just push it till you hit the top/ and if you drop, at least you know you gave it all/ be true to you, and that way you can never fall”
OK!! ENOUGH! I’m gonna get my rock and roll card pulled around here! LOL! Sorry rockers….!
March 10th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Well said Dirty Duck
March 10th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Thanks Johnny!
March 10th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Cracks me up everyone is on the coke part of this story and said absolutely nothing about the roach Ed was savin’.F*&$ the drugs,just give me beer and vh but i don’t hold it at all against Eddie, and i’m surprised this came as a shock to anyone who has followed the band for any length of time.He was 22 and in a top rock and roll band and made no bones to the public that they were a “party” band.Great story,if i were the chicks this guy refered to by name i’d probably hunt this guy down,but great story never the less.
March 10th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
I’m the same age as the guy in the story (46). I was 15 when VH hit the scene. I remember it like is was yesterday. To have lived through VH’s glory years makes me feel really lucky. I was at all three 1981 Oakland shows, which took place a week after my high school graduation. What an awesome way to kick off my first summer out of school. If I had a time machine, that is one period of my life that I’d revisit (specially those Oakland shows)!
March 10th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
I really wish I had been around to see them too. Here’s to Classic VH, may we remember them forever!
March 10th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
@ Robert — Un hombre muy dichoso! You are one lucky dude! I was WAY too young (and far away) to see the ’81 Oakland shows.
Stupid non-existing time machines.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
That top photo kills me I can’t stop lookin’ at it…could you imagine standin’ there? Trippin’ the fuck out to this crazy kid?
March 10th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Robert:
On knees….
I’m not worthy!
I’m not worthy!
March 10th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Speaking of the 80′s, did you guys hear that corey haim died?
First “boner” from growing pains…now corey haim. WTF?
I thought I would be in my 50′s or older when my childhood stars would die. Guess not.
R.I.P Corey….you made it cool to be weird in LUCAS, hung with the frog brothers in LOST BOYS, Got “heather graham (mercedes)in LICENCE TO DRIVE, and fucked “nicole eggert” in every position in BLOWN AWAY!
Hope you’re rockin in heaven brother!
March 10th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
Yeah , I’d say that about 10% of this kids story from memory is true and the other 90% was from exxagerated excitement..
Eddie got out a screwdriver , put a guitar together , then put six strings on it !!!! Right then and right there , In 1 minute flat !!!! Eddie had NOTHING else to do, no place to be……
March 10th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Oh “ME”….you’re the fly in my fuckin’ favourite soup!
March 10th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Yeah Duck, sorry to hear about Corey Haim. Autopsy results pending, and though there’s nothing definite yet it’s hard not to suspect an O.D. of some type. Lesson to be learned is to just stick with grass, moderate alcohol,and that’s it. Too many celebs to mention here have made that same mistake. R.I.P Corey
March 10th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Great story i wish i was that kid.
March 10th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Nice piece.
Cuz you can’t get this stuff no more.
March 10th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Oakland 81….you lucky bastard! Sweeeeeet!!
March 10th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Sort of like “Almost Famous” which is one of my favorite movies but about my favorite (actual) band. I don’t care if it’s embellished I just wish i could have been there for any of this. Reading it just made me happy and also jealous.
March 10th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
Aww, hugs Kimberly and Scott and Tommy Boy…
And I agree, I was waaay too young to have partied with VH but reading that bought a smile to my face as well.. 
I admit feeling a stab of envy for both Adam and the one girl who dated Eddie. I wanted to grow up and marry Eddie when I was nine years old and stumbled onto VH1 and VH2!
And yes, Dirty Duck, Above the Rim is great, hola to you too…
I’mtheone: I planning on going back to London and then Madrid to meet up with some friends this spring so I may take you up on that..
I’d love to see some Dutch football!
Take heart younguns like Kimberly and Canes_fan5150…at least VH is still around for you to guys to appreciate and chances are we will get a tour sometime…I was waaaay too young to see my beloved Led Zep together…I discovered them in my parents’ cd collections and on KNAC waaaay too late.
Dave…Loved Almost Famous; what a great movie!
March 10th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Thanx freddiegirl…back at ya;)
March 10th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
freddiegirl! SO TRUE! Haha when VH announced they were touring I just about DIED! I never thought that I would get to see them live…and man was it worth the wait!!!
Sorry about Led Zep girl..legends I swear…I feel that way about a lot of other bands too! Guess its nice to know all these musicians have music that will stick around forever=) Thank goodness for our rock n roll!!!=)
March 10th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
Scott..
Kimberly…it’s true. I was just as thrilled when VH got together with Dave as I’d only seen them once before with him when I was a child. Literally a child. And then once with Sam. So to have Dave back with them and to be able to enjoy the show as an adult was wonderful! Yeah..Bonham was long gone when I’d discovered Zep but at least I got to see Robert Plant on one of his solo tours a few years back.
March 11th, 2010 at 1:36 am
Duck/Dooley: i know what you guys mean, Corey’s death also made me left out cold.
Think i’m gonna watch the Lost Boys and Silver Bullet DVD’s tonight for old times sake
ImTheOne: don’t forget to visit The Waterhole at the Leidseplein, a cool place to be for the best live music!!!!
Frank, NL
March 11th, 2010 at 3:23 am
Back to the Future. Thanks for sharing!
March 11th, 2010 at 4:18 am
I TRY AND POST HERE INTELLIGENTLY, BUT WHY CAN’T I STILL RENT “The Wild Life” MOVIE SOUNDTRACK FROM THE LOCAL VIDEO STORE?? I don’t know myself.
Maybe it’s out of print.
There is a jam at the beginning where Alex and Ed sound relaxed.
March 11th, 2010 at 4:23 am
I guess that Jam turned into “Top Jimmy”.
Brilliant, uncanny vocals delivered by David Roth.
March 11th, 2010 at 5:38 am
Nobody does coke until it’s put in front of their face.
March 11th, 2010 at 6:03 am
Awesome, thanks for sharing!
March 11th, 2010 at 7:01 am
Very cool, those were innocent times. That’s the way I like to remember Ed and Al.
It’s really cool to see the VH world through Adam’s eyes…it reminded me a little of the movie “Almost Famous”.
Very cool, thanks for posting this.
March 11th, 2010 at 7:54 am
Duck/ImTheOne
Being Dutch, are you guys also fans of Golden Earring, the band that did “Radar Love”, “Twilight Zone” etc?
I’ve always appreciated Dutch bands, they sound real good.
(I know, Van Halen is half American heritage, but you get the point)
March 11th, 2010 at 8:15 am
VH3 – first of all, PLEASE don’t tell us your screen name is “VH3″ because of the Cherone era. That would be a disgrace to all of us and we’d have to call TMZ to report that Cherone actually has a fan that’s still alive. About the coke, seriously, open your eyes..who in rock hasn’t done coccaine at some point???
March 11th, 2010 at 10:18 am
So anyway, I’m on this site everyday and I don’t post much because maybe to me, the VH legacy is too sacred to be whining like little bitches at every turn. I realize that its’ freedom of speech , but they should call this site “Ed’s fair weather friends” Trust me, if Ed ever caught any of this, He would agree. There are of course exceptions [true fans] …..and you guys know who you are. p.s. This whole article was killer!It’s the small details that give it life. VH Forever!
March 11th, 2010 at 10:30 am
I should reiterate, these posts have been fairly tame, but usually it’s a bloodfest.
March 11th, 2010 at 10:40 am
Great story/cool pics!! Wish I coulda been there, but I was 8 yrs old…
March 11th, 2010 at 11:43 am
Great read! Thanks Adam Bomb!
March 11th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
andym – way to put some negativity in an otherwise awesome thread. Don’t bring up VH3 or Gary if you’re just going to hate on it, the stuff we’re looking at here was 30 years before that happened! An awesome time where Van Halen were young, hungry and reckless.
I’m really glad that some stuff like this exists, there must be a good few other people out there with stories about the band…what about Mike’s bass tech? He’s been with Mike since 78 apparently. Imagine the stories he has….
March 11th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Dirty Duck and No Mas Tony – Good and funny posts, especially your first post Duck. I concur. Ha ha.
@ Tony – I’ve heard about those tests on dollar bills too. They also said they’ve found quite a bit of fecal matter on the bills. I’ll take cocaine over fecal matter any day.
@ Duck – The fly in the soup think made me smile, I know what you meant by that. Buzzkill….oh well…
Tony – “Stupid non-existing time machines.” Lol. The time machine scenario popped into my head too when I read this. Can you imagine how fucking cool it would have been to hang out with them back in the beginning.
When I came to the end of the story I thought – Damn, this story is already over!
This kind of stuff is some of the most fun to read. You get a better idea of who someone really is and how things really were with personal stories. (If they’re accurate and truthful)
I would like to hear from more people about their personal stories, they’re pretty cool to read or hear about.
I was kind of thinking on the same wavelength as ImTheOne about these kind of personal accounts. Someone should set up a website to collect these stories, or just add a “personal-story archive” to an existing VH fan-site. I guess you’d have to take people’s word for it though. But maybe some people could kind of back ‘em up with some kind of proof like pictures or something like this guy did, but you’re still taking the storytellers word for it. I would probably read ‘em though. If they were ever published I guess the guys in VH could read them first to verify them, but they probably wouldn’t remember 95% of ‘em. Ha ha.
And those experiences were normal everyday things for the guys in VH. Its not like they would remember them like someone else would from the outside coming inside the circle for a day like Adam Bomb did, ya know what I mean. He’ll always remember that experience but that was just the norm for the guys in VH.
I’m glad Adam Bomb didn’t censor the part about the coke. Censorship is lame and sucks.
From what I heard from people who were around Eddie’s age back then, everyone was doing blow back in the 70′s and 80′s. It was the “IN” drug back then for celebrities, rock stars, and whoever else could afford it. It was everywhere, and it’s not going away anytime soon either.
Eddie has admitted in interviews to doing a lot of it back then anyway. So what, what do you expect from a rock star in a party band in the 70-80′s? I think some people here might be forgetting their youth. Our mentalities were different when we were young and crazy. And people with addictive personalities like Eddie are of course drawn to stuff that gets you high.
This was a fun read. I want more. Ha ha.
March 11th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
I liked the part of the story when they put out an album in 2010.
That was awesome!
March 11th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Ha ha……..I concur Greg!
March 11th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
freddiegirl– Awesome!! Yeahh gettin Dave back was an amazing surprise=) I lovee him haha. Cool that you got to see Robert Plant!! My friend met him, has the CRAZIEST story…I mean I have done my fair share of sneaking backstage and all that jazz, but his wins out haha.
Who else are you into? Crue..Cinderella..Scorpions? Or more rock n roll..Danzig, Stooges, Stones etc?
Haha I love these boards=) When people are nice! Lolz
March 11th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Guys, I have a terrible confession to make…I fell in love tonight and think she digs me big time, too, but she didnt want to give it to me the first night, so I went home, alone, light up, had some drinks, and just to fool around played “why cant this be love” (after “dance the night away” live version which got to be my all time favorite) and…digged it!!! OMG!!! Somebody get me a doctor!!!
Frank, the waterhole is great, I’m there quite often actually, but you have to check out the live band hardrock karaoke in cafe wilhelmina, its only once a month, but it rocks! Last time some guy did running with the devil and it rocked!
Freddiegirl, from London you are actually super close, it would be a sin not to come to Amsterdam, grab your friends and fly over, they’ll love you for it. Send me a mail to fjodorh at yahoo dot de if you do
March 11th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Dooley, I only know twilight zone from golden earing and its definitely a classic in its own right…didnt even know they were dutch!
March 11th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
And bring kimberley, just in case it doesn’t work out with the love of my life lol
March 11th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
And to all the boy scouts out there, this is what weed and alcohol will do to you, evetually you will dig Van Haggar, so watch it!
March 11th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
ImTheOne– I am planning a visit to Amsterdam!! Freddiegirl and I will bring the partyy=) Haha…good times ALL around!
March 11th, 2010 at 5:55 pm
Hi kimberly, online now? Here its really late! I actually thought VHND would moderate away my drunken comments lol, kudos for not!
Come around, I’ll show you Amsterdam like it should be shown! This applies to all real VH fand here!
March 11th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
I used the VHIII_1998_ and now VH3 name because That was The only tour I ever saw them live. Like everyone else I am a Fan of Van Halen other wise I wouldn’t spent time reading and typing on this forum. ANDYM if you don’t like what I have to say then don’t read it. I know the VH3 era was a dark period in the band, but I have alot of memories from that show, that is also the tour Eddie started using the wolfgang guitars, Mike sang someone get me a doctor and they played Classic tunes that were not played during the Hagar era.
March 11th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Occasionally I’ll come across an individual (in real life, not this digital world) that has a specific, hard-lined opinion about Van Halen and their lead singers. Most often it’ll be someone that prefers Dave, as you would imagine. And at these occasional conversations I take it upon myself to offer my opinion about what counts in music, and especially with VH. In music, an entertainment outlet of society, what draws us – like the moth to the flame – is the spark…the fire. Van Halen had the fire. And lots of it. The change in vocals was an evident factor in the delivery output of the musical spark. Ed’s admitted to the “wide open” approach he could now take when Sammy joined. Gary was an unfortunate stepping stone. I truly enjoy the music they made, sometimes skipping “How Many Say I”. My point: it comes down to the music…the intricacies, the movement, the pulse, the vibe and the groove. And it’s my belief that this fact, that to me really doesn’t apply to another band, exists within each Van Halen song, covers and all. That’s why every incarnation of Van Halen is my favorite…because it’s Van Halen. Peace guys n gals…
March 11th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
YEESS! Party in Amsterdam! I’mtheone we’ll see if we can get there the same time..
I’m sure Kimberly would have a blast…every American should spend some time in Europe and every European should come and spend time on the coasts here in the States…NY, LA, SF, Miami, etc.
TommyBoy, you’re right there are good points of every incarnation of VH and most all their stuff is heads and shoulders above anything else made today but the Dave incarnation still remains my fav. They were so hungry and primal back then. And Eddie….I still think he did some of his most creative stuff then..especially as he had to confine it all to Dave’s ‘If I can’t dance to it I won’t do it’ mentality. Within that parameter he did stuff that was pure genius!
Kimberly…I love Zep of course and Bon Scott era AC/DC…love The Cult, early Billy Idol but I also love, love, love some of the early goth stuff like Joy Division and Bauhaus. And I love Industrial and Electronica…I’m like Dave; I like to dance..
March 11th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
How cool is that pic of Ed with the frankenstrat without the partial pick guard, and a single pick up in the center position instead of the 5-way.
That’s a piece of history!
March 11th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
Good stuff! Good comments! Wish I had been there in ’78 too!
March 11th, 2010 at 11:40 pm
VH3 – you had me until you said “I used the” then I threw up and couldn’t read the rest.
Rich – mind your own bees wax ya crybaby.
March 12th, 2010 at 12:25 am
Here something a bit out there , who writes worse lyrics , don dokken or sammy hagar , i really think there both on par , . David lee Roth eats both of them alive , do we agree ??
March 12th, 2010 at 3:47 am
Andym – Crybaby? Dude, just saying, this is a good thread, please just don’t get all hating on us for no reason. We get it, people don’t like VH3 as an album, its been discussed for the last 12 years…and doesn’t need any more discussion.
@ freddiegirl – I used to work with Bon Scott’s nephew in a resturant…Small fucking world! He introduced me to the better AC/DC albums and opened my eyes to the amazing qualities of Van Halen II, Fair Warning and OU812 that I’d missed on a first listen. He’s back in NZ now…I should direct him over here.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:40 am
As was to be expected I’ve got a major headache today lol, but doesn’t matter because I don’t have to go to the office today
Instead I just made a litle test: took the neck of my bumblebee, which just got a new fret job, bolted it on, stringed up, strechted the strings and then my fingers 
. Needed 20 minutes all in all to go from zero to Unchained. Guess for someone like Ed who did that all the time in the early days experimenting with different necks/bodies that even went quicker, like 15 min max. Now 15 minutes pass by quickly if you chat and share a ciggi, so the story doesn’t sound unbelievable to me at all.
March 12th, 2010 at 5:14 am
Its my birthday today and i remember My neighbor telling me you gotta check out this new band they are from down the street and playing tonight in a club in LA , kneeling down in front of the 4 foot tall speakers at my neighbors house when i was 11 years old listening to eruption ( VH one debuted right around my birthday in 78 )and feeling like my brain was melting…The notes were so clear ,so loud,so deep and percussive that no-one knew before that guitar notes could slap your ears like that…VH one,Appetite for Destruction,Disraeli Gears,The Who,Led Zeppelin….Thank God for Rock n Roll!!
March 12th, 2010 at 6:08 am
Yippeee!!! Another friggin story about the past.
March 12th, 2010 at 7:05 am
Andym they wouldn’t print what I really said to you Punk.
March 12th, 2010 at 7:32 am
Frank:
I did the same thing you did the other night! Had some drinks and watched “Lost boys” and ” Blown away”. Made me realize once again that the good ol’ days may not return!
I;m so happy I got to be a kid in the early 80′s! These kids today have nobody to look up to and dont even get me started on the music of today…..we’ll be here all freakin’ day!
What did you wind up watching?
Dooles:
I’m with ImTheOne on golden earring. Dont know much about em’. I love “Radar Love” man. Cool song…..but I know…everyone knows that one! “Twilight zone” is cool too.
Didnt know they were dutch eiether. Then again no one around here prob has no clue I’m irish/italian!
Hope all is well brother…
Bort:
I’m sure there’s a chickenfoot site you can visit to get more “updated” news. For now why dont you just “try and enjoy” reading an intresting story about the band you supposidly love so much?
Without the “past” there is no future.
March 12th, 2010 at 8:50 am
there goes andym again; trying to make new friends with his pointless insults.
will he ever learn?
the world may never know.
March 12th, 2010 at 9:26 am
DiamondDean,
Overall, all of their lyrics are juvenile and pubescent. They all suck compared to someone like David Gilmour, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd. In Sammy’s defense, I think Avenida Revolucion’s lyrics are deeper and more meaningful than anything DLR has ever written … but I will agree that is the execption, not the rule for him.
March 12th, 2010 at 9:52 am
Happy Birthday Pushtoshove!!
Crank some VH and get a little crazy!
Bottoms up!
March 12th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Rich – You’re right, Mike has had that same bass tech forever. I bet he does have some good stories. He could probably write a book about VH with some very good and interesting insights.
Freddiegirl, Kimberly – If you make that trip to Amsterdam you should check out the Bulldog.
“Light ‘em up!
Quick stop by the Bulldog, score me some Panama Red, yeah…
Stone’ you like nothin’ else can…
Hot Damn roll an Amsterdam…
If she can’t then nothn’ else can…
Don’t have to worry ‘bout the man…”
March 12th, 2010 at 10:40 am
CANT WAIT FOR SAM AND MIKE TO REJOIN VAN HALEN AND MAKE THE BAND GREAT AGAIN
March 12th, 2010 at 10:58 am
Yay!, PANAMA RED, Thanks for chiming in with your tres quarters (75 cents) on this thread. So true; not saying that Cocaine is harmless, but unfortunately an ugly truth in Americana movie & rockstar mentality. I’ve never touched (or I should say ‘snorted’) the stuff myself but seen how destructive the shit can be first hand.
DUCK was the first to quack about Corey Haim. May seem irelevant to Halen BUT on the contrary! Young man catapulted to rockstar-like fame in the 80′s. Gets too wrapped up in the drugs, falls from grace only to start making a comeback in the late 90′s… sound familiar? Let’s hope our story ends better. Cause of death still undetermined as I type, but I bet there’s a large dosage of aforementioned white powder in his posthumous nostrils… I’m just sayin.
Diamond Dean. Leave the dead horse alone, already. I’m sorry that you actually listened to enough Don Dokken to recognize the lyrics as being “lame”. No disrespect hombre… I’m just sayin.
More shout outs to random contributors:
@ JVH — Ed (or his wife, son) hears shit like this on his facebook, myspace & twitter page ALL the damn time. LOL, Ed was my “facebook friend” for awhile and his status was “is psyched that Hot For Teacher is making it in Guitar hero VH”… I commented, “I hoped Mike Anthony would make it in Guitar Hero VH, since he helped record all the songs on the play list.” … I checked back a couple days later and my comment was deleted and I no longer was allowed to comment or post on his ‘wall’. LMAO. He banned me! Hey, I did tell him how rockin his appearance was on two and a half men, though. Whatever. I’m just sayin.
@ VH3 — Dude, I’m sorry that’s the only tour you saw. I know I sound like a broken record, but I’ll agree Cherone DID a decent job with the classics, especially “Mean Streets”. I watch youtube concerts of the VH3 tour… cherone wearing a black dress suit bowing his head up and down like a weirdo. Like I said, his voice was fine in some of the songs, but his stage antics were thwarting. You can see a look in Ed and Mike’s face like they were almost embarrassed to be on stage with him when he’s rolling around on the floor, doing who knows what (?) Poor Gary. I’m just sayin.
Okay, PEACE all my VHND brothers. It’s Friday — PAYDAY! Time to trade some dollar bills for mas cerveza & chicas bonitas!
March 12th, 2010 at 11:38 am
One stop by the Bulldog…score me some Panama Red Yeah! Thats what I did in Amsterdam! Great place. The little room downstairs where you can get your gear from a long menu from all over the world.
March 12th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
RA812 – Ha ha. A friend of mine couldn’t believe they had little baggies of samples on the menu at the hash bars to choose from. The guy working there reluctantly let him bring the menu around and show everyone at the table. Ha ha
March 12th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Freddiegirl!!! BAUHAUS IS AMAZING!!! Wow..we are strangely similar in our tastes…how do you feel about Ministry? Or Skinny Puppy? Girl you rock! Hahaa
Amsterdam here we comeee=)
Haha ImTheOne, drunken comments are the best!!=) It was pretty late here, but I don’t like sleepin! Haha..I’m weird I guess. Just listen to music all night!
March 12th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Kimberly…..you’re far from weird!
You’re young….enjoy it!
March 12th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
No Mas Tony, I wasn’t impressed with garys stage presence either. He did do good on the classics of both eras, but the wardrobe plus running his finger up his crack was a little to much for me. Thank god I was on Mike’s side of the stage rather than in the center row. Happy Friday. Bong hits for everyone!!!
March 12th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Kimberly, I love Ministry and all their other offshoot projects like RevCo..now off to read the new article on here..
I love Skinny Puppy and KMFDM too.. 
March 12th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Dirty Duck– Thanks sweetie=) Haha I will enjoy being young..just so long as I get my VH every so often;) Haha
Freddiegirl– Good stuff! Haha they’re all great. Lovin the new article as well…<3
March 12th, 2010 at 10:43 pm
NO MAS VH3, garys stage charactor didnt really fit the band , it wasnt overly macho n a bit odd AT TIME , but i thought he was a good entertainer , i actually thought he was a better frontman/entrtainer the SAMMY HAGAR , sammy was just goofy n embarressing at times , man he wore a bike suit at one stage, not to mention those yellow banana tights yikes .For some reason garys voice when singin with vh was really raspy n grating
DLR as a frontman entertainer eats them both alive , he has an amazing confidence, he may not be the greatest singer but he has an amazing voice
March 12th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
BLURBRO great comment .
NO MAS TONY , cool bananas i always respect others opinion , just that i was listening to dokken n i really got the same very basic simple way of lyrics that r so shallow , even though they might be about deep n thoughtful subjects , like mine all mine or avineda song there still pretty shallow lyrics . It kinda lets the actually sond down n doesnt take it to another level
March 13th, 2010 at 1:19 am
ImTheOne: you’re only familiar with the Earring’s Twilight Zone? Shame on you
Check out their website for their upcoming gigs around the country.
You won’t regret it if you go, these old farts can still rock!!
Duck: if you ever make it to Amsterdam, come visit Dan Murphy’s irish bar. It makes you feel right at home!
Drinks are on me!!
Frank, NL
March 13th, 2010 at 2:49 am
No Mas Tony – part of your post was :
“Ed was my “facebook friend” for awhile… I commented, “I hoped Mike Anthony would make it in Guitar Hero VH, since he helped record all the songs on the play list.” … I checked back a couple days later and my comment was deleted and I no longer was allowed to comment or post on his ‘wall’. LMAO. He banned me!”
Wow, your comments about the face book thing… I think that speaks volumes about Eddie’s perceptions on the matter, albeit nonsensical ones. I know I’ve said this before here but I just don’t F-ing get it. What the hell did Michael Anthony do to Eddie Van Halen. It’s like Eddie wants to erase him out of the history of VH. WTF!? Yes I’m rehashing old shit that’s been talked about over and over but I don’t care right now, I’m drunk okay.
Judging from what happened with your twitter/facebook experience it’s like he doesn’t even want to acknowledge Mike’s existence now.
I mean, the comments you posted about Mike on Eddie’s facebook page were positive. It’s not like you said “You are an asshole Eddie, Mike rules and you suck. Chickenfoot forever!!!” or some shit like that.
You were simply stating, as a Van Halen fan, your hope for a founding member to be included in the Van Halen guitar hero video game (that features songs with Mike playing bass on) It makes perfect fucking sense, it’s logical and sounds like a question from someone who possess common sense.
What doesn’t make sense is releasing the video game with the classic VH songs while featuring a different bass player who didn’t take part in playing those songs when they were written. Wolfgang wasn’t a part of the band. Shit, he wasn’t even fucking born yet!!! THAT shit doesn’t make sense, asking if Mike would be included DOES make sense and it is a valid question that shouldn’t be banned.
To me it actually doesn’t even seem like it would be a question. It seems painfully obvious that Mike would get the credit for those bass lines since he was the fucking one who played bass on those songs. I honestly think that Eddie is so far out in left field now that if he could, he would go back and put Wolfgang’s name behind the credits of those bass lines. I think that he can probably justify just about anything in his own mind now. He would probably justify doing that by saying that Wolfgang plays those parts better now than Mike did back then so that means Wolfie should be credited for them.
Because Eddie has said that Wolfgang is a better bass player that Mike.
Good Lord! What has happened to my favorite guitar hero. I’ve been a huge fan for about 20 years now but it seems like he’s turned into an angry anti-social pessimistic ego-maniacal recluse. I loved that dude, I guess I still do when I really think about it, but What Happened!
Eddie has become so weird and his thinking is all fucked up and warped.
I’ll say it again WTF did Mike do to him that was so bad to warrant Eddie going out of his way to discredit and disrespect the guy in such callous and harsh ways?
When Mike has been asked about his future with VH he has still made positive optimistic comments sometimes like – I don’t know about the other guys but I would like to play again with Van Halen (I’m paraphrasing) And Eddie has said only negative things about Mike like – I don’t care, he can do whatever he wants – I could never hear his bass, now I can finally hear the bass now that Wolfie’s playing, blah blah negativity, negativity….
Negativity seems to be dripping out of the pores of this man. I just don’t f-ing get it and I probably never will. I seriously doubt Eddie will ever give an honest answer to why he has shown so much contempt and disdain for Michael Anthony over the last several years. The whole thing is just so damn weird to me.
One reason he’ll probably never fess up about it is because he’s probably afraid it will make him look like an asshole because 95% of people would probably disagree with the reasons why he kicked him out of the band. Man, he won’t even be truthful about that. Saying Mike quit, give me a break. Just like Sammy quit. It had nothing to do with the fact that Eddie was working/recording with the former singer behind his back.
I’m not a psychologist but there is something strange about the way Eddie’s head operates. I don’t know if he’s a narcissist or what but he seems to believe his own lies. He seems to justify his own actions by placing the blame on everyone else. He seems like a complete control freak now. Some of my perceptions of Ed sure have changed in recent years. I think it’s because he really HAS changed.
Apparently when I’m drinking I post angry negative things about EVH. I bet if I was high I would be submitting a post the same length but full of praise. That’s the difference between alcohol and weed. Lmao. I also realized I use the F word about 3x more when I’m drunky drunk.
I just proof read my post. Holeee crap. That definitely is an angry drunken rant that’s fo sho. I’ll probably read it again tomorrow and go Ohhh no….
oh whatever, it’s just how I feel right now in this moment. Who cares? If anyone has a problem with the negativity in this post, so what. It’s not like I’m usually like this. I’m usually sober when I post stuff.
I’m not trying to cover up the negativity in my post ‘cause that’s really how I feel right now at this moment but having said that, I’ll always love listening to Van Halen no matter what. Sometimes we are the most critical and the hardest on the things that we love. Because we are more disappointed when something we really care about goes wrong. All of my criticisms here stem from my passion for the band, they’re not based on dislike for Eddie or anything like that. But some of my original positive feelings for the band have been tainted with frustration, disappointment, and confusion.
Whatever it’s just a rock and roll band I know, and I’m sure my next post will be positive again.
But Van Halen has had a pretty big positive impact and influence during my life so sometimes I can be pretty passionate about it. And you CAN be a True fan or supporter of something and be critical of it, if it’s out of love.
For example dissent, it’s the most patriotic thing you can do. It doesn’t mean you don’t love your country, on the contrary it means
“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.” –Edward Abbey
March 13th, 2010 at 8:04 am
DiamondDean – yeah those yellow tights of Sammy were just the most ridiculous image ever, almost worse than the shorts and sandals – yak! With that image in mind I can’t believe how some stinkers here take shots at Dave’s spandex. To be fair to both of them, it was just the time period and shouldn’t be judged by today’s standards…actually that argument is even more in favour of Dave. To be honest I also never really liked Eddie’s baggy pink overall.
Frank, I’ll check them out! Have you ever been in the Niewe Anita? I went yesterday first time and had a great night. They had a live performance of two guys with drums and one guy with Saxophone, I know sounds like an awkward combination, but those guys kicked major ass!
I love Dave’s witty lyrics with a twist, if you want to deliver a message, use Western Union! lol
March 13th, 2010 at 10:56 am
ImTheOne, i’ve heard of this place but haven’t been there yet. Will definitely go sometime, so get ready!
Frank, NL
March 13th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
I want to follow up on my last post now that I’ve sobered up and I’m not in that drunken angry-type frame of mind anymore.
I’m sure I’ll never understand Eddie’s indignation towards Mike. It seems like Eddie is bitter and resents the fact that Mike became successful and benefitted from being in Van Halen which make absolutely no sense to me,(I thought they were friends and friends are happy for each other) but whatever. Maybe he feels like Mike is unworthy for some reason (last name isn’t Van Halen?)or maybe Ed is just greedy when it comes to money. Who knows?
The root of all evil –The love of money.
Sometimes alcohol can take you to a good place and sometimes it can take you to a bad place. I’m sure everybody knows what I’m talking about. And last night it took me to a more negative place than positive apparently, from reading my own post.
But I think I’m reaching a conclusion on my own about the way I should feel from now on about Van Halen. If I can, I should just remember all of the great times and feelings I have for VH and forget about the rest.
I can’t promise w/ 100% certainty that I won’t get drunk and ranty ever again in my life but it’s probably better if I focus on just the music and forget about the negative personal stuff that goes on between the members of the band.
There’s nothing any of us can do about it and I might be cheating myself out of enjoying the music more, if I focus on the negative things about the personalities of the band members or some of the decisions they make.
Sometimes it’s better if you don’t know too much about someone’s personal life who you admire, be it for acting, making music or for whatever other reason.
Because it can take away from how you feel about their work.
Whether it’s their political views, religion, or just personal choices they’ve made that muddles what you admire them for. As fans we should probably keep those things completely separate and not concern ourselves with their personal lives.
Just focus on what you admire them for, ya know what I mean? That’s what I should probably do now, forget about the bullshit that gets in the way of that and all of the other stuff that’s just a waste of time getting upset about.
I’ll always love rocking out to Van Halen no matter what and I’ll always believe that Eddie is a musical genius who gave the world some amazing legendary music. I’m very grateful for that and feel fortunate being able to experience Van Halen play live many times.
Let bygones be bygones and just have fun and enjoy life and music. I should realize it’s pretty much a waste of time to bitch about stuff. I could be focusing on something more positive instead of letting negativity control my thought process.
Like I said I can’t guarantee that I won’t be opinionated or frustrated sometimes because of how much I’ve loved the music of VH but right now I’m in a better place today (not even hungover and I only got about 2 and a half hours of sleep. Pretty amazing.)
I think it’s time to move on and just forget about the stuff we can’t change.
It’s probably all for the better anyway about the Mike/VH situation now.
Mike has helped form another great band that I love, and he seems happier now.
Eddie’s apparently happier now playing with his son and he can move forward with Van Halen. It all works out.
It really is all good now. I’m looking forward to a new Van Halen album with Dave and I’m looking forward to the next Chickenfoot album. A couple of great rock bands, A new one, and an old favorite can both kick ass and I will root both of ‘em on.
Thanks to everyone here for posting their comments and sharing your stories about Van Halen, I enjoy reading them. (most of ‘em, ha ha)
And Thanks to VHND for being able to tolerate all of us wackjobs. LOL.
We’re all 5150′s, I know I am…and it shows. Ha!
March 13th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
Panama Red…wow. Lay off the booze and smoke more green brother! : )
I’ll keep it very short.
Imagine being a suffering alcoholic…for many years. Imagine trying to reignite your fire, your flame…while suffering. You friends and bandmates are critical (but supportive) of you during your suffering. It’s a long, hard road. Your friends and bandmates are having fun and you THINK selling tequila and hot sauce using your music. It wasn’t a pretty scene, I’m sure, but I think from what I’ve read and heard, that was a fair synopsis of the situation. I’m sure he doesn’t hate these fellas…just misunderstood what was going on. And I’m sure we all know the effects of assumptions and misunderstandings in our own lives….peace folks.
March 14th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Tommy Boy – Point taken. I’m not giving up on boozin’ just yet but I’ll try not to come to this site and post comments when I’m drunk from now on, so nobody has to suffer through another one of those again. No Mas, No Mas…..ha ha
I understand where you’re coming from about Eddie’s frame of mind back then. Substance abuse can cause you to perceive things in a warped way. Eddie may have genuinely believed he wasn’t acting strangely or making bizarre decisions.
His “addict brain” may have honestly believed that he was being upfront and honest about all that stuff. He could very well believe everything has happened the way he said it’s happened. His thinking and perception of reality could have been twisted from the abuse. That’s definitely a possibility. But who knows for sure, and I’m sure people like us fans who are outside of the circle never hear the whole story.
I don’t mean to repeat myself but I should also take my own advice from my last post and keep it about the music for the most part and not dwell on these kinds of personal issues Eddie or anyone else has. If I’m not directly involved in the goings on it’s really just conjecture on my part anyway.
I’m much more stable and less ranty when I’m sober huh? Hah ha!
I usually don’t drink that much anymore. I probably should have smoked some green instead like you said.
But I’ve gotten drunk like the last 4 or 5 days in a row and I should probably chill out on that a little bit. I’ve just been stressed from being so busy. That’s why I like to come here and take a break to getaway temporarily before I get back to it. It’s not a bad place to come to take a break and shoot the sh** for a few minutes.
My wife isn’t crazy about the idea of me getting high very much anymore or even drinking much. I think she’s a little paranoid about certain things, like me going back to how I used to be and I also think she has a visual image of a S.W.A.T. team repelling down from the roof of our house and busting through our windows as soon as someone lights up a joint. Lol.
And she thinks I get paranoid when I’m high. Ha ha. She’s paranoid sober.
The guy that lived across the street from us (We nicknamed Smokey) did get raided a couple of years ago though. Someone wanted to get back at him apparently and tipped off the feds. Not cool. Lucky for him he didn’t have much stuff at the time, mainly just a bunch of bongs. He was kind of a douche anyway, always talking about how good his shit was and bad-mouthing other peoples weed. And his fat psycho friend who always carried a giant revolver everywhere and would pull it out and shove it in your face if you pissed him off which wasn’t hard to do. He never did that shit to me though, because if he did at least one of us would probably be dead or in prison. He would talk shit about the guy who lived right next door to me who sold (apparently shitty) weed, I don’t know. I tried to avoid that guy as much as possible. I know he sold weed, shrooms, ecstasy, but he was a complete scumbag – crazy ass compulsive liar, one of the shadiest characters I’ve ever known. Terrible person.
I could tell so many amazingly ridiculous stories about the street I live on. I’ve lived on my street for about 6 years and so many things have happened. So many weirdos and crazy people have come and gone. For a few years it was all the entertainment anyone would need. We didn’t need a T.V. or anything ha ha.
It has since calmed down for the most part, but damn for a while it was insane. I didn’t even mention the craziest people. I could go on and on. It’s really funny stuff now that I think about it. Some of it wasn’t funny at the time it was happening though.
It’s weird, I don’t live in that bad of an area really. The streets on either side of us are new houses and it’s a pretty nice area. But the street in the middle that I live on is mostly older houses and apparently this street is like centered in the middle of Twilight Zone or something. I swear it’s like a magnet for the strangest people.
I kind of wish I could share some crazy stories here but I know that’s not what this site is for and I would be sitting at my computer all day. It would be so much easier if we were all hanging out somewhere. (After a Van Halen show possibly- yeah right….maybe. No, I think we would just all be talking about Van Halen)
March 14th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Anyway, I’m only human and at the time when I’m drunk certain things sound like a good idea ….until you sober up and go… DOH!
I think we’ve all been there before.
It’s funny how different the mindsets pot and alcohol can give you, they can make you think and act in totally different ways. The reactions from someone who is drunk compared to that person being stoned could be polar opposites even if it’s the same exact topic of discussion and the same person.
You don’t see to many people getting into fights who have just smoked out do you? Ha ha. But put enough drunk guys in the same room together and there’s a good chance someone’s gonna throw down.
Different strokes for different folks I guess.
March 14th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
I got off topic again – shazbot.
March 14th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
I dunno why some of you dummies are STILL perplexed why Eddie acts like an ASSHOLE most of the time…..he’s been like that for 25 years now!
Ed refusing to acknowledge Mike’s existence is par for the course. Watching him erase Mike’s image from the VH album covers right before the 2007-2008 Nostalgia Tour was not the least bit shocking. Banning Mike’s image from the Guitar Hero game was not surprising at all.
This is the very essence of Edward Van Halen…..a dumb alcoholic & chain-smoker who thinks the band Van Halen is 100% his property and has every right to abuse it and denegrate it any way he sees fit. Never mind that three other guys helped take Van Halen from an obscure club band in Southern California into the greatest American rock band of all time. It’s all about Eddie, right?
I will choose to be like Roth and stop tolerating Ed’s bullshit. I never seen Dave fire a good bass player so his teenage son could be in a band. I never seen Dave promise fans “enough songs to fill 10 albums” and then never deliver. Dave was always about bending over backwards (like on the VH1 cover) to please the fans. You can bet your bottom dollar that if VH never makes another record, it will be because of Ed’s personality defects, not anything Dave did.
March 14th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
More Human than Human…
March 15th, 2010 at 7:44 am
Yo, PANAMA RED — I ain’t on the VHND too much during the weekends, so missed your drunken rant till now. Yeah man, with regard to my facebook comment to Eddie Van Halen; not only did I phrase it in the most polite way I could, but I also wrote “…not saying that your son doesn’t rock! Saw you guys on tour KICKED ASS! Bravo!” Truth-be-told, I didn’t think much of Wolfie’s presence or playing at the concert, but didn’t want to disrespect him… considering he’s probably the one that keeps his dad’s facebook page going anyway. Oh well, so I’m not allowed to write on his ‘wall’ anymore. Heaven forbid I should say anything apart from the typical “We love you, Ed!” and “Van Halen kicks ass!”. Bah. It seems with a Van Halen video game, it’s a great time to just leave your egos aside and give the fans a complete retrospect on the ENTIRE Van Halen catalog. I figured each lead singer would at least be ‘unlockable’ as well as Mike on bass. Silly me, I should no better than to suggest billionaire rock stars should act like adults and treat their fans with respect. Back when he erased Mike’s image from the older album covers and replaced it with Wolfie — I think that speaks volumes. Here I go on that downward spiral of negativity, STOP IT! Of course, this has all been rehashed a dozen times so no need to do it again. So, RED, you got a little sloppy and posted a hateful rant. Most of do that even when we’re sober. And most of my goofy posts are done under the influence of caffeine only. (So no excuse for my verbose dribble) I’m just sayin.
But just like you said, RED. (LoL, that rhymed). Keeping the music first is the best way to stomach all the b.s. that goes on behind the scenes. DLR once said about backstage drama, “everyone loves chinese food, but nobody wants to know what goes on in the kitchen.” [I may have misquoted that but whatev.] POINT IS, just enjoy the music. It’s like, I have 3 kids — all boys. The oldest son has autism. When he was diagnosed earlier on, they told me he would probably need a full time aid and would struggle in school. Well, the kid is the only one in his class that knows all 50 states and capitals by heart. What he lacks in social grace, he makes up for with his amazing memory. His favorite thing to remember: VAN HALEN LYRICS! Hah! So as most of my older catalog of Van Halen (on vinyl and tape) begins to deteriorate from age, I have been buying all new cd.s on amazon. My kid, is ripping open the manila envelopes to see what treasure lies underneath. 1984 shows up this weekend along with Diver Down. He is jumping up and down thrilled he can listen to “I’ll Wait”! Well, he doesn’t care about the current state of Van Halen, or the Dave vs. Sammy debate (he loves them both) or that we will never get a new album. All he cares about is that he adores this song, and as he sits in the backseat of my car as I drop him off at school, jamming out; banging on the seats to the drums and singing along to all the words. I’m thinking how awesome it is that my 9 year old son appreciates great music. And I learn so much from that kid, about enjoying the simpler things and not getting wrapped up in the bullshit.
And like you said, RED, at least we have a new Chickenfoot album to look forward to! That’s cause for rejoice bro.
Okay, well there’s my long winded rant on this gloomy Monday morning. BLECH.
March 15th, 2010 at 8:45 am
Meant to say:
@ VH3 — Respect dude. That tour was the first time I heard Mike doing “Somebody Get me a doctor”; that was a great performance. Glad you were on his side of the stage.
@ Diamond Dean — like you said, everyones entitled to their own opinion. You have some interesting (and conflicting) ones. You were the same cat that said 5150 is the best album and “Why Can’t this be Love” your favorite song, right? Yet you seem to rag on Sammy worse than any hater I know. I don’t know dude, those yellow spandex must have really tortured your soul, man. Personally, I’m listening to the music not looking at their pants. Maybe you like focusing on the spandex instead. You say you believe Cherone was a better entertainer than Sammy?! Dude, really? … REALLY!? I myself have cited some of Hagar’s lyrics as rating high on the cheese-factor. In all fairness though, some of Roth’s were pretty simplistic as well. I’m sorry you can’t enjoy more of the hagar catalog. He’s actually written some pretty remarkable stuff. But hey, as you say, “cool bananas”. Keep enjoying your dokken. peace out.
March 15th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Panama Red: fucking hilarious…
March 15th, 2010 at 8:33 pm
NO Mas Tony
absolutely love 5150 & why cant this be love, even love live without a net , a trully great period of time 4 the band, but after that i just think they sank bigtime in everyway possible
Cherone vs Hagar (live)
Hagar , a good voice and a fantastic singer , LWOAN is brilliant !!! hagar was firing on all cylinders then, but from that point onwards i dont know what happened , i do quite enjoy the concert in japan bar the banana pants .HIS BIGGEST MISTAKE!!!! not playing the old classics , bar panama , aint talkin bout love etc . GGEEEESS if sammy wanted to win over the crowd n not b selfish well HAGAR ” im such a better singer then ROTH” should of showed him how to sing RUNNIN WITH THE DEVIL, MEAN STREETS HANG EM HIGH etc . What Roth had in confidence , even Cherone , Hagar lacked in droves of it n i trully think it showed in the band . When he wore the shorts , sandles n a flanno shirt , a bit of show goes a long way , there not pearl jam .His banter between songs is woeful!!!! u have to admit that.Hes just plain goofy on stage .
Cherone
Had confidence in a job which needed it , his performance were entertaining if a slighty bit weird . His voice was avg , ( i dont know why???? cause hes singin great now with extreme . HIS BIGGEST PLUS, he sang the old songs , some even better then ROTH n the ones he did better then hagar , i prefer cherones when its love to hagar . He dressed the part as well. He had enough confidence to let MA sing somebody get me a doctor
Compare the 95 concert to the 98 concert in sydney , i think 95 is terrible in every aspect , songs , intro s arrangements , why wld u start with right now , why wld u ever play big fat money?????? 98 concert starts off with unchained!!! what more cld u want
March 15th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
PASADENA KID yr 100% right , absolutely agree , if others dont see that there delusional
March 16th, 2010 at 9:35 am
Tommy Boy – I am the astro creep , demolition style – Hell , American freak….
Hey Tommy Boy have you seen that video on youtube of Chris Farley and Tom Arnold picking up chicks at the mall– Remember “HOLY SHIT!! GOD You’re Beautiful!”
He scares the crap out of that lady.
Awesome. His style of humor was so f-ing funny. Man , I miss that dude. He was so hilarious.
March 16th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
No Mas Tony – I work mostly from my house, so my days off aren’t necessarily Sat & Sun. I’m actually usually the busiest on the weekends, I take time off whenever I can. But yeah, that rant was about stuff that has been talked about here several times already. I think it was more of a stress reliever for me than anything. I was really kind of stressed out about something else so I sat down at my computer and ranted about something. It worked. Ha ha.
But like I said in one of my last posts, I’ll try not to do that again.
It sounds like you have an awesome 9 year old that you have a lot of fun with. That’s so cool about him memorizing the lyrics to Van Halen songs, I bet he knows them better than some of us here.
Autism seems to be more and more prevalent these days, and I‘m sure that it can be difficult for him and everyone else sometimes but it sounds like he’s one really cool kid and it sounds like he’s at the top of his class, wow. He seems gifted from what I can tell.
If I had a kid I think it would be really cool to share some of my musical interests with him instead of having to listen to all of that kid music that parents have to listen to when they’re driving around with their kids. You know what I mean? Every time I visit with my brother and his kids he has to put on a C.D. of the wiggles or some other stuff like that if we go somewhere in his car. That’s why I usually take mine. So if the kids ask to listen to something I can say…Well…All I have with me is “Cowboys From Hell” and “Dark Side of the Moon” HA HA. Just Kidding.
But every once in a while I’ll see a little kid in a Pantera shirt and I think to myself – that would be my kid. haha
Jim Breuer had a stand-up comedy special recently called “Lets’s clear the Air” and one of the things he talked about was that kind of stuff. He said it would be cool if Metal bands put out a childrens nursery rhymes album so parents could enjoy the kids music too. He did a good impersonation of Metallica/James Hetfield, but his AC/DC – Brian Johnson singing “Row, row, row your boat” was the best. The entire stand-up act was really funny.
March 16th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
@ DiamondDean
No disrespect intended, but I would like to counterpoint a topic that you brought up.
As far as set lists; that is a decision that is made by the BAND as a whole and simply can’t be laid at the doorstep of a singular member. This is something that has been re-hashed time and again here on VHND. Whatever the lineup was at the time, predicated what the sets would be. If Hagar was in the lineup, then it was predominately Van Hagar songs, mixed with a few of the Roth era. As shown in the Dave reunion, they played classic VH songs and none from either of the other two singers. During those stretches, the BAND mostly stayed within the frame of work from whoever was fronting. Since the tour with Gary had slim pickings, it allowed the BAND to cover some of the territory that might have made either of the other two leery of trying.
The bottom line here is that while decisions were made as a BAND, whatever the finshed product was to be, was ultimately signed off by EVH.
I’m all about liking what you like, for whatever your reasons. But, I just find it a little contradictory to deprecate one incarnation, while another operates in the exact same fashion.
March 16th, 2010 at 11:48 pm
D.O.A
No i listen to everyones opinion ,that what makes this interesting , but yr got to put some blame on Hagar , ive heard so many interviews when he said , if i didnt feel comfitable or relate to the song i cldnt sing it , so i imagine Eddie didnt want to but heads , so hagar tried to takeover , same thing happened at montrose id imagine . Poor Eddie had to deal with it , until he had enough , then came balance , a seriously sub par cd , n then when ED took total; control well we got vh 3
March 17th, 2010 at 2:30 am
For those not aware, Adam Bomb was a Geffen recording artist in the mid 80′s, his band of the same name including Jimmy Crespo fresh from his stint in Aerosmith as lead guitarist.
His stuff’s worth checking out, you’ll hear a Van Halen influence in much of it…
March 17th, 2010 at 2:50 am
I remember seeing Van Haggar on the OU812 tour, and it was a good show, people were enjoying. Then after maybe 2/3 of the set they suddenly played Panama and Ain’t talkin ’bout love. Even though Sammy did his dismissing antics, the place just exploded! EVERYBODY around me went completely nuts! After that they went back to Haggar material, and I though by myself, shit, really, I wanna hear more. The place calmed down again to a “normal” rock concert level. May Ed himself silently thought, “damn, why can’t we have a REAL party?”
March 17th, 2010 at 9:05 am
DiamondDean you are a donk. I wasn’t sure before I read what you said back to DOA, but I think I have it figured out now.
You want to piss on the Van Hagar song selection because there wasnt enuff Roth era songs? But it’s ok the Roth reunion setlist didnt have ANY of the catalog of the other two singers.
I agree to what DOA said about liking who you like for whatever reason. But c’mon Dean….bitching about what one singer does and the other does the same thing? Just profess your man-love for Roth already.
March 17th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
The other problem is, Dave cant sing Sammys songs. He doesnt have the vocal range like Gary did. Dave could maybe sing “Why cant this be love” or ” Finish What you started.” Cant really think of any other Hagar songs off the top of my head that Dave can sing.
March 17th, 2010 at 9:48 pm
HERB
Yr right there is a bromance thing goin on there .
Seriously though wld u really want to hear ROTH sing a HAGAR song , im sure he wldnt be able to do it ?????? if it was a dream i wld of let M.ANTHONY sing some hagar songs , wctbl , dreams, best of both worlds etc while dave sang the rest of the vh songs 78-84 , MAYBE he cld of sang FINISH WHAT YA STARTED, THE CROWD WLD OF GONE WILD !! , god 4bid how great wld it been to hear Eddie do just like paradise , yankee rose californian girls , now that wld of ben a GREAT! show dont ya think?????
The VH live show has gone to being very avg because of HAGAR N E VAN HALEN , cause now EVH tells what there playing , in the old days it was ROTH.
All we ever hear is how much a better singer hagar is then roth , gees he had 12 yrs to prove it and never cld , gees try singing runnin with the devil better then roth . They cld of put on a much better show but never did , as imtheone said , they went crazy over panama , aint talkin bout l;ove , gees imagine if he did mean sts or And the cradle will rock , yikes!!!!! but it was never about the fans , gees did u ever hear anyone go crazy over SPANKED or IN N OUT??????? not in this lifetime
Yr favorite Donk , yrs trully Diamond Dean
March 18th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
I don’t give a fuck what anyone says, Balance was a good record. The show I saw that tour kicked ASS. As all of their shows did I have seen since 84, except the 2004 show I was in the 6th row for and Eddie was plastered. He fell down during jump! Sammy has a great voice. He is what he is. They sold a shitload of records and had a lot of hits, so I guess a lot of people out there dug it. They had some good tunes!Who cares if Dave can’t sing Sammy tunes, that’s just stupid. Who would want to hear that anyway? Dave may not have the range, but can write killer lyrics and has a personality that fits perfect with Eddie. Personally I thought the 2 songs on the best of were better than anything they did with Sammy. I just wished they hadn’t made us have to buy volume 1 for the 2 songs. Everyone already has all the records anyway, multiple times. But Ed & Dave is what made VH different than other bands in the first place. It’s all good, man. An endless argument. Just accept all of it, after all it’s still Eddie on guitar, right? Even VH3, there is some killer guitar on it. I guess the point is….debating singers is really fucking retarded and just get over it!
March 18th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Diamond Dean….gees, it’s “could have”. Don’t mean to be a grammar bitch but gees…
March 19th, 2010 at 2:32 am
Thanks Tommy boy
March 20th, 2010 at 7:07 am
I’m not being a wise ass here:
I always see VH3 “used” for about 5 bucks.
Should I pick it up for the music alone?
I havent listened to it since it first came out.
But I keep hearing about how good eddie sounds on that perticular album.
Should I give it another listen?
March 20th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Dirty Duck.
Its not that bad , sure cherone voice is grating , the music is great , One i want , Dirty water dog r great songs in my books.
The songs r too long n sound like there just been put together , its just as much Eddies fault as its Garys , i prefer it to balance n ou812 thats 4 sure
March 20th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Yes it’s worth it just for the music. Can’t beat $5 bucks.
March 21st, 2010 at 4:29 pm
well dirty duck its by far there worst albulm but i would buy it even if its 20 bucks. people dont like it cause they know van halen could have done alot better but it still kicks the shit out of some other bands you here these days.
March 23rd, 2010 at 7:06 am
Diamond Dean / scott / and dlrevhsh:
Thanks guys for taking the time to give me your views on the album! I heard it when it first came out and I remember thinkin: christ….first sammy now this shit? “Without you” was hard to swallow the first listen. And that video? the ice capades? Anyway….scott’s right: cant beat 5 bucks!
Thanks again and keep it loud boys!
March 23rd, 2010 at 11:48 am
Dave shouldnt sing sammy songs, just like sammy should stay the fuck away from dave’s songs. Two completely different styles of singing….and two completely different frontmen.
Apples and oranges….
Actually fuck that…here’s a better way of putting it:
“Jack Daniels and Tequila”
March 24th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
I’ve discussed with people before about Sammy singing Dave-VH songs and Dave singing Sammy-VH and how it would be cool to hear both eras by each singer but the bottom line is- there is a big enough Van Halen library for each singer to stick with his own material.
When Sammy is in the band, sometimes fans like to hear some classic Dave era songs and I guess when Dave is in the band some people would like to hear some Sammy era songs. But I can’t hardly even conceive Dave singing a Sammy song, that just seems too weird to me. Not only would it probably be impossible for Dave to sing most of those songs but also Sammy is a tenor and Dave is a baritone so their singing styles and sounds are so different. It would probably just sound weird for Dave to sing those songs.
Eddie wrote that music with Sammy’s voice so it probably just wouldn’t sound right to people if VH played those “Van-Hagar” songs with Dave.
Like you said Duck, apples and oranges, and it doesn’t matter anyway because there are plenty of Bad Ass classic VH songs for Dave to choose from, any of which the crowd would go crazy to hear.
At this point in time I think it would be kind of ridiculous to complain about Dave not singing Sammy songs. Even though it’s probably that people want to hear Eddie playing those Sammy-VH era songs than more that it is about Dave singing those songs.
But that doesn’t really matter because I bet 95% of people who go see Van Halen with Roth are only expecting to hear Dave era songs anyway. THEY KICK ASS!!
When Van Halen would play Dave era songs with Sammy I would love it, but it was more to hear the rest of the band play those classics than to hear Sammy sing those songs. I am glad Sammy sung some of those songs for the fans though, but you could tell he wasn’t into them as much as his own material, but it was still cool and fun. And honestly, as much as I love Sammy, those classic songs sound better sung by Dave. But that makes sense, they were Dave’s songs and we’re all used to hearing Dave’s voice on those songs.
But like I said, I think we should all be happy to hear what they give us at this point. There is no room to complain anymore, y’know what I mean? I’m desperate at this point to hear anything from VH.
Hey that’s a pretty good analogy Dirty Duck. Jack Daniel’s and Tequila. They can both give you a good time but most people are only in the mood for one or the other.
I personally like drinking both. Wait, are we still talking about VH frontmen Ha ha ha.
Speaking of Tequila I need to get another bottle of Cabo, I’m almost out. I don’t have a whole lot going on today, so I need to get my ass over to the liquor store right now. I think I’m also gonna finally buy a bottle of that Crystal Head Vodka. Doen anyone know what I’m talking about? It’s pretty cool.
But about the music, seriously, you know what I hope? I hope we have to get over talking about the “Classic” songs being played in concert because we will be talking about the new material. I mean, we’ll always want to hear those classic songs but can you imagine the buzz it’s going to create if/when Van Halen releases a new album with DLR. Fans will be going F-ing nuts!
March 26th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Panama Red:
Yeah man!!! True dat, spot on with all of it.