Check out this letter written by a disgruntled parent who took their daughter to the Van Halen concert in Shreveport, Louisiana on this day in 1982. Priceless! Thanks to fellow fan Rodney Carr for digging this out of his collection. Here's a few ways we think the parent could have signed off on their letter: "And I almost forgot to mention that the singer … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Van Halen Tribute at University of Oklahoma
Updated with video above. Model citizens and The University of Oklahoma fans had an onramp coming through their stadium Saturday as the school's marching band performed Van Halen's "Panama" during the halftime show, complete with VH logo! Video of the VH tribute hasn't surfaced yet, but it probably will sometime soon. We'll feature it here when it becomes available. As … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar: Van Halen Reunion ‘Not On My Bucket List’
Despite pining for a Van Halen reunion in numerous interviews over the years, it appears Sammy Hagar is now less hopeful for one. Hagar's quote from a new interview with Newsday: “The Van Halen thing I think is a dead horse. Honestly, I’m so busy and occupied with everything else in my life that it’s not on my front burner where every day I’m checking my email. It’s not … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth Performs at Summer Spectacular Under the Stars (Full Video)
David Lee Roth performed at the Summer Spectacular Under the Stars last weekend in Beverly Hills. The annual, invite only event benefits The Brent Shapiro Foundation. Hosts were Mario Lopez, David Lee Roth, Cleto and the Cletones, Demi Lovato, Robert Shapiro, Cassie Scerbo, and Courtney Mazza. The headliner was David Lee Roth, who led the band (complete with brass section … [Read more...]
Video: Gene Simmons on the 3 Kiss Songs Recorded with Van Halen Brothers
In the video above, Gene Simmons talks about the three never before released (and never leaked or bootlegged) KISS tracks which feature Eddie and Alex Van Halen. Simmons will soon release a massive, limited-edition box set called The Vault. Among its one hundred and fifty tracks are three long-lost KISS demo recordings that feature Edward and Alex Van Halen playing alongside … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen Jamming at Friend’s Birthday Party, 1968
Van Halen Rising's Facebook page posted this gem of a photo today, above. Another amazing early Ed Van Halen photo, this one circa '68, from the Broderick family vault. Here we can see Edward jamming with Bill Maxwell at Rob Broderick's 14th Birthday Party. Edward is playing a Maestro 12 string Guitar but with only 6 strings on it. Guitar was purchased at Lafayette Radio on … [Read more...]
Watch Wolfgang Van Halen Play ‘Eruption’!
You may be cool, but you're not "playing 'Eruption' on the original Frankenstein in honor of its 40th anniversary" cool. Wolfgang Van Halen just posted a short, seemingly casual video of him playing his father's classic guitar instrumental, "Eruption." His social media post reads, "In honor of Eruption being recorded 40 years ago today, here's me playing it on the guitar … [Read more...]
40 Years Ago: Eddie Van Halen Records ‘ERUPTION’
It was exactly 40 years ago today that Eddie Van Halen recorded the wildly innovative instrumental, "Eruption." The date of Sept. 8th, 1977 was uncovered by Van Halen biographer, Greg Renoff, during his extensive interviews with Van Halen producer Ted Templeman. Here's an exclusive excerpt about the day "Eruption" was recorded, from the pages of Renoff's Van Halen … [Read more...]
The Vault Cracks Open: Gene Simmons To Release 1977 ‘Love Gun’ Demos Featuring The Van Halen Brothers
We've got an exclusive from Van Halen biographer Greg Renoff for VHND today ... some pretty exciting news! Here it is: The list of “Holy Grail” archival rarities that Van Halen fans dream of is a long one. Frequently wished-for items include early studio demos, film footage drawn from Van Halen’s 1981 performances in Oakland, and concert recordings from the band’s golden … [Read more...]
Why Van Halen is the Most Important, Most Influential Rock Band Ever to Have Set Foot on Planet Earth
Film & music editor, Michael Hann, (From The Quietus & The Guardian) professes his passion for Van Halen, whom he describes as “the most important and influential rock band apart from the Beatles.” Hann really gets how Van Halen totally reinvented hard rock and how David Lee Roth helped make them much more interesting than the other rock bands at the time. From The … [Read more...]
Jacob Deraps Band Performs Van Halen’s ‘I’m The One’
Over the last three years, the VHND has kept up with three young musicians who've been performing excellent Van Halen covers, but always having to do them long distance, as two of them live in Québec, and one lives in Australia. This summer, however, they all got together for the first time — to perform several gigs as the Jacob Deraps Band! Watch their latest Van Halen cover, … [Read more...]
When Van Halen Kicked Up ‘One Way To Rock’ Ten Notches
How do you turn a pretty decent rock song into an ABSOLUTELY EPIC guitar song? You just add Eddie Van Halen, of course. It was on this day in 1986 that Van Halen was filmed in New Haven Connecticut, which resulted in our favorite recorded version of "There's Only One Way to Rock." If you want to appreciate the difference Eddie Van Halen can make on guitar, just listen to … [Read more...]