Sammy Hagar is set to feature as a special guest on a forthcoming Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute album by the band's ex-drummer, Artimus Pyle. In anticipation of the album's upcoming release, their rendition of "Simple Man" has been released. The collection titled Anthems: Honoring the Music of Lynyrd Skynyrd is due on Feb. 2, and features a number of marquee collaborations between … [Read more...]
Van Halen Among Top Ten Bands Who Outshined The Headliner
Credit: Neil Zlozower It's not often an opening act leaves a bigger impression with fans than the headliner they came to see but that's just what happened back in 1978 when Van Halen opened for Black Sabbath. Their outshining of Sabbath recently put them on the list of greatest show openers. Here's an excerpt from Greg Prato's recent article for Ultimate-Guitar titled … [Read more...]
Inside Van Halen’s Wildest, Most Controversial Video
Credit: Neil Zlozower The David Lee Roth years of Van Halen include more than a few famous videos. There was, of course, the one "infamous" video for "(Oh) Pretty Woman". Rock journalist Greg Prato has shared an excerpt from his recent article on the controversial video for Ultimate-Guitar: Van Halen and David Lee Roth (early in his solo career) were responsible … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Announces ‘Best Of All Worlds’ Tour With Joe Satriani
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer SAMMY HAGAR is embarking on the long-awaited “THE BEST OF ALL WORLDS” 2024 tour. Hagar will be joined by rock heavyweights and longtime bandmates MICHAEL ANTHONY (bass, backing vocals), JASON BONHAM (drums) and revealed on Nov 14 on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show that JOE SATRIANI, one of the best guitar players in the world, will complete the … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen’s Guitar Gifted To Jason Becker For Auction
Photo courtesy of Jason Becker The upcoming auction of the Edward Van Halen owned Wolfgang model serial numbered 91000069 given to Jason Becker in August of 1996 presented by Guernsey's Auction House 11/12/23 -- An amazing meeting took place on August 31, 1996. That’s when Eddie Van Halen spent the day with a guy who had followed in his footsteps playing alongside … [Read more...]
The Origins Of Billy Sheehan’s Two-Handed Tapping
Watching Billy Sheehan two-hand tapping on his bass, it's hard to not think of Eddie Van Halen. It was a different guitarist, however, who inspired Sheehan to adopt this technique. Sheehan (David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, The Winery Dogs) talked about the origins of his two-handed tapping during a recent interview with Matt Pinfield. Below is an excerpt from an Ultimate-Guitar … [Read more...]
Hawkins Recalls Van Halen Set At Wembley With Wolfgang
Justin Hawkins says he and Wolfgang Van Halen had very little time to prepare their mini-Van Halen set before 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London last year during the Taylor Hawkins tribute. Just one run-through and go. Here's an excerpt from an article posted to Ultimate-Guitar by Greg Prato: Of the many performances at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts at … [Read more...]
‘Power’ Star Joseph Sikora Is Goin’ Crazy For Diamond Dave
The second season of Power Book IV: Force -- one of the four shows within what is called "the Power Universe" on the STARZ network -- premiered back in September. It begins with Tommy Egan on a mission to avenge the death of Lilliana, his former nemesis turned business partner. How does that relate to Van Halen, you ask? Well, Tommy Egan is portrayed by actor and producer … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth In ‘Hi-Fashion’ With Latest Single
Turn to the left, turn to the right. It's David Lee Roth's latest release 'Hi-Fashion'! The song is another from the 2007 sessions with guitarist John 5 dubbed "The California Sessions", which also includes "Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bar and Grill", "Low-Rez Sunset", "Giddy-Up!", "Alligator Pants", "Pointing at the Moon", "Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then", "Manda … [Read more...]
McDonald’s Releases Christmas Ad Featuring Van Halen’s ‘Jump’
Nothin' like a Big Mac with an extra large order of Van Halen! McDonald's latest Christmas ad titled 'Fancy A McDonald's' features the Van Halen song that's as familiar as the McDonald's arches - "Jump". It features various scenarios including parents at a nativity play, friends at a work Christmas party, and even Santa Claus himself, with people coming together to head to … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen Wanted A Guitar Lesson From Glen Campbell
Credit: Darren Balch According to Alice Cooper, Eddie Van Halen wanted a guitar lesson from Glenn Campbell and it almost happened thanks to a round of golf. Cooper told the story during a recent appearance on BBC's "The Rock Show With Johnnie Walker": "One time Eddie Van Halen called me up and said, 'Hey, I wanna come to Arizona and play golf,'" said Cooper. "And … [Read more...]
Triumph’s Rik Emmett: US Festival Wasn’t Van Halen’s Best Moment
Credit: Neil Zlozower Triumph singer/guitarist Rik Emmett says Van Halen may have started the party too early on the day of the 1983 US Festival. During a recent interview with Ultimate-Guitar's Greg Prato, Emmett commented on Triumph's appearance at the US Festival's "Heavy Metal Day" on May 29, 1983, which saw performances from Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy … [Read more...]