Legendary rock photographer Ross Halfin has shot Van Halen many times over the years. Here's his backstage shots from Newcastle upon Tyne’s City Hall, June 26th, 1979. The band was three months into their second world tour—their first full tour as headliners. Van Halen II had already gone platinum, and their third work, Women And Children First, would come out just nine months … [Read more...]
Archives for 2014
Never Seen Photos of Eddie Van Halen’s Guitar Collection at 5150!
"Pretty maids, all in a row..." Feast your eyes on a real treat! Here's some incredibly cool photos from 5150 studios that have just emerged, offering glimpses of many of Eddie Van Halen's rarely seen guitars. These are definitely some of the very best (and only!) photos of Eddie's axe collection that have ever come out of 5150. You just don't get to see many photos of the … [Read more...]
Van Halen Plays a Converted Barn on This Day in ’78! (UPDATED)
On Thursday and Friday, August 10th & 11th, 1978, Van Halen performed at a small bar in Wisconsin that was a actually converted barn. Yes, a BARN! The band arrived in a van and played on a small stage up in the hay loft! Tickets were six bucks, burgers were a dollar, and hay covered the floor. This show has to be one of smallest and most unique gigs of their entire … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Mike & Playboy Bunny Backstage
We'd like to think that if you were to walk into the hallowed backstage area of an early Van Halen gig at any given time, you'd be greeted by something like this. “All Access” Photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we feature a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many are never-seen-before exclusives. Tune in every weekend for more! … [Read more...]
Awesome Van Halen “Romeo Delight” Video Montage
Kick off your weekend with this KICK ASS video for Van Halen's "Romeo Delight!" A fan did an especially good job compiling a bunch of Van Halen concert footage into his own video for this classic track from Women And Children First. Although all the footage has previously circulated, he did a superb job editing it together, giving us a fresh video to go along with the … [Read more...]
Van Halen Tops Guitar World’s List of Best Albums of the Eighties
In early 1990, the editors of Guitar World magazine sat back, grabbed some coffee and painstakingly selected what they considered the top 50 guitar albums of the just-ended Eighties. Van Halen's magnificent 1984 topped their list as the #1 album of the Eighties! And not only that—Van Halen was the only band that three albums that made their list. Women And Children First and … [Read more...]
Top 10 Van Halen Music Videos
The VH1 documentary "All Time Top Ten: Van Halen" counts down the top 10 Van Halen songs. Former MTV VJ Mark Goodman takes you through their wild history while he rolls out their top 10, which is basically a list of their favorite Van Halen music videos. "Few Rock bands have risen to the height of Van Halen," says Goodman, "And even fewer have done it through a revolving … [Read more...]
Exclusive: Eddie Van Halen “Love Song” Instrumental from ‘The Wild Life’ Film Score
More music from The Wild Life! Here’s what we call “Love Song," a pretty little guitar track from the 1984 movie The Wild Life. This has never been heard in full until now. This beautiful little piece, not reliant on gain and effects, could be a cousin of "Women In Love." It's very lovely, with a chime-like quality. This was played on a stratocaster. We wonder if it's the … [Read more...]
Tribute to Uncle Manny Roth (1918 – 2014)
Photo: Uncle Manny Roth backstage with David after the Van Halen "Friends and Family" dress rehearsal at the LA forum. Feb 8th, 2012. Our respects and condolences go out to David Lee Roth and his family—his Uncle Manny passed away on Friday. “Uncle Manny has passed away,” Roth wrote on his website. “He was 95 years old. He was happy, laughing and smiling right … [Read more...]
EVH Unchains the New CIRCLES Guitar
Today, EVH Gear announced the new edition to the Stripe Series lineup—the eye-catching "Circles" model! Based on one of Eddie Van Halen’s most iconic axes, the Circles takes inspiration from the guitar used on the 1981 Fair Warning tour, known to fans as the “The Unchained Guitar” because Eddie plays it in the band's official live music video for "Unchained". Fans have also … [Read more...]
Live Photos: Van Halen at the 1978 “Day on the Green” Festival
View image | gettyimages.com On this day in 1978, Van Halen performed Bill Graham’s Day on the Green Festival in Oakland, California. Here are several LIVE photos from their blistering set! Van Halen took the stage after AC/DC and delivered a slightly abbreviated set, since Pat Travers, Foreigner, and Aerosmith would follow them. Even then, the young and hungry band had the … [Read more...]
Backstage Photos: Van Halen at Oakland’s ‘Day on the Green’
Eddie and Y&T's Joey Alves backstage at the Day on the Green, July 23rd, 1978. Photo by Bill Frate Forty years ago, Van Halen performed Bill Graham's Day on the Green in Oakland, California. Enjoy a plethora of backstage photos from before Van Halen took the stage! 57,512 rock fans witnessed the legendary show. General admission tickets were $11, and the lineup was AC/DC, … [Read more...]