Photo by David McGough This week is a special time in Van Halen history. It was 30 years ago this week that the band topped Billboard's LP charts for the first time, with 5150! The album sat in the Number One position for 3 weeks straight. In a new interview, Sammy Hagar shares some interesting stories from the making of the classic album. Before we get to what Sammy had to … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2016
David Lee Roth’s ‘Eat ’em and Smile’ Anniversary Retrospective
Today's the 32nd Anniversary of David Lee Roth's first solo LP, Eat ’Em and Smile! Released July 7th, 1986. We have an exclusive excerpt of a lengthy article on the 30th anniversary of David Lee Roth's Eat 'em and Smile album, which appears in Guitar World. The article is written by Greg Renoff, author of 'Van Halen Rising.' Just as 'Rising' shed unprecedented light on Van … [Read more...]
Latest Van Halen ‘Interview’ Proves Bogus
We have an important statement to make. Yesterday at VHND we wrote an article which mentioned Guitar Tricks Insider magazine's new Eddie Van Halen cover story. Their feature story on Eddie featured many quotes, as if they recently interviewed him. We just learned that this is NOT a legitimate interview. It turns out that not only has Eddie Van Halen not spoken to Guitar … [Read more...]
Van Halen Rocks Cabo Wabo Cantina, 1990 (Photos & Video)
On this day in 1990, Van Halen performed at the Grand Opening of their very own Cabo Wabo Cantina! There's a sleepy town, south of the border. If you go there once, you'll be there twice. Sound familiar? These are the hallowed words that introduced us to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and the Cabo Wabo Cantina, which was, at the time, owned by Van Halen. Today marks the 26 … [Read more...]
‘Rock Legends: Van Halen’ Airs Wednesday, April 20 on AXS TV
Today on AXS TV: Ranked among the top hard rock bands of all time, Van Halen was known as much for the drama surrounding its members as its larger-than-life stage performances. Interviews, news archives and performances reveal the story of this iconic band. Tune in Wednesday, April 20 at 8|7c on AXS TV! Tune in to AXS TV tonight! If the programs ends up online, we'll … [Read more...]
Eddie and Cody Van Halen with George Clooney
George Clooney appears on the cover of the April issue of Esquire Magazine. As you can see below, Kody Van Halen shares the cover with him. Here's the cover, along with a photo of Eddie and Kody Van Halen with Mr. Clooney. Esquire drew an arrow pointing to Kody, and states, "This guy is real and his name is Kody Van Halen." We congratulate Kody on scoring the first Van Halen … [Read more...]
Van Halen LIVE in Montreal, April 19th, 1984 (VIDEO)
It was this day in 1984 that Van Halen played a show in Montreal, Canada. At the time, that show was not anything unusual — just your typical life-changing concert by The Mighty Van Halen. But that one performance is now legendary. Why? Because it's the only performance from that tour that has been recorded in its entirety for anyone to see. It's the only full show from their … [Read more...]
Exclusive Photos: Van Halen Plays Houston on This Day in 1978
Here's live & backstage photos from the Van Halen concert which took place 38 years ago today, at the Music Hall in Houston, Texas. Some of these pics are exclusive to VHND, and never seen before. Here's the button that Pantera Ten Productions used as a backstage pass, which states, "JOURNEY CONCERT, Special Guest Stars Montrose & Van Halen." Note that Michael is … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday, ‘Diver Down’! David & Eddie Discuss the Classic Album
On this day in 1982, Van Halen released "Diver Down!" Here's what David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen had to say about every song on the classic album upon it's release. Roth's quotes are from Cream & Van Halen's are from Guitar Player. Eddie: "When we came off the Fair Warning tour last year [1981], we were going to take a break and spend a lot of time writing this and … [Read more...]
Hear Van Halen’s Unreleased Song “I Want Some Action” & Other ‘5150’ Demos
For the 30th anniversary of Van Halen's, multiplatinum, No. 1 album, "5150," we're spotlighting an unreleased (and unfinished) song from the album, "I Want Some Action," which you can listen to above. This is a is a song that was written and recorded during the "5150" sessions, and, interestingly, the only unreleased song that has leaked out of 5150 from all the years with … [Read more...]
Did Roth Really QUIT Van Halen in ’85? This Insider Says No!
One of the biggest shakeups in rock 'n' roll history is when David Lee Roth quit Van Halen in 1985. But did he really quit? This insider, who was known as "one of the fifth members of Van Halen," says David did not quit ... Legend has it that on April 1st, 1985 ... April Fool’s Day ... David Lee Roth left Van Halen. (First, let's get this out of the way ... it didn't happen on … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen Donates Signed Guitar For Charity
Edward Van Halen donated a signed EVH Striped Series guitar for a great cause — the John Varvatos 13th Annual Stuart House Benefit. Mr. Van Halen is on the host committee for the John Varvatos Stewart House event, and he has donated for several years now. The CHARITY BUZZ auction is live! It ends TUES, April 26, 2016 3:53 PM EDT. BID HERE. About Stuart House: Stuart … [Read more...]