Singer/guitarist Myles Kennedy remembered meeting a “totally cool” Eddie Van Halen all while he was trying to “play it cool” meeting one of his all-time musical heroes.
“He was totally cool – it was everything I could have hoped for,” Kennedy (Alter Bridge, Slash) told Ultimate Guitar. Kennedy said he had the chance to meet Eddie around 2010 through his friendship with Wolfgang Van Halen. “[Eddie] came to a [Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy] show with Wolfie – we were playing the House of Blues in Los Angeles and he came backstage into the dressing room and hung out for a little bit. He was just so laid back and chill. Any time that I’ve had the opportunity to meet these massive influences, these icons, it’s always trying to pull the reigns on my fandom and not turn into Chris Farley when he was interviewing Paul McCartney. I have to tell myself, ‘It’s Eddie Van Halen, but just play it cool, man.'”
A few years before meeting Eddie in person, he had the chance to watch him, Alex and Wolfgang perform during soundcheck. It was another Van Halen moment he’ll never forget.
“I got to see Van Halen’s soundcheck with the Alter Bridge guys probably in 2008 or so,” said Kennedy. “We were in Baltimore and they were as well, so we got invited by Wolfie to go watch their soundcheck. That was great. As far as specific memories that jump out, it was probably just sitting on the floor, watching Van Halen do their soundcheck. David Lee Roth wasn’t there – it was just the three of them and I was just totally freaking out. If someone told me when I was 13 years old, that I would be able to sit in this completely empty arena and watch Van Halen prepare for a show, I would have been blown away. It was everything I could have wished for, so that was awesome.
Kennedy is promoting his new, second solo album “The Ides of March”.