Guitarist Tracy G recently recalled seeing Van Halen perform in 1976 at the Golden West Ballroom in Norwalk, California. It was literally a jaw-dropping experience.
“It just ran over me like a truck and I’m just standing there with my mouth open,” Tracy (Dio, Love/Hate, Riff Raff) told host Jeff Goebel during a recent appearance on Final Resonance TV.
“This was a band. this was an army,” Tracy added. “When I had bands at the time, I just wanted my bands to be like that. I was inspired by not just [Eddie’s] guitar playing but [the band] had everything. They didn’t have any weak link. At one time they had no weak link and that’s pretty scary when a machine can run like a machine. There were other bands around, but they didn’t have all that Van Halen had.”
Watch Tracy give a detailed, front-row account of that night in the video above. From chatting with Eddie pre-show, to Eddie’s gear set up, to the band’s performance, right down to the post-concert reactions, this is a must-watch!
There are plenty more Van Halen stories to be found at the Final Resonance TV YouTube channel HERE.
Listen To Van Halen Performing At The Golden West Ballroom On 5/9/76