Forty years ago, just weeks after the release of Eat 'Em and Smile, David Lee Roth sat down with CREEM magazine for one of the most revealing interviews of his early solo career. With the Van Halen split still fresh, Roth had just assembled his powerhouse new band featuring Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan, and Gregg Bissonette, while Van Halen was riding high with Sammy Hagar and … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Brings the Best of All Worlds to MGM National Harbor
By Tom Prather I started my career photographing Van Halen back in '95. It was a dream come true then, and I never could have guessed I'd still be in the photo pit chasing those same songs three decades later. So when I walked into The Theater at MGM National Harbor on June 26 to shoot Sammy Hagar on The Best of All Worlds Tour, it felt like the whole thing had come full … [Read more...]
The Mystery Behind Alex Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher” Drum Intro
For 42 years, drummers have debated one of rock's greatest mysteries: What exactly is happening during the opening moments of Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher"? Was it a Lamborghini engine? A hot rod? Electronic drums? Four bass drums? Layered parts? Or was it simply Alex being Alex? In a new Drumeo video titled "Alex Van Halen Fooled Everyone With This Drum Intro," drummer … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth’s Summer Tour Is Bringing the Party Back
David Lee Roth is alive, well, and running with the devil on his 2026 'Don't Love Me, Rent Me' Worldwide Tour, a 27-date run that kicked off April 16th in Airway Heights, WA, and will finish up on August 6th in Sturgis, SD. No opening band, just Diamond Dave, one of rock's most iconic frontmen. "Forget everything you've heard about David Lee Roth lately. "Forget the … [Read more...]
Watch Sammy Hagar’s Full Noblesville Show From The Best Of All Worlds Tour
Sammy Hagar brought The Best Of All Worlds Tour to Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana, last night, and fan-shot video of the full show is now available to watch. Hagar's current band features longtime Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, powerhouse drummer Kenny Aronoff, and new keyboardist Nathan Mercado. Together, they delivered a set … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Opens 2026 Tour with a Celebration of Van Halen
Sammy Hagar launched his 2026 "Best of All Worlds" summer tour Saturday night at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Louis, Missouri. Joined by Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, Kenny Aronoff, and new keyboardist Nathan Mercado, Hagar delivered a set dominated by Van Halen material, reminding fans that the music of the Van Hagar era remains the centerpiece of this ongoing … [Read more...]
Steve Lukather Clarifies Alex Van Halen’s Upcoming Project: “These Are Finished Tracks With Ed And Al”
For months, fans have been speculating about the mysterious project that Alex Van Halen has been developing with longtime friend Steve Lukather. Now, Lukather has offered his clearest explanation yet of what the project actually is — and what it isn't. Speaking with Guitar Player, the Toto guitarist emphasized that the music is not a collection of unfinished scraps pieced … [Read more...]
When Van Halen Rocked Memorial Day Weekend 1983: The US Festival Revisited
On its 39th anniversary, we look back at the biggest concert of Van Halen's extravagant career! The footage embedded above is a segment of Van Halen's appearance at the US FESTIVAL in 1983. Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth “drop in” by helicopter at the venue ahead of US Festival '83. Acclaimed inventor Steve Wozniak, the organizer of the festival, comments on … [Read more...]
Van Halen Performing ‘Mine All Mine’ Austin 1995 Video
"Today we celebrate the 38th Anniversary of OU812 with this live performance of "Mine All Mine" from the vault! September 30, 1995 - who was there?" Sammy and Michael have uploaded a pro-shot video of Van Halen performing "Leonel mine"Mine All Mine" in Austin Texas, on September 30, 1995, during the Balance tour. Watch the video above. "What is understood need not be … [Read more...]
A Look Back: Van Halen’s ‘OU812’ Released On This Day In 1988
"Oh, You Ate One Too!" Released 38 years ago today - May 24th, 1988! 'OU812' was the second Van Halen album to feature Sammy Hagar as lead singer. It reached number one on Billboard (the band's second consecutive #1), sold over 4 million copies in the US and featured six songs that landed on the Billboard Hot 100 and/or the Mainstream Rock Tracks! Hagar looked … [Read more...]
30 Years Of VHND: Because Too Much Van Halen Is Never Enough
On May 21, 1996 — before Google existed, before social media, before YouTube, before streaming music, before message boards and Facebook groups, and before most people even understood what a "website" was — the Van Halen News Desk officially launched online. Today marks 30 years. Thirty years of reporting on the world's greatest rock band. Thirty years of celebrating … [Read more...]
“Our Knees Would Touch” — David Lee Roth Gets Emotional Remembering Eddie Van Halen
Fans attending David Lee Roth's show last night in Glenside, Pennsylvania, got something far deeper than a typical concert introduction. Before performing Van Halen's "Ice Cream Man," Roth delivered a heartfelt and often funny six-minute story about writing songs with Eddie Van Halen — recalling the tiny Pasadena space where the earliest Van Halen songs were born. "Almost … [Read more...]