In 1984, two friends from small town Pennsylvania win an MTV contest and the chance to party with Van Halen for 48 Hours. And 35 years later, a short (14 minute) documentary about that legendary "lost weekend" has been completed! The guys who brought you GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling have a new short film premiering at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. … [Read more...]
Two Faces of Van Halen
35 years ago today, Van Halen was staying at the Cincinnati Clarion Hotel. Rolling Stone was there to interview Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth. Enjoy the interview and newspaper convert review of the March 8th Cincinnati show, below. (The interview took place on March 8th or 9th, and was published in June). “It’s a cold March day in Cincinnati. Eddie Van Halen has turned … [Read more...]
Van Halen 3/22/84 Buffalo, NY – Concert Reviews, Shirt, Tickets
On this day in 1984, Van Halen performed at in Buffalo, NY. Here's a picture of the special shirt the promoter made for the band and crew, two concert ticket stubs, and three newspaper articles about that show. … [Read more...]
Former Van Halen Manager Writes Tell-All Book
A new tell-all book has been written by Noel Monk, Van Halen manager from 1978-1985. It's the only Van Halen book chronicling the early years written by a member of the Van Halen camp. And by their manager, no less! Runnin' with the Devil: A Backstage Pass to the Wild Times, Loud Rock, and the Down and Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen is being released in less than … [Read more...]
Eddie Trunk Talks Van Halen’s ‘1984’ Album
Eddie Trunk discussed Van Halen's '1984' this week on his Sirius/XM "Trunk Nation" show. He took some calls as well. This aired this Monday, January 9th, on the 33rd anniversary of the classic album. Listen to it above, with all the non-Van Halen talk edited out. Trunk and the callers discuss the controversial use of keyboards and the more pop direction of some of the songs. … [Read more...]
Van Halen ‘Monsters of Rock’ Sweden, 1984
On this day in 1984, Van Halen rocked Sweden for the first time! Here's a fantastic shot of The Mighty Van Halen performing at Rasunda Stadium in Stockholm during that very day. This was part of the "Monsters of Rock" stadium shows that wrapped up the legendary 1984 tour. Besides this unique photo, here's an excellent sounding audience recording of that very concert! … [Read more...]
Van Halen 1984 Soundcheck Audio!
The internet is pretty cool sometimes. Back in 1984, a fan who somehow had access to the venue Van Halen was playing that night (San Francisco's Cow Palace) recorded a few minutes of the band's soundcheck. Hearing Eddie casually noodle around a bit is just great! Listen above. … [Read more...]
Martha Quinn Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love With David Lee Roth
"I was so intent on not being razzle-dazzled by him" — Martha Quinn Martha Quinn was one of the iconic five original MTV VJs. She looks back at the early days of MTV in a new interview, as the history-making cable channel that launched her career (not to mention the careers of hundreds of pop artists) celebrates its big 35th birthday. Quinn was just 22 years old at the time … [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...]
32nd Anniversary of 1984!
Today (January 9) as the 32nd anniversary of the release of Van Halen's monumental album, '1984.' You may want to take a moment and recognize the significance of the date: January is the first month of the year and marked as "1." The ninth day of the month is marked as "9." The year is marked "84" in short, thus lining them up as "1/9/84." A pretty cool little fact about one … [Read more...]
Behind The Scenes: Making of Van Halen’s “Jump” Video
This week in 1984, Van Halen began an incredible 5-week run at the top of the Billboard charts with their colossal hit, "Jump!" Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the unforgettable video. Pete Angelus [Van Halen road manager, lighting director, 1978-84]: I think we spent less money making "Jump" than we did on having pizzas delivered to the set of "Hot for … [Read more...]
Photos: Van Halen Plays Virginia, 1984
Enjoy rare photos from 31 years ago this month, when Van Halen played Roanoke, Virginia, during their 1984 World tour. Eddie Van Halen on the 1984 tour: “Our live show for the 1984 tour just could not get any bigger, but it was so over the top that we never made any money from it. We had 18 trucks hauling the stage and equipment. That was unheard of. The standard lighting … [Read more...]