On February 2nd, 1989 Van Halen played the second of two consecutive shows at the Superdome in Tokyo, Japan as they were winding down their highly successful 'OU812' tour. The lineup of Sammy Hagar, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony were coming off of their second straight #1 album with 'OU812', which topped the charts on June 25th, 1988. It's since gone … [Read more...]
WatchMojo Pays Tribute To Eddie Van Halen [VIDEO]
The YouTube channel WatchMojo paid tribute to Eddie Van Halen by highlighting his best career moments. In the video above WatchMojo takes a look at the accomplishments of Eddie by counting down his past appearances on: Top 10 Songs That Make You Want to Jump, Top 10 Iconic Guitars of All Time, Top 10 Musical Siblings, Top 10 Coolest Rock Vocal-Guitar Duos, Top 10 Most Insane … [Read more...]
Loudersound Ranks Van Halen’s Greatest Cover Songs
The music detectives at Loudersound have just returned from what we can assume was a very entertaining undercover mission: To come up with the ten greatest Van Halen cover songs of all time. As fans know it was Van Halen's 1978 cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" that helped launch the band's career. But there are plenty more masterful Van Halen-ized cover songs the band … [Read more...]
Loudersound Picks Out The Best Of Van Halen Album Catalogue
The staff at Loudersound has gone through their Van Halen album collection to highlight the ones they say are most worthy of a needle drop. "Van Halen albums have it all: One of the most innovative guitarists of all time, your choice of rock star frontmen, and some great tunes," writes Paul Elliott. "If ever a back catalogue epitomized the American Dream, it's the albums of … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Talks Eddie Van Halen, The Would-Be VH Reunion, 5150 Vaults
Sammy Hagar appeared on Sirius/XM's Trunk Nation to talk about his friend and former bandmate Eddie Van Halen but said he's still coming to terms with his death. "To talk about someone like Eddie Van Halen, the greatness of him and to try to explain it to people or try to tell old stories, it's still not time. I don't feel comfortable with it yet," Hagar told host Eddie … [Read more...]
Video: Van Halen ‘Monsters of Rock’ Buffalo NY, June 19th, 1988
32 years ago today, Van Halen's "The Monsters of Rock" summer stadium tour came to Rich Stadium in Buffalo, New York. This year, a good-quality audience-filmed bootleg surfaced on YouTube. Watch Van Halen's full set, embedded above. Setlist:A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)Summer NightsThere's Only One Way to RockPanamaBass SoloRunnin' With the DevilWhy Can't This Be LoveMine All … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Answers The Critics Regarding Keyboards In Van Halen
Sammy Hagar has heard it many times over the years. He’s the guy who wanted more keyboards and less guitar in Van Halen. Well, the former Van Halen frontman finally set the record straight on the topic and he had a rock-solid witness to back him up – Michael Anthony. “I didn’t do any of that. That’s what Eddie did,” Hagar said during yesterday’s interview on Sirius/XM’s … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen Shreds And Pays Tribute To Les Paul
A historic Van Halen event occurred during this month in 1988 which we never featured on the Van Halen News Desk until now… After a break following Van Halen’s Monsters of Rock tour, Edward Van Halen paid tribute to the great guitarist, performer and inventor Les Paul, along with some other musical big wigs. Ed and Les had by now formed a genuine friendship. Les was 73 years … [Read more...]
Oh, You Ate 5150 Too! – Van Halen Mashup
Kick off your weekend with a KILLER new Van Halen mashup! Here's a new, unique Van Halen medley from guitarist Charlie Stinchcombe (aka “Liquid Charlie”) that cleverly combines classic riffs from Van Halen's 5150 and OU812 albums. Yet another great one from Charlie! Keep up with Liquid Charlie: Follow him on Instagram and Facebook. And Check out his YouTube Channel, … [Read more...]
Unearthed TV Special From OU812 Tour
Watch some newly-surfaced footage from the OU812 tour! This was filmed in Portland, Oregon, for a Japanese TV special, and it seems that little or no people in the USA have seen this until it popped up on YouTube a few days ago. Enjoy some RARE footage from the road, circa 1988! This 16-minute clip features interviews, backstage footage, and on-stage footage of Van Halen, … [Read more...]
30 Years Ago: Van Halen Launches ‘Monsters of Rock’ Stadium Tour
Embed from Getty Images 30 years ago this week, "The Monsters of Rock" summer stadium tour launched, featuring Van Halen, the Scorpions, Dokken, Metallica and Kingdom Come. From The New York Times, May 29th, 1988: The Monsters of Rock Open a 23-City Tour America's stadium-rock season opened here today with a bang - or, more precisely, the nine-hour roar of Van … [Read more...]
30th Anniversary Roundtable Discussion: Did Van Halen Bite Off Too Much With ‘OU812’?
30 years after the release of Van Halen's OU812, our friends at Ultimate Classic Rock hosted a roundtable discussion about the album. Featuring UCR staff, along with VHND's Jeff Hausman, and Van Halen Rising author, Greg Renoff, they tackle five big questions about the album. Read everyone's answers to question #1, below, and continue to read the rest at UCR. From … [Read more...]