By Chris Gill [Originally written in 2020 for Guitar World. Part 1 is here. Here is Part 2, below:] My favorite interview with Ed was a cover story for Guitar Aficionado, where he invited me to his 5150 studio to view about 40 guitars from his collection. Ed told illuminating stories about each guitar, and I quickly realized he could find the songs lurking in any … [Read more...]
10th Anniversary Photo Galleries: Van Halen Onstage & Backstage at the Hollywood Bowl
Ten years ago today, Van Halen completed their 41-date North American 2015 tour with two performances in their hometown in a storied venue they’ve never played before — the famous Hollywood Bowl! These two historic shows turned out to be the last concerts of their career. Enjoy galleries from these two shows below, featuring concert photos and images of … [Read more...]
Roth After Canceled 2015 ‘Eat ‘Em And Smile’ Concert: ‘Perfect, Even More Press!’
It may very well be the most publicized non-concert in rock history. On November 25th, 2015, a one-off reunion concert featuring the members of David Lee Roth's Eat 'Em and Smile band was canceled at the last minute by the fire marshal at the Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood. The show would have marked the first time in 30 years that Roth, guitarist Steve Vai, bassist Billy … [Read more...]
Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s Van Halen/Bertinelli Family Ties
Rock and roll can be a small world indeed. Who knew Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli may have never met if not for Kenny Wayne Shepherd's dad? Valerie and Eddie first met in 1980. At the time, she was staying at her parents’ home in Shreveport, Louisiana due to an actors strike and scored backstage passes to see Van Halen perform in the area. Those passes were … [Read more...]
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Honored To Have Known Eddie Van Halen
Getting chosen to go out on a tour with Van Halen is quite the honor. For Kenny Wayne Shepherd, he can say he was honored twice over. Shepherd, who supported Van Halen on two different tours - one in 1998 (with Gary Cherone) and again in 2015 (with David Lee Roth), talked about those experiences as a guest on the My Weekly Mixtape podcast. "We did the final Van Halen tour … [Read more...]
Former Van Halen Drum Tech Says Band Filmed Shows With Multi-Cameras [VIDEO]
On The Jeremy White Show, John Douglas - former Alex Van Halen drum tech and current drummer of Aerosmith - revealed that Van Halen did, in fact, record video of several shows with multiple cameras during his time with the band from 1997 to 2015. Douglas referred to the multi-cam pro-shot videos, along with accompanying multitrack audio, as a "treasure trove" of material. When … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth Responds to Rolling Stone Article
We just received a message straight out of the Mojo Dojo. Yes, another exclusive quote from DLR. Dave wants to clear up a couple of things: 1. I’ve always loved AC/DC. 2. I’ve never said that anyone’s audience was culturally illiterate. I said that Ed was culturally illiterate. God Bless our Troops.. D. Roth is referring to the recent, controversial … [Read more...]
On This Night In 2015 Van Halen Performs First-Ever TV Concert With David Lee Roth
They came through blood and fire...and it was all caught on camera. Seven years ago tonight, Van Halen appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for its first-ever televised performance with David Lee Roth. The appearance, which was to promote the release of the band's double live LP Tokyo Dome Live in Concert, took place on Hollywood Boulevard. While the band provided the … [Read more...]
Happy 31st Birthday Wolfgang Van Halen!
Edward Van Halen lit the fire in the group that bears his name. Now his son is blazing his own trail as a solo artist. This is the story of Wolfgang Van Halen. Born March 16th, 1991, named after the classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang William Van Halen is the son of Eddie Van Halen and actress Valerie Bertinelli, and the nephew … [Read more...]
LISTEN: ‘Unchained: The Eddie Van Halen Story’ Author Paul Brannigan Exclusive Interview
The VHND's Eric Senich talked with author Paul Brannigan to talk about his book Unchained: The Eddie Van Halen Story! Here's a rundown of the topics covered in the interview: Eddie's guitar and recorder always by his sideThe influence parents Jan and Eugenia had on EddieForget the Fab Four, Eddie's fire was lit by The Dave Clark Five!Eric Clapton was the Cream of the … [Read more...]
LISTEN: ‘Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen’ Authors Exclusive Interview
The VHND's Eric Senich talked with Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen authors Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill for an exclusive, in-depth discussion of Eddie Van Halen's legendary career! Throughout the interview Tolinski and Gill give their insight and opinions on a wide range of EVH topics including: Eddie's childhood days overcoming his shynessHis relationship … [Read more...]
Podcast Explores Van Halen’s Rare & Unreleased Recordings
It's the biggest question among Van Halen fans: Will we ever get to hear what's in the 5150 vaults? The fascination with Van Halen's vast collection of unreleased material was pretty intense back in the 80s and 90s but with the emergence of the internet, it grew to mammoth (pun intended) proportions. The Wax Audio Show podcast recently released an exceptionally … [Read more...]