On Thursday and Friday, August 10th & 11th, 1978, Van Halen performed at a small bar in Wisconsin that was a actually converted barn. Yes, a BARN! The band arrived in a van and played on a small stage up in the hay loft! Tickets were six bucks, burgers were a dollar, and hay covered the floor. This show has to be one of smallest and most unique gigs of their entire … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
VHND’s All Access Photo: Mike & Playboy Bunny Backstage
We'd like to think that if you were to walk into the hallowed backstage area of an early Van Halen gig at any given time, you'd be greeted by something like this. “All Access” Photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we feature a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many are never-seen-before exclusives. Tune in every weekend for more! … [Read more...]
Awesome Van Halen “Romeo Delight” Video Montage
Kick off your weekend with this KICK ASS video for Van Halen's "Romeo Delight!" A fan did an especially good job compiling a bunch of Van Halen concert footage into his own video for this classic track from Women And Children First. Although all the footage has previously circulated, he did a superb job editing it together, giving us a fresh video to go along with the … [Read more...]
Van Halen Tops Guitar World’s List of Best Albums of the Eighties
In early 1990, the editors of Guitar World magazine sat back, grabbed some coffee and painstakingly selected what they considered the top 50 guitar albums of the just-ended Eighties. Van Halen's magnificent 1984 topped their list as the #1 album of the Eighties! And not only that—Van Halen was the only band that three albums that made their list. Women And Children First and … [Read more...]
Top 10 Van Halen Music Videos
The VH1 documentary "All Time Top Ten: Van Halen" counts down the top 10 Van Halen songs. Former MTV VJ Mark Goodman takes you through their wild history while he rolls out their top 10, which is basically a list of their favorite Van Halen music videos. "Few Rock bands have risen to the height of Van Halen," says Goodman, "And even fewer have done it through a revolving … [Read more...]
Live Photos: Van Halen at the 1978 “Day on the Green” Festival
View image | gettyimages.com On this day in 1978, Van Halen performed Bill Graham’s Day on the Green Festival in Oakland, California. Here are several LIVE photos from their blistering set! Van Halen took the stage after AC/DC and delivered a slightly abbreviated set, since Pat Travers, Foreigner, and Aerosmith would follow them. Even then, the young and hungry band had the … [Read more...]
Backstage Photos: Van Halen at Oakland’s ‘Day on the Green’
Eddie and Y&T's Joey Alves backstage at the Day on the Green, July 23rd, 1978. Photo by Bill Frate Forty years ago, Van Halen performed Bill Graham's Day on the Green in Oakland, California. Enjoy a plethora of backstage photos from before Van Halen took the stage! 57,512 rock fans witnessed the legendary show. General admission tickets were $11, and the lineup was AC/DC, … [Read more...]
Van Halen #2 Highest Played Artist on US Rock Radio!
An extensive new study shows that Van Halen is the 2nd highest played band on US rock radio! This info is from a fascinating article on FiveThirtyEight.com on the state of rock radio in the US. Congrats to Van Halen for getting more spins across the country than nearly every other rock band! (Only Led Zeppelin gets more plays). One interesting find from the study is … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen Visits Howie Weinberg Mastering Studio
Eddie Van Halen dropped by the Howie Weinberg Mastering Studio this week. Howie mastered Van Halen's last album, A Different Kind of Truth. Hopefully Ed didn't drop by to simply say hi—could this visit have something to do with the mysterious Van Halen “project” that we reported on earlier this year?! The above photo is from Howie's facebook page. On July 10th, he posted it … [Read more...]
Rocco’s Discovery of Van Halen
From Amps and Green Screens: Hey guys, this is Rocco. Damian was kind enough to let me put something up here that is my very first attempt at writing. Next to my wife and family, Van Halen is what makes me happy. So I decided to put something out into the universe about it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Thanks, Rocco I remember it like it … [Read more...]
Photos: Van Halen in Concert & Backstage, 1984!
Backstage in 1984: Eddie Van Halen with Journey's Neil Schon & The Who's John Entwistle Legendary rock photographer Ross Halfin has photographed Van Halen many times over the years. Here's some of his incredible shots from Van Halen's massive 1984 world tour. Thanks for the fantastic shots, Ross! You can keep up with him on Ross Halfin Photography's Facebook page. … [Read more...]
How Van Halen Conquered the Texxas Jam (Photos & Video)
After losing almost all their gear on their flight from Japan, Van Halen was forced to play rented, borrowed and begged-for equipment in front of the biggest crowd they ever played for at the time! On July 1st, 1978, nearly 100,000 people crammed inside the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, during the hottest day of the decade for the first real stadium rock show … [Read more...]