Embed from Getty Images On March 25th 1979, two days after the release of their second album, Van Halen kicked off their very first headlining tour! On the first world tour a year earlier, Van Halen were like caged animals on stage, touring as the opening act for Black Sabbath and Journey. Limited to a brief 30 to 40 minute slot each night (often sabotaged by the … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
All-New EVH Sneakers Now Available!
VanHalenStore.com is proud to offer the ALL NEW line of EVH Brand Signature Striped Sneakers from legendary rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Featuring the iconic Van Halen stripes from Eddie’s guitars. The new High Tops come in all three color schemes: Red with White and Black stripes, modeled after his infamous red, white and black striped Frankenstein guitar, White with … [Read more...]
Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley Address Rumors That Eddie Van Halen Wanted To Join KISS
Gene Simmons has always boasted that Edward Van Halen asked if he could join Kiss in 1982. This crazy-sounding rumor has always baffled many. Would Eddie really want to join KISS at the time Van Halen's fame was skyrocketing and Kiss's fame was waning? In the new issue of Guitar World magazine (April 2014), Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley and bassist Gene Simmons celebrate their … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth Interview with Allan Handelman, 1980
Allan Handelman sets up the interview: It's was Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll. Recorded at the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia during the tour to support their third album, Women And Children First. It was out of control madness that turned out to be a radio classic. David is still a regular guest on my show with over 8 appearances over the years. This one (the first one) was a … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Van Halen Plays Denver During Snowstorm, ’95
This week's “All Access” Photo is a never-seen stage shot taken during a surprise snowstorm at the Fiddler's Green in Denver, Colorado. It was Sept 20th, 1995, (during Van Halen's Balance tour) and the unusual weather was what made this concert so different from the typical amphitheater shows that the band played throughout the summer. Van Halen's lighting man during the tour, … [Read more...]
Van Halen “Throwdown” on That Metal Show
Van Halen was the subject of the "Throwdown" segment of last week's episode of That Metal Show. Everyone was passionately debating the merits of ‘Van Halen I’ verses ‘Van Halen II’ The show's three hosts, Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson, and Jim Florentine, where accompanied by four special guests: Alter Bridge's frontman and guitarist, Myles Kennedy and Mark … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday, Michael Anthony! Mike Reveals His Favorite Van Halen Albums
Happy Birthday to the great Michael Anthony! Michael Anthony talks Van Halen and Chickenfoot in a new interview with Jeffrey Easton of Metal Exiles. What follows are the Van Halen and Chickenfoot excerpts. Metal Exiles: To tap into Van Halen for a moment, you guys were always known for the excesses like the drinking, drugs, partying, etc., so what is something about your … [Read more...]
Tales From The Road – The Opening Bands: Joe Whiting And The Bandit Band
"The Opening Bands" Band: Joe Whiting And The Bandit Band Year: 1982 By VHND contributing writer Zak Wilson VHND: Can you give me a brief history of what the band was up to before they got the Van Halen opening slot? Joe Whiting: We were playing clubs and doing the occasional opening slot for touring bands that played in the Central New York area like Huey Lewis … [Read more...]
New Van Halen Music in the Works!
Blabbermouth has a new article about Van Halen supposedly working on a new album. Here is their article, along with our thoughts, afterwords: VAN HALEN Is Putting Together A New Album, Says MARK TREMONTI February 12, 2014 It's been pretty quiet on the VAN HALEN front lately but we've now found out why – they're working on a new album. ALTER BRIDGE guitarist Mark … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen’s “Fair Warning”: An Appreciation
From Truth And Beauty: "Eddie Van Halen ruined guitar!" yelled the drunken ROTC guy standing just inches from my face. House party. 1991. The conversation had been very civil up to that point. I'd started with hey, we went to the same high school. That was all I had, as we were several years apart in age and had only met once before--a brief introduction through a mutual … [Read more...]
Unearthed: Van Halen 1988 Raw & Uncut Video Interview
VOX POP has released their full, unedited 1988 video interview with Van Halen. This was filmed in the spring of '88, as the band was starting to do press for their upcoming "Monsters Of Rock" stadium tour. The crazy thing is that they weren't even finished recording OU812 yet! It was crunch time, as their album had to be out by the time the tour started in late May. For the … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s ‘A Different Kind Of Truth’ Released Two Years Ago Today
Two years ago today, we all had a NEW VAN HALEN ALBUM we could finally sink our teeth into! Van Halen released their twelfth studio album “A Different Kind of Truth” on February 7, 2012. To celebrate the anniversary, we're featuring a really cool review of the album that we somehow missed two years ago. It's by The Rock File. Return of the Atomic Punks I’ve been … [Read more...]