John Bonham, meet Alex Van Halen. Alex Van Halen, meet John Bonham's fist. During a recent radio interview, Jason Bonham shared the story of the first time Alex met Bonzo and it didn't turn out as Alex had hoped. Greg Prato shared his article originally posted to Ultimate Guitar with the VHND: There's a famous saying, "Never meet your heroes." And it turns out that this … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
Hagar Discusses Tour, Van Halen Re-Issues & Unreleased Tracks On Trunk Nation
Sammy Hagar says he and Michael Anthony are determined to keep Van Halen "live and alive" with this summer's Best Of All Worlds tour. At a time when many legacy artists are under fire for using pre-recorded tracks, what you hear from Hagar and his band is all live. "I can't tell you how perfect this lineup is, how much fun we're havin', and how it's live," said Hagar during … [Read more...]
Satriani: ‘Every Show Eddie Would Just Do It A Little Different’
To prepare for the Best Of All Worlds tour, Joe Satriani watched as many live performances of Van Halen as he could. It led him to an even bigger appreciation for Eddie Van Halen's creativity. During an appearance on Sirius/XM's Trunk Nation this week (July 25), Satriani told host Eddie Trunk he took advantage of YouTube to get closer to Eddie Van Halen's sound. "Well, … [Read more...]
Did Van Halen Have Enough Material For A Follow-Up To ‘Van Halen III’?
Van Halen recorded music for a follow-up to their 1998 album Van Halen III. But was there enough material recorded for a full album? "There were a few things," Anthony recently told Ultimate Guitar's Greg Prato. "There were a couple of songs that actually Gary [Cherone] had written lyrics and he had a melody for. And there was music written, too, that hadn't really been … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth’s ‘Baker Street’ Remake Released In New Animated Video
A brand new video from the Mojo Dojo YouTube channel features the Sax-ier side of David Lee Roth. Artist Ramses Rios takes viewers for a ride inside Roth's 1951 Mercury in the video, which includes Roth's cover of the Gerry Rafferty song "Baker Street". The song dates back to 2002 when a clip of the song appeared in Roth's No Holds Bar-B-Que video. Here is what artist … [Read more...]
Hagar: There’s Enough Vault Material For A New Van Halen Record
Sammy Hagar believes there's "a ton" of unreleased material in the 5150 vaults. Enough to turn into a new Van Halen record. During a recent appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation" , Hagar said he'd be more than happy to help go through the tapes left behind by Edward Van Halen. Getting Alex Van Halen to invite Hagar into those vaults, however, is the biggest hurdle. "I … [Read more...]
The Ultimate David Lee Roth Summer Playlist
Don't tell the Redheads, but Diamond Dave was the first Van Halen frontman to sing about being a bum in the sun and having fun with a drink in your hand and your toes in the sand! Continuing with our celebration of the start of summer, we serve up a playlist of David Lee Roth songs for your summer listening pleasure. "Ice Cream Man"From: Diamond Dave … [Read more...]
Best Of All Worlds Tour Launches: Video & Setlist! [UPDATED]
The wait is over. Sammy Hagar's Best of All Worlds Tour kicked off last night (7/13) at the iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, FLorida! Hagar kicked off the evening alongside guitarist Joe Satriani, bassist Michael Anthony, drummer Jason Bonham, and multi-instrumentalist Rai Thistlethwayte with "Good Enough", the opening track from his very first album with … [Read more...]
Sunset Strip Veteran Shares Front-Row Tales Of Van Halen’s Rise
Former Sunset Strip veteran musician Loren Molinare recently appeared on Final Resonance TV’s Van Halen Stories Podcast to discuss his front-row seat to the rise of Van Halen as the guitarist/vocalist for Detroit Rockers The Dogs. During the mid to late 1970s, The Dogs opened for Van Halen often, including a gig at The Pasadena Civic Auditorium, just after Van Halen signed … [Read more...]
Shinedown’s Berry Kerch On ’04 Van Halen Tour: “As Much As They Hated Each Other They Were So Sweet To All Of Us”
Shinedown drummer Berry Kerch says the 2004 Van Halen tour was a love/hate fest. While Kerch received nothing but love from Edward Van Halen, Sammy Hagar wasn't so fortunate. During his recent appearance on The Paltrocast, Kerch talked about his experience as part of the Van Halen '04 tour, which featured the return of Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony to the lineup. While … [Read more...]
Hagar: 90 Percent Of Rehearsed Songs Are From Van Halen
As the Best Of All Worlds summer tour nears, Sammy Hagar says he and his bandmates have rehearsed over 30 songs so far with 90 percent of them coming from the Van Halen catalog. Hagar, who spoke with Ultimate Classic Rock just days away from the tour opener, is pulling out all the stops for Van Halen fans and that goes beyond the setlist. "We've got a big production," … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar: ‘No Response’ From Alex Van Halen On New Tour
Sammy Hagar says he's tried inviting Alex Van Halen to his upcoming Best Of All Worlds tour but Alex isn't interested. Below is an excerpt from an article written by Ultimate Classic Rock's Matt Wardlaw: Sammy Hagar will kick off his Best of All Worlds tour with Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony and Jason Bonham this week, promising to focus on a mix of classics and deep cuts … [Read more...]