Dweezil Zappa says Van Halen's "A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)" is firing on all cylinders no matter who the singer is. In fact, it could have worked just fine with no singer at all. "If there was never a vocal on this, this would be a great Van Halen instrumental," Zappa told Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine in a recently released clip of his podcast Runnin' With The Dweezil. … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
This Day in 1984: Van Halen’s Original Lineup Plays Final Concert [VIDEO & AUDIO]
On this day in 1984, the original lineup of Van Halen — David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony — played their very last show together. A total of five "Monsters of Rock" Festival dates in Europe were to be Van Halen's last shows of their massive 1984 tour. Those festival dates kicked off on August 18th in Leicestershire, England, and ran through … [Read more...]
Mammoth WVH Adds More Headlining Dates
Mammoth WVH has announced over a handful of upcoming headlining dates, all set to happen in October. Wolfgang Van Halen posted the new dates to his social media sites yesterday, adding that the all-female band Plush will once again be the opening act. Plush had opened for Mammoth WVH's previous headlining dates. Below are the new shows added: October 15: Wichita, KS - … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth Declines Offer To Join Mötley Crüe’s Stadium Tour
David Lee Roth was offered to be included in Mötley Crüe's 'The Stadium Tour' along with Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts but declined, according to Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx. The news came via the Los Angeles Times, who posted an article titled "The 25 Concerts, Festivals, Albums and Music Docs We're Most Excited For This Fall". Included in the … [Read more...]
35 Years Ago: Van Halen Shoots ‘Live Without A Net’ Concert Video
It was on this hot "Summer Night" in 1986 that Van Halen performed in New Haven, Connecticut for what would become the band's first-ever commercially released concert - "Live Without A Net". This was the second of two consecutive nights Van Halen performed in New Haven before 12,000 crazy, flipped out 5150s at the now-defunct Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which officially … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen On Including Van Halen’s ‘Sunday Afternoon In The Park’ Synth On Mammoth WVH Song ‘Mr. Ed’
Wolfgang Van Halen says he was just waiting for the right moment to insert his dad Eddie's synthesizer into a Mammoth WVH song. That moment arrived with the track "Mr. Ed". Just in case you haven't picked up on it yet, Wolfgang used the original Electro-Harmonix Micro-Synthesizer Eddie used on Van Halen's "Sunday Afternoon In The Park" from Van Halen's 1981 album Fair … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Says There Are A Few More Van Halen Jams In The Vaults
There may be a few more completed Sammy-era Van Halen songs left in the 5150 vaults, according to Sammy Hagar. During a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock's Matt Wardlaw, Hagar said, although there isn't much, there are still "a few jams" that remain from his time with the band. One of those songs Hagar cited was a demo recorded during the 5150 sessions titled … [Read more...]
Guitarist John 5 On Unreleased Van Halen-Inspired DLR Track ‘Nothing Could Have Stopped Us’
Guitarist John 5 said there is a Van Halen-inspired track he recorded with David Lee Roth that has yet to be released titled “Nothing Could Have Stopped Us”. During a recent interview with Alabama's AL.com, John 5 revealed some of the details behind the track: Speaking of rock legends, you played guitar on the David Lee Roth solo album “DLR Band.” But … [Read more...]
Van Halen: The Life. The Music. The Joy.
The coveted Van Halen special issue by LIFE is now available at Van Halen Store! Beautifully printed and informative, this “bookazine” is high quality - more like a book than a magazine. Well-written and loaded with amazing color photos - many rare or never-before-seen. This LIFE special issue is 96 pages of pure Van Halen (no ads, or any non-VH content) and will be enjoyed … [Read more...]
THIS DAY IN 1984: Van Halen Performs At ‘Monsters of Rock’ Festival, Castle Donington [AUDIO, VIDEO & PHOTOS]
On this day in rock history, Van Halen performed for 65,000 sweaty heavy metal fans at the "Monsters of Rock" Festival at Donington Park in Castle, Donington, Leicestershire, England. This show was the first "Monsters of Rock" show out of five the band played to wrap up the 1984 tour. This was also Van Halen’s first U.K. appearance since 1980. The bill for this day included … [Read more...]
Mammoth WVH’s Upcoming Whisky A Go-Go Concert Postponed ‘Out Of An Abundance Of Caution’
Mammoth WVH has postponed its concert previously scheduled for tomorrow night (Wednesday, August 18th) at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. The gig, which was originally scheduled to take place this coming Wednesday (August 18). The concert has been rescheduled for Tuesday, October 12th. Wolfgang Van Halen posted the news earlier today via social … [Read more...]
How Van Halen Beat The Sophomore Jinx With ‘Van Halen II’ [VIDEO]
Got a drink in my hand, got my toes in the sand. All I need is some good internet service so I can watch the latest video on Van Halen from the "Professor of Rock"! "The Professor" Adam Reader has just done a deep dive into 1979's Van Halen II album and how it avoided the sophomore jinx. The sophomore jinx is defined as being an instance in which a second, … [Read more...]