Some fans are familiar with the short clip of bootleg footage from Van Halen's 1979 "CaliFFornia World Music Festival" performance, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It's rarely seen, blurry, and even worse, has has no sound. (Probably recorded on an 8mm camcorder with no sound capability). Well, VHND regular, Chris Bennett, has attempted to make this footage more … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
When Ozzy Went Missing on the ’78 Black Sabbath/Van Halen Tour
40 years ago today, Ozzy Osbourne went missing during the legendary Black Sabbath / Van Halen 1978 tour. Here's the funny story in David Lee Roth's own words, newly-unearthed newspaper articles, and a rare audio recording of the makeup show. Enjoy! David Lee Roth shares a tale from Van Halen's first world tour: There is an old science-fiction movie from the fifties called … [Read more...]
Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi on Eddie Van Halen: ‘I Couldn’t Do What He Does’
Black Sabbath mastermind Tony Iommi recently shared his thoughts about Eddie Van Halen's guitar skills. MetalHeadZone.com reports on what Iommi said at Whitley Bay Film Festival. The Van Halen segment is below: “I couldn’t do what he does. He’s very technical, he does all the tapping. But one time he came over and we got to play together. He wanted to play… He said, ‘We … [Read more...]
Paul Stanley on ‘Did Eddie Van Halen Almost Join KISS?’
Kiss's Gene Simmons claims that he once had to talk Eddie Van Halen out of leaving Van Halen and joining Kiss. Gene has repeated this story several times over the last 25 years, but here's what bandmate Paul Stanley has to say about it, in the video above. So there you have it straight from Paul... he says Eddie never almost joined KISS. But wait, there's more. The Van … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen/David Lee Roth Play To Debut Off-Broadway in January
Here's something we haven't seen before! In January 2019, a play based on the story of Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth will open up off-Broadway. "Eddie and Dave" will run at the Atlantic Theatre Company from Jan. 10 through Feb. 10. The play's website calls Eddie and Dave "A raucous retelling of the rise and fall of Pasadena’s most groundbreaking 80s rockers told … [Read more...]
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween, VHND'ers! The above photo was posted by Ed today on his social media, with the caption "Happy Halloween Kids! #october31st #halloween" Here's a few pics we received today... Scott shows of his VH pumpkin! Another VH pumpkin from Mike! Marlana and Dale show off their "Runnin' with the Devil" costumes. Very nice job! Ashley's going as … [Read more...]
Carrie Stevens Models for Van Halen Store
No rock ‘n’ roll band is complete without a fan base of beautiful girls, and Van Halen is no different. VHND and Van Halen Store are thrilled to announce that it’s working with model & actress Carrie Stevens. Carrie, who has appeared on Days of Our Lives, Two and a Half Men and Beverly Hills, 2010, and in the film Rock Star, was Playboy’s Playmate of the Month for June … [Read more...]
Funny Van Halen Newspaper Articles From This Day in 1981
On this day in 1981, Van Halen performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, during the Fair Warning tour. Everyone who attended the show loved it, with the notable exception of the critic the local newspaper sent to review the show. You can read that concert reviewer below. Back in the '70s and '80s, newspapers would often send critics to review concerts who didn't even like the band. … [Read more...]
Who Is a Better Guitarist? Hendrix or Van Halen?
In a new video from New England Cable News, musicologist John Laurenti talks about the musical style differences of two of the best guitarists of our time -- Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen. They asked classic rock fans for their opinion. Who is the better guitarist -- Jimi Hendrix or Eddie Van Halen? Unfortunately, the poll was already closed when we discovered it. … [Read more...]
Video: Sioux Falls Preps For Van Halen In 1980
On this Day in 1980, Van Halen rolled through Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Keloland, the local news, was there to film the VH road crew settling up. Fans won't know this, but the young man they spoke to was Patrick Whitley, Van Halen's stage manager at the time. Here's the transcript: SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Sioux Falls has been lucky enough to have a lot of artists perform in … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar’s Ten Greatest High Notes
Happy Birthday, Sammy Hagar! In honor of the 71st birthday of one of the most powerful voices in Rock ‘N’ Roll, these are the ten greatest high notes delivered by the Red Rocker himself - Sammy Hagar. Note - This is not a list of "Van Hagar's" best songs, or Sammy's best vocal performances, overall. This is one man's opinion of Sammy's greatest high notes ever … [Read more...]
Classic Video: Van Halen LIVE at the Capitol Centre, 10/12/82
On this day in 1982, Van Halen performed the second of two sold-out performances at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. The lucky crowd witnessed The Mighty Van Halen at the height of its powers. This particular show is historic, simply because it's the only pro-shot concert to ever surface from the 1982 North American tour. The only reason this footage exists is that … [Read more...]