This month marks the anniversary of a very special event in Van Halen history. In late December, 1978, Warner Bros. threw a crazy party for its newest platinum playthings. And what better place to host it than at the Body Shop in Hollywood—the first all nude strip club on the Sunset Strip! Van Halen manager Marshall Berle called upon his legendary uncle Milton Berle … [Read more...]
Van Halen 1978 Archive
Guitar Legends Recreate Photo 30 Years Later
What’s 30 years between friends? Back in 1978, Eddie Van Halen was thrilled to be touring with one of his idols, Black Sabbath. As this 1978 backstage photo shows, one day Queen’s Brian May attended a Black Sabbath/Van Halen show and hooked up with Eddie and Tony Iommi backstage. Luckily for guitar buffs, someone snapped this historic photo—showing three HUGE guitar legends … [Read more...]
This Day in 1978: Van Halen Parachutes Into Anaheim Stadium? Eddie Meets Sammy Hagar!
On this day in 1978, (Sept 23rd), Van Halen stole the show at the huge outdoor concert of 56,000 at California’s Anaheim Stadium by hiring look-a-likes to parachute from an airplane into the stadium. It was also the day that Eddie met future Van Halen singer, Sammy Hagar. It was a brilliant stunt that—along with their over-the-top performance—enabled Van Halen to steal the … [Read more...]
Photos: Van Halen at the Philadelphia Spectrum, Aug 1978
In 1978, the members of Van Halen were thrilled to be opening for the legendary Black Sabbath. "The Sabs," as they called them, were part of their musical youth. To share the stage with them was a dream come true. Ozzy Osbourne, Sabbath's singer at the time, remarked many years later that Van Halen had a profound effect on him. "One of the reasons I left Sabbath was because … [Read more...]
Van Halen Plays a Converted Barn on This Day in ’78! (UPDATED)
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...]
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...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Returning to Holland, 1978
The Van Halen brothers in Holland on May 5th, 1978. This stop, two months into their first world tour, was their first visit back to their home country. Photo by Kees Baars. “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...]
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...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Eddie on Yamaha
For this weekend, here's a rare photo of Eddie on his 1977 Yamaha YZ-80, previously published only in The Inside magazine. “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...]
Earliest Van Halen Photos From Iconic Music Photographer Ross Halfin
Legendary rock photographer Ross Halfin has shot Van Halen many times over the years. Here's some of his incredible shots from Van Halen's very first world tour, along with his story witnessing Van Halen live in concert that year... "The mighty Van Halen. I first saw them open for Black Sabbath at the Hammersmith Odeon, 1978. They had a PR gal with them who was a complete … [Read more...]
Van Halen at Mississippi River Jam ’78
On this day in 1978, Van Halen performed at the Mississippi River Jam! The Quad-City Times dug up some forgotten photos from the 1978 Mississippi River Jam, which was held July 16th, 1978, on Credit Island (an island in the Mississippi River on the southwest side of Davenport, Iowa, within the Quad Cities area). The bands performing were—in order—Van Halen, Journey, the Atlanta … [Read more...]