"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...]
31 Years Ago: Eddie Van Halen Collaborates with Michael Jackson for Thriller
31 years ago today (Nov 30) Michael Jackson's colossal album, Thriller, was released. Eddie Van Halen collaborated with Jackson on the album's third single,"Beat It," and wrote and performed the guitar solo for the song. Upon the song's release on the radio, Eddie remembers standing in line at Tower Records when ‘Beat It’ started playing. “The solo comes on, and I hear … [Read more...]
This Day in 1982: Eddie Van Halen Fractures Wrist
On this day in 1982, Eddie Van Halen hurt his wrist while “horsing around” in his hotel room. That same day, his right wrist was x-rayed at Hand Surgery Associates in New York, NY. A broken hairline fracture is found that results in the postponement of three shows on the band's Diver Down tour (two in East Rutherford, NJ and one in Uniondale, NY). The tour resumed for a … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Farmer Ed
Meanwhile in 1982, Eddie Van Halen takes a break from relentless touring to get a tractor ride in. Thankfully, a roadie took this picture and shared it with VHND. Never seen before! “All Access” Van Halen photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we will be posting a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many will be exclusives that have never been seen … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Kramer Factory…
The pictures were taken at the Kramer factory circa November 1982. Photo Credit: Official Floyd Rose (Facebook) “All Access” Van Halen photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we will be posting a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many will be exclusives that have never been seen anywhere before, and some will be supplied with new captions from David … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Ready to hit the Stage!
This week's photo is a never-before-seen candid taken backstage by a roadie in 1982. “All Access” Van Halen photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we will be posting a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many will be exclusives that have never been seen anywhere before, and some will be supplied with new captions from David Lee Roth. Tune in every … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Eddie Backstage ’82
This week's photo is from Van Halen’s "Hide Your Sheep" 1982 tour. Check out the rare guitars! “All Access” Van Halen photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we will be posting a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many will be exclusives that have never been seen anywhere before, and some will be supplied with new captions from David Lee Roth. Tune … [Read more...]
The Summer of Van Halen
By Kevin Dodds, author of Edward Van Halen: A Definitive Biography Chances are you heard someone say it during the past few months: “It’s the Summer of Van Halen again!” The summer of 2012 was one of only a few true 'Summers of Van Halen' in the band’s history. I’ll explain that statement...but first, let’s take a look back at the band’s history. The summer of 1982 was … [Read more...]
1982 – The Year In Van Halen History
An Analysis of the Diver Down album and "Hide Your Sheep" Tour By Scott Essman This year marks the 30th anniversary of Diver Down, Van Halen's fifth album. Some are quick to criticize the album because it contains several covers. However, Diver Down had moments that matched the brilliance of nearly anything the band has released, and 1982 was one of the most spectacular … [Read more...]
Van Halen “Unchained” 1982 Lip-Sync
Here's a rare treat. A little-known clip of Van Halen lip-syncing "Unchained" for Spanish TV which aired in 1982. Keep in mind that seeing Van Halen on TV was something that almost never happened back then. And when you did actually get to see a great rock band on TV, it was often a lip-sync performance, which was standard practice, since the TV studios usually didn’t have … [Read more...]
Classic Van Halen Interviews Featured on “In The Studio”
While the quintessential American hard rock band Van Halen is on the road once again, this time supporting their new album, “A Different Kind Of Truth,” the syndicated radio series "In The Studio" felt it's a good time to examine the early years of the band. Van Halen’s 1978 debut quickly became a benchmark for every hard rock band ever since , and six years later they even … [Read more...]
“79th And Sunset”
Here's a blast from the past: David Lee Roth playing acoustic guitar! This is an excerpt from the now famous Jim Ladd interview with David Lee Roth & Alex Van Halen that appeared on syndicated radio and also as a segment on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert in 1982. This is the source of David's version of the Humble Pie tune "79th And Sunset," which is found on many bootleg … [Read more...]