On this day in 1978, Van Halen played Colston Hall in Bristol, England. They were on their first world tour, and were thrilled to be opening for Black Sabbath. Luckily for us, a good sounding audio recording exists! Listen to the majority of Van Halen's May 26th, 1978 concert, embedded here: … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth Ponders Van Halen’s Future
In the new episode of The Roth Show released last night, David Lee Roth briefly addresses Van Halen's possible future. "It's not like my career path is gonna be altered — I sort of know what the next ten summers are going to bring. Eddie Van Halen aside — those are ups and downs — I don't know when we're going to tour but I have a sense that we will. I don't know that we're … [Read more...]
Audio: Van Halen Live in Hanley, England May 23, 1978
On this day in 1978, Van Halen played Victoria Hall in Hanley, England. Luckily for us, a great-sounding audio recording exists! (Listen below) This was during Van Halen's first world tour. They 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 like a dream come true. … [Read more...]
Audio: Van Halen Live in Manchester, England May 22, 1978
Embed from Getty Images On this day in 1978, Van Halen played the Manchester Apollo in Manchester, England May 22, 1978. Listen to this GREAT sounding audio recording of the entire concert, below. VHND reader, Paul Wilkinson adds, "I'm local to Manchester and have heard a few stories about this gig. The best one is that no one had really heard of VH and a lot of … [Read more...]
Guitar Tone: Hands Vs. Gear
Photo by John Lill Photography In a new article for Premier Guitar, guitarist Pete Thorn uses Van Halen guitarist and pioneer Eddie Van Halen as an example as he debates whether guitar tone comes from the player's gear, the player's hands, or both. Here's an excerpt: It’s an often-debated subject on guitar forums. Someone will start a discussion thread with a polarizing … [Read more...]