RIP Eddie Van Halen (2 Viewers)

It was the mid-80's, probably 85, maybe 86. My aunt and uncle had a suite at the Dome. I went with my cousin to a Saints game, and we're sitting down pregame eating some food, when he was looking at me, well looking past me. He nudged me and said, "uh, I think that's Eddie Van Halen in the suite right next to us." I turned to look and I swear about 15' away was Eddie and Valeri. I was in shock and I'm sure I stared too long. I knew I stared too long when he caught me staring and said, "hey man, what's up". I don't remember what I said back but I'm sure it wasn't English or anything resembling any other language.

Oh and Valeri was, too use an 80's term, fine.
 
Van Halen was my very first concert ever at the Baltimore Civic Center a LONG time ago (Rush was my second). I can't remember which album the tour was for but WAY before OU812.
I saw them twice at the dump Capitol Center down in Largo, MD. I wasn’t real impressed, but apparently there was a lot of tension in the band which may have contributed to a less-than-exemplary show. coincidentally the opening act at the first show in 1980 was....Sammy Hagar. The second time I saw them a year or so later there must have still been tension—very so-so.

Van Halen’s first album is one of the best rock albums of all time.

EVH could be a real pill, but he was an undeniable talent

RIP
 
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This has hit me really hard. Van Halen are my favourite band. They only toured Aus twice: once with Gary Cherone in 1998 (I was 11 so was too young to go) and a second time at a single outdoor stadium festival show one hour out of Sydney in 2012 (with DLR and Wolfie on bass). It remains the most perplexing artist/location booking of all time (they had about 12,000 people to a show that would’ve got closer to 70,000 in Melbourne). But in any case, there was no way I was missing it. Flew up there with my girlfriend at the time, and stood in the rain for 10 hours at the front of the stage through Buckcherry, Jimmy Barnes (Australian rock royalty), Kings of Chaos, Aerosmith and finally Van Halen. And I’m so glad I did.

Eddie was a genius. No one person influenced the style of music I like more. Indeed he created a whole generation of musicians who set out to duplicate what he did. It’s quite remarkable that a guitarist from a Californian party band made metal mainstream. He changed music, and in so doing, he changed the world. You can count on one hand the guitarists who had the impact he did. In fact, you can probably count on two fingers - Hendrix, then Eddie.
 
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I just looked up Van Halen on Spotify, it’s just a picture of EVH
It was the mid-80's, probably 85, maybe 86. My aunt and uncle had a suite at the Dome. I went with my cousin to a Saints game, and we're sitting down pregame eating some food, when he was looking at me, well looking past me. He nudged me and said, "uh, I think that's Eddie Van Halen in the suite right next to us." I turned to look and I swear about 15' away was Eddie and Valeri. I was in shock and I'm sure I stared too long. I knew I stared too long when he caught me staring and said, "hey man, what's up". I don't remember what I said back but I'm sure it wasn't English or anything resembling any other language.

Oh and Valeri was, too use an 80's term, fine.
1985 -1986 Saints? He must not have been at the dome to watch the Saints. Lol
 
I've been watching EVH videos all evening long and keep just getting a little choked up. I told someone today about how I used to spend hours just hanging out with my best friends listening to their music. It's almost like losing a part of my childhood. It seems silly, but there was always a specific emotional connection with their music that we all shared moreso than any other band we listened to.

Anyway, as I was rummaging through videos I found this interview where he explains how he came about figuring out the tapping technique that was one of his signatures.

 
My current best friend that I've known for ~30 years and I bonded over van halen one night in our early 20's. We had a bunch of beer, a boom box, and some van halen tapes. We drank and listened to them most of the night and have been friends ever since.

One of my favs



And to this day when I put a new stereo in a truck I use this song to set the sound
 
Ya know, I was having a really really really good day today. My kid is finally in school and doing great. I have the week off and spending it with my wife. Then this news happens. Black Mamba dies, Boseman dies, then this. I've been playing VH ever since. I don't cry over famous people passing, even if I really do care but man I'm spending a few tears over Eddie.

People will look back and talk about the great plague or horrible politics of 2020. I'll just say that, that was the year the greatest electric guitarist on Earth died.

RIP Eddie and thanks for being the Rock God you are.
 
And to this day when I put a new stereo in a truck I use this song to set the sound


You know, I almost think of Classic Van Halen and Van Hagar as two distinct bands. As such, I tend to regard CVH as the trailblazing, pioneering party boys who took metal to the mainstream and Van Hagar a more commercially-oriented radio-friendly outfit. Indeed, the Van Hagar sound is as close to Whitesnake as it is CVH, for mine (which is no criticism, because even taking them as a separate entity, I'd have Van Hagar in my top 5-10 favourite bands). Summer Nights deserves to be recognised as one of the great songs and great riffs of that era though. I know exactly what you mean about trying out that sound on a new stereo. The whole album, in fact. A sad period in some respects given it marked the end of the original and most influential line-up, but equally, a highly productive period with 5150 for Van Hagar followed in short order by Dave and the legendary Eat Em & Smile band.
 
RIP EVH, and Madmarsha,if you havent listened to the Runnin with the Devil - Vocals Isolated,youre doing yourself a huge disservice.
Okay, funny. But, to be fair, wouldn't most rock songs sound ridic a cappella?
 
I saw them twice at the dump Capitol Center down in Largo, MD. I wasn’t real impressed, but apparently there was a lot of tension in the band which may have contributed to a less-than-exemplary show. coincidentally the opening act at the first show in 1980 was....Sammy Hagar. The second time I saw them a year or so later there must have still been tension—very so-so.

Van Halen’s first album is one of the best rock albums of all time.
Think I only ever saw Skidrow at the Cap Center. I can't remember who was with VH when I saw them. It very def. could have been 1980 when I saw them so maybe it was Sammy Hagar? If it was, never caught on to that irony. Van Halen and Van Halen II are 2 of the few albums I've owned on vinyl, cassette, and CD. Gotta listen to them in full and gotta listen to them loud. Oh, and Women and Children First
 

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