Van Halen

Latest about Van Halen

LEFT: Drummer Alex Van Halen of Van Halen performs during the 2015 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. RIGHT: Steve Lukather of Toto performs at Toyota Pavilion at Concord on August 25, 2025 in Concord, California.
Alex Van Halen offers fresh insight into the new Van Halen album – and Steve Lukather’s role in it

By Phil Weller Published

The album project was revealed in March 2025, and Alex says they’re now looking for a vocalist

Guitarists
LEFT: Randy Rhoads (1956-1982) plays guitar as he performs, during the 'Blizzard of Ozz Tour,' at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, August 14, 1981. RIGHT: Eddie Van Halen (1955 - 2020), of the group Van Halen, performs onstage at the Jacksonville Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida, January 18, 1984.
Kelly Garni sets the record straight on the rivalry between Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen

By Phil Weller Published

The pair were regularly pitted against each other, but Rhoads' former bandmate says the guitarist respected, but didn't look to rival, Eddie Van Halen

Guitarists
Steve Vai performs during the G3 Tour at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia on July 19, 2001.
“I was embarrassingly inexperienced.” Steve Vai on the guitarist who “saved his bacon” with a vital piece of gear when he was a greenhorn in David Lee Roth’s band

By Phil Weller Published

Vai had the talent to launch the Roth’s solo career, but it took a more experienced hand to help him out

Guitarists
Bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen and guitarist Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen perform during the 2015 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A new Van Halen album features Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang Van Halen playing classic tracks without a vocalist

By Elizabeth Swann Published

The album features recordings made by filmmaker Andrew Bennett during his time documenting Van Halen from 2006 to 2007

Music
LEFT: Eddie Van Halen, displaying his guitar virtuousity during a concert in the late 1970s . RIGHT: American musician Ace Frehley of the group Kiss performs at the International Ampitheater, Chicago, Illinois, September 22, 1979
A veteran guitarist says Eddie Van Halen copied Ace Frehley. We dismantle the claim with one simple fact

By Phil Weller Published

The guitarist sees too many similarities between Ed's magnum opus and Ace's “Shock Me” solo from 'Alive II.' But the timelines don't add up

Guitarists
Eddie Van Halen circa 1984
Eddie Van Halen had a legion of copyists. But when one of his idols began to steal his solos, he put a stop to it

By Phil Weller Published

The guitarist refused to meet Ed's demands and paid the price for it

Guitarists
Eddie Van Halen performs in Paris with Van Halen, May 25, 1995
Watch Eddie Van Halen perform in a blizzard as Sammy Hagar unearths never-seen video clip

By Phil Weller Published

The band rejected the chance to cancel, instead opting for a memorable, if stormy, evening

Guitarists
LEFT: Van Halen (1955 - 2020), of the group Van Halen, performs onstage at the Jacksonville Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida, January 18, 1984. RIGHT: Steve Vai performs at Shepherd's Bush Empire in 1997
Steve Vai on accepting his most impossible guitar gig: playing Eddie Van Halen to David Lee Roth

By Phil Weller Published

Vai says he approached the opportunity from a place of love and freedom, not to cut down one of the world’s greatest guitar players

Guitarists
A mashup of a pic of Johnny Ramone and Eddie Van Halen
“It shows you what you can do with two chords”: Did Van Halen's Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love really start life as a parody of the Ramones?

By Phil Weller Published

“The whole song is just that one lick throughout,” says Michael Anthony. "It was kind of like a nod to punk."

Guitarists
Eddie Van Halen's 1982 Kramer
Eddie Van Halen’s 1982 Kramer expected to fetch $3 million at auction this fall

By Phil Weller Published

The guitar hasn’t been in public in over 40 years – but it did feature on a classic glam metal album in 1989

Electric Guitars
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