Remembering Edward Van Halen

[BlindtotheWorld]

[Van Squalen]

Well, I've made a lot of diatribe rambling posts over the last 17 years here, and I think this will be the most important one, and perhaps the last one.

I don't have to tell any of you guys how much Eddie Van Halen means to me. You all feel exactly the same way. It's strange, how a man you've never met face to face can impact your life so radically and drastically, isn't it? Somehow it's more visceral, more touchstone, than simply being the soundtrack of our individual lives. Sure, we've all listened to Van Halen during seminal flashpoints of our lives, whether we walked down the aisle at our wedding to one of our favorite songs, or we weaned our kids on Van Halen albums, or we learned guitar through the Van Halen albums. Van Halen's been there through it all for me, same as all of you, the highs and the lows and the everyday commutes.

And past all the band horseshit and soap opera, there was Eddie, a humble guitar god, arguably the most famous guitarist in history in terms of public appeal and reverence. The dude could be so magnanimous, so arrogant, so innocently naive, so wickedly intelligent, so shy and so cocky, so masterful and so hesitant, all at the same time. That's the true genius of Eddie Van Halen. Best guitarist in rock history? Of course. What's his real rabbit in the hat? His humanity. He was an utterly flawed guitar god. His addictions, his occasional biases, his difficulty in trusting others, counterbalanced his generosity, his humility, his expertise in his craft, his absolute magnificence in composition and songwriting, his ability to put people at ease even soldiering through his own heavy social anxiety. It was his imperfections that made him so relatable. He seemed like a dude you'd hang out with outside the fuckin' liquor store, or in the back 40 tippin' cows and smokin' American Spirits. It goes without saying he's the pinnacle musician for Generation X.

He was like a brother to me, a distanced aspect of my life always in the background with his tunes, sometimes in the foreground when Van Halen would tour and I would attend another show and breathe the same smoke and smell the same sweat and look upon the same idolizing masses in the same building. I know I don't have to tell anyone in here what it's like to witness the master live in concert...for guys like us, it's more about bearing witness to our brother's majesty, a tokenism homage, really, more than it is rawking out to another vaunted rock band like most everyone else in the arena is rightfully doing. No, for hardcore dudes like us, attending a Van Halen show is far more than another concert. It's a honorarium. It's a trek to a middle class American mecca that can only be taken by the dude-pilgrims who know Eddie VH through and through, who know the title of every Van Halen song, every album, every album cover, all the biographical books, the timeline and history of Van Halen, the club demos, what's been played live and what hasn't, the intricate details of the sagas of all the players, but most of all...the way in which Eddie exemplifies, onstage, as he's thrilling the masses with his royal fingers and six stings, the absolute zenith of guitar rock, American rags to riches success, and peak performance of craft...all while under the guise of a legendary persona masking just another California dude who'd be happy to tip a pint with you had he never made it to the world stage.

There's little question our Van Halen concerts have been among the flashpoints of our lives. I've seen Eddie on every tour he's taken since 1981. Other than that first time walking in the Forum having little clue of what I was about to incorporate into the REST OF MY LIFE, every time I walked into an arena or a shed or an amp or a stadium to see Van Halen, it was like I was visiting a relative, one that I saw every other year or so, later every 2,3,4 years. I was as comfortable in a concert arena or amp, especially when I was seeing VH, as I was at family gatherings. Because that did indeed become a family gathering for me, lorded over by 4 guys at the head of the table, the seminal sheepish cockwalking guitarist always carving the turkey.

I never met Eddie or Alex in person, sadly. I met all the other members of VH in some way or another, Dave, Sam, Mike, Gary, Wolfie. But I've often had brief artist-audience acknowledgments with Eddie over the years. At times I wanted to believe it was 'cause he recognized my face over the years, but of course that's conceit and not reality. It was luck, random happenstance, and the fact that starting in '91 after ten years of nosebleed seating I started sitting closer to the stage, as I grew up and was able to afford better seats.

I remember the first time Ed and I recognized each other existed. It was in '91, on the FUCK tour, at the Pac Amp in Costa Mesa, and I was sitting 7th row center and I caught his eye at some point during the encore and I pointed at him, he pointed back at me, winking, you know,in that goofy grinning charming fashion Eddie had onstage, my friends saw it and lost their shit, and so too did I, of course.

The next time was in '98 on the 3 tour, we had second row right in front of Eddie in Devore on the fourth of July, and that was the first time he tried to toss me a guitar pick, which I fumbled and surrounding fans mosh-pitted a mass frenzy to find it on the ground and I lost my chance and boy I grumbled about that for years afterward.

The next time was in '04, in the golden rings pit on his side at Staples Center in Los Angeles. He highfived me several times that night, played a couple solos right in front of me, staring at me. Played a little bit of Cathedral to my girl personally. That was the night Sam stuck the mic in my face and I sang a bridge of ATBL. Great night. Loudest VH show ever. At the end of the gig, he motioned to his tech at me while walking offstage, lights came up as the roadies started disassembling the stage, the tech grabbed a yellow-and-black pick off his mic stand and brought it over to me and said 'Ed wanted you to have one.' Not quite the same as catching it live, but...we were thrilled nonetheless.

The next time was in '07, at SDSU arena in San Diego, front row in front of Eddie. Once again he walked over to me, me having got his attention several times during the show with my cheering and thumbs-upping and fanboy enthusiasm, and in the swirling confetti storm post-Jump encore, he gently leaned over the rail and tossed me another pick, and in the goddamned confetti rain, I missed again, and after lights came up it became clear finding the damned thing under mounds of paper stream confetti before security ushered us out was a fool's errand.

In '15, in San Bernardino front row right in front of him once again, we nodded at each other, high fived twice.

And a couple months later, at what is now definitively The Last Van Halen Show, October 4th, 2015, at the Hollywood Bowl, I was 4th row pit on his side, and at the end of Dirty Movies, he walked over, peering around the pit, saw me and flicked a red pick at me...and yes, at fucking long last, the piece of plastic landed in my hand, my fist closed around it, and yes, I wept, I'd been waiting 30 some years to get a guitar pick directly from Eddie Van Halen. At the time, I think I posted in here wistfully noting given the timbre of Dave's rambling onstage and the way the band was acting, sorta, kinda, I pondered the bittersweetness of it being perhaps the last Van Halen show. I don't think I really believed it, but I knew it was possible given the way VH went on hiatus so much and the ever increasing ages of our heroes.

I was there at The Last Rush Show at the Forum in Los Angeles on August 1, 2015.

I was there at The Last Van Halen Show at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 4, 2015.

Neil Peart passed away this year from cancer in 2020 five years later.

Eddie Van Halen passed away this year from cancer in 2020 five years later.

And I am so sad to lose my personal hero. I don't really have heroes. I don't put a lot of stock in celebrity homages. I've only had one my entire life.

And now he's gone. And I am lesser for it, the world is a poorer place, and it wasn't doing so good anyway, this fucking year's shit show is a colossal clusterfuck of epic proportions.

That's the thing, you guys know as well as I do. We'd all be gutted if any of those core five guys passed, obviously, but there'd always be some contingent of us that would press on hope for some sort of reconstituted Van Halen should any of the other 4 had passed....there'd be guys in here that would posit a VH without Al, if Al had passed (I'm not one of those, there's no VH without Al, duh), but they'd say 'well, if Wolfie takes over drums, and Mike comes back, Dave's singing, I'd go see that,' or if Sam or Dave had passed there was always the option of having the other singer go out, but....of course it's fucking Eddie that went first, given his history with illness and his hard living ways, of course it is, how could it be otherwise, and the bottom line is, lead singers and bassists and drummers aside....without Eddie, there is no Van Halen. Ever. Van Halen is over, at long last. That era of our lives is done, and it won't be fired up again. Without Eddie Van Halen, there can be no Van Halen. It's over. For good. And that reality hurts like none before. For dudes like us.

But I can't complain about my life with Eddie Van Halen, even in its distanced way. I've been a fortunate man when it comes to Van Halen. How much access I've had to them, how much they've scored the hills and valleys of my life, how the music has affected every aspect of my life, how much a bedrock Eddie Van Halen has been to me, even if he didn't know it. He was my hero because he was the most human guitar god. His flaws made him all the more magical to me. He was a SoCal dude same as me. He was a hero because he was an anti-hero. He was one of us.

It is hard to believe I won't see him again until the next dimension, or ever. I cried all day long yesterday, up and down Sunset Strip. The loss is devastating to the world, but for me, for us here in this forum, it's far more personal, second only to the family and his immediate circles.

Sigh, I guess that's it.

I love you, Eddie. Thanks for being part of my life.

Here's some of my favorite shots of Eddie I took at the last gig at the Hollywood Bowl.

[bklynboy68]

I know someone else who had the exact ssme reaction

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

I figured.

I can only imagine

[jaybird]

So this is what I'd love to see happen. Actually a hope more than anything...

A benefit show to honor Ed. Proceeds going to cancer research. Get everyone together--Dave, Sam, Mike, Wolf, Al, heck even throw in Gary. Do a one time concert with guest guitarists on every tune. They'd be lined up for miles to play. I could totally see Satriani, Vai, Slash, McCready, all the guys who were inspired by EVH coming on to pay their respects. Wow, what an amazing night that would be.

It's not Van Halen. Won't ever be Van Halen. But what a tribute. I'd pay to see it. I'd pay a LOT to see it. I think we all would.

[fudd]

I need to know how to post the perfect picture, any help? Im on the iPhone version using safari

I’d download tapatalk. It really works well with iPhones.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[VHFAN_ALL3]

I have listened to eddie since i was 10 and there hasn't been a period of time that I haven't. I am lost, sad, music feels empty right now, and i am in tears.

2020 has Nothing over this news. Nothing

[edhalen]

So this is what I'd love to see happen. Actually a hope more than anything...

A benefit show to honor Ed. Proceeds going to cancer research. Get everyone together--Dave, Sam, Mike, Wolf, Al, heck even throw in Gary. Do a one time concert with guest guitarists on every tune. They'd be lined up for miles to play. I could totally see Satriani, Vai, Slash, McCready, all the guys who were inspired by EVH coming on to pay their respects. Wow, what an amazing night that would be.

It's not Van Halen. Won't ever be Van Halen. But what a tribute. I'd pay to see it. I'd pay a LOT to see it. I think we all would.

THIS.....so very much THIS. I would be teary eyed through all of it. Hell, I'd probably travel wherever and pay whatever to see that. No matter what.

[bsbll4]

So this is what I'd love to see happen. Actually a hope more than anything...

A benefit show to honor Ed. Proceeds going to cancer research. Get everyone together--Dave, Sam, Mike, Wolf, Al, heck even throw in Gary. Do a one time concert with guest guitarists on every tune. They'd be lined up for miles to play. I could totally see Satriani, Vai, Slash, McCready, all the guys who were inspired by EVH coming on to pay their respects. Wow, what an amazing night that would be.

It's not Van Halen. Won't ever be Van Halen. But what a tribute. I'd pay to see it. I'd pay a LOT to see it. I think we all would.

It's a cool idea, but I have a feeling it's very unlikely. I can't imagine being any of those guys, particularly Al and Wolf who only know what it's like to play those songs with Ed, playing those songs, looking over to their left, and seeing someone else playing their dad's or brother's part. Maybe it's just me, but I would find that gut wrenching.

[BlindtotheWorld]

So this is what I'd love to see happen. Actually a hope more than anything...

A benefit show to honor Ed. Proceeds going to cancer research. Get everyone together--Dave, Sam, Mike, Wolf, Al, heck even throw in Gary. Do a one time concert with guest guitarists on every tune. They'd be lined up for miles to play. I could totally see Satriani, Vai, Slash, McCready, all the guys who were inspired by EVH coming on to pay their respects. Wow, what an amazing night that would be.

It's not Van Halen. Won't ever be Van Halen. But what a tribute. I'd pay to see it. I'd pay a LOT to see it. I think we all would.

[jimmy812]

It's a cool idea, but I have a feeling it's very unlikely. I can't imagine being any of those guys, particularly Al and Wolf who only know what it's like to play those songs with Ed, playing those songs, looking over to their left, and seeing someone else playing their dad's or brother's part. Maybe it's just me, but I would find that gut wrenching.

They wouldn't necessarily have to play if they didn't want to. But if they were up to it, it'd be awesome. Kind of like what they did for Freddie Mercury. A celebration. Doesn't have to be tomorrow, but in time. And if they still didn't want to do it, that's just fine too. Although, I bet Wolf would do it before Al would.

[Dave's Dreidel]

Sam, Mike and Gary might be up for it.

I doubt Al and DLR would be. Al and DLR are very private people, I just don't see them doing the In Memorium concert.

And for Wolf, that might be an impossible ask.

Everyone grieves differently, but man, that would be a tough night to make it through.

[Daisy Hill]

So this is what I'd love to see happen. Actually a hope more than anything...

A benefit show to honor Ed. Proceeds going to cancer research. Get everyone together--Dave, Sam, Mike, Wolf, Al, heck even throw in Gary. Do a one time concert with guest guitarists on every tune. They'd be lined up for miles to play. I could totally see Satriani, Vai, Slash, McCready, all the guys who were inspired by EVH coming on to pay their respects. Wow, what an amazing night that would be.

It's not Van Halen. Won't ever be Van Halen. But what a tribute. I'd pay to see it. I'd pay a LOT to see it. I think we all would.

I fear covid protocols would prohibit something like this for quite some time. Covid has resulted in loads of people not getting the proper memorial they deserve. Lots of families grieving in private. 2020 sucks

[marcin]

I could totally see Satriani, Vai, Slash, McCready, all the guys who were inspired by EVH coming on to pay their respects.

It is surprising, but Satch is the only one of the abovementioned gunslingers who still has not commented on the death of EVH.

Meanwhile, some guys you wouldn't expect to already praised Edward, including Yngwie Malmsteen, Ritchie Blackmore, and Michael Schenker.

https://twitter.com/MW_Schenker/stat...02807662178304

[mike529]

This is the one I've been dreading for years. Everytime a celebrity or musician passed, I would think of when it would be Ed's time and just felt sick even thinking about it. I got the news at the start of my work shift yesterday. My reaction "well there it is..." took me by surprise. It just wasn't hitting me like I thought it would, well, 24 hours later it's hitting me...

Thanks Eddie for all the times your music lifted my spirits. Life's so damn hard sometimes and getting in my car and turning up the stereo or my boombox as loud as they would go and blasting Dance the Night Away, Panama, Top of the World, Jump (sometimes over and over again) and everything else you ever released was my only escape and happiness in life at times.

I had a RAGING case of Psoriasis in high school. No girlfriend for sure cause of it, I had no one to take to prom. Didn't go, was really depressed about the whole situation. The night of prom, begged my older sister to buy me six pack, she relented after endless pestering. OU812 had come out a few days earlier. I spent the night in my bedroom listening to it over and over...getting drunk, playing air guitar and thrashing around the room like a maniac! Probably had a better time than if I had actually gone to prom! I still chuckle to myself to this day when I think to myself "i spent my prom night with Van Halen!" Thanks Ed, what would have really been sore spot in my past is a nice/funny memory because of you and your music.

(crowd chanting loudly) EDDIE! EDDIE! EDDIE! EDDIE!........

[jagerdave]

It is surprising, but Satch is the only one of the abovementioned gunslingers who still has not commented on the death of EVH.

Meanwhile, some guys you wouldn't expect to already praised Edward, including Yngwie Malmsteen, Ritchie Blackmore, and Michael Schenker.

https://twitter.com/MW_Schenker/stat...662178304?s=20

https://twitter.com/MW_Schenker/stat...662178304?s=20

I'm sure it's hit him hard as well. Satch had tremendous respect for Ed and I remember reading that Ed hung out at the studio with Joe when Joe was recording the Time Machine album.