eddie van halen 2015 tour

Flashback: Van Halen Play ‘Jump’ at Their Final Concert

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

The stunning news that Eddie Van Halen has died is just beginning to sink in. Rumors about his health problems have been circulating for years, but the guitarist fiercely protected his privacy and nobody knew the extent of his illness outside of a tiny circle of friends and family.

“He was the best father I could ever ask for,” his son and bandmate Wolfgang Van Halen said in a statement. “Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift. My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss.”

Van Halen last toured in the summer of 2015. It was their third time hitting the road since David Lee Roth rejoined the group in 2007 and the set mixed early hits like “Dance the Night Away” and “Panama” with lesser-known tunes like “Light Up the Sky,” “Romeo Delight,” and “Dirty Movies.” They wrapped up at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 4th, 2015. Here’s video of the final encore of “Jump” from that night.

Midway through the concert, Roth spoke directly to Eddie. “The best years of my life; the high points of all my life — onstage with you, homeboy,” he said. “I will always do the half-Jesus towards you, Eddie Van Halen .”

It was a rare moment of sentimentality between two bandmates who rarely saw eye-to-eye on much of anything, though they had no way of knowing it would be their final time playing together.

When the tour wrapped, Eddie largely disappeared from the public eye. David Lee Roth resumed his solo career while Wolfgang Van Halen worked on his debut solo LP. Rumors of a grand tour with Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth surfaced every couple of years. Sadly, those rumors can finally be put to rest. Without Eddie Van Halen, it’s impossible to imagine the band continuing in any form.

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This Was Eddie Van Halen's Final Concert

It doesn't need to be said, but Eddie Van Halen was more than your average rock star . With a hard-rock band that bears his surname Van Halen, the music legend birthed a new generation of the genre throughout the '70s and '80s by showcasing new possibilities of the electric guitar. With his iconic playing style, Eddie defined an era of rock & roll.

Tragically, On Oct. 6, 2020, Eddie passed away at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, Calif., after a prolonged diagnosis of throat cancer. Eddie's wife, Janie Liszewski, was by his side, along with his son, Wolfgang Van Halen , and Alex Van Halen, his brother and the band's drummer, TMZ reported. Wolfgang shared a heartfelt tribute to his father, while Eddie's bandmate, Sammy Hagar, shared a photo of the two and tweeted , "Heartbroken and speechless. My love to the family."

Fans and rock stars also mourned the loss of the guitar legend , with many lamenting that they did not get the chance to see Van Halen one last time. One fan wrote , "Can this year get any worse? I was supposed to go see Kiss and Van Halen last month. But of course covid made sure to cancel that concert."

On the topic of concerts, Van Halen's last tour was in 2015, which came three years after the band's A Different Kind of Truth. Van Halen wrapped up their final show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Oct. 4, 2015, and on that note, here's everything you need to know about Eddie Van Halen's last moment on stage.

Eddie Van Halen's special moment with David Lee Roth

Eddie Van Halen's final concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 2015 was not one to miss. Fans who attended the gig got to rejoice in Van Halen's earlier hits, such as "You Really Got Me" and "Dance The Night Away." Although Eddie did not perform his  legendary six-minute riff  with his cigarette still lit, he did deliver some heavy guitaring that brought people to their feet.

Toward the end of the 23-song show, per Setlist.fm , Van Halen had his final moment to shine on stage alongside his bandmates with a monumental, nine-minute guitar solo . During his solo, Van Halen performed "Little Guitars," "Mean Street," "Spanish Fly," "Cathedral," and "Eruption."

Commemorating the guitar pioneer,  Rolling Stone  shared a video of Van Halen's final encore of "Jump," and although that seemed to be the most powerful of the concert, the real highlight was the emotional moment shared between Eddie and frontman David Lee Roth. Midway through the show , Roth thanked the guitarist for giving him "the best years of my life." Roth concluded over the applause, "I will always do the half-Jesus towards you, Eddie Van Halen." The moment captured the hearts of everyone, as Eddie and Roth  rarely saw eye-to-eye  as bandmates.

Fans who attended Van Halen's last concert shared their memories on Twitter. One attendee  tweeted , "I was fortunate to see Van Halen in concert as a teenager, and again on their last tour in 2015. Your music will live on forever!"

David Lee Roth had doubts Van Halen would ever tour again

Prior to Eddie Van Halen's tragic death, there was already uncertainty about Van Halen touring again in 2020. Eddie, who had been battling cancer recurrently for two decades, underwent some serious surgeries throughout his career. In 2000, Eddie began treatment for tongue cancer and would have part of his tongue removed in the next year. He was declared cancer-free in 2002. In 2019, TMZ learned Eddie was traveling back and forth between Germany and the United States for throat cancer treatment for five years.

In a New York Times piece about his pandemic artwork, Eddie's bandmate David Lee Roth shared his doubts about the band touring again due to Van Halen's condition. "I don't know that Eddie [Van Halen] is ever really going to rally for the rigors of the road again," Roth said. "I don't even want to say I've waited — I've supported for five years. Because what I do is physical as well as musical and spiritual — you can't take five years off from the ring... He's a band mate. We had a colleague down. And he's down now for enough time that I don't know that he's going to be coming back out on the road."

In July 2020, Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie's son and bandmate, questioned and responded to Roth's comments (per NME ). After seeing a post on Instagram related to Roth's comments, Wolfgang commented, "Yeah I don't really think that's up for him to decide." While touring with Eddie is sadly no longer a possibility for the band, his talents will go down in music history.

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Van Halen Setlist at Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA, USA

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• Light Up the Sky Play Video
• Runnin' With the Devil Play Video
• Romeo Delight Play Video
• Everybody Wants Some!! Play Video
• Drop Dead Legs Play Video
• Feel Your Love Tonight Play Video
• Somebody Get Me a Doctor Play Video
• She's the Woman Play Video
• I'll Wait Play Video
• Drum Solo Play Video
• Little Guitars Play Video
• Dance the Night Away ( with 'Smoke on the Water' by Deep Purple & 'Jamie's Cryin'' snippets ) Play Video
• Beautiful Girls Play Video
• Women in Love... Play Video
• Hot for Teacher Play Video
• "Dirty Movies" Play Video
• Ice Cream Man ( John Brim  cover) Play Video
• Unchained Play Video
• Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love Play Video
• Guitar Solo ( with 'Little Guitars', 'Mean Street', 'Spanish Fly', 'Eruption' & 'Cathedral' snippets ) Play Video
• You Really Got Me ( The Kinks  cover) Play Video
• Panama Play Video
• Jump Play Video

Note: Last Van Halen show before Eddie Van Halen passed away on October 6th, 2020.

Edits and Comments

29 activities (last edit by graph_ludya , 28 Dec 2023, 01:32 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• Drop Dead Legs
• Hot for Teacher
• I'll Wait
• Beautiful Girls
• Dance the Night Away
• Light Up the Sky
• Somebody Get Me a Doctor
• Women in Love...
• Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love
• Feel Your Love Tonight
• Runnin' With the Devil
• "Dirty Movies"
• Guitar Solo
• Everybody Wants Some!!
• Romeo Delight
• Ice Cream Man by John Brim
• You Really Got Me by The Kinks
• She's the Woman
• Little Guitars

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Eddie Van Halen’s Final Concert In 2015 Surfaces Online With Soundboard Audio [Full-Show Video]

Eddie Van Halen ‘s last-ever performance with  Van Halen at the  Hollywood Bowl back on October 4th, 2015 , is now online for rock fans to relive with soundboard-quality audio.

The October 2015 performance featuring the iconic lead guitarist, who died from cancer earlier this month at the age of just 65, was part of a two-night run at the outdoor Hollywood venue which closed the band’s 41-date North American tour. By 2015, the band’s lineup consisted of original frontman David Lee Roth  back on lead vocals, Eddie on guitar,  Wolfgang Van Halen on bass, and  Alex Van Halen on drums.

The full-show video of Van Halen’s last-ever performance featuring the soundboard audio found its way onto YouTube on October 16th, and has since racked up an impressive 48,000+ views. The video features a mix of fan-shot footage as seen from multiple angles throughout the venue, which has impressively been edited together to stay in sync with the high-quality audio. Songs played throughout the 21-song performance that night included “Runnin’ With The Devil”, “Dance The Night Away”, “Hot For Teacher”, “Dirty Movies”, “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”, the band’s well-known cover of  The Kinks ‘ “You Really Got Me”, “Panama”, and “Jump”.

Related: TOOL Fan Asks Random Guy To Take His Photo At The Show, Doesn’t Realize It’s Eddie Van Halen

Relive what would be Eddie Van Halen’s final concert from start to finish via the video below.

Van Halen – Hollywood Bowl – 10/4/15 [Full-Show Video]

[Video: Greg L ]

Setlist: Van Halen | Hollywood Bowl | Hollywood, CA | 10/4/15

Set: Light Up The Sky, Runnin’ With The Devil, Romeo Delight, Everybody Wants Some!!, Drop Dead Legs, Feel Your Love Tonight, Somebody Get Me A Doctor, She’s The Woman, I’ll Wait, Little Guitars, Dance The Night Away, Beautiful Girls, Women In Love…, Hot For Teacher, Dirty Movies, Ice Cream Man (John Brim cover), Unchained, Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love, You Really Got Me (The Kinks cover), Panama, Jump

[H/T  Guitar World ]

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The Best Way to Watch or Hear Every Van Halen Tour: 1978-2015

Van Halen have somehow only released three official concert albums or home videos, despite the fact that their onstage charisma, skill and showmanship played a big part in making them superstars.

Even more amazingly, they've never released a live home video featuring their original frontman, David Lee Roth . Luckily, clever fans snuck video cameras and audio recording devices into at least one show from each of the band's world tours. After decades of being traded on VHS tapes, their footage is now more easily found on YouTube.

Below you'll find the best video and audio footage available from every Van Halen tour, a era that began with the 10-month 1978 trek that brought them worldwide fame and continued through to Eddie Van Halen 's last show, which took place on Oct. 4, 2015 in the band's hometown of Los Angeles.

1978 World Tour: Sept. 22 in Fresno, Calif.

After years of honing their live skills in clubs around Los Angeles, Van Halen embarked on a massive 1978 world tour in support of their debut album . They served as the opening act for bands such as Journey and Black Sabbath , making a strong and lasting impression on fans – if not threatening to steal the show right out from under the headliners. A June 1978 concert at Osaka, Japan was reportedly professionally filmed , but remains locked in the vault. So, the best we've got now is a 25-minute video of them opening for Sabbath on Sept. 22, 1978 in Fresno, Calif. Listen to the encore-hungry crowd angrily boo as Van Halen's gear is taken down at the end for clear evidence these were two bands heading in very different directions.

1979 World Vacation Tour: March 25 in Fresno, Calif. / Oct. 2 in Tuscon, Ariz.

After a brief break to record their second studio album , Van Halen went right back out on the road, this time as headliners. Over a half an hour of fantastic looking live-video footage (occasionally replaced by still photos) from the tour's opening night can be found below, as well as the full 96-minute soundboard audio from an Oct. 2 show in Tucson, Ariz.

1980 World Invasion Tour: April 13 in St. Paul, Minn. / June 23 in London, England

Much like Eddie's hand-built guitars, the best footage available from Van Halen's 1980 tour is a bit of a Frankenstein job. This 10-minute clip takes the video from an April 13 show in St. Paul, Minn., and pairs it with the audio from a show two weeks later in Pittsburgh. There's also a separate 75-minute full show audio recording of the band's June 23rd show in London.

1981 Fair Warning Tour: June 12 in Oakland, Calif. / Sept. 1 in Memphis, Tenn.

Van Halen had at least three songs professionally filmed and recorded from their June 12, 1981 show in Oakland, Calif., all of which were released as promotional videos. Roth later stated that more footage is in the vault, and it seems quite likely that the entire show's audio was recorded as well. Who knows if we'll ever get to hear or see any of that officially, but in the meantime there's also a 90-minute fan-shot performance from the Sept. 1 stop of the Fair Warning tour in Memphis, Tenn.

1982 Hide Your Sheep Tour: Oct. 12 in Largo, Md.

Maryland's Capital Center was one of the first arenas to install a closed-circuit TV system, allowing visiting bands to easily record great audio and video from their concerts. That's why this pro-quality footage of a nearly two-hour show in support of Diver Down has been widely circulating for years. Supposedly, Van Halen's March 25 stop on the 1984 tour was also recorded in this same manner.

1983 US Festival: May 29 in Devore, Calif.

Nearly four months after the conclusion of the Hide Your Sheep tour, Van Halen cashed a $1,500,000 check and played Apple founder Steve Wozniak's US Festival. It's far from their tightest live performance – Roth, in particular, appears to have started partying long before he hit the stage – but it's an undeniable spectacle.

1984 '1984' Tour: April 19 in Montreal, Canada

Since the aforementioned pro-shot Capital Center footage hasn't been made public yet, your best bet for reliving the last tour of the original Roth years is this fan-taped show from Montreal, Canada.

1986 '5150' Tour: May 10 Detroit, Mich. 

Van Halen's first tour with Sammy Hagar was documented well on the band's first-ever officially released live home video, Live Without a Net . So obviously, start there. But a few songs from the band's typical nightly show were trimmed from that release, including the set-opening cover of the Kinks ' "You Really Got Me," "Good Enough" from 5150 and a cover of "Rock Candy" from Hagar's first band, Montrose . This fan-shot footage from a show in Detroit restores all of those songs plus 1984 's " Jump ."

1988 Monsters of Rock: June 19 in Buffalo, N.Y.

The second North American tour with Hagar found Van Halen headlining a traveling festival that also featured the Scorpions , Metallica and Dokken. Despite being shot from way up high and off to one side, this surprisingly good-sounding fan video does a great job capturing all the fun.

1989 'OU812' Tour: Feb. 1 in Tokyo, Japan

After the Monsters of Rock tour, Van Halen promoted OU812 with a headlining tour that included several dates in Japan. The first of their two shows at Tokyo's Super Dome was filmed for broadcast on local television, and while it has yet to be officially released it's very easy to find on YouTube.

1991 For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour: Dec. 4 in Dallas, Texas

Just like the 5150 tour, your first option should be the band's official Live: Right Here Right Now home video and live album – and, this time out, the entire set list is included. But the most unique show on the tour took place Dec. 4 in Dallas. After losing his voice during the band's area stop on the Monsters of Rock show, Hagar promised the city a free concert as a make-good. Three years later the band delivered with an outdoor daylight show that included a rare live cover of Little Feat 's "A Apolitical Blues."

1995 Balance Tour: Aug. 18 & 19 in Toronto, Canada

Van Halen filmed two August 1995 shows for a pay-per-view special , although they were falling apart physically and inter-personally at the time. The set, which aired later that year in Canada and the United States, was also originally slated to be released on home video. Hagar's acrimonious 1996 departure put the kibosh on those plans.

1998 Van Halen III Tour: April 20 in Sydney, Australia / May 24 in Philadelphia, Pa. / July 28 in Pittsburgh, Pa.

One of the initial shows from their first and only tour with Gary Cherone was filmed for use on Australian television. The tour found Van Halen digging up Roth-era classics such as "Romeo Delight" and "Dance the Night Away" for the first time in years. About an hour of footage from that concert can be seen below, followed by a fan-shot version of a complete two-hour show from Philadelphia. Van Halen also recorded their summer performance in Pittsburgh, reportedly to use for an official live album. The idea was scratched following Cherone’s dismissal from the band, but the entire show is available to listen to below, providing over an hour and a half of audio.

2004 Summer Tour: Nov. 4 in Ames, Iowa

By all accounts, Van Halen's attempt to reunite with Hagar was a disaster . Their plans to record a new album instead got scrapped in favor of adding three new songs to a greatest-hits compilation. According to Hagar, Eddie Van Halen's drinking had gotten out of control, leading to poor playing and numerous arguments. The videos that are out there from the tour certainly seem to indicate that something was out of whack. This trip also featured the worst set list Van Halen ever created, the lowlight of which found Hagar singing "Jump" at the start of each show. But hey, if you're somehow still curious, knock yourself out.

2007-2008 North American Tour: Oct. 3, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pa.

There was a welcome return and the start of a new, lasting stability Aater a decade of turbulence and extended absences from the road. David Lee Roth was back in Van Halen, along with Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass. Some fans fretted about Michael Anthony 's departure, but the changes clearly re-energized the group. Night after night they dug out pretty much every Roth-era song you could ask for, and played them very well. Of course, they completely ignored the Hagar and Cherone years, as you can see from this complete fan-shot show from Philadelphia.

2012-2013 A Different Kind of Truth Tour: Feb. 20, 2012 in Auburn Hills, Mich.

The next logical step for Van Halen's new Roth-fronted lineup was to record a studio project, and 2012's A Different Kind of Truth followed. Half of the album was comprised of re-worked versions of unused songs from their early days, four of which were added to their nightly set lists on the ensuing tour. Below you can see the trek's second show, from the now-demolished Palace of Auburn Hills .

2015 North American Tour: Oct. 4 in Los Angeles, Calif.

The Different Kind of Truth tour led to Van Halen's first-ever Roth-fronted live album, Tokyo Dome Live in Concert . They promoted the live set with a summer 2015 tour of North America. Wolfgang Van Halen, in charge of set lists, dug even deeper into the band's album tracks as they performed long-gone gems such as "Light Up the Sky" and "Drop Dead Legs" every night. This tour concluded in Van Halen's hometown of Los Angeles, with two October shows at the Hollywood Bowl. Roth paid special tribute to Eddie Van Halen on the first night: "The best years of my life, the high points of all my life – onstage with you, homeboy." Eddie Van Halen's last concert ever can be seen below, complete with soundboard audio.

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Remembering David Lee Roth’s Last On Stage Moment With Eddie Van Halen [VIDEO]

October 10, 2020 —by Eric Senich Leave a Comment

Today is David Lee Roth’s 66th birthday. In what normally would be a celebration of Diamond Dave’s life and career, we thought it would more appropriate to simply remember the last time he and Eddie Van Halen performed on stage together.

On October 4th, 2015 Van Halen performed the second of two nights at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. During their performance of the 1979 classic “Dance The Night Away” Roth took the opportunity to honor his friend and bandmate Eddie Van Halen.

“The high points of my life have been spent on stage working with you. You too, Al,” said Roth.

In hindsight this clip takes on a whole new meaning. Knowing that the future of Van Halen was always unpredictable Roth may have been thinking that this could be his the last time on stage as a member of Van Halen. It now turns out that it sadly was.

Here is that moment caught on camera:

Watch the entire concert from that night below:

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“Eddie’s death rocked his son’s world, but Wolfgang solidified his music career with a sound all of his own while continuing to honor his father’s legacy”: New Behind The Music episode puts Wolfgang Van Halen's story front and center

The long-running music docuseries kicks off its new season with WVH's life story

The new season of the long-running music docuseries Behind The Music kicks off this May with an episode featuring Wolfgang Van Halen. The episode promises to peel back the layers of Van Halen's complex story, which is “wrought with trauma, perseverance, and immense talent.”

VH1's Behind the Music was a ’90s staple, as it humanized and gave music fans insight into their favorite artists' backstories. While the original series wrapped up in 2014, it was rebooted in 2021, with the new version of the show airing on Paramount+ . 

“Born to guitar god Eddie Van Halen and actress Valerie Bertinelli, Wolfgang instantly became bound to music,” says the official episode description.

“As he developed his own sound, Wolfgang turned to his solo project, Mammoth WVH, before tragedy struck. Eddie’s death rocked his son’s world, but Wolfgang solidified his music career with a sound all of his own while continuing to honor his father’s legacy.”

The new season will also include episodes on Bell Biv DeVoe and Trace Adkins, and remastered episodes featuring The Notorious B.I.G., Sinead O’Connor, 50 Cent, Bobby Brown, Milli Vanilli and Ice-T.

In a recent People interview , Wolfgang Van Halen spoke about how important it is for him to honor his dad onstage: “The reason I do what I do is because of my dad. So if I didn't or at least think about him throughout the process, I'd be doing a disservice to my existence.

“So I think it's very important to establish that to thank my dad every night, every time I'm on stage. Just to thank my father and to know that he's always there with me every night.”

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Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN .

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A Las Vegas ‘Eruption’: Violinist masters Van Halen classic

Vegas musician Nina Di Gregorio spent years learning Eddie Van Halen’s epic guitar solo on a customized violin.

A few months ago Nina Di Gregorio was learning the iconic Eddie Van Halen guitar piece “Eruption” on violin. It wasn’t going particularly well.

Di Gregorio’s husband, multi-instrumental musician and symphonic-rock star Brody Dolyniuk, finally said, “It ain’t’ gonna happen. You’re not making ‘Eruption’ on that thing.”

If you know Di Gregorio, that comment assured it would happen. The founder of the Femmes of Rock touring band was determined to blend Van Halen’s epic jam with her own violin virtuosity. The goal was a YouTube clip that would forever capture the performance.

A month later, Di Gregorio again practiced “Eruption” in the couple’s Las Vegas home. Dolyniuk heard the piece while in the shower.

“He came out and said, ‘I thought that was Eddie playing,’” Di Gregorio says. “I knew I had it then.”

A raging performance

“Eruption” is Van Halen’s torrid, 1 minute, 42-second solo leading into the cover of the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.” Issued as part of the 1978 “Van Halen” album, “Eruption” is considered by fans and musicians as one of the greatest rock guitar solos ever.

Di Gregorio’s year-long odyssey to master the solo culminated April 12. She and Dolyniuk cut a video of her playing the song at Reynolds Hall (they hit The Smith Center venue on a rare open day). The clip is now atop Di Gregorio’s YouTube and Facebook pages.

The video features Di Gregorio in a Van Halen-inspired, red-and-white jumpsuit. She shreds amid spotlights, lasers and colored smoke. Vegas photographer and videographer Patrick Rivera shot the clip; costume legend Diana Eden designed Di Gregorio’s rock-star attire.

In fast order, Dolyniuk edited the clip, which posted April 16.

We have a hit

Since, Di Gregorio’s majestic performance has amassed more than 3.4 million TikTok views, 2.4 million hits on Instagram, 2 million on Facebook, 408,000 on YouTube and 341,000 on X.

The clip is a hit, in short. But it was not an overnight sensation. Di Gregorio’s interest in playing “Eruption” dates several years. She needed to upgrade her violin, from a five-string, non-fretted to a seven-string, fretted instrument.

“Once I got the violin, I had to learn how to play it, because it’s huge,” Di Gregorio says. “It’s like a totally different instrument.”

Utilizing the frets, the classic-rock musician learned “finger tapping” necessary to replicate Van Halen’s distinctive style and sound. She bought new equipment, different effects pedals and effects chains (those devices on the floor musicians activate with their feet), learning an entirely new technique for this performance. Di Gregorio spells out the entire technical process on her YouTube clip.

A bevy of covers

Di Gregorio has also covered Pink Floyd, a couple of David Gilmour solos, Rush, Bon Jovi and Peter Frampton . Artists have frequently applauded the efforts. Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson commented on Di Gregorio’s FB page, on her cover of “Limelight.”

“You know what I think,” Lifeson said in string of praising messages. “Terrific response for your terrific effort.”

Frampton shared her clip of “Do You Feel Like We Do,” in which she played “talk box” and guitar solos on violin.

“Panama” by Van Halen actually follows “Eruption” on her YouTube page. Founding VH bassist Michael Anthony has commented approval several times on Di Gregorio’s work.

Return of Femmes

Di Gregorio is also an adept bassist, and a successful artistic entrepreneur. Femmes of Rock, a popular national act (headlining First Arena in Elmira, N.Y., on Friday), plays Myron’s at The Smith Center on July 27.

As always, expect a rock show.

“The whole thing started for me when I was very young, because Eddie Van Halen was one of my favorite musicians, and I listened to ‘Eruption’ over and over again,” Di Gregorio says. “I listened to guitar players, and that’s what I wanted to do. I just happened to play the violin.

“So I figured out how to translate what they did to my instrument, and have pretty much spent my whole life doing that.”

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He’s played jazz piano with Arturo Sandoval, Joe Williams and Natalie Cole, among many others. He’s played for such TV shows as “Family Guy,” “Quantum Leap,” and the Emmy Awards telecast; and such movies as “Ted,” “The Birdcage,” and “Pocahontas.”

So Dave Loeb can be trusted with the tutelage of UNLV’s jazz musicians.

Loeb leads the UNLV Spring Jazz Festival next week. On Monday it’s Jazz Ensemble III, Jazz Guitar Ensemble and Jazz Vocal Ensemble; on Tuesday it’s Contemporary and Latin Jazz Ensembles and Studio Scarlet Jazz Vocal Ensemble and Wednesday it’s Jazz Ensembles I and II with guest jazz drummer Tommy Igoe (also conducted by Nathan Tanouye ).

Igoe has long been recognized as one of the finest drummers in the world and is also a top-selling author. UNLV’s Jazz Ensemble I is has won the the Downbeat magazine honor as top Graduate College Large Band Ensemble in the nation. This is the latest in a string of prominent awards for the UNLV program.

All that jazz happens at 7:30 p.m. each night at Artemus Ham Hall on the UNLV campus. Tickets are $10 (a mere pittance), go to pac.unlv.edu or call 702.895.2787. This is some of the coolest music the city offers.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts . Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.

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WOLFGANG VAN HALEN On DAVID LEE ROTH's Disparaging Comments: 'You Have To Take What He Says With A Grain Of Salt'

Wolfgang Van Halen has responded to the disparaging comments that David Lee Roth has made about him.

In a new interview with "The Morning X With Barnes & Leslie" , Eddie Van Halen 's son, who joined VAN HALEN at just 15 years old, was asked why he thinks Roth has called him out "in such a vile fashion". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET ): "I guess I'm honored he even thinks about me as much as he seems to. I guess you have to take what he says with a grain of salt considering he also said that he wrote [ Eddie Van Halen 's classic instrumental] 'Eruption' and came up with the Frankenstein [red-white-and-black-striped pattern Eddie Van Halen made famous on his guitar]… He said he wrote all the solos that Dad wrote."

Wolfgang continued: "I guess that's all I can say. I seem to have been born into this VAN HALEN drama that has come way before me. And I guess now that my dad isn't here to be a target, I guess he went to the next best thing."

During the same chat, Wolfgang shot down the possibility of a VAN HALEN tribute concert or tour involving him. "I don't wanna play that music without my dad," he said.

In January, Roth posted an audio clip to YouTube in which he blasted Eddie Van Halen 's son for allegedly engaging in unpleasant behavior and making poor decisions during VAN HALEN 's final tour.

"This fuckin' kid," David said, "he's complaining the entire tour like I'm not paying enough attention to him on stage." Roth continued: "He's complaining to everybody around me — the business manager, the security guy, the clothing lady — ' Dave 's not paying enough attention to me.'

Roth went on to recount an incident at the New York stop of the tour where Wolfgang allegedly "commandeered a couple of monkeys to go in back, behind my back, over to the side of the stage and throw out these two great dames that I invited to be my guests to the show.

"In fact, you aren't gonna believe this shit. This fuckin' kid, what he doesn't know is that these two dames work for the accounting firm that represent him, not me. But as usual, he, just like his uncle and his uncle's brother, stiffed them for tickets."

Roth later told a similar story that allegedly took place at Los Angeles's Hollywood Bowl at the last-ever show of VAN HALEN 's final tour. According to David , just as he and the rest of VAN HALEN were about to launch into "Ice Cream Man" , Wolfgang had another female guest of Roth do "the walk of shame" and got her ejected from the venue.

With Wolfgang on bass, VAN HALEN embarked on lengthy tours in 2007, 2012 and 2015. The band's final run of shows took place in the summer and fall of 2015. The North American trek included 41 concerts beginning on July 5, 2015 and ending on October 4, 2015.

Back in December 2021, Wolfgang , who joined his father Eddie Van Halen in VAN HALEN for the band's 2007 reunion tour with Roth , replacing Michael Anthony , was asked about David 's retirement in an interview with Consequence . He said: " Dave is a… he's very much a one-of-a-kind [ chuckles ] sort of guy. We don't really talk, if ever. We were always cordial on tour together, but it's not like I've spoken to him at all in the last six years. But, I mean, he's fucking David Lee Roth . I'm so happy for him and for everything that he's accomplished. And he's just a phenomenal… He'll always be one of the best."

In November 2020, Wolfgang told Rolling Stone about his relationship with Roth : "We're cordial. But it was very business-related. You know, we were always cool, but we really only ever saw each other onstage."

Last year, Wolfgang implied in an interview that David Lee Roth was largely to blame for a proposed Eddie Van Halen tribute concert never materializing. He told Rolling Stone at the time: "What I can say is that there was an attempt at doing something. But, you know, I don't like to speak negatively about people, but there are some people that make it very difficult to do anything when it comes to VAN HALEN . After being in VAN HALEN for a long time, I really have strived to have an environment where there is no walking on eggshells and there is no personality that you have to deal with. It's just guys having fun making music and just having a good time. But, you know, from my time in VAN HALEN , there was always some stuff that gets in the way from just making music and having a good time. And, I think, that's what happened.

"I would love to just sit here and say everything and say the truth," he continued. "There are plenty of interviews my dad did, where he straight up just said everything. And people hated him for it and thought he was lying. So I could just say shit, but people have already decided how they feel about things, facts or not. So I can say the facts. But that may not align with how certain people feel. I know how VAN HALEN fans get. They are very motivated by which specific people they like in the band. And it's just not worth it. Just, we made an attempt, and some people can be hard to work with, and made it not happen."

Wolfgang went on to say that he "would really like to do something" for his father, but that the tribute concert idea "never even got off the ground."

"Look at anything that's happened with VAN HALEN ," he said. "And look how things have fallen apart. You know? The fact that in my tenure, in VAN HALEN , we managed to do three tours, put an album of original material and a live album out is a fucking miracle.

"People love to pin every decision VAN HALEN has ever made on Dad," he continued. "But Al 's the brain. Al has been the guy forever. He's the dude. When it comes to VAN HALEN , Dad just wanted to play guitar. But, you know, Al 's mentality, and it's the mentality that VAN HALEN took for the entirety of its band, is that there's nothing worth talking about unless it's happening. So the reason that nothing has been talked about from VAN HALEN , the official channels, is because nothing's happened. And I know how that will stir people up and piss them off. But that's how the operation is run."

Asked what he would say if someone were to assume that the main problem was a certain singer with three initials — referring to David Lee Roth — Wolfgang replied: "I would say 'Do your research on the history of VAN HALEN , and come to your conclusions.'"

Eddie passed away in October 2020 at the age of 65. He had been battling throat cancer and died surrounded by friends and family at a Santa Monica, California hospital.

VAN HALEN had been inactive since it completed its U.S. tour nine years ago.

In early 2019, rumors were rampant that the classic-era lineup of VAN HALEN would reunite for the first time since 1984. It has since been revealed that a health setback involving Eddie was responsible for the tour not materializing.

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