WATCH WOLFGANG VAN HALEN PLAY “PANAMA” AND “HOT FOR TEACHER” AT THE LOS ANGELES TAYLOR HAWKINS TRIBUTE CONCERT
Wolfgang Van Halen joined Dave Grohl, The Darkness singer Justin Hawkins and acclaimed session drummer Josh Freese at the second Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at Los Angeles’s Kia Forum on September 27th to perform Van Halen songs, Hot For Teacher and Panama. Fan-filmed video can be seen below.
In other Wolfie news, Mammoth WVH will release a digital deluxe edition of their critically acclaimed self-titled debut on November 11th, pre-order here. The new digital deluxe features the bonus track from the Japanese version of the album, Talk & Walk, as well as two previously unreleased tracks: As Long As You’re Not You and Goodbye. To read more details about this special release, and to hear, Talk & Walk, please click here.
The band will also be touring with Alter Bridge starting January 25th, 2023 in Tampa Florida, and winding down, on April 1st in Highland, California. For a complete list dates, please go here.
Just like when this was done at Wembley Stadium a few weeks ago: close your eyes, listen to the guitar and you’d think that Edward was back with us.
Wolfie’s good… very good.
I watched these clips and thought to myself, “What a wasted opportunity.” It would’ve been an amazing tribute to Taylor Hawkins – a die-hard VH fan – if DLR (who literally lives 45 minutes away from The Forum) could’ve agreed to participate. Who knows? That may have even motivated Al and certainly Mike to show up. It would’ve been a show-stopping tribute to Taylor AND Ed that people would be talking about for months, if not years.
No. Instead, Diamond Dave is sitting by himself re-recording VH hits that don’t need re-recording, like some sort of rock & roll Norma Desmond, wallowing in his own ego about how great he was 40 years ago.
…and I’m saying this as a fan of Dave.
Going out on a linb here but something tells me that Wolfie favors the DLR years as opposed to the Sammy years of Van Halen . 🙂
Wolfie never really committed himself to stating which line-up he preferred, but I think I recall him stating in an interview, that he thought the Roth years were heavier.
Also, it was he, who got the band to reunite with Roth, not Hagar. So, I suspect he is definitely partial to the original line-up, as are most Van Halen fans.
Let me remind everybody once again, – Sammy Hagar, or “The Warrior” Patty Smyth? Sammy kept VH going, they needed him ALOT more than he needed them! Sammy may have been the engineer, but again, Eddie was the conductor, and the conductor is always in charge!
Doug,
I know you always feel the need to come to Hagar’s defense, and no one is pointing the finger at him. It is well known that Eddie wanted to move the band in a poppier direction, and that is why Roth left. Roth wanted the band to remain as is, but the irony of it all, was his solo career “started” off by doing pop cover songs (California Girls and Just A Gigalo).
Regardless of who the driving force was, there is a big difference in sound between Van Halen and Van Hagar.
Absolutely, all I’m saying is a lot of fans still seem to think that it was Hagar that changed Van Halen’s sound, they blame Hagar for making VH poppier, which isn’t true, it was all Eddie! I just wish people would remember that more often.
Yes, I think as more books are written, and read, that point will become clearer.
Thank you for posting ! Lost for words enuff said.
No need to thank me, I am big Wolfgang fan. 🙂
In in a way, he is kinda killing two birds with one guitar. A tribute to both Hawkins and his father, but Eddie needs a proper tribute. In some ways, he’s transcending his father. I like his music and like to hear more from him.