Remembering Eddie

I never got to see Eddie and his band of merry men during the original David Lee Roth era. I really wish that I had gotten that chance. But, I did get to see him and the band during the Sammy era. An experience I will never forget. It was July 31st, 1993, on the "Right Here, Right Now" tour, at Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wisconsin. Vince Neil, who had just recently departed his band, Motley Crue, had just released his first solo album and was opening for VH on most of the tour. I knew that tickets for this show would be hard to come by, and I was right. But, me and the person I was going with, managed to get tickets anyway, albeit, lawn tickets, but hey, we were going none the less!

Vince opened the show with his own incredible energy. I have to admit, it was a little strange not seeing him with Nikki, Tommy and Mick, but he was great none the less. He had his own great guitarist with him in the form of Billy Idol axe-man, Steve Stevens. And, the rest of his band was pretty damn good too! Now, this was also back in the day when Vince could get through and entire set list of songs where he actually sang and not mumbled the words due to him being out of breath. Vince was in incredible shape back then. Vocally, he sounded awesome! Not only did he do songs off of his album, but he threw a few classic Crue songs in there for good measure as well. Overall, a damn good show for Vince and company. Next up, Van Halen.

During the intermission between Vince and Van Halen, we decided to head to the concession stand and grab a couple drinks. Now, the person I was with, also drove to the theater, so she just drank a regular Coke, like the responsible person she should be. I, on the other hand, ordered a beer. Keep in mind, beer wasn't cheap back then either, but it was nowhere near the cost it is now at a show to get one! Once we got on the path to the stand, we ran into a Couple who was leaving the show. As luck would have it, they offered us their tickets for the pavilion. They said that they had only come to see Vince, and didn't really care to see Van Halen with Sammy. Yep, they were one of those people! Sammy Hagar caught a lot of flack for something that he had absolutely no control over. Well, I mean, other than telling Eddie and Co. that he would join the band once DLR was ousted, that was about it. But Sammy had no control over who Eddie wanted to front the band once David was out. So, for awhile there, even some years on and to this day, the debate of who was better in Van Halen still rages on. But, I'll save that for another post!

So, me and the person I was with took the tickets from this poor, misguided Couple, and proceeded to the pavilion! Once we reached the pavilion, we had someone direct us to our seats. As we followed, we began to wonder how long it would be before he finally stopped and said your seats are down this isle! Once he did though, we were pleasantly surprised to see that those very tickets that were handed to us, were 5th row Center stage! By far the closest I have ever been to ANY stage during a concert, and I've been to a lot of concerts! Well, with the exception of KISS in 1992 during the "Revenge" tour in Indianapolis at Market Square Arena. Those were general admission tickets, and we ran our asses of to get the seats we got! But, again, I'll save that for another post! 

Once the lights went down, you could feel this incredible energy start to build. Even more so than before Vince Neil took the stage earlier in the evening! Maybe it was the beer. Maybe it was the sheer disbelief of how close we got in the pavilion after taking those tickets. Maybe it was just the mood of the crowd, knowing what wonders lay ahead. Maybe though, it was all of that! At that point, I began to wonder what they would open with. Would it be "Panama"? "Unchained"? "Jump"? "Poundcake"? Of all the songs I had running through my mind that they would open with, nothing prepared me for the actual song opener. It was "Mine All Mine" off of "OU812"!!! This was my absolute favorite song on that album! Not only did the studio version sound great played exceptionally loud threw my home stereo speakers and car speakers, it was ten times more incredible live! AND, it opened the show! I was beside myself! Yes, it's the little things. I'll explain more in a bit here. Following that song was of coarse, "Poundcake". Just as incredible live. And the songs just kept coming! Finally, what all the would be guitarists in the audience were really waiting for. It wasn't the incredible solos during the actual songs, as amazing as all of those were up to this point, it was to see Eddie take the stage by himself to do his actual stand alone solo. 

Remember when I said it's the little things a moment ago? I have played in bands from the moment I was 16. Never played guitar. I played drums, and later on, I moved out front to sing lead vocals in every band after that. Not that I'm this great vocalist at all. I'm definitely not! But it was a hell of a lot cheaper than replacing Drum equipment and guitars! So for me, the highlight would have been watching Eddie's brother Alex do his solo. Once Eddie took the stage alone though, that changed rather quickly! He began with just some basic noodling. Not really anything amazing at first, but still fun to watch. Then, once he was done messing around, school began. I seen this man do things with a guitar that even I had never seen before! I heard him make sounds that I had no idea a guitar could make! I was mesmerized! Held captive through the whole solo as Eddie amazed the crowd with his guitar wizardry! At that moment, I fully understood why this guy was a guitar God to so many would be guitarists. He was a true talent. Unmatched, unrivaled by any before, or since. He even made a guy like me, who at heart, was a drummer, bow to him in his supreme greatness and mastery of his instrument. Yes, I was in the  presence of true Heavy Metal royalty. A man considered by many as the best, EVER. 

Even after Eddie finished, I stood in complete amazement, disbelief even. Alex and Mikey did their respective solos. As good as they both were, I still stood floored by Eddie. And he did it all with a child like smile. Yes, that famous Eddie grin. It wasn't a smug grin. Not a grin that was sinister in any way. It was just a child like grin that put you at ease and seemed to say, relax, sit back, and let's all have a good time, because I am having a good time, you need to have a good time too! That's how I will always remember Eddie Van Halen. And, if you've ever seen him live, that's how you should remember him too. RIP Eddie! Your music and your mastery will live on forever!