The final show that Eddie Van Halen ever played
Few musicians contemplate the final time they’ll ever perform onstage with their bandmates. In a perfect world, the greatest acts would continue indefinitely, delighting any audience willing to listen. Eddie Van Halen likely didn’t realise how little time he had left in 2015, but his final performance on October 4th in Hollywood saw him exit as one of the few remaining guitar geniuses of his era.
Then again, the rock world changed extensively between Van Halen’s first and final shows. He had single-handedly reinvented what it meant to be a guitar hero, and hearing songs like ‘Eruption’ for the first time is still a quasi-initiation process for any kid looking to get into lead guitar playing.
But by the time Eddie played on his final tour, it had become a lot more cozy for him since the days of living like a rock and roll renegade. After years of infighting between members of the group and a few wilderness years where he couldn’t play as well as he could have, the band’s rebranding with David Lee Roth promised a lot more than just a nostalgia act.
Across their final album, A Different Kind of Truth, Eddie sounded re-energised since the days of Van Halen III, taking over production duties and putting together scraps of what he had made in his prime. Now, with a new modern touch, songs like ‘She’s a Woman’ and ‘Chinatown’ felt like leftovers from the glory years that just happened to have a new coat of paint on them for good measure.
It was also now a family affair, with Eddie’s son Wolfie taking over bass duties for original bassist Michael Anthony. Despite having the usual setlist of Roth-era favourites on October 4th, 2015, Eddie’s last performance at the Hollywood Bowl is a survival tale from years away from the spotlight.
The best moment of the night has to be his solo, where he resurrects pieces of different solos that hadn’t met the stage in a long time. Yes, fans were still satisfied with hearing the ‘Eruption’-style melodies, but there were also bits and pieces from other guitar solos like the opening of ‘Mean Street’ and the borderline-Spanish guitar stylings of ‘Little Guitars’.
Even though Eddie wouldn’t pass away for another five years following the concert, he would stay quiet for the rest of his life as he privately battled cancer. Although fans were looking forward to Wolfgang releasing his own record, the guitar maestro would officially fall silent on October 6th, 2020, with the world losing a rock and roll genius along with him.
But that legendary show at the Hollywood Bowl wasn’t supposed to be tragic then. Many groups don’t get to end things on their own terms, and while Van Halen III would have been an uncomfortable way to wrap up Van Halen’s career, fans instead got to see Eddie at his happiest: playing guitar alongside his family.
