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{{short description|American rock band (1973–2020)}}
{{Infobox musical artist | <!-- See Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Musicians -->
{{about|the band|their self-titled debut album|Van Halen (album){{!}}''Van Halen'' (album)||Van Halen (disambiguation)}}
| Name = Van Halen
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| Img_capt = Van Halen during their 2008 tour From left to right: ], ], ], and ].
{{Infobox musical artist
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| Background = group_or_band | name = Van Halen
| image = File:Van Halen Lineup 1984.jpg
| Genre = ], ]<ref>{{cite web|last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |coauthors=Greg Prato |url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:dzfqxqwgldte |title=Van Halen Biography |publisher=allmusic |date= |accessdate=2008-11-23}}</ref>
| caption = Van Halen in 1984; ({{abbr|L–R|Left to right}}): ], ], ], and ].
| Origin = ], ], ]
| Years_active = 1972 - present | background = group_or_band
| Label = ], Yessup Recording | genre = {{flatlist|
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| Associated_acts = ], The Other Half, ], ]
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| Current_members = ]<br />]<br />]<br />]| Past_members = ]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]
* ]
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{{dablink|This article is about the band Van Halen, for their debut album see ].}} | discography = ]
| origin = ], U.S.
'''Van Halen''' is a ] band formed in {{city-state|Pasadena|California}} in 1972. They enjoyed success from the release of their ] in 1978. As of 2007 Van Halen has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide<ref name="2004tourpr"> Announcing 2004 Van Halen Concert Tour</ref> and have had the most number one hits on the ] ] chart. During the 1980s they also had more ] hits than any other hard rock or heavy metal band. According to the ], Van Halen is the 19th best selling band/artist of all time with sales of over 56 million albums in the USA<ref name="2005riaa">{{cite web|url=http://www.riaa.com/gp/bestsellers/topartists.asp|title=2005 statistics from the RIAA}}</ref> and is one of five rock bands that have had two albums sell more than 10 million copies in the USA.
| years_active = 1973–2020
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| spinoffs = {{flatlist|
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| website = {{URL|van-halen.com}}
| past_members = <!--DO NOT add "(deceased)" next to any names in the infobox. This is contrary to Misplaced Pages guidelines.-->
* ]
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'''Van Halen''' ({{IPAc-en|v|æ|n|_|ˈ|h|eɪ|l|ə|n}} {{respell|van|_|HAY|len}}) was an American rock band formed in ], in 1973. Credited with restoring ] to the forefront of the music scene,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/van-halen|title=Van Halen|agency=] |access-date=March 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913013201/https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/van-halen|archive-date=September 13, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-van-halen-rocked-the-business-world_us_58f75952e4b0f5cf16c7baf3|title=How This Band Rocked The Business World|first=Dave|last=Bookbinder|website=]|date=April 19, 2017}}</ref> and for the virtuosity of its guitarist, ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://prospect.org/article/rise-and-stall-van-halen|title=The Rise and Stall of Van Halen|first=Matthew|last=Duss|date=September 7, 2007|via=American Prospect}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/van-halen-feel-the-burn-63440/|title=Van Halen Feel the Burn|first1=Steve|last1=Pond|magazine=]|date=July 14, 1988}}</ref> The band was inducted into the ] in 2007.

From 1974 to 1985, Van Halen consisted of Eddie Van Halen, his brother, drummer ], lead vocalist ], and bassist ].<ref name="Van Halen"/> Upon its release in 1978, the band's ] reached No. 19 on the ] and would sell over 10 million copies in the United States, achieving a ] certification by the ] (RIAA). By 1982, the band released four more albums: '']'' (1979), '']'' (1980), '']'' (1981), and '']'' (1982), all of which have since been certified multi-platinum. By the early 1980s, Van Halen was among the most commercially successful rock acts.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/35-years-later-van-halens-1984-remains-a-high-water-mark-for-the-band-11103309|title=Van Halen's 1984 Turns 35 Today, Is At Least The Second Best Work With That Title|first=Pete |last=Vonder Haar|date=January 9, 2019|newspaper=]}}</ref> The album '']'', released in the eponymous year, was a commercial success with U.S. sales of 10 million copies and four successful singles. Its lead single, "]", was the band's only number one single on the ].

In 1985, Roth left the band to embark on a solo career and was replaced by former ] lead vocalist ]. With Hagar, the group released four U.S. number-one, multi-platinum albums over the course of 11 years: '']'' in 1986, '']'' in 1988, '']'' in 1991, and '']'' in 1995. The group also released a double-platinum live album, '']'', in 1993. Hagar left the band in 1996 shortly before the release of the band's first greatest hits collection, '']''. Former ] frontman ] replaced Hagar and recorded the commercially unsuccessful album '']'' with the band in 1998, before parting ways in 1999. Van Halen then went on hiatus until reuniting with Hagar in 2003 for a ] and the double-disc greatest hits collection, '']'' (2004). Hagar again left Van Halen in 2005. Roth returned in 2006, but Anthony was replaced on bass guitar by Eddie's son, ]. In 2012, the band released their final studio album, '']'', which was commercially and critically successful. It was also Van Halen's first album with Roth in 28 years and the only one to feature Wolfgang. Eddie was diagnosed with cancer in 2001, and died of the disease on October 6, 2020.<ref name=Wolf>{{cite tweet|user=WolfVanHalen|title=I can't believe I'm having to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning. He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every single 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. I love you so much, Pop.|number=1313561314598350848|date=October 6, 2020|access-date=October 6, 2020}}</ref><ref name="latimes.com">{{Cite news|date=October 6, 2020|title=Eddie Van Halen, grinning guitar god for a rock generation, dies at 65|url=https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2020-10-06/eddie-van-halen-guitar-dies-65|access-date=October 7, 2020|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/79952/eddie-van-halen-confirms-cancer-diagnosis|title=Eddie Van Halen Confirms Cancer Diagnosis|magazine=]|date=April 27, 2001|access-date=October 6, 2020}}</ref> A month after his father's death, Wolfgang confirmed that Van Halen had disbanded.<ref name="RS2020">{{cite magazine |last1=Hiatt |first1=Brian |title=Van Halen Considered Reunion Tour With Both David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eddie-van-halen-vault-wolfgang-interview-1090873/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=November 16, 2020 |date=November 16, 2020}}</ref>


{{As of|March 2019}}, Van Halen is 20th on the RIAA's list of best-selling artists in the United States; the band has sold 56 million albums in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/ |title=Gold & Platinum|website=] |agency=Recording Industry Association of America}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statisticbrain.com/van-halen-band-career-statistics/ |title=Van Halen band career statistics |date=November 8, 2010 |access-date=September 20, 2013 |archive-date=December 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224154304/http://www.statisticbrain.com/van-halen-band-career-statistics/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and more than 80 million worldwide, making them one of the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inc.com/magazine/20070601/features-more-volume.html|title=More Volume!|work=]|date=June 2007|access-date=September 17, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6465504/van-halen-first-live-album-david-lee-roth |title=Van Halen to Release First Concert Album With David Lee Roth |magazine=] |date=February 7, 2015 |access-date=January 20, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2012-04-05/music/van-halen-at-bankatlantic-center-april-10/full/ |title=Van Halen at BankAtlantic Center April 10 |newspaper=] |first=Victor |last=Gonzales |date=April 5, 2012 |access-date=February 11, 2013}}</ref> {{As of|2007}}, Van Halen is one of only five rock bands with two studio albums to sell more than 10 million copies in the United States<ref>{{cite book |title=Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga | publisher=John Wiley & Sons |author=Christe, Ian |author-link=Ian Christe |year=2007 |location=Hoboken, New Jersey |isbn=978-0-470-53618-6}}</ref> and is tied for the most multi-platinum albums by an American band. Additionally, Van Halen has charted 13 number-one hits on ''Billboard''{{'}}s ] chart. ] ranked the band seventh on its list of the "100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2000/vh1hardrock.htm |title=Rock the Net-VH1: 100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists|access-date=February 16, 2017}}</ref>
In addition to being recognized for success, the band is known for the drama surrounding the exits of former members. The (multiple) exits of singers ] and ] were surrounded in controversy and mass press coverage with various contrasting press statements between them and the band. The band changed style dramatically following the departure of Roth, with his solo career being more similar to the band's original work than Van Halen's own songs with later singers. More recently, ] was kicked out of the band for controversial reasons. Following their ] the band was on a hiatus from the public until September 2006, when new bassist ]'s place was confirmed and Roth-reunion rumors began to re-surface coinciding with the band's ] induction on March 12, 2007.<ref name="2007rockhall">{{cite web|url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/van-halen|title=2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Profile}}</ref> After years of speculation, Van Halen began a ] with Roth in late 2007 across North America, which has been extended into 2008. An album is proposed to follow.<ref name="cnn">{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/13/vanhalen.reut/index.html?iref=mpstoryview |title=Van Halen, with Roth, to begin reunion tour |accessdate=2007-08-13}}</ref> Along with this, a live tour DVD was announced at their May 13, 2008 concert at the ] that would contain recordings from several performances on their current tour.


==History== ==History==
===1972–1977: Formation and early history===
=== David Lee Roth era (1974–1985)===
The Van Halen brothers were born in ], the Netherlands, ] in 1953 and ] in 1955,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ABCDDD:010830689|title=Familiebericht|newspaper=Het Parool |date=January 28, 1955|via=Koninklijke Bibliotheek}}</ref> sons to ] musician Jan Van Halen and Indonesian-born ] Eugenia Van Beers. The family moved to ], in 1962. Young Edward began learning classical piano ], and became so proficient he won an annual piano recital contest 2 or 3 years in a row, despite never mastering ] ]. The brothers began playing music together in the 1960s, with Eddie on drums and Alex on guitar. However, while Ed was delivering newspapers to pay off his drum set, Alex secretly developed a passion and proficiency at them. Eventually, out of frustration and brotherly competition, Ed told Alex, "OK, you play drums and I'll play your guitar."<ref name="ReferenceA">Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga by Ian Christie, {{ISBN|978-0-470-03910-6}}</ref>
The Van Halen brothers started playing music together when Eddie took up the drums and Alex took up the guitar, but secretly, while Eddie would deliver newspapers on his paper route, Alex would sneak over and play on Eddie's drumset. Eventually Eddie switched to the guitar and formed Van Halen years later, excluding Alex Van Halen.<ref>Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga, by Ian Christe</ref> In 1972 the Van Halen brothers formed a band called "Genesis" which featured Eddie as lead vocalist/guitarist, Alex Van Halen on drums and Mark Stone on bass. They initially rented a sound system from ] but decided to save money by letting him join as lead vocalist even though he had previously auditioned unsuccessfully.<ref name="guitarcom">{{cite web |url=http://www.vhlinks.com/pages/interviews/evh/gu072378.php |title=Eddie van Halen |accessdate=2007-08-13}}</ref> By 1974 the band decided to replace Stone. The band then found out there was a far more successful band in England also named Genesis. It was at this point that they changed the band name to "Mammoth."<ref>Van Halen: The Early Years, movie</ref> Then ], bassist and lead vocalist from local band ''"Snake"'' was auditioned. Following an all night jam session he was hired for bass and backing vocals.<ref name="guitarcom" />


The Van Halen brothers formed their first band, the Broken Combs, in 1964. As they gained popularity playing backyard parties and local high school functions, they changed their name first to the Trojan Rubber Co, then in 1972 to Genesis, later still to Mammoth when they discovered ] was already in use by a major-label British band. At this time the band included Eddie on both vocals and lead guitar and friend Mark Stone on bass. They rented a ] from Indiana-born Pasadena transplant ] for $10 per night. The loquacious, worldly, energetic son of a local ophthalmologist, Roth fronted a local R&B influenced rock band the Red Ball Jets. Roth's uncle Manny owned NYC's Bleecker street ] until 1968. Partly to save money, they now invited Roth to join as their lead vocalist despite previous unconvincing audition(s).<ref name="guitarcom">{{cite web |url=http://www.vhlinks.com/pages/interviews/evh/gu072378.php |title=Eddie van Halen |access-date=August 13, 2007}}</ref> Ultimately Roth's charismatic "]" approach would be both an artistic foil to Eddie's circumspect, guitar prodigy talents as well as allowing Eddie to focus his energies on song composition.
Mammoth discovered in 1974 that their name was already being used and changed to "Van Halen". According to Roth,<ref>''Craze from the Heat'' by David Lee Roth</ref> this was his idea. They played backyard parties and on a flatbed truck at Hamilton Park. Van Halen played clubs in Pasadena and Hollywood to growing audiences, increasing their popularity through self promotion: before each gig they would pass out fliers at local high schools. This soon built them a major following.<ref name="guitarcom"/>


] in 1975.]]
In 1974, the band got their break out of Pasadena, with their first job at Gazzarri's on the Sunset Strip, a formerly famous but down-at-the-heels night club. They had earlier auditioned for Bill Gazzarri, the owner, but he claimed they were "too loud", and would not hire them. However, their new managers, Mark Algorri and Mario Miranda, who had coincidently taken over Gazzarri’s hiring, did the deal. Shortly afterwards, with their managers, they recorded their first demo tape at the now defunct Cherokee Ranch Studios, in Northridge, where Steely Dan had just completed an album. They then became a staple on Hollywood's ] during the mid-1970s, consistently playing at well-known clubs like the ].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/eddie-van-halen/jan-00/4788 |title=Eddie Van Halen |publisher=Guitar Player |month=January | year=2000 |accessdate=2008-11-23}}</ref> In 1977 ] of ] saw Van Halen at Gazzarri's and financed their second ], flying the band to the ] in New York City to record "House of Pain" and "]". Eddie disliked the demo because he was not using his own equipment and had to overdub guitar parts.<ref name="guitarcom" /> Simmons wanted to change the band's name to "Daddy Shortlegs" and had designed cover art (a ] wearing a top hat), but the band stuck with Van Halen. Simmons then opted out of further involvement after taking the demo to Kiss' manager and receiving the words of denial. He told Gene that "They had no chance of making it" and that he wouldn't take them. <ref> Van Halen: The Early Years movie </ref>
In 1973, Mammoth officially changed its name to Van Halen.<ref name="Van Halen"/> According to Roth,<ref>''Crazy from the Heat'' by David Lee Roth</ref> this was his brainchild. He felt it was a name that held long-term identity, artistic and marketing advantages, like ]. They continued to play Pasadena, San Bernardino, and Venice at clubs, festivals, backyard parties and city parks like Hamilton, drawing up to 2,000 people. Traffic jams and noise complaints to the local police often ensued, as far away as San Pedro.<ref>{{Cite news|date=December 18, 1974|title=Early Van Halen gig, at the Christmas Family Festival at the Greek Theatre. Dec 1974|pages=36|work=News-Pilot|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50448576/early-van-halen-gig-at-the-christmas/|access-date=May 7, 2020}}</ref> Van Halen subsequently played clubs in Los Angeles and West Hollywood to growing audiences, increasing their popularity entirely through self-promotion, passing out flyers at local high schools. This tenacious self-promotion soon built them an auspicious, loyal, area following.<ref name="guitarcom"/>
] show. Ed playing an ] Destroyer.]]
By 1974, Roth had been in the band for about a year, and they decided to replace the ambivalent Stone, who was unsure about a career in music. ], a Pasadena college music-classmate of Eddie's, joined the group after an all-night jam session. He had sung and played bass in a number of less successful Arcadia backyard-party bands, including Snake. Although he was hesitant, his own Snake-bandmate encouraged him to seize this opportunity.<ref name=guitarcom /> Also in 1974, the band had a major break when it was hired to play regularly at the ] club ]. The Doors had also "broken" there in the late 1960s. Owner Bill Gazzarri previously claimed VH was too loud. However, their new managers, Mark Algorri and Mario Miranda, took over the club's hiring and booked them through 1976.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} By the Spring of 1975, they were also the regular Tuesday night band at Myron's Ballroom.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 21, 1975|title=Van Halen. Tuesday night band at Myron's Ballroom.|pages=27|work=News-Pilot|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50448974/van-halen-tuesday-night-band-at/|access-date=May 7, 2020}}</ref> They had succeeded in becoming a staple of the Los Angeles music scene during the mid-1970s, playing at well-known clubs like the ] on Sunset Strip.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/eddie-van-halen/jan-00/4788 |title=Eddie Van Halen |magazine=Guitar Player |date=January 2000 |access-date=November 23, 2008 |archive-date=December 24, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224061525/http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/eddie-van-halen/jan-00/4788 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


All the club gig success led naturally to the need for a demo tape, which was recorded at ] in Northridge where ] had recently completed an LP. According to a January 4, 1977, '']'' article by Robert Hilburn,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whiskyagogo.com/articles/770104.html |title=Whiskey Articles |publisher=Whiskyagogo.com |access-date=March 12, 2011}}</ref> entitled "HOMEGROWN PUNK", ] saw Van Halen at Gazzarri's in the summer of 1976, and enticed ] of ] to see them. Impressed to action, Simmons produced a 29-track Van Halen demo tape, entitled "Zero" at ] studios in Los Angeles and with post-production overdubs completed at ] in New York.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Simmons even suggested changing their name to "Daddy Longlegs." However, a very disappointed Simmons could do no more once Kiss management opined that VH "had no chance of making it".<ref>Van Halen: The Early Years movie</ref>
In 1977, ] and ] of Warner Bros. Records saw Van Halen perform at the Starwood in ]. Although the audience was small, the two were so impressed with Van Halen that within a week they offered them a recording contract.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jas |last=Obrecht|url=http://www.musiciansfriend.com/document?doc_id=81828&src=3SOSWXXA |title=A Legend is Born Eddie Van Halen's First Interview |publisher=Musician's Friend |date= |accessdate=2008-11-23}}</ref> Van Halen recorded their ] ] at ] studio in mid September to early October 1977, recording guitar parts for one week and then recording vocals for two additional weeks. All of the tracks were laid down with little ] or double tracking. Minor mistakes were purposely left on the record and a simple musical set-up was used to give the record a live feel. Despite its simple components, ''Van Halen'' proved innovative in musical technique, production, and arrangement.{{Fact|date=January 2008}}


===1977–1985: Breakthrough and initial success with David Lee Roth===
During this time, they continued to play various venues in Southern California, including some notable concerts at the Pasadena Convention Center produced by their promoter and impresario, Steve Tortomasi, himself a fixture in the local rock and roll scene.
Doug Messenger, Van Morrison's band leader guitarist, knowing that ] was looking for a "guitar hero" act, had seen Van Halen at the ] in Hollywood and placed a number of calls to ] for Ted to check them out. "I don't know if it was 4 calls or 10, but I knew this was exactly the act Ted wanted. So on a horrendously rainy night in mid-1977", Warner Bros. executive ] and producer Ted Templeman saw Van Halen perform at the Starwood in Hollywood.<ref>YouTube video</ref> According to a December 1977 story in the ''Los Angeles Times'', it was Van Halen's first booking at the Starwood and the first time they hired their own roadies. "We wanted to come on with a little class and we couldn't be seen setting up our own stuff in Hollywood," explained Roth.<ref>{{Cite news|date=December 27, 1977|title=LA Times_December 27, 1977_Van Halen|pages=61|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20534174/la-timesdecember-27-1977van-halen/|access-date=May 7, 2020}}</ref> Although the audience was negligible — Messenger claims only a barmaid and himself were there until Ostin and Templeman arrived — the Warner Bros. reps were so impressed that they wrote a ] on a napkin, and within a week met at a local diner with the band, their future manager Marshall Berle (nephew of comedian ]) and Warner touring manager Noel Monk, who had just guided the ] across the United States. According to Noel Monk's book, the band's car had broken down enroute to the meeting at the diner, and rather than leave the Warner Bros. reps waiting and appear to be an irresponsible band, the members of Van Halen actually ran the remaining distance of several miles to arrive only slightly late .<ref>{{Cite book |last=Monk |first=Noel |title=Runnin' with the Devil: A Backstage Pass to the Wild Times, Loud Rock, and the Down and Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen |date=2017 |publisher=Dey Street Books |isbn=978-0062474100 |publication-date=2017 |pages=28 |language=English}}</ref> Warner offered the band a rather basic two album recording contract, one that heavily favored Warner, paying the four young men only $0.70 per unit (album) sold, a deal that would leave the band over $1 million in debt at the conclusion of their first supporting tour as the opening act for ] and ].<ref>{{cite news |first=Jas |last=Obrecht |url=http://www.musiciansfriend.com/document?doc_id=81828&src=3SOSWXXA |title=A Legend is Born Eddie Van Halen's First Interview |publisher=Musician's Friend |access-date=November 23, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218222440/http://www.musiciansfriend.com/document?doc_id=81828&src=3SOSWXXA |archive-date=December 18, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The group recorded their debut album at ] studio from mid-September to early October 1977, recording guitar parts for one week and then vocals for two additional. All of the tracks were laid down with little ] or multi-tracking. Minor mistakes were purposely left on the record and a very rudimentary instrument set-up was used to give the record a live feel. During this time, they continued to play various venues in Southern California, including some notable concerts at the Pasadena Convention Center produced by their promoter and impresario, Steve Tortomasi, himself a fixture in the local rock and roll scene.


On release, '']'' reached #19 on the ] pop music charts, one of rock's most commercially successful debuts.<ref name="bestselling70s"> according to industry sales</ref> It is a highly regarded hard rock album.<ref name="rollingstonetop500"> Top 500 Greatest Albums Ever Made</ref> The album included songs now regarded as Van Halen classics, like "]" and the guitar solo "]", which showcased Eddie's use of a technique known as ]. The band toured for nearly a year, opening for ] and establishing a reputation for their electric performances. The band's chemistry owed much to Eddie Van Halen's technical guitar wizardry and David Lee Roth's flamboyant antics, which later turned them into rivals. They returned to the studio in 1979 for '']'', similar in style to their debut. This album yielded the band's first hit single, "]." Upon its release, '']'' reached No. 19 on the ] pop music charts, one of rock's most commercially successful debuts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://webalmanac.allinfoabout.com/music/1970.html |title=1970s: 100 Best-Selling Albums |publisher=All Info About Web Almanac |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070105211239/http://webalmanac.allinfoabout.com/music/1970.html |archive-date=January 5, 2007}}</ref> It was highly regarded as both a heavy metal and hard rock album.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rhino.com/rs500/listing9.lasso|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531104356/http://www.rhino.com/rs500/listing9.lasso |url-status=dead|archive-date=May 31, 2009|title=Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums Ever Listing 401–450|date=May 31, 2009}}</ref> The album included songs now regarded as Van Halen classics, like "]" and the guitar solo "]", which showcased Eddie's use of a technique known as ], leading into what became the band's first single, a cover of "]". The band toured for 9 months more, opening for ] and establishing a reputation for their performances.<ref name="Monk, Noel memoir">Monk, Noel memoir</ref> The band's chemistry was based on Eddie Van Halen's guitar technique and David Lee Roth's charisma. The band returned to the studio for 2 weeks, in late 1978, to record '']'', a 1979 ] similar in style to their debut. This record yielded the band's first hit single, "]", which peaked at 15 on BB Hot 100.


Over the next four years, the band toured non stop, never taking more than 2 weeks to record an album. Their album '']'' was released in 1980, and further cemented Van Halen's platinum-selling status to Warner Bros. It yielded two hit singles, "]" and "]". For the first time, an amplified ] was used to complement Ed's guitar.
Over the next few years, the band alternated album releases and ] to increasing commercial and critical acclaim and became one of the world's most successful and influential bands.{{Fact|date=January 2008}} Their party-loving spirit and hard rocking anthem-like sound made them popular with teenagers.{{Fact|date=January 2008}} '']'' was released in 1980 and further cemented Van Halen's status. But in 1981, during the recording of the '']'' album, tensions rose. Eddie's desire for more serious and complex songs was at odds with Roth's poppy style.{{Fact|date=January 2008}} Although Roth (and producer Templeman) acquiesced to Eddie's wishes, '']'' was a commercial disappointment, with no hits. In later interviews Eddie would reveal that he was drinking heavily and using cocaine during the production of Fair Warning. This may have resulted in the album's darker tone.{{Fact|date=January 2008}}


In 1981, during the recording of '']'', Eddie's desire for darker, more complex songs in minor keys was at odds with Roth's pop tastes and style. Nonetheless, Roth and veteran Warner Bros. rock producer Ted Templeman acquiesced to Eddie's wishes on this album. Doug Messenger recalled how Ed and engineer Don Landee rerecorded the "]" solo hours after Ted "stormed out of" the studio. This darker album only reached platinum status after $250,000 of ] pushed it up nationwide from 400k copies.<ref name="Monk, Noel memoir"/>
'']'' performed better. The band then earned a spot in the ] for the highest-paid single appearance of a band: $1.5 million for a 90 minute set at the 1983 ].{{Fact|date=January 2008}} Despite this return to form, Roth and Eddie's differences continued, and this caused friction with other band members. According to bassist ], after his band ] completed a tour with Van Halen, he was approached by Eddie Van Halen to replace Michael Anthony. The reasons for this were never clear to Sheehan, because nothing came out of it.<ref>{{dead link|date=November 2008}}</ref>


Planning to release a cover single, then take a hiatus, Roth and Ed agreed upon a remake of the 1960s ] song "]", which peaked at 12 on BB Top 100. "Oh, Pretty Woman"'s comical video helped its immediate success, but was also banned by MTV. Due to much pressure from Warner Bros., the hiatus was canceled and the '']'' LP was squeezed out, again, within 2 weeks time.<ref name="Monk, Noel memoir"/> Roth's preference for pop covers prevailed this time and with Ed's synthesizer and guitar riffs ''Diver Down'' charted much better. The band then earned a spot in the ] for the highest-paid single appearance of a band: $1.5&nbsp;million for a 90-minute set at ]'s 1983 ],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gill |first1=Chris |title=Eddie Van Halen Revisits Van Halen's Landmark '1984' Album |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/eddie-van-halen-looks-back-van-halen-1984-album-5150-studios |website=Guitar World |access-date=April 28, 2019}}</ref> a show that both Noel Monk and Doug Messenger considered artistically a disaster, Roth having consumed alcohol to the point of forgetting lyrics.<ref name="Monk, Noel memoir"/> Despite this return to form, Roth and Eddie's differences continued, and this caused friction with other band members. ], after his band ] completed a tour with Van Halen, claims he was approached by Eddie to replace Michael Anthony; the reasons for this were never completely clear to Sheehan, as nothing came of it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025221139/http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/Interviews05/billysheehan05.htm|url-status=dead|title=Classic Rock Revisited your online source for Rock and Metal fans|archive-date=October 25, 2007|website=Classicrockrevisited.com}}</ref> During this time, Eddie contributed the score and instrumental songs to the movie '']''.<ref>{{Citation|title=Eddie Van Halen – "Good Enough" from 'The Wild Life' Movie Score | date=September 17, 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dw6YrpsPWs| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/8Dw6YrpsPWs| archive-date=October 28, 2021|language=en|access-date=May 7, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The score was laden with drum machine and hinted at sounds and riffs that would come with their next two albums, ] and ].
Van Halen's next album, '']'' (released on January 9, 1984) was their commercial pinnacle. Recorded at Eddie Van Halen's newly-built ], the album featured keyboards which had only been used sporadically on previous albums. The lead single, "]", featured a ] ] and anthemic lyrics, and became the band's first and only #1 ] hit, garnering them a Grammy nomination.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yuddy.com/articles/Music/van-halen.html |title=Van Halen Bio |publisher=Yuddy |date= |accessdate=2007-08-17}}</ref> Other hit singles included "]", "]", and "]". Many of the songs had popular music videos on ]. ''1984'' was praised by critics<ref>{{cite web |url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0pfixq95ldte~T1 |title=1984 - Van Halen |dateformat=mdy |accessdate=08-17 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=van+halen |title=Van Halen |dateformat=mdy |accessdate=08-17 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/vanhalen/albums/album/236834/review/6067491/1984 |title=Van Halen: 1984 |dateformat=mdy |accessdate=08-17 2007}}</ref> and fans alike,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amazon.com/1984-Van-Halen/dp/B000002KZR/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-9389566-7939640?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1187320083&sr=1-1 |title=Van Halen |dateformat=mdy |accessdate=08-17 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.misterpoll.com/results.mpl?id=1302213698 |title=Van Halen favorite album and song |dateformat=mdy |accessdate=08-17 2007}}</ref> peaking at #2 on the ] charts behind Michael Jackson's ''Thriller''.


''1984'' (released on January 9, 1984) was a commercial success, going five-times platinum after a year of release.<ref>{{cite web |title=RIAA Gold & Platinum Awards |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=van+halen#search_section |website=RIAA |access-date=April 15, 2019}}</ref> Recorded at Eddie's newly built ], the album featured keyboards, which had only been used sporadically on previous albums. The lead single, "]", featured a synthesizer ] and anthemic lyrics inspired by news coverage of a suicidal jumper. It became the band's first and only No. 1 ] hit with Roth, garnering them a Grammy nomination.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yuddy.com/articles/Music/van-halen.html |title=Van Halen Bio |publisher=Yuddy |access-date=August 17, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828201619/http://www.yuddy.com/articles/music/van-halen.html |archive-date=August 28, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
However, the album was also a breaking point. In the midst of the ], the artistic and personal tensions among the musicians reached a fever pitch. Reasons for the breakup vary based on the band member interviewed, but were rooted in control of the band's sound and image. Roth was upset about Eddie playing music outside of Van Halen without checking with the band and Eddie was sick of Roth's flamboyant behavior and stage persona. Roth was also having a successful solo career with a hit song and EP (a remake of the Beach Boys classic "California Girls" and the old standard "Just a Gigolo") Roth was also offered a movie deal from Warner Brothers (which was later withdrawn). On April 1, 1985, Roth left Van Halen.
{{Listen|filename=Jump by Van Halen.ogg|title="Jump"| description=Sample of "]", the lead single from the band's sixth album, '']''. Centered around a synthesizer ] instead of the band's trademark guitar sound, and featuring anthemic lyrics, the song became the band's most commercially successful single.<ref>{{allMusic |song |id=jump-mt0035327653 |title=Jump |first=Greg |last=Prato |access-date=July 28, 2014}}</ref>}}


Other singles included "]" (No. 13 U.S.), "]" (also No. 13 U.S.), and "]". Three of the songs had popular music videos on MTV. ''1984'' was praised by critics<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r20987|access-date=August 17, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=van%2Bhalen |title=Van Halen |access-date=August 17, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/vanhalen/albums/album/236834/review/6067491/1984 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202061419/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/vanhalen/albums/album/236834/review/6067491/1984 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 2, 2007 |title=Van Halen: 1984 |magazine=] |access-date=August 17, 2007}}</ref> and peaked at No. 2 on the ] charts behind ]'s '']'' (which notably had a guitar solo by Eddie on "]").
=== Sammy Hagar era (1985–1996)===
Eddie invited ] of ] to replace Roth but she refused. Eddie was then introduced by way of a mutual auto mechanic to ], formerly of 1970s band ], and at that time a solo artist coming off a very successful year (his 1984 album ] had yielded hit single "I Can't Drive 55'"). Hagar agreed to join, also serving as a rhythm guitar onstage to add to the Van Halen sound. The 1986 Van Halen album '']'' was a hit, becoming the band's first #1 album on the ] charts, driven by the keyboard-dominated singles "]", "]" and "Love Walks In". The album included diverse songs ranging from the thrashiness of "Get Up" and party rock of "Summer Nights" to the more riff-driven "Good Enough" and a guitar heavy title track. To further introduce the new era for the band, a new Van Halen logo was put on the cover. The new logo retained elements of the original, but now the lines extending from either side of 'VH' wrapped around and formed a sphere. ''5150'' is generally considered the strongest album of the "Hagar era".


Following the ''1984 Tour,'' Roth decided to quit and form a new band. Group members have given different reasons for the split, but all were firmly rooted in control of the band's sound, artistic direction, singles released and pace. Roth was concerned about Eddie playing music outside of Van Halen. Roth was also launching a successful solo career with two hit cover songs off his '']'' EP, a remake of ]' classic "]" (#3 U.S.) and a pairing of the classic ] standard "]" and "]"(#12 U.S.), which had previously been paired together by ]. Roth was also offered a $20-million film deal for a script titled ''Crazy from the Heat''. Roth hoped Van Halen would contribute the soundtrack; however, the film deal fell through when ] was reorganized in 1986.
Following the release of the ''5150'' album, a tour was launched to support it across North America. Named the '']'', the title was a homage to the previous ''1984 Tour'' in support of the ''1984'' album. The band proved touring with Hagar was as successful as with Roth, and footage was released on VHS/DVD as '']''. In the tour Hagar wanted to minimize the use of pre-Hagar Van Halen songs in the set, other than the band's best known classics. This was a trend that continued, with the expanding repertoire of Hagar-era songs slowly whittling away at the number of Roth-era songs on the set list.


===1985–1996: Sammy Hagar era===
]During Hagar's tenure, the band established a musical formula that proved commercially successful in the United States. Hagar's style enabled Van Halen to become accessible to a wider audience, with ] that were more conventional and refined. Eddie's keyboard work brought a wider variety of sonic textures within each song, and the production was altered toward the ] side, and the songs became longer: During the Roth era, Van Halen songs rarely stretched beyond three and a half minutes, and some albums struggled to cross the thirty minute mark. With Hagar, some songs exceeded five minutes in length. The result was markedly different from the hard charging, rollicking riffs of the group's earlier work. The mix of pop and hard rock styles created a new sound for Van Halen.
]
Eddie invited ] of ] to replace Roth, but she declined.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hillis |first1=Roger |title=Patty Smyth and Scandal returning to Dewey Beach |url=https://www.delawareonline.com/story/entertainment/music/2014/02/13/patty-smyth-and-scandal-returning-to-dewey-beach/5444265/ |website=] |access-date=August 18, 2019}}</ref> ] was also offered the lead vocal position in 1985, but also declined. Hall verified to Hagar, his musical guest in the May 2015 season premiere of '']'', that he was approached after a ] concert.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Sammy Hagar |series=] |network=Palladia |date=May 15, 2015 |number=69 |minutes=33 minutes in |transcript=DARYL HALL JOINING VAN HALEN? |transcript-url=http://mikesdailyjukebox.com/daryl-hall-joining-van-halen/}}</ref>


Eddie was introduced to ] in 1985, via their mutual ] mechanic. Hagar was the former frontman for the hard rock group ], and now a solo artist coming off a very successful year. His hit single "]" came from his 1984 album ], produced by ], who had also produced Montrose's first album ], as well as all of Van Halen's albums up to that point. Hagar agreed to sing as well as play rhythm guitar.
All four studio albums produced during this period reached #1 on the ] pop music charts and 17 singles breached the top 12 of the mainstream rock tracks chart. In addition, Van Halen was nominated for two ], winning the 1991 Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal award for the album '']''. Van Halen continued to enjoy tremendous success throughout the mid-90's. In 1995 Van Halen surprised many fans by supporting ] on their ].


When Warner Bros. president Mo Ostin came to the band's ] to hear the band's progress, Hagar said the band played "]" live with Eddie on keyboards, after which Ostin proclaimed: "I smell money."<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Greene |first1=Andy |title=Van Halen's '5150': Sammy Hagar Looks Back |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/van-halens-5150-sammy-hagar-looks-back-97736/ |magazine=] |access-date=April 17, 2019 |date=March 24, 2016}}</ref>
The band's commercial success and new "Van Hagar" sound did little to woo many fans who still held a strong resentment over Roth's departure and refused to move on. However Eddie repeatedly said he was happier with Hagar singing and that "Roth was not coming back".


The 1986 Van Halen album '']'' was a huge hit, becoming the band's first No. 1 album on the ] charts, driven by the keyboard-dominated singles "Why Can't This Be Love" (#3 U.S.), "]", and "]" (Top 30 U.S.). To further introduce the new era for the band, a new Van Halen logo was put on the cover. The new logo retained elements of the original, but now the lines extending from either side of 'VH' wrapped around and formed a ring.
During the recording of songs for the film '']'', escalating tension between Hagar and the Van Halen brothers boiled and Hagar departed on ], 1996. The band had recorded a song, "]", for which Eddie claimed he had to write all the lyrics since Hagar's were "too cheesy". This upset Hagar, and when they were to record a second song for the soundtrack, Hagar was in Hawaii. He wasn't keen on doing soundtrack work since it would make the music hard to obtain for fans, 'abusing' them, so the second track the band were due to record became an Eddie/Alex instrumental, ].


Following the release of the ''5150'' album, the "]" was launched to support it across North America. Footage was released on ] and ] as '']''. The band minimized the use of pre-Hagar Van Halen songs in the set.<ref>{{cite web |title=Van Halen: Sammy Hagar reflects on 5150 album anniversary |url=http://www.hennemusic.com/2019/03/van-halen-sammy-hagar-reflects-on-5150.html |website=Hennemusic.com |access-date=April 28, 2019}}</ref>
The band was also working on a compilation album, which Hagar was not keen on since he felt it was not what fans wanted, nor was it something the band needed to release, since they presumably had a long career ahead of them. This led to conflicts with Hagar and the group's new manager, Ray Danniels (Ed Leffler's replacement and ]'s brother in law) who suggested the idea. Reluctant to work on compilation album songs before a new album came out, the band fell out, leaving the management siding with Eddie and Alex. Hagar was also rumoured to have concerns over comparisons on an album which featured both his work and Roth's.


All four studio albums produced during this period reached No. 1 on the ] pop music charts and 17 singles breached the top 12 of the mainstream rock tracks chart. During that era, a single taken from 1988's '']'', "]", reached the Top Five, peaking at No. 5. In addition, Van Halen was nominated for two ]s. The band won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal for the album '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-26-ca-2742-story.html|title=34th Annual Grammy Award Winners|date=February 26, 1992|via=LA Times}}</ref> Van Halen continued to enjoy success throughout the mid-1990s. They recorded a live album and concert film at two 1992 F.U.C.K. tour shows in Fresno, California called ''].'' During the F.U.C.K. and the live album supporting Live: Right Here Right Now tour, ]'s ] played keyboards offstage every night allowing Eddie to concentrate on guitar. Fitzgerald would return to play offstage keyboards on the 2004, 2007, and 2012 tours.
Hagar claimed that he was fired; Van Halen claimed that he quit. The media storm surrounding the dramatic exit of Hagar helped him immediately restart his solo career. However, the publicity did not help Van Halen, serving to highlight the vacant lead singer spot. The band's past successes set high expectations, and fans everywhere were waiting for the band's next move. Throughout this time, Michael Anthony managed to remain on good terms with Hagar.


In 1995, Van Halen released the album '']'' and supported ] on their ]. The ] was nicknamed the "Ambulance Tour" by the band due to an amount of physical ailments, as Hagar had throat problems during the first concerts, Eddie suffered a hip injury caused by ], and Alex wore a ] due to ruptured vertebrae.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wilkening |first1=Matthew |title=25 Years Ago: Van Halen Chronicle Balance Tour With Pay-Per-View |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/van-halen-1995-toronto-pay-per-view/ |access-date=April 18, 2022 |work=Ultimate Classic Rock |date=August 22, 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|isbn=9781493062102|page=162|publisher=Backbeat|author=Christopher, Michael|title=Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock|date=October 6, 2021 }}</ref>
===With Mitch Malloy and a temporary reunion with Roth (1996) ===
{{Main|Mitch Malloy}}
When Sammy Hagar left Van Halen, they very quickly recruited ] as a replacement. They jammed and recorded demos with him. He was a friend of Eddie and knew the band, who decided it was appropriate to invite him into the band.<ref name="autogenerated1">http://www.melodicrock.com/interviews/mitchmalloy.html Accessed on 2 September 2007</ref>


During the recording of songs for the film '']'', escalating tension between Hagar and the Van Halen brothers boiled over<ref>{{cite web |last1=Morse |first1=Steve |title=No Regrets Sammy Hagar Vigorously Bounces Back From Van Halen Rejection With 'Marching To Mars' Sun., May 25, 1997 |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/may/25/no-regrets-sammy-hagar-vigorously-bounces-back/ |website=The Spokesman-Review |access-date=April 28, 2019}}</ref> and Hagar departed on ], 1996.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Whiting |first1=Sam |title=Sammy Hagar quits Van Halen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MORNAAAAIBAJ&dq=van+halen+sammy+hagar&pg=PA2&article_id=6455,4623336 |access-date=April 18, 2022 |publisher=Lakeland Ledger |date=June 28, 1996 |location=Lakeland, Florida |page=A2 |language=en}}</ref> Hagar would claim he was fired, and Eddie would claim Hagar quit. The band had recorded "]", a song for which Eddie, unhappy with Hagar's lyrics, retitled the song and wrote the melody.<ref name="GWHuff">{{cite news |last1=Huff |first1=David |title=Ain't Talking' 'Bout Love |url=http://www.vhlinks.com/pages/interviews/sh/gw0497.php |access-date=April 28, 2019 |work=] |date=April 1997}}</ref> This upset Hagar,<ref name="GWHuff" /> and when they were to record a second song for the soundtrack, Hagar was in Hawaii for the birth of his child. It was not an easy birth as the baby was ], so it needed to be delivered via C-section.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://vhnd.com/old/press/sh970615.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411225659/http://vhnd.com/old/press/sh970615.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 11, 2015|title=Van Halen News Desk|date=April 11, 2015}}</ref> With Hagar back in Hawaii and against the idea of doing the project,<ref name="GWHuff" /> but having another song left to contribute, the Van Halen brothers alone recorded the instrumental "Respect the Wind". The performance, which featured Eddie playing guitar and Alex playing keyboards, was nominated for ] at the ].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Complete List of Nominees |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-01-08-ca-16471-story.html |access-date=April 28, 2019 |newspaper=LA Times |date=January 9, 1997}}</ref>
David Lee Roth called Eddie to discuss what tracks would be included on a planned Van Halen compilation (work on which actually began before Hagar's departure). They got along well, and Eddie invited him up to his house/studio. Shortly afterwards, David Lee Roth re-entered the studio with the band and producer ]. Two songs from those sessions were added to the band's Greatest Hits album and released as singles to promote it. ]


The band was also working on a compilation album. This led to conflicts with Hagar and the group's new manager, ] (Ed Leffler's replacement and Alex Van Halen's former brother-in-law), even though it was Leffler who had renewed their contract with Warner Bros. Records and had added in the Best Of album option years before. Hagar was reluctant to work on a compilation album before a new album came out, but if the rest of the band and Danniels insisted on going forward with one at that time, his preference was that it should include only Roth-era songs, or as a third choice, that two volumes should be released, one of Roth-era songs and one of Hagar-era songs. During this same period, competing personal priorities and creative differences contributed to increasing interpersonal tensions within the band, particularly between Eddie and Hagar. The relationship between Hagar and Van Halen broke down.<ref name="GWHuff"/>
In September, Van Halen were asked to present an award at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards. They agreed, and on September 4, 1996, the four original members of Van Halen made their first public appearance together in over eleven years. This helped to bring the compilation to #1 on the US album charts. However, unknown to Roth, Eddie and Alex were still auditioning other singers. Following the band's MTV appearance, Malloy decided the band could not be successful with a new vocalist since people would now want Roth. He called Anthony, and quit. Millions of people viewed the show, and Roth claimed to be back in the band.<ref name="autogenerated1" />


===1996: Temporary reunion with Roth===
The band's appearance on the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards fueled reunion speculation. Several weeks after the awards show, it was discovered Roth was out of Van Halen again. Roth released a statement in which he apologized to the media and the fans, stating that he was an unwitting participant in a Van Halen publicity stunt by them and manager Ray Danniels. The next day, Eddie and Alex released their own statement, claiming they were completely honest with Roth and never suggested he was guaranteed to be the next lead singer.<ref name="rothvh2">Open letter from David Lee Roth about the </ref> However, they could not resist getting in a dig at Roth by saying in a press release, "Thank you for reminding us why we broke up with you eleven years ago."
David Lee Roth called Eddie to discuss what tracks would be included on a planned Van Halen compilation (work on which had actually begun before Hagar's departure). They got along well, and Eddie invited him up to his house/studio. Shortly afterwards, Roth re-entered the studio with the band and producer ]. Two songs from those sessions were added to the band's '']'' album and released as singles to promote it.


In September, Van Halen was asked to present an award at the ]. They agreed, and on September 4, 1996, the four original members of Van Halen made their first public appearance together in over eleven years. This helped to bring the compilation to No. 1 on the U.S. album charts. However, unknown to Roth, Eddie and Alex were still auditioning other singers, including ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.melodicrock.com/interviews/mitchmalloy.html|title=Mitch Malloy – Talks Van Halen|website=Melodicrock.com|access-date=September 2, 2007|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072019/http://www.melodicrock.com/interviews/mitchmalloy.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vhnd.com/2012/10/18/audio-mitch-malloys-audition-for-van-halen-1996/|title=Audio: Mitch Malloy's Audition for Van Halen (1996)|date=October 18, 2012|website=Vhnd.com}}</ref>
Reportedly, Eddie was upset that Roth had "upstaged him" during the broadcast by interrupting him while Van Halen was speaking and taking over the microphone; video footage does show Eddie seemingly tense as he steps away and turns his back to Roth, but then the two hug one another to the cheers of the audience.


The band's appearance on the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards fueled reunion speculation. But several weeks after the awards show, it was discovered that Roth was out of Van Halen again. Roth released a statement that Van Halen misled him into thinking they were seriously considering bringing him back into the band and that he had made clear to them beforehand that he did not want to do the awards show unless they were actually reuniting.<ref>{{cite web |title=An Open Letter from David Lee Roth |url=https://mflwp.tripod.com/letter.htm |website=My Filthy Little Web Page |access-date=August 31, 2023 |date=October 2, 1996}}</ref> The next day, the Van Halen brothers and Anthony released their own statement, denying they had in any way led Roth to believe they were planning to bring him back into the band.<ref>{{cite web |title=David Lee Roth Not Rejoining Van Halen |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/oct/05/david-lee-roth-not-rejoining-van-halen/ |website=] |access-date=August 31, 2023 |date=October 5, 1996}}</ref>
=== Gary Cherone era (1996–1999)===


Eddie later recounted that at the MTV Video Music Awards appearance, he was embarrassed and outraged by Roth's antics while on camera behind ], who was giving an acceptance speech for the award that Van Halen had presented to him. At a backstage press conference, press queries about a reunion tour were met with Eddie saying that he needed a hip replacement and would have to record an entire new studio album before any tour. Roth told Eddie to avoid talking about negative things like his hip and the two almost came to blows.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |title=Flashback: Watch Van Halen Meltdown Onstage at 1996 VMAs |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/flashback-van-halen-meltdown-onstage-at-1996-vmas-124336/ |magazine=] |access-date=August 30, 2023 |date=October 4, 2016}}</ref>
The band recruited ], frontman of the then defunct ]-based band ]. The result was '']''. Many songs were longer and more ethereal. It was less about rocking out, and more thought-provoking ("How Many Say I", with Eddie on vocals). These changes alienated many fans while failing to attract new fans. Sales were poor by the band's standards, only reaching ''Gold'' certification, despite the album peaking at #4 on the US charts. Van Halen III did produce a hit however, "Without You", and additionally the song "Fire in the Hole" appeared on the ] soundtrack. Later it was also revealed that Anthony was only permitted by Eddie to play bass on three tracks on the album and that Eddie played the rest. Anthony received a full credit, masking this apparent behind-the-scenes difficulty.


===1996–2000: Gary Cherone era===
The album was followed by a poorly attended but widespread tour. The ] saw Van Halen playing in new countries, including first ever visits to Australia and New Zealand.
]
Van Halen's next lead singer was ], former frontman of the Boston-based band ], a group which had enjoyed some popular success in the early 1990s.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-25-boldest-career-moves-in-rock-history-150807/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017171646/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-25-boldest-career-moves-in-rock-history-20110318/van-halen-hire-gary-cherone-19691231|url-status=dead|title=25 Boldest Career Moves in Music|first1=Andy|last1=Greene|magazine=]|date=March 18, 2011|archive-date=October 17, 2012}}</ref> The result was the album '']''. Many songs were longer and more experimental than Van Halen's earlier work. It was a notable contrast from their previous material, with more focus on ballads than traditional rock songs ("How Many Say I", with Eddie on vocals). Sales were poor by the band's standards, only reaching a Gold certification, despite the album peaking at No. 4 on the U.S. charts. However, ''Van Halen III'' did produce the hit "]", and another album track, "Fire in the Hole", appeared on the '']'' soundtrack. The album was followed by a tour. The ''III'' Tour saw Van Halen playing in new countries, including first ever visits to Australia and New Zealand. "Without You" acquired No. 1 place on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts in 1998, the 13th song of theirs to do so. This made them the band with the most Mainstream Rock No. 1s.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8265489/three-days-grace-most-mainstream-rock-number-ones-van-halen|title=Three Days Grace Ties Van Halen for Most No. 1s on Mainstream Rock Songs Chart|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 23, 2018}}</ref>


Van Halen returned to the studio and in early 1999 started work on a new album. For the sessions, they brought on ] to produce.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/van-halen-second-gary-cherone-record/|title=How Far Did Van Halen Get Into Their Second Gary Cherone Record?|website=Ultimateclassicrock.com|date=November 5, 2019 |access-date=July 22, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1435099/van-halen-taps-kortchmar-to-produce-next-lp/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106154651/http://www.mtv.com/news/1435099/van-halen-taps-kortchmar-to-produce-next-lp/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 6, 2019|title=Van Halen Taps Kortchmar To Produce Next LP|website=Mtv.coms|access-date=July 22, 2021}}</ref> Working titles of songs included "Left for Dead", "River Wide", "Say Uncle", "You Wear it Well", "More Than Yesterday", "I Don't Miss You&nbsp;... Much", "Love Divine", and "From Here, Where Do We Go?"; more than 20 songs were rumored to have been written.<ref>{{cite web |title=The New Album |url=http://van-halen.com/newalbum.html |website=Van Halen |access-date=April 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991013061937/http://van-halen.com/newalbum.html |archive-date=October 13, 1999 |date=August 20, 1999 |url-status=live}}</ref> The project was never released, with Cherone leaving the band amicably in November 1999, citing musical differences and personal issues that he was going through.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Greene |first1=Andy |title=Gary Cherone Reflects on his Three-Year Stint In Van Halen |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/gary-cherone-reflects-on-his-three-year-stint-in-van-halen-70242/ |access-date=April 28, 2019 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=February 10, 2012}}</ref> None of the material from these sessions has been released, and in fact the band released no new material until three new songs written and recorded with Hagar were included on the 2004 '']'' compilation.
Shortly afterwards, Van Halen returned to the studio. In early 1999, they started work on a new album, rumored to be called ''Love Again''. Working titles of songs included "Left for Dead," "River Wide," "Say Uncle," "You Wear it Well," "More Than Yesterday," "I Don't Miss You...Much," "Love Divine," and "From Here, Where Do We Go?".


Cherone later stated that he believed if he and the band had toured first and then recorded an album they might have creatively gelled more and the album would have turned out better.
Van Halen's new album was left unfinished when Cherone left amicably in November 1999. Citing musical differences, it is likely ''III'''s sales and critical reception had a big impact. Touring with Cherone had proven disappointing in terms of attendance. Unlike the previous two singers, there was no bad blood and Cherone remained in contact with Van Halen. As when Hagar left, speculation resumed on a Roth reunion.


Touring with Cherone had proven disappointing in terms of attendance. Eddie later admitted that Warner Bros. had forced his hand in parting with Cherone.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} Unlike with the previous two singers, there was reportedly no bad blood behind the breakup, and Cherone remained in contact and on good terms with Van Halen.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} As when Hagar left, speculation resumed on a Roth reunion.
=== Hiatus from public (1999–2003) ===
Eddie recovered from his hip surgery in late 1999, but from 2000 to early 2004, no official statements were made by Van Halen and no music released. However, information about members past and present trickled in. The Van Halen brothers continued writing at 5150 studios, Gary Cherone recorded an album and toured with new band ]. One of the songs that Cherone had written for the scrapped 2nd album with Van Halen entitled "Left For Dead", would see its lyrics set to a completely new musical arrangement with Tribe of Judah. Meanwhile, Hagar and Roth continued their solo careers.


===1999–2003: Hiatus from public===
In 2000, the band worked with David Lee Roth at 5150, writing new music before falling out again. Eddie kept quiet, but made a rare appearance at the ] charity golf tournament during May 2001. Any band progress would have been interrupted on October 15, 2001, when Eddie and his wife of 21 years, actress ], separated (though the couple only filed for divorce on December 8, 2005). In November 2001, Anthony claimed Roth had been working with the band again for a few months, but lawyers had shut it down. Strangely, Anthony later denied this. The band's record label (Warner, who had first signed them in 1978) dropped them this year also. More positively, Eddie underwent treatment for ] and announced his recovery on Van Halen's website in May 2002.
Eddie recovered from his hip surgery in November 1999, but from 2000 to early 2004 no official statements were made by Van Halen and no music was released. However, information about members past and present trickled in. The Van Halen brothers continued writing at 5150 Studios, Cherone recorded an album and toured with new band ]. One of the songs that Cherone had written for the scrapped second album with Van Halen, titled "Left For Dead", would see its lyrics set to a new musical arrangement with Tribe of Judah.


] nightclub, merchandise, and alcohol brands.]]
Eddie's only live performances during this period were joining ] to play "Never in My Life" in August 2002 and a private audience jam at NAMM January 2003. This took place at the Peavey booth (Peavey produced Eddie's signature "Wolfgang" model guitar). Word quickly spread through the NAMM show that Eddie was to play at the Peavey booth, and it filled up. Eddie showed up late, drunk. When he finally appeared, he was incoherent. Shortly after this, Peavey lost its license to produce the "official" Van Halen guitar, and Fender, which had purchased Charvel-Jackson, was awarded the license, but the guitar produced was a copy of Eddie's earlier Strat-style guitars.
Responding to speculation that he had been approached to replace Cherone, ] said, "I called a mutual friend and said, 'Tell Eddie I had nothing to do with this.' It just got ridiculous. I've heard that they were going to approach me, but since I left ] I've always done my own thing. Why would I join anybody else?"<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The big picture: The hands fell off the clock!|magazine=] #28|date=June 2001|page=6}}</ref>


In 2000, the band reunited briefly with David Lee Roth attempting to do a new album, only for disputes with Roth to abort these plans. The recorded demos would be among the ones reworked into new songs on 2012's '']''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/van-halen-2000-roth-album/|title = Did van Halen Almost Finish a David Lee Roth Reunion LP in 2000?| date=July 21, 2021 }}</ref> The band also tried to just schedule some concerts with Roth at a later date.<ref name=ant>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vhnd.com/2006/03/17/michael-anthony-breaks-his-silence/|title=Michael Anthony Breaks His Silence|date=March 17, 2006|website=Vhnd.com}}</ref>
In the summer of 2002, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar teamed up in the ''Song For Song, the Heavyweight Champs of Rock and Roll'' tour (also known as the 'Sans-Halen' or 'Sam & Dave' Tour). The joint tour headlining both former lead singers attracted media and audience fascination because it seemed more improbable than even a Van Halen with Roth or Hagar could be. The tour drew large crowds and featured no opening acts, Roth and Hagar would alternate opening as the first act during the tour. In an interview, Roth contrasted his personality with Hagar's, saying, "He's the kind of guy you go out with to split a bottle with a friend. I'm the kind of guy you go out with if you want to split your friend with a bottle." Michael Anthony guested with Hagar's band, ''The Waboritas'', numerous times and sometimes even sang lead vocals. During performances, Hagar would tease Anthony by asking, "Do the brothers know you're here?". Anthony never played with Roth. Gary Cherone appeared on occasion. Hagar released a live album (''Hallelujah''), featuring vocals by Mike and Gary, and a documentary DVD, ''Long Road to Cabo'', about touring with Roth. Next, Hagar joined with ] and ] guitarist Neal Schon to form a side project, Planet Us, along with Michael Anthony and Deen Castronovo (also of Journey) on drums. The band recorded just two songs and played live a few times before dissolving when Hagar and Anthony rejoined Van Halen.


In the summer of 2002, Roth and Hagar teamed up in the ''Song for Song, the Heavyweight Champs of Rock and Roll'' tour (also known as the 'Sans-Halen' or 'Sam & Dave' Tour). The tour, with both singers headlining, attracted media and audience fascination because it seemed more improbable than even a Van Halen tour with Roth or Hagar. It drew large crowds and featured no opening acts, Roth and Hagar alternating as the first act. Roth contrasted his personality with Hagar's: "He's the kind of guy you go out with to split a bottle with a friend. I'm the kind of guy you go out with if you want to split your friend with a bottle." Anthony guested with Hagar's band, ], numerous times and sometimes even sang lead vocals. During performances, Hagar would tease Anthony by asking, "Do the brothers know you're here?" Anthony never played with Roth. Cherone appeared on occasion. Hagar released a live album (''Hallelujah''), featuring vocals by Anthony and Cherone, and a documentary DVD, ''Long Road to Cabo'', about touring with Roth. While the two singers promoted the tour and publicly claimed mutual respect, rumors of bitter acrimony and mutual loathing swirled. The allegations were later supported by backstage video, which showed the Roth and Hagar camps maintaining strict separation.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}
While the two lead singers promoted the tour and publicly claimed mutual respect, rumours of bitter acrimony and mutual loathing between the two singers swirled. The allegations were later revealed in back stage video showing Roth and Hagar camps maintaining strict separation.


Next, Hagar joined with ] and ] guitarist Neal Schon to form a side project, Planet Us, with Michael Anthony and Deen Castronovo (also of Journey) on drums. The band recorded just two songs and played live a few times before dissolving when Hagar and Anthony rejoined Van Halen.
On July 4, 2004, Roth performed with the ] at Boston's annual ''Pops Goes the Fourth'' celebration. Hagar remained active, releasing five albums and creating his own merchandising brand ''Cabo Wabo'', which lends its name to his line of ], as well as his franchise of cantinas. He reunited with ] in 2003 and 2005 for a few performances and maintained contact with Michael Anthony, often playing with him. With Van Halen inactive, Anthony worked on merchandising projects such as his signature ] bass and set up . He became involved with the annual music industry ].


On July 4, 2004, Roth performed with one of the world's most popular orchestras, the ], at United States' annual ''Pops Goes the Fourth'' celebration in Boston. Hagar remained active, releasing five albums and creating his own merchandising brand ''Cabo Wabo'', which lends its name to the line of ] he formerly owned, as well as his franchise of cantinas. He reunited with ] in 2003 and 2005 for a few performances and maintained contact with Anthony, often playing with him. With Van Halen inactive, Anthony set up a website and worked on merchandising projects such as his signature ] bass and range of hot sauces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.madanthonycafe.com/ |title=Mad Anthony's Cafe |publisher=madanthonycafe.com |access-date=March 12, 2011}}</ref> He became involved with the annual music industry ].
Also in this period, rumors cropped up that Anthony had been fired - despite his name being included in messages 'from the band' on their website. His official website denied the rumors, though it was later revealed that on the ''Van Halen III'' album Anthony only recorded three tracks, and subsequently his position became tenuous (it relied entirely on Hagar's demands that he remain in 2004). His departure was confirmed in 2006.


=== Reunion with Hagar (2003–2005) === ===2003–2005: Reunion with Hagar===
] ]
During January 2003, the VHND (Van Halen News Desk) website reported that Sammy Hagar was working with the Van Halens. No official confirmation came for an extended period of time. In late March 2004, Van Halen and Sammy Hagar announced that Hagar would reunite with the band for a ] release and a Summer concert tour of the USA. Anthony had repeatedly contacted Hagar regarding a reunion, detailing how the attempts to do the same with Roth never worked out. Eventually, Hagar decided to call Alex to spend a day together with him. The two got along and became interested in reuniting on stage.<ref name=ant/> In late March 2004, Van Halen and Hagar announced that Hagar would reunite with the band for a new compilation release and a summer concert tour of the U.S.


In July 2004, Van Halen released their second Greatest Hits compilation (a double album, unlike the first), featuring three new songs with Hagar: "It's About Time", "Up For Breakfast", and "Learning to See". These songs were newly written by the Van Halen brothers and Sammy Hagar. The songs were credited to Hagar/Van Halen/Van Halen, which was unusual since normally the entire lineup (which also included Michael Anthony) would be credited. However, the performance was credited to the entire band; Michael Anthony would later reveal in interviews that Eddie Van Halen had in fact not wanted him to be a part of the reunion and for this reason Anthony had not been allowed to perform in the sessions (explaining his lack of a songwriting credit), with Eddie playing the bass parts himself instead. Though it was the only new album since the band's first Greatest Hits, no songs with Gary Cherone from ''Van Halen III'' were included. It was certified platinum in the USA in August 2004. In July 2004, Van Halen released '']'', a double CD compilation featuring three new songs with Hagar: "It's About Time", "Up for Breakfast", and "Learning to See". These new songs were credited to Hagar/Van Halen/Van Halen, which was unusual since normally the entire lineup, which also included Michael Anthony, would be credited. However, the performance was credited to the entire band. Anthony later revealed in interviews that Eddie had in fact not wanted him to be a part of the reunion, with him only joining at Hagar's insistence. The new songs had already been recorded, with Eddie playing the bass parts himself instead, and Anthony only provided backing vocals for the three tracks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/michael-anthony-speaks-candidly-about-van-halen-s-past-and-future/ |title=MICHAEL ANTHONY Speaks Candidly About VAN HALEN's Past And Future |last=Harrell |first=John "Shooter" |publisher=blabbermouth.net |date=March 17, 2006 |access-date=December 17, 2013}}</ref> No songs with Cherone from ''Van Halen III'' were included. It was certified platinum in the US in August 2004.


The ] grossed almost US$55 million, and Pollstar listed Van Halen in the top 10 grossing tours of 2004. Most of the concerts received positive feedback from professional reviewers. On some shows, Eddie's son Wolfgang came onstage and played guitar with his father during ''316'' a song dedicated to his son, taking its name from his birthday. However, serious problems surfaced. Promoters lost money, tickets were often deemed overpriced, and few shows sold out. ] grossed almost US$55&nbsp;million, and Pollstar listed Van Halen in the top 10 grossing tours of 2004.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} Professional reviews of the tour, however, proved to be mixed.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} On some shows, Eddie's son Wolfgang came onstage and played guitar with his father during "316", a song dedicated to his son, taking its name from his March 16 date of birth. During the later stages of the tour, stories of Eddie being drunk began to surface along with fan-shot video footage of poor playing.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} At the band's final show of the tour, in Tucson, Eddie smashed one of his guitars at the end of the show.


After the tour, things broke down. At first Hagar stated he had yet to decide what he would be doing with Van Halen, although he was still an official member of the band. Soon after, however, both Hagar and Anthony admitted that Eddie had problems with alcohol during the tour that affected everyone involved. Hagar stated that he was "done with Van Halen" and wished that everyone would have "taken it more seriously."{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} Despite this, Eddie later described himself as "satisfied" with the tour.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}
Reports from the first half of the tour were largely positive. Later, however, stories of Eddie being drunk and playing poorly also circulated. At the end of the band's final show of the tour, in Tucson, Eddie smashed one of his guitars during the show and quickly walked off stage.


After the tour ended, Hagar returned to his solo band ], and Anthony appeared with him on tour occasionally. The band quickly faded from view after Hagar left again.
After the tour, things broke down. At first Hagar stated he had yet to decide what he would be doing with the band but he was in Van Halen. However, Hagar and Anthony soon admitted that Eddie had problems with alcohol during the tour that affected everyone involved. Hagar stated that he was "done with Van Halen" and wished that everyone would have "taken it more seriously". Despite this, Eddie later described himself as 'satisfied' with the tour.


===2006–2008: Second reunion with Roth and Wolfgang Van Halen era===
After the tour ended, Hagar returned to his solo band ], and Anthony appeared with him on tour occasionally. The band quickly faded from view after Hagar left again. In December 2005 Michael Anthony revealed in an interview with ] that he had not talked with the Van Halens and was unsure of their plans.
]
Rumors of a Roth reunion re-emerged and on January 3, 2006, Roth explained during an interview that he had spoken to Alex Van Halen the previous week and a reunion was "inevitable."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_409665.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060214192404/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_409665.html |url-status=dead|archive-date=February 14, 2006|title=David Lee Roth makes radio debut - PittsburghLIVE.com|date=February 14, 2006}}</ref> However, he also said that Eddie Van Halen was "off in his own little world" recently. When asked if any problems occurred with Hagar during the 2004 tour Eddie answered, "Sammy is Sammy, and for the most part that's just fine." Roth persisted with suggestions of a reunion,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/02-15-2006/entertainment/story/391333p-331935c.html |title=New York Daily News article |date=October 1, 2010}} {{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=Jennica |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> saying, "People want the reunion," and "No one will pay respect to what any of us do until we get the reunion out of the way." In May 2006, he told Billboard.com, "There's contact between the two camps."


On June 3, Anthony began a successful tour with Hagar billed as the Other Half (a reference to them being half of Van Halen with the other half being Eddie/Alex), with Anthony singing lead vocals sometimes. Meanwhile, on June 19 the Van Halen brothers jumped onstage with ] at ] performing "Jump" and "]". This unusual performance was their first onstage since the 2004 tour. This was followed by another Eddie performance on July 19, 2006, at the House of Petals in Los Angeles, playing new material. He followed this with an announcement on July 27, 2006, that some of his new music would be released on the soundtrack for the pornographic film ''Sacred Sin''.
===Reunion with Roth (2006 - present)===


In March 2006, Anthony spoke to Japanese rock magazine '']'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://93x.com/blog.asp?id=182912&SBID=4444 |title=Burrn! magazine interview paraphrase |publisher=93x.com |access-date=June 19, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517091154/http://93x.com/blog.asp?id=182912&SBID=4444 |archive-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> claiming the brothers did not want him on the 2004 reunion tour, although Hagar did (and would not play without Anthony), but he had to agree to reduced royalties and end absolutely all association with the band after the tour in terms of rights to using the name to promote himself.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/09/04/fired-van-halen-bassist-i-found-out-on-the-internet/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070910075344/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/09/04/fired-van-halen-bassist-i-found-out-on-the-internet/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 10, 2007 |title=Fired Van Halen Bassist: "I Found Out on the Internet"|magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=June 19, 2015}}</ref> In this same interview he admitted he was not involved in the new songs on ''Best of Both Worlds'' and only recorded three tracks for ''Van Halen III''.
Rumors of a David Lee Roth reunion re-emerged and on January 3, 2006, Roth explained during an interview that he spoke to Alex Van Halen the previous week and a reunion was "inevitable".<ref name="ptrdlrint"> with David Lee Roth</ref> However, he also said that Eddie Van Halen was "off in his own little world" recently. When asked if any problems occurred with Sammy Hagar during the 2004 tour Eddie Van Halen answered, "Sammy is Sammy, and for the most part that's just fine". Roth persisted with suggestions of a reunion,<ref name="dlrnydnint">{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/02-15-2006/entertainment/story/391333p-331935c.html |title=New York Daily News article}}</ref> saying. "People want the reunion," and "No one will pay respect to what any of us do until we get the reunion out of the way." In May 2006, he told Billboard.com, "There's contact between the two camps."


Anthony was replaced as bass player by Eddie's son, Wolfgang Van Halen, in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/2012/01/van_halen_reunion_album_out_so.html|title=Van Halen reunion: Album out soon, tour coming to NY and NJ|first=Tris|last=Mccall|date=January 7, 2012|website=Nj.com}}</ref> On September 8, 2006, ]'s live interview with Eddie broke the band's long silence. Eddie said he was willing to reunite with Roth and revealed a solo album in the works. Eddie confirmed that Wolfgang had replaced Anthony on bass; Wolfgang had played guitar alongside his father during Eddie's guitar solo on some 2004 concert dates. When queried about the Other Half tour, Eddie said Anthony could "do what he wants" now. This shocked and offended many fans.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2006/09/14/eddie-van-halen-goes-bananas-on-howard-stern-the-full-highlights/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017022659/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2006/09/14/eddie-van-halen-goes-bananas-on-howard-stern-the-full-highlights/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 17, 2006|title=Eddie Van Halen Goes Bananas on Howard Stern: The Full Highlights |magazine=]|access-date=January 14, 2008}}</ref> In November, Eddie's spokesperson, Janie Liszewski, claimed the Van Halen family was writing/rehearsing for a summer 2007 tour, which '']'' magazine's website shortly confirmed. However, the Van Halen website remained in the state it had been in since the Hagar reunion.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/56717/eddie-van-halen-taps-teenage-son-as-new-bassist|title=Eddie Van Halen Taps Teenage Son As New Bassist|magazine=Billboard|date=November 9, 2006|access-date=June 19, 2015}}</ref>
On June 3, Michael Anthony began a successful tour with Hagar billed as "The Other Half" (a reference to them being half of Van Halen with the other half being Eddie/Alex), with Anthony singing lead vocals sometimes. Meanwhile, on June 19 the Van Halen brothers jumped onstage with ] at ] performing "Jump" and "]". This unusual performance was their first onstage since the 2004 tour. This was followed by another Eddie Van Halen performance in July 19, 2006, at the House of Petals in Los Angeles, playing new material. He followed this with an announcement on July 27, 2006, that some of his new music would be released on the soundtrack for the pornography film ].


On December 11, 2006, Eddie stated to '']'' magazine that Roth had been directly invited to rejoin the band.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=63624 |title=EDDIE VAN HALEN: The Ball Is In DAVE LEE ROTH's Court |publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com |access-date=June 19, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228004311/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=63624 |archive-date=December 28, 2008}}</ref> However, on December 28, Roth announced that he had not talked to Eddie in two years, and a reunion with Van Halen could result in a "]-style fight."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tmz.com/2006/12/28/dave-says-van-halens-hot-for-combat/|title=Van Halen's Hot for Combat|work=TMZ |date=December 28, 2006 |access-date=June 19, 2015}}</ref>
In March 2006, Michael Anthony spoke to Japanese rock magazine '']'',<ref name="burrnmagma">{{cite web|url=http://93x.com/blog.asp?id=182912&SBID=4444|title=Burrn! magazine interview paraphrase}}</ref> claiming the brothers did not want him on the 2004 reunion - Hagar did (and would not play without Anthony), but he had to agree to reduced royalties and end absolutely all association with the band after the tour in terms of rights to using the name to promote himself.<ref name="rolstone">{{cite web |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/09/04/fired-van-halen-bassist-i-found-out-on-the-internet/ |title=Fired Van Halen Bassist: “I Found Out on the Internet” }}</ref> It was in this same interview he admitted he was not involved in the new songs on ''Best of Both Worlds'' and only recorded three tracks for '']''.


In January 2007, Van Halen was inducted into the ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/van-halen|title=Van Halen|website=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|access-date=March 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913013201/https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/van-halen|archive-date=September 13, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Van Halen brothers, Anthony, Hagar, and Roth were inducted, though only Hagar and Anthony appeared at the induction ceremony on behalf of the group.<ref> Ben Sisario, January 8, 2007, '']'', "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Backs New Members"</ref> Eddie Van Halen was in rehab at the time, so neither he nor Alex attended the ceremony. ] had been slated to perform "You Really Got Me" with Roth on lead vocals. However, Roth wanted to perform "Jump" and the band hadn't rehearsed that song, so Roth elected to not attend the ceremony at all, and Velvet Revolver performed "]". Anthony and Hagar performed "]" with ]. ''Billboard'' announced on January 24, 2007, that Van Halen would reunite with Roth for a U.S. tour.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003537232 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129124910/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003537232 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 29, 2007 |title=Exclusive: Van Halen Reuniting With Roth For Tour |magazine=] |access-date=January 14, 2008}}</ref> This was confirmed shortly after on the official Van Halen website.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://van-halen.com/newsite/pressrelease.html |title=Van Halen Press Release |access-date=January 14, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403221011/http://van-halen.com/newsite/pressrelease.html |archive-date=April 3, 2007}}</ref>
On September 8, 2006, ]'s Eddie Van Halen live interview broke the band's long silence. Eddie said he was willing to reunite with Roth and revealed a solo album in the works. Michael Anthony's departure was confirmed with Eddie's son, Wolfgang, taking his role. Wolfgang had played guitar alongside his father on some 2004 concerts. When queried about The Other Half tour, Eddie said Anthony could "do what he wants" now. This shocked and offended many fans.<ref name="Rolling Stone Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2006/09/14/eddie-van-halen-goes-bananas-on-howard-stern-the-full-highlights/|title=Eddie Van Halen Goes Bananas on Howard Stern: The Full Highlights |dateformat=mdy |accessdate=1-14 2008}}</ref> In November, Eddie's spokesperson, Janie Liszewski, claimed the Van Halen family was writing/rehearsing for a Summer 2007 tour, which '']'' magazine's website shortly confirmed. However, the Van Halen website remained in the state it had been in since the Hagar reunion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003380053|title=Eddie Van Halen Taps Teenage Son As New Bassist}}</ref>


The Van Halen News Desk announced on February 15, 2007, that a Van Halen ''Best Of (1978–1984)'', a single-disc compilation of the Roth era, would be released by April 3. Shortly after, information arrived in a flood. Various sources claimed the tour was shut down as was the new ''Best Of'' CD.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-vanhalenfeb23,1,5348898.story |title=Van Halen's road plans have taken a rocky turn |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 23, 2007 |access-date=November 23, 2008 |last=Boucher |first=Geoff |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830040906/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-vanhalenfeb23%2C1%2C5348898.story |archive-date=August 30, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1054545/van-halen-tour-on-hold-but-still-in-the-works |title=Van Halen Tour On Hold But Still In The Works |magazine=Billboard |date=February 23, 2007 |access-date=March 12, 2011}}</ref> On March 8, 2007, Eddie announced on Van Halen's website that he was in rehab. Along with the announcement, a change was made to the website. The logo at the top of the page changed to the original Van Halen logo from their 1978 debut album.
On December 11, 2006, Eddie Van Halen stated to ] magazine that David Lee Roth had been directly invited to rejoin the band.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=63624|title=EDDIE VAN HALEN: The Ball Is In DAVE LEE ROTH's Court}}</ref> However, on December 28, Roth announced that he had not talked to Eddie in two years, and a reunion with Van Halen could result in a "] style fight".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tmz.com/2006/12/28/dave-says-van-halens-hot-for-combat/|title=Van Halen's Hot for Combat}}</ref>


On April 21, 2007, Eddie served as an Honorary Race Official for the ] race at ]. On May 24, he posted a note to the Van Halen website confirming that he had completed rehab successfully.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1050142/sources-van-halen-tour-to-be-announced-next-week|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723130545/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1050142/sources-van-halen-tour-to-be-announced-next-week|url-status=dead|title=Sources: Van Halen Tour To Be Announced Next Week|archive-date=July 23, 2015|magazine=Billboard}}</ref>
News from the ] slipped out on January 8, 2007, confirming that Van Halen would be inducted. They had jointly led the ballot and been long rumoured for inclusion before this time. The Van Halen brothers, Anthony, Hagar, and Roth were to be inducted.<ref> Ben Sisario, Jan. 8, 2007, ''The New York Times'', "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Backs New Members"</ref> Billboard announced on January 24, 2007, that Van Halen would reunite with David Lee Roth for a US tour .<ref>{{cite web|url=http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003537232|title=Exclusive: Van Halen Reuniting With Roth For Tour |dateformat=mdy |accessdate=1-14 2008}}</ref> This was confirmed shortly after on the official Van Halen website.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://van-halen.com/newsite/pressrelease.html|title=Van Halen Press Release |dateformat=mdy |accessdate=1-14 2008}}</ref>


After nearly 10 months of speculation and rumors, Van Halen (and Roth separately via his own website<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davidleeroth.com/ |title=announced on August&nbsp;13,&nbsp;2007,&nbsp;September&nbsp;27.|publisher=Davidleeroth.com |access-date=August 14, 2007}}</ref>) said that the band would be going on a tour of North America. Roth claimed in the press release that, "the idea is that this will continue on and on and on" and also that ] and a new album were both in the works.
The Van Halen News Desk announced on February 15, 2007, that a Van Halen "Best Of (1978-1984)", a single-disc compilation of Van Halen's David Lee Roth era, would be released by April 3. Shortly after, information arrived in a flood. Various sources claimed the tour was shut down as was the new "Best Of" CD.<ref>{{cite news|last=Boucher |first=Geoff |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-vanhalenfeb23,1,5348898.story |title=Van Halen's road plans have taken a rocky turn |publisher=Los Angeles Times |date=February 23, 2007 |accessdate=2008-11-23}}</ref><ref>{{dead link|date=November 2008}}</ref> On March 8, 2007 Eddie announced on Van Halen's website that he was in rehab. Along with the announcement, a change was made to the website. The logo at the top of the page changed to the Roth-era logo.


] ]
Press reaction to the reunion was largely warm, but the re-designed website sparked controversy when Anthony was removed from images of old album artwork.<ref>{{cite web|title=Van Halen's Official Site Places Wolfgang In Time Machine |url=http://idolator.com/tunes/right-now,-michael-anthony-is-being-chucked-down-the-memory-hole/van-halens-official-site-places-wolfgang-in-time-machine-289397.php |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070926212145/http://idolator.com/tunes/right-now,-michael-anthony-is-being-chucked-down-the-memory-hole/van-halens-official-site-places-wolfgang-in-time-machine-289397.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 26, 2007 |access-date=August 20, 2007}}</ref> The album covers were restored to their original condition a day later without a word. Wolfgang claimed in 2020 that the omission of Anthony on the website was a choice made by the band's marketing team and was done without consent of the band. Once the band discovered the condition of the website, they ordered it be reverted to its original state.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} ] was originally 25 dates, but was extended into 2008 with a second leg.


Van Halen started their new tour on September 27, 2007, in ]. Playing to sellout crowds, the tour generated positive reviews.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2007/sep/28/reunited_van_halen_proves_they_still_have_what_it_/ | title=Reunited Van Halen proves they still have what it takes | work=The Post and Courier | date=September 28, 2007 | access-date=November 23, 2008 | author=Hicks, Brian}}</ref> Amid rumors of Eddie being back in rehab, multiple dates of the tour were postponed. The official reason was the need for medical procedures to be run on Eddie.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kaufman |first=Gil |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1582661/20080303/van_halen.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309212402/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1582661/20080303/van_halen.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 9, 2008 |title=Van Halen Postpone Tour Dates Due To Eddie's Unspecified 'Medical Tests' |publisher=MTV News |date=March 3, 2008 |access-date=November 23, 2008}}</ref>
As the band's Hall of Fame induction drew near, media focus shifted to that. ] would induct the band and speak on their behalf. On March 12, 2007, the band was inducted at a ceremony held at the ] in New York City. Anthony and Hagar were the only inductees in attendance (ironically, both ex-members). Velvet Revolver played "]", and Anthony and Hagar performed "]" with ]. At a post-induction press conference, Hagar said he would love to work with Van Halen again but that the Van Halens should tour with Roth first.


On March 5, 2008, ''World Entertainment Weekly'' to CBS News reported that the reason the tour had been interrupted was Eddie's needing to reenter rehab. The report also indicated that it had been a "furious backstage bust-up in Florida with his 17-year-old son and bandmate Wolfgang" which had motivated Eddie to seek help once again.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.keyetv.com/entertainment/story.aspx?content_id=d06d15fe-8445-4add-becf-a985fc8a0aeb |title=World Entertainment News – Eddie Van Halen Back In Rehab? |publisher=KEYE-TV |date=March 5, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312111727/http://www.keyetv.com/entertainment/story.aspx?content_id=d06d15fe-8445-4add-becf-a985fc8a0aeb |archive-date=March 12, 2008}}</ref>
On April 21, 2007, Eddie Van Halen served as an Honorary Race Official for the ] Fresh Fit 500 ] race at ]. He looked fit and well, better than he had on the last tour, and on May 24 posted a note to the Van Halen website confirming that he had exited rehab successfully.<ref>{{dead link|date=November 2008}}</ref>
After nearly 10 months of speculation and numerous rumours, on Monday, August 13th, 2007, Van Halen (and David Lee Roth separately via his own website<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davidleeroth.com/ |title=announced that the band will be going on a tour of North America beginning on September 27.|publisher=Davidleeroth.com |date= |accessdate=2007-08-14}}</ref> Roth claimed in the press release that, "the idea is that this will continue on and on and on" and also that a ] and new album were in the works.


In response to rumors about Eddie being back in rehab ] said that "he is not in rehab." She did not, however, say if he had recently been in rehab, stating only that he was not currently,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=40006&cat=2 | title=Valerie Bertinelli Denies Van Halen Rehab Reports |work=TransWorldNews |date=March 12, 2008 |location=Atlanta, GA |access-date=December 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314071507/http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=40006&cat=2 | archive-date=March 14, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> a statement echoed by Wolfgang during the 2008 Kids Choice Awards. The tour started back up on April 17 at the ] in Nevada.
Press reaction to the reunion was largely warm, but the re-designed website sparked controversy when Michael Anthony was removed from images of old album artwork.<ref>{{cite web |title= Van Halen's Official Site Places Wolfgang In Time Machine|url=http://idolator.com/tunes/right-now,-michael-anthony-is-being-chucked-down-the-memory-hole/van-halens-official-site-places-wolfgang-in-time-machine-289397.php |accessdate= 2007-08-20}}</ref> The album covers were reverted to normal a day later without a word after bitter reactions. The ] was originally 25 dates, but the reunion now stands to be much longer, extending into 2008 with a second leg.


The tour ended on June 2, 2008, at the ] in ], ]. During the show Roth stated multiple times that this would not be their final show and that they would "see everyone next time." At this show the arena sign was altered to read "VAN HALEN ARENA". According to the Van Halen News Desk, the reunion tour with Roth was the highest grossing in the band's history, raking in almost $93&nbsp;million.
Van Halen started their new tour on September 27, 2007 in ], ]. Playing to sellout crowds, the tour generated positive reviews.<ref>{{cite news|first=Brian |last=Hicks|url=http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/sep/28/reunited_van_halen_proves_they_still_have_what_it_/ |title=Reunited Van Halen proves they still have what it takes |publisher=Charleston.net |date=September 28, 2007 |accessdate=2008-11-23}}</ref> Amid rumors of Eddie being back in rehab, multiple dates of the tour were postponed. The official reason was the need for medical procedures to be run on Eddie. <ref>{{cite web|last=Kaufman |first=Gil |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1582661/20080303/van_halen.jhtml |title=Van Halen Postpone Tour Dates Due To Eddie's Unspecified 'Medical Tests' |publisher=MTV News |date=March 3 2008 |accessdate=2008-11-23}}</ref>


On July 3, 2008, Van Halen headlined the ] in front of a crowd of 85,000.
On March 5, 2008 ''World Entertainment Weekly'' to ''CBS News'' reported that the reason behind the tour stoppage was due to Eddie Van Halen needing to reenter rehab. The report also indicated that it was a ''"furious backstage bust-up in Florida with his 17-year-old son and bandmate Wolfgang"'' which motivated Eddie to seek help once again. <ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.keyetv.com/entertainment/story.aspx?content_id=d06d15fe-8445-4add-becf-a985fc8a0aeb |title="World Entertainment News Eddie Van Halen Back In Rehab? March 5, 2008"}}</ref>


===2008–2015: ''A Different Kind of Truth''===
In response to rumors about Eddie Van Halen being back in rehab ] said that "he is not in rehab." She did not, however, say if he had recently been in rehab, stating only that he wasn't currently.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=40006&cat=2 |title="Transworld News - Valerie Bertinelli Interview March 13, 2008"}}</ref>
In an interview with '']'', posted on November 12, 2008, about the making of his upcoming new ] guitar from Fender, Eddie said, in regard to new Van Halen music, "I'll be making music 'til the day I die. I've done all kinds of stuff, and more is coming. I can't tell you exactly when right now. Wolfgang is in the 12th grade and he needs to graduate first. Then I'm getting married in June. We'll pick it up after that."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/eddie_van_halen_talks_about_his_new_evh_wolfgang_guitar.html?200811120834 |title=Eddie Van Halen Talks About His New EVH Wolfgang Guitar |publisher=Ultimate-guitar.com |access-date=March 12, 2011}}</ref> Eddie underwent surgery on his left hand in 2009, following some treatment for ] as he felt pain in his fingers during the 2007 tour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spinner.com/2009/07/24/van-halens-hand-surgery-a-success/ |title=Van Halen's Hand Surgery a Success |publisher=Spinner.com |date=July 24, 2009 |access-date=March 12, 2011}}</ref> In an interview with ''Glide Magazine'' appearing in the May 2010 issue, ] commented that Eddie had played him "new stuff from his record." It was not clear from the interview if the music was intended for a new Van Halen record.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glidemagazine.com/articles/55956/dweezil-zappa-the-next-phase-of-zappa-plays-zappa.html |title=Dweezil Zappa – The Next Phase of Zappa Plays Zappa |work=Glide Magazine |date=May 20, 2010 |access-date=March 12, 2011}}</ref>


In August 2010, Warner/Chappell Music extended its administration agreements with Van Halen (specifically Eddie and Alex Van Halen). Under the agreement, Warner/Chappell will continue to administer their catalog of works. This press release also stated that the group was in the studio recording an album with Roth, that was due for release in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=144101 |title=Blabbermouth.Net – Warner/Chappell Extends Agreement With Van Halen |publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com |access-date=March 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110225024401/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=144101 |archive-date=February 25, 2011}}</ref>
Wolfgang Van Halen also stated that his father was not in rehab during the 2008 Kids Choice Awards, but did not say if he had recently been in rehab: only that he wasn't in rehab ''now''. Eventually, the tour started back up April 17 at the Reno Events Center in ].


Van Halen entered the ] C with producer ] on January 17, 2011. Shanks posted on his Twitter account that he was in the studio with the band and posted a picture of one of Eddie's signature amps.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=152618 |title=Van Halen Officially Working With Producer John Shanks - Blabbermouth.net |publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com |date=January 21, 2011 |access-date=June 20, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121083911/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=152618 |archive-date=November 21, 2011}}</ref>
The tour ended on June 2, 2008 at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI. During the show Roth stated multiple times that this would not be their final show and that they would "see everyone next time." This show also was a special occasion being that the sign in front on the arena had been re done so it read "VAN HALEN ARENA" instead of the "VAN ANDEL ARENA" which is its actual name.


On June 16, 2011, ], ] and ] guitarist ] claimed that he had been invited to 5150 studios and that Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang Van Halen performed the album live, in its entirety, for Tremonti and Creed touring guitarist, Eric Friedman.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=159528/ |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160523150203/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=159528/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 23, 2016 |title=Blabbermouth.Net |publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com |access-date=July 8, 2011}}</ref> Producer/engineer Ross Hogarth claimed on July 31, 2011, that "he whole Van Halen record has been recorded."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=160547 |title=BLABBERMOUTH.NET – Producer Says VAN HALEN Is 'On Fire' And 'At The Top Of Their Game' On Forthcoming Album |publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com |access-date=July 31, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715001521/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=160547 |archive-date=July 15, 2011}}</ref> On September 5, 2011, it was reported that the mixing on the new album had been completed in mid-August, and production had progressed to the mastering stage.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=162847 |title=VAN HALEN Completes Mixing New Album |work=Blabbermouth.net |date=September 5, 2011 |access-date=September 21, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102033925/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=162847 |archive-date=January 2, 2012}}</ref>
According to the Van Halen News Desk, the reunion tour with Roth was the highest grossing in the band's history, raking in almost 93 million dollars.


Their official website was updated on December 26, 2011, announcing that tickets for their ] would be available starting January 10, 2012. On January 5, 2012, Van Halen played an intimate club gig at New York City's ] which received widespread praise from media and fans.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Andy |last=Greene |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/van-halen-play-blazing-show-at-tiny-nyc-club-20120106 |title=Reunited Van Halen Play Blazing Show at Tiny NYC Club &#124; Music News |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=January 6, 2012 |access-date=September 3, 2012}}</ref> On January 10, the upcoming album's first single, titled "]", made its premiere on radio stations. The following week, the single debuted at No. 67 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Chart.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.superloud.net/2012/01/van-halens-new-single-tattoo-cracks.html |title=Van Halen's New Single Tattoo Cracks |publisher=Superloud.net |date=March 9, 2012 |access-date=September 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512095449/http://www.superloud.net/2012/01/van-halens-new-single-tattoo-cracks.html |archive-date=May 12, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The band's new studio album from ], titled '']'', was released on February 7, 2012. It was Van Halen's first studio release since 1998's '']'' and the first new music from the band since the three new songs from the 2004's ''Best of Both Worlds'' compilation. It would also be the first Van Halen album to feature Eddie's son, Wolfgang, on the bass in place of Anthony. This would also be the first full-length album to feature Roth on vocals in over 27 years, and the first new material with him in 15 years, since the two new songs with him on the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vhnd.com |title=Van Halen News Desk |website=Vhnd.com |date=July 16, 1978 |access-date=April 24, 2014}}</ref>
Van Halen's song "Hot for Teacher" is included in the video game ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Faylor |first=Chris |url=http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/52650 |title=Guitar Hero 4 Includes Song Creation and Sharing, Multiple Instruments, Van Halen, Linkin Park |publisher=Shacknews |date=May 12, 2008 |accessdate=2008-11-23}}</ref>


]
The opening act of the Festival d'été de Québec in ] was performed by Van Halen on July 3rd, 2008.<ref>{{cite news|first=Julie |last=Rhéaume |url=http://www.showbizz.net/articles/20080605162702/van_halen_quebec_juillet.html |title={{lang|fr|Van Halen à Québec le 3 juillet}} |publisher=Showbizz.net |date=June 5, 2008 |language=French |accessdate=2008-11-23}}</ref>
On February 8, 2012, Van Halen performed a "friends and family" dress rehearsal at the Forum in Inglewood, California. The show featured many classics as well as several new songs from ''A Different Kind of Truth''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://khitschicago.radio.com/2012/02/09/photos-van-halen-perform-for-friends-and-family-at-the-la-forum-last-night/ |title=Van Halen Perform For 'Friends And Family' At Forum |publisher=Khitschicago.radio.com |date=February 8, 2012 |access-date=April 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413065934/http://khitschicago.radio.com/2012/02/09/photos-van-halen-perform-for-friends-and-family-at-the-la-forum-last-night/ |archive-date=April 13, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite Van Halen's long lay-off between studio albums, ''A Different Kind of Truth'' sold 188,000 copies during its first six days of release, debuting at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 Albums Chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/505646/adeles-21-hits-20th-week-at-no-1-van-halen-debuts-at-no-2 |title=Adele's '21' Hits 20th Week at No. 1, Van Halen Debuts at No. 2 |magazine=Billboard |date=September 14, 2009 |access-date=September 3, 2012}}</ref> There was an overwhelmingly positive critical and fan response to ''A Different Kind of Truth'', which helped to fuel the album's long run in the upper reaches of the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 Album Chart; additionally, it earned the band its highest-ever charting album in the United Kingdom (debuting at No. 6).<ref>{{cite web|author=Christopher, Michael|url=http://thephoenix.com/Boston/music/133622-van-halen-a-different-kind-of-truth/|title=Van Halen &#124; A Different Kind of Truth – CD Reviews|publisher=Thephoenix.com |date=February 8, 2012 |access-date=September 3, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bravewords.com/news/177936 |title= News > VAN HALEN – A Different Kind Of Truth Hits The UK Charts |publisher=Bravewords.com|access-date=September 3, 2012}}</ref>


Despite an average ticket price of approximately $150, Van Halen's "]" proved to be a commercial success as well, with nearly all U.S. arena shows "either sold-out, or close to it."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spinner.com/2012/05/18/van-halen-cancel-summer-tour-dates/ |title=Van Halen Cancel Summer Tour Dates |publisher=Spinner |date=May 18, 2012 |access-date=September 3, 2012 |archive-date=April 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430165612/http://www.spinner.com/2012/05/18/van-halen-cancel-summer-tour-dates/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Critically, the band received mostly positive reviews, particularly when performing throughout the U.S. Northeast and West Coast. R&B legends ] were hand-picked by frontman Roth to open the first two legs of Van Halen's tour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jun/14/van-halenkool-gang-unlikely-pairing/ |title=Van Halen/Kool & The Gang pairing a hit |work=U-T San Diego |access-date=September 3, 2012}}</ref>
In a recent interview with ] about the making of his upcoming new EVH Wolfgang guitar from Fender, Eddie Van Halen had this to say regarding the subject of new Van Halen music: "I’ll be making music ’til the day I die. I’ve done all kinds of stuff, and more is coming. I can’t tell you exactly when right now. Wolfgang is in the 12th grade and he needs to graduate first. Then I’m getting married in June. We’ll pick it up after that."<ref></ref>


On May 17, 2012, '']'' reported that Van Halen was postponing all tour dates after their show of June 26 in ], Louisiana.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Knopper|first=Steve|title=Van Halen Postpone Summer Tour Dates|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/van-halen-postpone-summer-tour-dates-20120517|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=May 17, 2012|access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> Shortly thereafter, the Van Halen News Desk revealed that the band's members were in good health, had not been arguing with each other, and that the reason for the postponed tour dates was to take a break after 18 months of non-stop recording and touring as well as to allow the group the opportunity to enhance its concert presentation before resuming the tour in the late summer of 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vhnd.com/2012/05/18/van-halen-getting-along-fine-taking-a-break-and-planning-to-extend-tour/|title=Van Halen Getting Along Fine, Taking a Break, And Planning to Extend Tour!|publisher=vhnd.com|date=May 18, 2012}}</ref> However, the postponed dates were officially listed as canceled shortly thereafter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pollstar.com/news_article.aspx?ID=801913|title=Van Halen Dates Officially Canceled|publisher=pollstar.com|date=June 29, 2012}}</ref>
Although not actually aired, AZ rock station 98KUPD hosts contacted David Lee Roth via telephone for a proposed on air interview on Thurs. Dec 18th wherein Roth stated, "When (Wolfgang Van Halen) gets his cap and gown, we're all going back for the fall semester. I'm not sure we're gonna get good grades in conduct, but you know, you're gonna be able to judge us on our progress report next year and dance with us in time for the prom."

On August 30, 2012, Eddie was diagnosed with ] and underwent surgery postponing the shows in Japan initially scheduled for November 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://somethingelsereviews.com/2012/08/30/no-further-surgeries-are-needed-new-health-scare-for-eddie-van-halen-but-its-not-cancer/|title='No further surgeries are needed': New health scare for Eddie Van Halen, but it's not cancer|publisher=somethingelsereviews.com|date=August 30, 2012}}</ref> On April 20, 2013, the Roth-fronted Van Halen played its first show outside North America since 1984, and their first in Australia since 1998, at the Stone Festival in Sydney.<ref>{{cite web|first=Paul |last=Cashmere |url=http://www.noise11.com/news/van-halen-play-first-ever-show-with-david-lee-roth-for-stone-music-festival-20130421 |title=Van Halen Play First Ever Australian Show With David Lee Roth For Stone Music Festival &#124; Australia's Music News Authority |publisher=Noise11.com |date=April 21, 2013 |access-date=June 20, 2015}}</ref> This was followed by one show each in Tokyo and Nagoya, and two in Osaka, from June 18 to 26.

In February 2015, Van Halen fansite VHND.com announced that Van Halen would be releasing their first live album with Roth, '']'', on March 31, 2015. The album featured performances from their June 23, 2013, performance at the ]. It was also reported that the band would be releasing newly remastered versions of their ] and '']'' on CD, digital, and vinyl.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vhnd.com/2015/02/05/van-halens-definitive-live-album-remasters-full-details/ |title=Van Halen's Definitive Live Album & Remasters (UPDATED with Ordering Info) |website=Vhnd.com |date=February 5, 2015 |access-date=June 20, 2015}}</ref> In an interview the same month, when asked about the status of Van Halen, Eddie responded by saying "I'd love to make a studio record. Depends on everybody's timing. I don't know what Dave Lee Roth is up to now. I don't know if he's living in New York or Japan or wherever he is."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/eddie-van-halen-gives-update-on-van-halen-and-david-lee-roth/ |title=Eddie Van Halen Gives Update On Van Halen And David Lee Roth |work=Blabbermouth.net |date=February 17, 2015 |access-date=June 20, 2015}}</ref>

===2015–2020: North American Tour, Eddie's death, and disbandment===
On March 24, 2015, Van Halen announced a ] with Roth to take place from July to October 2015 across North America.<ref>{{cite web |title=VAN HALEN To Tour North America Summer/Fall 2015 |url=http://www.van-halen.com/vhtour2015.html |website=Van-halen.com |access-date=March 25, 2015 |archive-date=March 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326193953/http://www.van-halen.com/vhtour2015.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Van Halen 2015 North American Summer Tour Schedule|url=http://van-halen.concerttournewshub.com/|access-date=March 25, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402141407/http://van-halen.concerttournewshub.com/|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref> In April 2015, Eddie told '']'' that the band would "probably hunker down and do a studio record" after their tour.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/eddie-van-halen-talks-tokyo-dome-van-halen-album-plans-20150403 |title=Eddie Van Halen Talks 'Tokyo Dome,' Van Halen Album Plans |date=April 3, 2015 |magazine=] |access-date=April 7, 2015}}</ref>

On September 12, 2019, Van Halen announced that they would be releasing a box set of the Japanese singles, which was released on November 1, 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/van-halen-japanese-singles/ |title=Van Halen Announce 'The Japanese Singles' Box Set |publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock |date=September 12, 2019 |access-date=December 12, 2019}}</ref> On September 30, 2019, while promoting an upcoming 2020 solo concert, Roth expressed uncertainty towards the band's future, stating "I think Van Halen is finished."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/david-lee-roth-van-halen-reunion-rumor-893053/ |title=David Lee Roth Axes Van Halen Reunion Rumors |date=September 30, 2019 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://loudwire.com/david-lee-roth-van-halen-finished/ |title=David Lee Roth: 'I Think Van Halen's Finished' |first=Joe |last=DiVita |website=Loudwire|date=September 30, 2019 }}</ref> However, Hagar indicated in a May 2020 interview that he believed otherwise claiming "Until Ed or Alex Van Halen die, they're not finished."<ref name="greene"/> He expressed a hope that the band could reunite with himself and Anthony saying "My dream tour is the Sam and Dave tour with Ed, Al and Mike."<ref name="greene">{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |title=Sammy Hagar: 'Van Halen Will Never Be Finished' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sammy-hagar-van-halen-tour-1001675/ |magazine=] |date=May 20, 2020 |access-date=September 10, 2020}}</ref>

On October 6, 2020, Wolfgang announced on his Twitter account that Eddie had died from cancer.<ref name=Wolf/><ref name="latimes.com"/> His death came just ten days after original Van Halen bassist Mark Stone died of cancer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/original-van-halen-bassist-mark-stone-dies-after-battle-with-cancer/|title=Original VAN HALEN Bassist MARK STONE Dies After Battle With Cancer|website=]|date=September 26, 2020|access-date=October 6, 2020}}</ref> In a November 2020 interview with ], Wolfgang Van Halen confirmed the band's end, stating "You can't have Van Halen without Eddie Van Halen."<ref name="RS2020"/> He had also confirmed that the band had considered a "kitchen-sink" reunion tour with Hagar, Anthony and Cherone in the mix prior to Eddie's illness. He also stated that Eddie had been excited about reuniting with Anthony, Hagar, and Cherone.<ref name="RS2020"/> In August 2023, Wolfgang affirmed that there were no plans for a Van Halen reunion and stated that the band "doesn't exist anymore".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Irwin |first1=Corey |title=Wolfgang Van Halen Says 'Van Halen Doesn't Exist Anymore' |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/wolfgang-van-halen-van-halen-doesnt-exist-anymore/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |access-date=August 5, 2023 |language=en |date=August 3, 2023}}</ref>

==Contract riders==
]
The complex technical demands of a Van Halen tour ultimately had a notable side-effect on modern pop music tours, especially via the concert's technical ]. The band used contract riders to verify the venue's power availability, security, structural and weight distribution details. Their now-famous riders specified that a bowl of ] candies was to be placed in their dressing room and, separately, in a different area of the contract, that all of the brown M&M's were to be removed.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=January 19, 2001 |title=Did Van Halen's Concert Contract Require the Removal of Brown M&Ms? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/brown-out/ |access-date=December 8, 2009 |website=]}}</ref> According to both manager Noel Monk and Roth, this was listed in the technical portion of the contract not because the band wanted to make capricious demands of the venue location, but rather as a test to see if the electrical, structural, security, and safety requirements in the rider had been thoroughly observed.<ref>From ''Crazy from the Heat'', David Lee Roth's autobiography</ref> If the bowl, without brown M&Ms was present, then the band, management and crew could safely assume the other, more legitimate concerns in the technical rider were fulfilled; conversely, if the bowl was missing, or brown M&M's were present, then Van Halen management would be within their rights to have their crew or the venue inspect the work, redo it or even cancel the night's production at the venue's expense.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Zeveloff |first1=Julie |title=There's a brilliant reason why Van Halen asked for a bowl of M&Ms with all the brown candies removed before every show |url=https://www.insider.com/van-halen-brown-m-ms-contract-2016-9 |website=Insider |access-date=April 7, 2021 |date=September 6, 2016}}</ref> In one notable incident, officials at what is now ] refused to honor the request, leading the band to go on a rampage that involved throwing food all over a dining area as well as "unmentionable" acts in a nearby restroom. However, even more damage was caused to the basketball floor in the ] due to the weight of the stage brought in.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Matthew |first1=Amy |title=3/30/1980 - Pueblo, CO (Brown M&M incident) |url=https://www.themightyvanhalen.net/1980/03/30/1980-pueblo-co/ |website=The Mighty Van Halen |access-date=November 23, 2024 |date=March 28, 2010}}</ref>

==Musical style==
Van Halen's musical style has been described as ],<ref name="Van Halen">{{cite web |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/van-halen-mn0000260206/biography |title=Van Halen – Artist Biography |publisher=]. ] |access-date=August 16, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories that Shaped our Culture |first=Jacqueline |last=Edmondson |publisher=] |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-313-39347-1 |page=161 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TQPXAQAAQBAJ&q=%22van+halen%22&pg=PA161}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sammy Hagar: 'Eddie doomed Van Halen reunion' |first= Justin |last= Harp |publisher= ]. ] |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a313588/sammy-hagar-eddie-doomed-van-halen-reunion.html |date=April 8, 2011 |access-date=August 16, 2014}}</ref> ],<ref name="Van Halen"/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/vanhalen/biography |title=Van Halen – Biography |magazine=] |access-date=May 5, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505235729/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/vanhalen/biography |archive-date=May 5, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Deena |last=Weinstein|author-link=Deena Weinstein|year=2015|title=Rock'n America: A Social and Cultural History|pages=223–226, 244|publisher=] |isbn=978-1-4426-0015-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Ryan|last=Moore |year=2010|title=Sells Like Teen Spirit: Music, Youth Culture, and Social Crisis|page=|publisher=]|isbn=978-0-8147-5747-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/sellsliketeenspi00moor|url-access=registration}}</ref> ],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hadusek|first=Jon|date=October 7, 2020|title=Eddie Van Halen's 10 Greatest Riffs|url=https://consequence.net/2020/10/eddie-van-halen-greatest-riffs/|access-date=December 4, 2022|website=Consequence |language=en-US}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/keith_spera/article_99dccfea-082f-11eb-ad35-6bdb99cbb4d0.html|title=Eddie Van Halen was a once-in-a-lifetime rock guitarist who made the impossible look easy|first=Keith|last=Spera|website=Nola|date=October 6, 2020|access-date=June 21, 2021}}</ref> and ].<ref>{{cite web|first=Stephen|last=Dowling|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190819-nine-artists-who-hated-their-own-albums|title= Nine artists who hated their own albums|work=]|date=August 19, 2019|access-date=December 6, 2022}}</ref> The band's early material has been described as a "party-ready ] sound" spearheaded by David Lee Roth's "over-the-top" vocal style, while their later material has been described as "milder" and "more accessible".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Erlewine |first1=Stephen Thomas |title=Van Halen Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More &#124; |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/van-halen-mn0000260206#biography |website=AllMusic}}</ref>


==Band members== ==Band members==
'''Final lineup'''
{{details|List of Van Halen band members}}
* ]&nbsp;– guitar (1972–2020; his death), backing vocals (1974–2020; his death), keyboards (1979–1997); lead vocals (1972–1974)
===Current members===
*''']''' lead & backing vocals (1974–1985, 1996, 2007–present) * ]&nbsp;drums, percussion (1972–2020); backing vocals (1983, 1990–1991)
*''']''' – lead & rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1972–present) * ]&nbsp;– lead vocals, occasional acoustic guitar and synthesizer (1974–1985, 1996, 2007–2020)
*''']''' – bass guitar, backing vocals (2006–present) * ]&nbsp;– bass, backing vocals (2006–2020)
*''']''' – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1972–present)


===Former members=== '''Former members'''
*''']''' – bass guitar, backing vocals (1974–2002, 2004–2005) * Mark Stone&nbsp;– bass, backing vocals (1972–1974; died 2020)
* ]&nbsp;– bass, backing vocals (1974–2006); occasional synthesizer (1980–1998)
*''']''' – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1985–1996, 2003–2005)
*''']''' – lead vocals (1997–1999) * ]&nbsp;– lead vocals, guitar (1985–1996, 2003–2005)
*''']''' - lead vocals (1996 - see above, band on public hiatus during brief tenure) * ]&nbsp;– lead vocals (1996–1999)
*''']''' – bass guitar, backing vocals (1972–1974 - only a member when the band still used the name Mammoth)


==Discography== ===Timeline===
{{#tag:timeline|
{{main|Van Halen discography}}
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20
*'']'' (1978)
PlotArea = left:110 bottom:100 top:10 right:10
*'']'' (1979)
Alignbars = justify
*'']'' (1980)
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
*'']'' (1981)
Period = from:01/01/1972 till:10/06/2020
*'']'' (1982)
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
*'']'' (1983)
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4
*'']'' (1986)
ScaleMajor = increment:4 start:1972
*'']'' (1988)
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1972
*'']'' (1991)
*'']'' (1993)
*'']'' (1995)
*'']'' (1996)
*'']'' (1998)
*'']'' (2004)


Colors =
==Awards and Nominations==
id:lvocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals
id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar
id:acoustic value:drabgreen legend:Occasional_acoustic_guitar
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass_guitar
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion
id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards
id:bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals
id:studio value:black legend:Studio_albums
id:comp value:gray(0.5) legend:Other_releases
id:bars value:gray(0.95)


BackgroundColors = bars:bars
{{main|List of Van Halen awards and nominations}}


LineData =
layer:back color:studio
at:02/10/1978 #Van Halen
at:03/23/1979 #Van Halen II
at:03/26/1980 #Women and Children First
at:04/29/1981 #Fair Warning
at:04/14/1982 #Diver Down
at:01/09/1984 #MCMLXXXIV (1984)
at:03/24/1986 #5150
at:05/24/1988 #OU812
at:06/17/1991 #For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
at:01/24/1995 #Balance
at:03/17/1998 #Van Halen III
at:02/03/2012 #A Different Kind of Truth


color:Comp
at:05/14/1992 #Live: Right Here, Right Now
at:10/22/1996 #Best Of - Volume I
at:07/20/2004 #The Best of Both Worlds
at:06/21/2013 #Tokyo Dome Live in Concert


BarData =
bar:Eddie text:"Eddie Van Halen"
bar:David text:"David Lee Roth"
bar:Sammy text:"Sammy Hagar"
bar:Gary text:"Gary Cherone"
bar:Mark text:"Mark Stone"
bar:Mike text:"Michael Anthony"
bar:Wolf text:"Wolfgang Van Halen"
bar:Alex text:"Alex Van Halen"


PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4)
color:Lvocals
bar:Eddie from:start till:06/01/1974
bar:David from:06/01/1974 till:04/01/1985
bar:Sammy from:06/01/1985 till:06/09/1996
bar:David from:07/01/1996 till:09/27/1996
bar:Gary from:10/01/1996 till:11/01/1999
bar:Sammy from:01/01/2003 till:08/01/2005
bar:David from:01/24/2007 till:end


color:Guitar
bar:Eddie from:start till:06/01/1974 width:3
bar:Eddie from:06/01/1974 till:end
bar:Sammy from:06/01/1985 till:06/09/1996 width:3
bar:Sammy from:01/01/2003 till:08/01/2005 width:3


color:Bass
==Legacy==
bar:Mark from:start till:06/01/1974
{{Refimprove|section|date=April 2008}}
bar:Mike from:06/01/1974 till:09/08/2006
The ''Van Halen'' album introduced the guitar world to the band's signature "]," a nickname given to the result of Eddie's guitar/amp combination and technique. With ] production, this tone was carefully defined.
bar:Wolf from:09/08/2006 till:end


color:Acoustic
===Contract riders===
bar:David from:06/01/1977 till:01/01/1983 width:3
Van Halen pioneered the modern rock music tour with their use of the concert technical ]. They were the first band to use contract riders to specify a "wish list", a practice now used throughout the ]. As one of the first major bands with a travelling stage show, Van Halen had extensive requirements including power availability and stage construction details. The band's demands were not limited to technical issues; their now-infamous rider specified that a bowl of ], with all of the brown M&Ms removed, was to be placed in their dressing room. According to David Lee Roth,<ref>From "Crazy from the Heat" - David Lee Roth's autobiography</ref> this was listed in the technical portion of the contract, not because the band felt they wanted to make random demands of the venue, but because of legitimate safety concerns. On an early tour, a member of Van Halen's road crew was nearly killed by shoddy workmanship on the part of a local venue, and which ended up causing approximately $85,000 in equipment damage. Because of this incident, the band needed to come up with a creative idea as a means of checking whether the venue was properly honoring all of the contract. Subsequently, if the bowl was missing, or if there were brown M&M's present, they had reason to suspect legitimate technical and safety concerns that were spelled out in the contract were also being ignored or were done improperly, and the band would be within their rights to have the requests spelled out in the contract reinspected prior to going on-stage.
bar:David from:01/24/2007 till:end width:7


color:Keys
===Material covered by other artists===
bar:Eddie from:12/01/1979 till:12/01/1997 width:7
Influential American ] trio ] recorded a 40-second version of "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" for their landmark double album '']'', though the arrangement was changed significantly to fit the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://starling.rinet.ru/music/temp/vanhalen.html |title=Van Halen: The David Lee Roth Years |publisher=Starling.rinet.ru |date= |accessdate=2008-11-23}}</ref> Rapper ] used uncredited samples from "Jamie's Cryin'" on his hit "Wild Thing," but when asked about it later Alex Van Halen said "It was 1987, who knew?"{{Fact|date=August 2007}}. In 1989, ] sampled the riff of "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" for their single "The Fuck Shop". The dance music act ] sampled the guitar intro from "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" for their 1997 single "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub". Van Halen's arrangement of the song "]" (performed by other artists) was featured in the ] ]. Panama was also featured in the soundtrack to the video game, "Gran Turismo 4."
bar:Mike from:03/19/1980 till:11/02/1998 width:7
bar:David from:01/24/2007 till:end width:3


color:Drums
In 2002, Canadian ] musician ] released '']'', a concept album composed of spliced and sampled elements of Van Halen songs and interviews, constructed into a mini-narrative of the band's dissolution and breakup over Hecker's trademark drone-y ambient noise.
bar:Alex from:start till:end


color:Bvocals width:3
== References ==
bar:Mark from:start till:06/01/1974
{{reflist|2}}
bar:Eddie from:06/01/1974 till:10/06/2020
bar:Mike from:06/01/1974 till:09/08/2006
bar:Alex from:06/01/1983 till:10/01/1983
bar:Alex from:03/01/1990 till:04/01/1991
bar:Wolf from:09/08/2006 till:end
}}


===Lineups===
Aztec Camera covered Jump on the flipside of one of their singles.


{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
== See also ==
! scope="col" style="width:22em;" |Period
{{commonscat}}
! scope="col" style="width:25em;" |Members
* ]
! scope="col" style="width:25em;" |Releases
|-
! scope"row" | 1972–1974{{efn|During the time the band was known as "Genesis" and "Mammoth".}}
|
* ] – lead vocals, guitar
* ] – drums
* Mark Stone – bass guitar, backing vocals
|
|-
! scope"row" | 1974–1985{{efn|"Van Halen" from this point on.}}
|
* Eddie Van Halen – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
* Alex Van Halen – drums
* '''] – bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards'''
* '''] – lead vocals, acoustic guitar'''
|
* '']'' (1978)
* '']'' (1979)
* '']'' (1980)
* '']'' (1981)
* '']'' (1982)
* '']'' (1984)
|-
! scope"row" | 1985–1996
|
* Eddie Van Halen – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
* Alex Van Halen – drums
* Michael Anthony – bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
* '''] – lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitar'''
|
*'']'' (1986)
* '']'' (1988)
* '']'' (1991)
* '']'' (1993)
* '']'' (1995)
* "]" (1996)
|-
! scope"row" | 1996
|
* Eddie Van Halen – guitar, backing vocals
* Alex Van Halen – drums
* Michael Anthony – bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
* '''David Lee Roth – lead vocals'''
|
* New tracks for '']'' (1996)
|-
! scope"row" | 1996–1999
|
* Eddie Van Halen – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
* Alex Van Halen – drums
* Michael Anthony – bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
* '''] – lead vocals'''
|
* '']'' (1998)
|-
! scope"row" | 2003–2005
|
* Eddie Van Halen – guitar, studio bass guitar, backing vocals
* Alex Van Halen – drums
* Michael Anthony – live bass guitar, backing vocals
* '''Sammy Hagar – lead vocals, rhythm guitar'''
|
* New tracks for '']'' (2004)
|-
! scope"row" | 2007–2020
|
* Eddie Van Halen – guitar, backing vocals
* Alex Van Halen – drums
* '''David Lee Roth – lead vocals, acoustic guitar'''
* '''] – bass guitar, backing vocals'''
|
* '']'' (2012)
* '']'' (2015)
|}

==Discography==
{{Main|Van Halen discography}}
* '']'' (1978)
* '']'' (1979)
* '']'' (1980)
* '']'' (1981)
* '']'' (1982)
* '']'' (1984)
* '']'' (1986)
* '']'' (1988)
* '']'' (1991)
* '']'' (1995)
* '']'' (1998)
* '']'' (2012)

==Concert tours==
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* ]
* ] (1979)
* ] (1980)
* ] (1981)
* ] (1982–1983)
* ]
* ] (1986)
* ] (1988–1989)
* ] (1991–1992)
* ] (1993)
* ] (1995)
* ] (1998)
* ]
* ]
* ] (2012–2013)
* ]
{{div col end}}

==Awards and nominations==
{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Van Halen}}

Van Halen's ''For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge'' won two awards in the 1992 season: ] at the ], and Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album at the ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Van Halen |url=https://www.theamas.com/winners-database/?winnerKeyword=van+halen&winnerYear= |website=The AMAs |access-date= December 8, 2020}}</ref> The band has received an additional two Grammy nominations and eight further AMA nominations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Van Halen |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/van-halen/8408 |website=Grammy Awards |date=November 23, 2020 |access-date= December 8, 2020}}</ref> The video for their 1992 single "Right Now" won three awards (of seven nominations) at the ] including the prestigious title of ]. The band's videos had previously been nominated for four VMAs, with "Jump" winning ] at the ] in 1984.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insider.com/most-popular-boy-band-song-every-year-2018-3#1984-jump-van-halen-35|title=The top boy band song from the year you were born|last=Singh|first=Olivia|date=March 17, 2020|work=The Insider|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201013014930/https://www.insider.com/most-popular-boy-band-song-every-year-2018-3|archive-date=October 13, 2020|access-date=December 7, 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
* ]
* ] * ]


==Notes==
== External links ==
{{notelist}}
* - The official Van Halen website

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book|last1=Lee Roth|first1=David|last2=Rollins|first2=Henry|title=Crazy From the Heat|date=1997|publisher=Hyperion Books|isbn=978-0-7868-6339-6}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Macdonald |first1=Bruno |editor-first=Robert |editor-last=Dimery |title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die |publisher=Quintet Publishing Limited |location=New York |isbn=0-7893-1371-5 |year=2006 |oclc=63515375}}
* {{cite book |last1=Zlozower |first1=Neil |title=Van Halen: A Visual History: 1978-1984 |date=2012 |publisher=Chronicle Books |location=San Francisco |isbn=9781452116914 |edition=Illustrated|author1-link=Neil Zlozower }}
* {{cite book |last1=Scanlan |first1=John |title=Van Halen: Exuberant California, Zen Rock'n'roll |date=2012 |publisher=Reaktion |location=London |isbn=9781861899538}}
* {{Cite book|last=Renoff|first=Greg|title=Van Halen Rising|publisher=ECW Press|year=2015|isbn=978-1-77041-263-7|location=Toronto}}
* {{cite book |last1=Monk |first1=Noel E. |last2=Layden |first2=Joe |title=Runnin' With the Devil: A Backstage Pass to the Wild Times, Loud Rock, and the Down and Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen |date=2017 |publisher=Dey Street Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-06-247412-4}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|d=Q190155|c=Category:Van Halen|n=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|s=no|wikt=no}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{Rockhall}}
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* *
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* {{Discogs artist|artist=Van+Halen}}
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{{2007 Rock Hall Inductees}}
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Revision as of 01:00, 22 December 2024

American rock band (1973–2020) This article is about the band. For their self-titled debut album, see Van Halen (album). For other uses, see Van Halen (disambiguation).

Van Halen
Van Halen in 1984; (L–R): Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, and Michael Anthony.Van Halen in 1984; (L–R): Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, and Michael Anthony.
Background information
OriginPasadena, California, U.S.
Genres
DiscographyVan Halen discography
Years active1973–2020
Labels
Spinoffs
Past members
Websitevan-halen.com

Van Halen (/væn ˈheɪlən/ van HAY-len) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and for the virtuosity of its guitarist, Eddie Van Halen. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

From 1974 to 1985, Van Halen consisted of Eddie Van Halen, his brother, drummer Alex Van Halen, lead vocalist David Lee Roth, and bassist Michael Anthony. Upon its release in 1978, the band's self-titled debut album reached No. 19 on the Billboard 200 and would sell over 10 million copies in the United States, achieving a Diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). By 1982, the band released four more albums: Van Halen II (1979), Women and Children First (1980), Fair Warning (1981), and Diver Down (1982), all of which have since been certified multi-platinum. By the early 1980s, Van Halen was among the most commercially successful rock acts. The album 1984, released in the eponymous year, was a commercial success with U.S. sales of 10 million copies and four successful singles. Its lead single, "Jump", was the band's only number one single on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1985, Roth left the band to embark on a solo career and was replaced by former Montrose lead vocalist Sammy Hagar. With Hagar, the group released four U.S. number-one, multi-platinum albums over the course of 11 years: 5150 in 1986, OU812 in 1988, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge in 1991, and Balance in 1995. The group also released a double-platinum live album, Live: Right Here, Right Now, in 1993. Hagar left the band in 1996 shortly before the release of the band's first greatest hits collection, Best Of – Volume I. Former Extreme frontman Gary Cherone replaced Hagar and recorded the commercially unsuccessful album Van Halen III with the band in 1998, before parting ways in 1999. Van Halen then went on hiatus until reuniting with Hagar in 2003 for a worldwide tour in 2004 and the double-disc greatest hits collection, The Best of Both Worlds (2004). Hagar again left Van Halen in 2005. Roth returned in 2006, but Anthony was replaced on bass guitar by Eddie's son, Wolfgang Van Halen. In 2012, the band released their final studio album, A Different Kind of Truth, which was commercially and critically successful. It was also Van Halen's first album with Roth in 28 years and the only one to feature Wolfgang. Eddie was diagnosed with cancer in 2001, and died of the disease on October 6, 2020. A month after his father's death, Wolfgang confirmed that Van Halen had disbanded.

As of March 2019, Van Halen is 20th on the RIAA's list of best-selling artists in the United States; the band has sold 56 million albums in the U.S. and more than 80 million worldwide, making them one of the best-selling groups of all time. As of 2007, Van Halen is one of only five rock bands with two studio albums to sell more than 10 million copies in the United States and is tied for the most multi-platinum albums by an American band. Additionally, Van Halen has charted 13 number-one hits on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart. VH1 ranked the band seventh on its list of the "100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists".

History

1972–1977: Formation and early history

The Van Halen brothers were born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Alex Van Halen in 1953 and Eddie Van Halen in 1955, sons to Dutch musician Jan Van Halen and Indonesian-born Indo Eugenia Van Beers. The family moved to Pasadena, California, in 1962. Young Edward began learning classical piano by ear, and became so proficient he won an annual piano recital contest 2 or 3 years in a row, despite never mastering sight-reading sheet music. The brothers began playing music together in the 1960s, with Eddie on drums and Alex on guitar. However, while Ed was delivering newspapers to pay off his drum set, Alex secretly developed a passion and proficiency at them. Eventually, out of frustration and brotherly competition, Ed told Alex, "OK, you play drums and I'll play your guitar."

The Van Halen brothers formed their first band, the Broken Combs, in 1964. As they gained popularity playing backyard parties and local high school functions, they changed their name first to the Trojan Rubber Co, then in 1972 to Genesis, later still to Mammoth when they discovered Genesis was already in use by a major-label British band. At this time the band included Eddie on both vocals and lead guitar and friend Mark Stone on bass. They rented a sound-system from Indiana-born Pasadena transplant David Lee Roth for $10 per night. The loquacious, worldly, energetic son of a local ophthalmologist, Roth fronted a local R&B influenced rock band the Red Ball Jets. Roth's uncle Manny owned NYC's Bleecker street Cafe Wha? until 1968. Partly to save money, they now invited Roth to join as their lead vocalist despite previous unconvincing audition(s). Ultimately Roth's charismatic "Jim Dandy" approach would be both an artistic foil to Eddie's circumspect, guitar prodigy talents as well as allowing Eddie to focus his energies on song composition.

Van Halen performing at La Cañada High School in 1975.

In 1973, Mammoth officially changed its name to Van Halen. According to Roth, this was his brainchild. He felt it was a name that held long-term identity, artistic and marketing advantages, like Santana. They continued to play Pasadena, San Bernardino, and Venice at clubs, festivals, backyard parties and city parks like Hamilton, drawing up to 2,000 people. Traffic jams and noise complaints to the local police often ensued, as far away as San Pedro. Van Halen subsequently played clubs in Los Angeles and West Hollywood to growing audiences, increasing their popularity entirely through self-promotion, passing out flyers at local high schools. This tenacious self-promotion soon built them an auspicious, loyal, area following.

Flyer handed out at La Cañada High School show. Ed playing an Ibanez Destroyer.

By 1974, Roth had been in the band for about a year, and they decided to replace the ambivalent Stone, who was unsure about a career in music. Michael Anthony Sobolewski, a Pasadena college music-classmate of Eddie's, joined the group after an all-night jam session. He had sung and played bass in a number of less successful Arcadia backyard-party bands, including Snake. Although he was hesitant, his own Snake-bandmate encouraged him to seize this opportunity. Also in 1974, the band had a major break when it was hired to play regularly at the Sunset Strip club Gazzarri's. The Doors had also "broken" there in the late 1960s. Owner Bill Gazzarri previously claimed VH was too loud. However, their new managers, Mark Algorri and Mario Miranda, took over the club's hiring and booked them through 1976. By the Spring of 1975, they were also the regular Tuesday night band at Myron's Ballroom. They had succeeded in becoming a staple of the Los Angeles music scene during the mid-1970s, playing at well-known clubs like the Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Strip.

All the club gig success led naturally to the need for a demo tape, which was recorded at Cherokee Studios in Northridge where Steely Dan had recently completed an LP. According to a January 4, 1977, L.A. Times article by Robert Hilburn, entitled "HOMEGROWN PUNK", Rodney Bingenheimer saw Van Halen at Gazzarri's in the summer of 1976, and enticed Gene Simmons of Kiss to see them. Impressed to action, Simmons produced a 29-track Van Halen demo tape, entitled "Zero" at Village Recorder studios in Los Angeles and with post-production overdubs completed at Electric Lady Studios in New York. Simmons even suggested changing their name to "Daddy Longlegs." However, a very disappointed Simmons could do no more once Kiss management opined that VH "had no chance of making it".

1977–1985: Breakthrough and initial success with David Lee Roth

Doug Messenger, Van Morrison's band leader guitarist, knowing that Ted Templeman was looking for a "guitar hero" act, had seen Van Halen at the Starwood in Hollywood and placed a number of calls to Warner Records for Ted to check them out. "I don't know if it was 4 calls or 10, but I knew this was exactly the act Ted wanted. So on a horrendously rainy night in mid-1977", Warner Bros. executive Mo Ostin and producer Ted Templeman saw Van Halen perform at the Starwood in Hollywood. According to a December 1977 story in the Los Angeles Times, it was Van Halen's first booking at the Starwood and the first time they hired their own roadies. "We wanted to come on with a little class and we couldn't be seen setting up our own stuff in Hollywood," explained Roth. Although the audience was negligible — Messenger claims only a barmaid and himself were there until Ostin and Templeman arrived — the Warner Bros. reps were so impressed that they wrote a letter of intent on a napkin, and within a week met at a local diner with the band, their future manager Marshall Berle (nephew of comedian Milton Berle) and Warner touring manager Noel Monk, who had just guided the Sex Pistols across the United States. According to Noel Monk's book, the band's car had broken down enroute to the meeting at the diner, and rather than leave the Warner Bros. reps waiting and appear to be an irresponsible band, the members of Van Halen actually ran the remaining distance of several miles to arrive only slightly late . Warner offered the band a rather basic two album recording contract, one that heavily favored Warner, paying the four young men only $0.70 per unit (album) sold, a deal that would leave the band over $1 million in debt at the conclusion of their first supporting tour as the opening act for Journey and Ronnie Montrose. The group recorded their debut album at Sunset Sound Recorders studio from mid-September to early October 1977, recording guitar parts for one week and then vocals for two additional. All of the tracks were laid down with little overdubbing or multi-tracking. Minor mistakes were purposely left on the record and a very rudimentary instrument set-up was used to give the record a live feel. During this time, they continued to play various venues in Southern California, including some notable concerts at the Pasadena Convention Center produced by their promoter and impresario, Steve Tortomasi, himself a fixture in the local rock and roll scene.

Upon its release, Van Halen reached No. 19 on the Billboard pop music charts, one of rock's most commercially successful debuts. It was highly regarded as both a heavy metal and hard rock album. The album included songs now regarded as Van Halen classics, like "Runnin' with the Devil" and the guitar solo "Eruption", which showcased Eddie's use of a technique known as "finger-tapping", leading into what became the band's first single, a cover of "You Really Got Me". The band toured for 9 months more, opening for Black Sabbath and establishing a reputation for their performances. The band's chemistry was based on Eddie Van Halen's guitar technique and David Lee Roth's charisma. The band returned to the studio for 2 weeks, in late 1978, to record Van Halen II, a 1979 LP similar in style to their debut. This record yielded the band's first hit single, "Dance the Night Away", which peaked at 15 on BB Hot 100.

Over the next four years, the band toured non stop, never taking more than 2 weeks to record an album. Their album Women and Children First was released in 1980, and further cemented Van Halen's platinum-selling status to Warner Bros. It yielded two hit singles, "And the Cradle Will Rock..." and "Everybody Wants Some!!". For the first time, an amplified Wurlitzer electric piano was used to complement Ed's guitar.

In 1981, during the recording of Fair Warning, Eddie's desire for darker, more complex songs in minor keys was at odds with Roth's pop tastes and style. Nonetheless, Roth and veteran Warner Bros. rock producer Ted Templeman acquiesced to Eddie's wishes on this album. Doug Messenger recalled how Ed and engineer Don Landee rerecorded the "Unchained" solo hours after Ted "stormed out of" the studio. This darker album only reached platinum status after $250,000 of payola pushed it up nationwide from 400k copies.

Planning to release a cover single, then take a hiatus, Roth and Ed agreed upon a remake of the 1960s Roy Orbison song "Oh, Pretty Woman", which peaked at 12 on BB Top 100. "Oh, Pretty Woman"'s comical video helped its immediate success, but was also banned by MTV. Due to much pressure from Warner Bros., the hiatus was canceled and the Diver Down LP was squeezed out, again, within 2 weeks time. Roth's preference for pop covers prevailed this time and with Ed's synthesizer and guitar riffs Diver Down charted much better. The band then earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest-paid single appearance of a band: $1.5 million for a 90-minute set at Steve Wozniak's 1983 US Festival, a show that both Noel Monk and Doug Messenger considered artistically a disaster, Roth having consumed alcohol to the point of forgetting lyrics. Despite this return to form, Roth and Eddie's differences continued, and this caused friction with other band members. Billy Sheehan, after his band Talas completed a tour with Van Halen, claims he was approached by Eddie to replace Michael Anthony; the reasons for this were never completely clear to Sheehan, as nothing came of it. During this time, Eddie contributed the score and instrumental songs to the movie The Wild Life. The score was laden with drum machine and hinted at sounds and riffs that would come with their next two albums, 1984 and 5150.

1984 (released on January 9, 1984) was a commercial success, going five-times platinum after a year of release. Recorded at Eddie's newly built 5150 Studios, the album featured keyboards, which had only been used sporadically on previous albums. The lead single, "Jump", featured a synthesizer hook and anthemic lyrics inspired by news coverage of a suicidal jumper. It became the band's first and only No. 1 pop hit with Roth, garnering them a Grammy nomination.

"Jump" Sample of "Jump", the lead single from the band's sixth album, 1984. Centered around a synthesizer hook instead of the band's trademark guitar sound, and featuring anthemic lyrics, the song became the band's most commercially successful single.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Other singles included "Panama" (No. 13 U.S.), "I'll Wait" (also No. 13 U.S.), and "Hot for Teacher". Three of the songs had popular music videos on MTV. 1984 was praised by critics and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard charts behind Michael Jackson's Thriller (which notably had a guitar solo by Eddie on "Beat It").

Following the 1984 Tour, Roth decided to quit and form a new band. Group members have given different reasons for the split, but all were firmly rooted in control of the band's sound, artistic direction, singles released and pace. Roth was concerned about Eddie playing music outside of Van Halen. Roth was also launching a successful solo career with two hit cover songs off his Crazy from the Heat EP, a remake of the Beach Boys' classic "California Girls" (#3 U.S.) and a pairing of the classic Al Jolson standard "Just a Gigolo" and "I Ain't Got Nobody"(#12 U.S.), which had previously been paired together by Louis Prima. Roth was also offered a $20-million film deal for a script titled Crazy from the Heat. Roth hoped Van Halen would contribute the soundtrack; however, the film deal fell through when CBS Pictures was reorganized in 1986.

1985–1996: Sammy Hagar era

Hagar playing guitar
The introduction of Sammy Hagar (pictured in 2005) as vocalist continued the band's worldwide popularity.

Eddie invited Patty Smyth of Scandal to replace Roth, but she declined. Daryl Hall was also offered the lead vocal position in 1985, but also declined. Hall verified to Hagar, his musical guest in the May 2015 season premiere of Live from Daryl's House, that he was approached after a Hall & Oates concert.

Eddie was introduced to Sammy Hagar in 1985, via their mutual Ferrari mechanic. Hagar was the former frontman for the hard rock group Montrose, and now a solo artist coming off a very successful year. His hit single "I Can't Drive 55" came from his 1984 album VOA, produced by Ted Templeman, who had also produced Montrose's first album Montrose, as well as all of Van Halen's albums up to that point. Hagar agreed to sing as well as play rhythm guitar.

When Warner Bros. president Mo Ostin came to the band's 5150 Studios to hear the band's progress, Hagar said the band played "Why Can't This Be Love" live with Eddie on keyboards, after which Ostin proclaimed: "I smell money."

The 1986 Van Halen album 5150 was a huge hit, becoming the band's first No. 1 album on the Billboard charts, driven by the keyboard-dominated singles "Why Can't This Be Love" (#3 U.S.), "Dreams", and "Love Walks In" (Top 30 U.S.). To further introduce the new era for the band, a new Van Halen logo was put on the cover. The new logo retained elements of the original, but now the lines extending from either side of 'VH' wrapped around and formed a ring.

Following the release of the 5150 album, the "5150 Tour" was launched to support it across North America. Footage was released on VHS and Laserdisc as Live Without a Net. The band minimized the use of pre-Hagar Van Halen songs in the set.

All four studio albums produced during this period reached No. 1 on the Billboard pop music charts and 17 singles breached the top 12 of the mainstream rock tracks chart. During that era, a single taken from 1988's OU812, "When It's Love", reached the Top Five, peaking at No. 5. In addition, Van Halen was nominated for two Grammy awards. The band won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal for the album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. Van Halen continued to enjoy success throughout the mid-1990s. They recorded a live album and concert film at two 1992 F.U.C.K. tour shows in Fresno, California called Live: Right Here, Right Now. During the F.U.C.K. and the live album supporting Live: Right Here Right Now tour, Night Ranger's Alan Fitzgerald played keyboards offstage every night allowing Eddie to concentrate on guitar. Fitzgerald would return to play offstage keyboards on the 2004, 2007, and 2012 tours.

In 1995, Van Halen released the album Balance and supported Bon Jovi on their European Summer stadium tour. The Balance Tour was nicknamed the "Ambulance Tour" by the band due to an amount of physical ailments, as Hagar had throat problems during the first concerts, Eddie suffered a hip injury caused by avascular necrosis, and Alex wore a neck brace due to ruptured vertebrae.

During the recording of songs for the film Twister, escalating tension between Hagar and the Van Halen brothers boiled over and Hagar departed on Father's Day, 1996. Hagar would claim he was fired, and Eddie would claim Hagar quit. The band had recorded "Humans Being", a song for which Eddie, unhappy with Hagar's lyrics, retitled the song and wrote the melody. This upset Hagar, and when they were to record a second song for the soundtrack, Hagar was in Hawaii for the birth of his child. It was not an easy birth as the baby was breech, so it needed to be delivered via C-section. With Hagar back in Hawaii and against the idea of doing the project, but having another song left to contribute, the Van Halen brothers alone recorded the instrumental "Respect the Wind". The performance, which featured Eddie playing guitar and Alex playing keyboards, was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards.

The band was also working on a compilation album. This led to conflicts with Hagar and the group's new manager, Ray Danniels (Ed Leffler's replacement and Alex Van Halen's former brother-in-law), even though it was Leffler who had renewed their contract with Warner Bros. Records and had added in the Best Of album option years before. Hagar was reluctant to work on a compilation album before a new album came out, but if the rest of the band and Danniels insisted on going forward with one at that time, his preference was that it should include only Roth-era songs, or as a third choice, that two volumes should be released, one of Roth-era songs and one of Hagar-era songs. During this same period, competing personal priorities and creative differences contributed to increasing interpersonal tensions within the band, particularly between Eddie and Hagar. The relationship between Hagar and Van Halen broke down.

1996: Temporary reunion with Roth

David Lee Roth called Eddie to discuss what tracks would be included on a planned Van Halen compilation (work on which had actually begun before Hagar's departure). They got along well, and Eddie invited him up to his house/studio. Shortly afterwards, Roth re-entered the studio with the band and producer Glen Ballard. Two songs from those sessions were added to the band's Best Of – Volume I album and released as singles to promote it.

In September, Van Halen was asked to present an award at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards. They agreed, and on September 4, 1996, the four original members of Van Halen made their first public appearance together in over eleven years. This helped to bring the compilation to No. 1 on the U.S. album charts. However, unknown to Roth, Eddie and Alex were still auditioning other singers, including Mitch Malloy.

The band's appearance on the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards fueled reunion speculation. But several weeks after the awards show, it was discovered that Roth was out of Van Halen again. Roth released a statement that Van Halen misled him into thinking they were seriously considering bringing him back into the band and that he had made clear to them beforehand that he did not want to do the awards show unless they were actually reuniting. The next day, the Van Halen brothers and Anthony released their own statement, denying they had in any way led Roth to believe they were planning to bring him back into the band.

Eddie later recounted that at the MTV Video Music Awards appearance, he was embarrassed and outraged by Roth's antics while on camera behind Beck, who was giving an acceptance speech for the award that Van Halen had presented to him. At a backstage press conference, press queries about a reunion tour were met with Eddie saying that he needed a hip replacement and would have to record an entire new studio album before any tour. Roth told Eddie to avoid talking about negative things like his hip and the two almost came to blows.

1996–2000: Gary Cherone era

Vocalist Gary Cherone (pictured in 2008) joined the band briefly in the late 1990s.

Van Halen's next lead singer was Gary Cherone, former frontman of the Boston-based band Extreme, a group which had enjoyed some popular success in the early 1990s. The result was the album Van Halen III. Many songs were longer and more experimental than Van Halen's earlier work. It was a notable contrast from their previous material, with more focus on ballads than traditional rock songs ("How Many Say I", with Eddie on vocals). Sales were poor by the band's standards, only reaching a Gold certification, despite the album peaking at No. 4 on the U.S. charts. However, Van Halen III did produce the hit "Without You", and another album track, "Fire in the Hole", appeared on the Lethal Weapon 4 soundtrack. The album was followed by a tour. The III Tour saw Van Halen playing in new countries, including first ever visits to Australia and New Zealand. "Without You" acquired No. 1 place on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts in 1998, the 13th song of theirs to do so. This made them the band with the most Mainstream Rock No. 1s.

Van Halen returned to the studio and in early 1999 started work on a new album. For the sessions, they brought on Danny Kortchmar to produce. Working titles of songs included "Left for Dead", "River Wide", "Say Uncle", "You Wear it Well", "More Than Yesterday", "I Don't Miss You ... Much", "Love Divine", and "From Here, Where Do We Go?"; more than 20 songs were rumored to have been written. The project was never released, with Cherone leaving the band amicably in November 1999, citing musical differences and personal issues that he was going through. None of the material from these sessions has been released, and in fact the band released no new material until three new songs written and recorded with Hagar were included on the 2004 Best of Both Worlds compilation.

Cherone later stated that he believed if he and the band had toured first and then recorded an album they might have creatively gelled more and the album would have turned out better.

Touring with Cherone had proven disappointing in terms of attendance. Eddie later admitted that Warner Bros. had forced his hand in parting with Cherone. Unlike with the previous two singers, there was reportedly no bad blood behind the breakup, and Cherone remained in contact and on good terms with Van Halen. As when Hagar left, speculation resumed on a Roth reunion.

1999–2003: Hiatus from public

Eddie recovered from his hip surgery in November 1999, but from 2000 to early 2004 no official statements were made by Van Halen and no music was released. However, information about members past and present trickled in. The Van Halen brothers continued writing at 5150 Studios, Cherone recorded an album and toured with new band Tribe of Judah. One of the songs that Cherone had written for the scrapped second album with Van Halen, titled "Left For Dead", would see its lyrics set to a new musical arrangement with Tribe of Judah.

The band hugging onstage
After leaving Van Halen, Hagar has focused on his band the Waboritas as well as branching out into the Cabo Wabo nightclub, merchandise, and alcohol brands.

Responding to speculation that he had been approached to replace Cherone, David Coverdale said, "I called a mutual friend and said, 'Tell Eddie I had nothing to do with this.' It just got ridiculous. I've heard that they were going to approach me, but since I left Purple I've always done my own thing. Why would I join anybody else?"

In 2000, the band reunited briefly with David Lee Roth attempting to do a new album, only for disputes with Roth to abort these plans. The recorded demos would be among the ones reworked into new songs on 2012's A Different Kind of Truth. The band also tried to just schedule some concerts with Roth at a later date.

In the summer of 2002, Roth and Hagar teamed up in the Song for Song, the Heavyweight Champs of Rock and Roll tour (also known as the 'Sans-Halen' or 'Sam & Dave' Tour). The tour, with both singers headlining, attracted media and audience fascination because it seemed more improbable than even a Van Halen tour with Roth or Hagar. It drew large crowds and featured no opening acts, Roth and Hagar alternating as the first act. Roth contrasted his personality with Hagar's: "He's the kind of guy you go out with to split a bottle with a friend. I'm the kind of guy you go out with if you want to split your friend with a bottle." Anthony guested with Hagar's band, the Waboritas, numerous times and sometimes even sang lead vocals. During performances, Hagar would tease Anthony by asking, "Do the brothers know you're here?" Anthony never played with Roth. Cherone appeared on occasion. Hagar released a live album (Hallelujah), featuring vocals by Anthony and Cherone, and a documentary DVD, Long Road to Cabo, about touring with Roth. While the two singers promoted the tour and publicly claimed mutual respect, rumors of bitter acrimony and mutual loathing swirled. The allegations were later supported by backstage video, which showed the Roth and Hagar camps maintaining strict separation.

Next, Hagar joined with Joe Satriani and Journey guitarist Neal Schon to form a side project, Planet Us, with Michael Anthony and Deen Castronovo (also of Journey) on drums. The band recorded just two songs and played live a few times before dissolving when Hagar and Anthony rejoined Van Halen.

On July 4, 2004, Roth performed with one of the world's most popular orchestras, the Boston Pops, at United States' annual Pops Goes the Fourth celebration in Boston. Hagar remained active, releasing five albums and creating his own merchandising brand Cabo Wabo, which lends its name to the line of tequila he formerly owned, as well as his franchise of cantinas. He reunited with Montrose in 2003 and 2005 for a few performances and maintained contact with Anthony, often playing with him. With Van Halen inactive, Anthony set up a website and worked on merchandising projects such as his signature Yamaha bass and range of hot sauces. He became involved with the annual music industry NAMM Show.

2003–2005: Reunion with Hagar

Van Halen during their 2004 reunion period. Left to right: Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Eddie Van Halen.

Anthony had repeatedly contacted Hagar regarding a reunion, detailing how the attempts to do the same with Roth never worked out. Eventually, Hagar decided to call Alex to spend a day together with him. The two got along and became interested in reuniting on stage. In late March 2004, Van Halen and Hagar announced that Hagar would reunite with the band for a new compilation release and a summer concert tour of the U.S.

In July 2004, Van Halen released The Best of Both Worlds, a double CD compilation featuring three new songs with Hagar: "It's About Time", "Up for Breakfast", and "Learning to See". These new songs were credited to Hagar/Van Halen/Van Halen, which was unusual since normally the entire lineup, which also included Michael Anthony, would be credited. However, the performance was credited to the entire band. Anthony later revealed in interviews that Eddie had in fact not wanted him to be a part of the reunion, with him only joining at Hagar's insistence. The new songs had already been recorded, with Eddie playing the bass parts himself instead, and Anthony only provided backing vocals for the three tracks. No songs with Cherone from Van Halen III were included. It was certified platinum in the US in August 2004.

The Summer 2004 tour grossed almost US$55 million, and Pollstar listed Van Halen in the top 10 grossing tours of 2004. Professional reviews of the tour, however, proved to be mixed. On some shows, Eddie's son Wolfgang came onstage and played guitar with his father during "316", a song dedicated to his son, taking its name from his March 16 date of birth. During the later stages of the tour, stories of Eddie being drunk began to surface along with fan-shot video footage of poor playing. At the band's final show of the tour, in Tucson, Eddie smashed one of his guitars at the end of the show.

After the tour, things broke down. At first Hagar stated he had yet to decide what he would be doing with Van Halen, although he was still an official member of the band. Soon after, however, both Hagar and Anthony admitted that Eddie had problems with alcohol during the tour that affected everyone involved. Hagar stated that he was "done with Van Halen" and wished that everyone would have "taken it more seriously." Despite this, Eddie later described himself as "satisfied" with the tour.

After the tour ended, Hagar returned to his solo band the Waboritas, and Anthony appeared with him on tour occasionally. The band quickly faded from view after Hagar left again.

2006–2008: Second reunion with Roth and Wolfgang Van Halen era

Roth and the Van Halen brothers performing in San Antonio, Texas in 2008.

Rumors of a Roth reunion re-emerged and on January 3, 2006, Roth explained during an interview that he had spoken to Alex Van Halen the previous week and a reunion was "inevitable." However, he also said that Eddie Van Halen was "off in his own little world" recently. When asked if any problems occurred with Hagar during the 2004 tour Eddie answered, "Sammy is Sammy, and for the most part that's just fine." Roth persisted with suggestions of a reunion, saying, "People want the reunion," and "No one will pay respect to what any of us do until we get the reunion out of the way." In May 2006, he told Billboard.com, "There's contact between the two camps."

On June 3, Anthony began a successful tour with Hagar billed as the Other Half (a reference to them being half of Van Halen with the other half being Eddie/Alex), with Anthony singing lead vocals sometimes. Meanwhile, on June 19 the Van Halen brothers jumped onstage with Kenny Chesney at The Home Depot Center performing "Jump" and "You Really Got Me". This unusual performance was their first onstage since the 2004 tour. This was followed by another Eddie performance on July 19, 2006, at the House of Petals in Los Angeles, playing new material. He followed this with an announcement on July 27, 2006, that some of his new music would be released on the soundtrack for the pornographic film Sacred Sin.

In March 2006, Anthony spoke to Japanese rock magazine Burrn!, claiming the brothers did not want him on the 2004 reunion tour, although Hagar did (and would not play without Anthony), but he had to agree to reduced royalties and end absolutely all association with the band after the tour in terms of rights to using the name to promote himself. In this same interview he admitted he was not involved in the new songs on Best of Both Worlds and only recorded three tracks for Van Halen III.

Anthony was replaced as bass player by Eddie's son, Wolfgang Van Halen, in 2006. On September 8, 2006, Howard Stern's live interview with Eddie broke the band's long silence. Eddie said he was willing to reunite with Roth and revealed a solo album in the works. Eddie confirmed that Wolfgang had replaced Anthony on bass; Wolfgang had played guitar alongside his father during Eddie's guitar solo on some 2004 concert dates. When queried about the Other Half tour, Eddie said Anthony could "do what he wants" now. This shocked and offended many fans. In November, Eddie's spokesperson, Janie Liszewski, claimed the Van Halen family was writing/rehearsing for a summer 2007 tour, which Billboard magazine's website shortly confirmed. However, the Van Halen website remained in the state it had been in since the Hagar reunion.

On December 11, 2006, Eddie stated to Guitar World magazine that Roth had been directly invited to rejoin the band. However, on December 28, Roth announced that he had not talked to Eddie in two years, and a reunion with Van Halen could result in a "Jerry Springer-style fight."

In January 2007, Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Van Halen brothers, Anthony, Hagar, and Roth were inducted, though only Hagar and Anthony appeared at the induction ceremony on behalf of the group. Eddie Van Halen was in rehab at the time, so neither he nor Alex attended the ceremony. Velvet Revolver had been slated to perform "You Really Got Me" with Roth on lead vocals. However, Roth wanted to perform "Jump" and the band hadn't rehearsed that song, so Roth elected to not attend the ceremony at all, and Velvet Revolver performed "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". Anthony and Hagar performed "Why Can't This Be Love" with Paul Shaffer. Billboard announced on January 24, 2007, that Van Halen would reunite with Roth for a U.S. tour. This was confirmed shortly after on the official Van Halen website.

The Van Halen News Desk announced on February 15, 2007, that a Van Halen Best Of (1978–1984), a single-disc compilation of the Roth era, would be released by April 3. Shortly after, information arrived in a flood. Various sources claimed the tour was shut down as was the new Best Of CD. On March 8, 2007, Eddie announced on Van Halen's website that he was in rehab. Along with the announcement, a change was made to the website. The logo at the top of the page changed to the original Van Halen logo from their 1978 debut album.

On April 21, 2007, Eddie served as an Honorary Race Official for the NASCAR race at Phoenix International Raceway. On May 24, he posted a note to the Van Halen website confirming that he had completed rehab successfully.

After nearly 10 months of speculation and rumors, Van Halen (and Roth separately via his own website) said that the band would be going on a tour of North America. Roth claimed in the press release that, "the idea is that this will continue on and on and on" and also that a world tour and a new album were both in the works.

Van Halen onstage with Roth and Wolfgang in 2008.

Press reaction to the reunion was largely warm, but the re-designed website sparked controversy when Anthony was removed from images of old album artwork. The album covers were restored to their original condition a day later without a word. Wolfgang claimed in 2020 that the omission of Anthony on the website was a choice made by the band's marketing team and was done without consent of the band. Once the band discovered the condition of the website, they ordered it be reverted to its original state. The Fall 2007 tour was originally 25 dates, but was extended into 2008 with a second leg.

Van Halen started their new tour on September 27, 2007, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Playing to sellout crowds, the tour generated positive reviews. Amid rumors of Eddie being back in rehab, multiple dates of the tour were postponed. The official reason was the need for medical procedures to be run on Eddie.

On March 5, 2008, World Entertainment Weekly to CBS News reported that the reason the tour had been interrupted was Eddie's needing to reenter rehab. The report also indicated that it had been a "furious backstage bust-up in Florida with his 17-year-old son and bandmate Wolfgang" which had motivated Eddie to seek help once again.

In response to rumors about Eddie being back in rehab Valerie Bertinelli said that "he is not in rehab." She did not, however, say if he had recently been in rehab, stating only that he was not currently, a statement echoed by Wolfgang during the 2008 Kids Choice Awards. The tour started back up on April 17 at the Reno Events Center in Nevada.

The tour ended on June 2, 2008, at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During the show Roth stated multiple times that this would not be their final show and that they would "see everyone next time." At this show the arena sign was altered to read "VAN HALEN ARENA". According to the Van Halen News Desk, the reunion tour with Roth was the highest grossing in the band's history, raking in almost $93 million.

On July 3, 2008, Van Halen headlined the Quebec City Summer Festival in front of a crowd of 85,000.

2008–2015: A Different Kind of Truth

In an interview with Guitar World, posted on November 12, 2008, about the making of his upcoming new EVH Wolfgang guitar from Fender, Eddie said, in regard to new Van Halen music, "I'll be making music 'til the day I die. I've done all kinds of stuff, and more is coming. I can't tell you exactly when right now. Wolfgang is in the 12th grade and he needs to graduate first. Then I'm getting married in June. We'll pick it up after that." Eddie underwent surgery on his left hand in 2009, following some treatment for arthritis as he felt pain in his fingers during the 2007 tour. In an interview with Glide Magazine appearing in the May 2010 issue, Dweezil Zappa commented that Eddie had played him "new stuff from his record." It was not clear from the interview if the music was intended for a new Van Halen record.

In August 2010, Warner/Chappell Music extended its administration agreements with Van Halen (specifically Eddie and Alex Van Halen). Under the agreement, Warner/Chappell will continue to administer their catalog of works. This press release also stated that the group was in the studio recording an album with Roth, that was due for release in 2011.

Van Halen entered the Henson Studio C with producer John Shanks on January 17, 2011. Shanks posted on his Twitter account that he was in the studio with the band and posted a picture of one of Eddie's signature amps.

On June 16, 2011, Creed, Alter Bridge and Tremonti guitarist Mark Tremonti claimed that he had been invited to 5150 studios and that Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang Van Halen performed the album live, in its entirety, for Tremonti and Creed touring guitarist, Eric Friedman. Producer/engineer Ross Hogarth claimed on July 31, 2011, that "he whole Van Halen record has been recorded." On September 5, 2011, it was reported that the mixing on the new album had been completed in mid-August, and production had progressed to the mastering stage.

Their official website was updated on December 26, 2011, announcing that tickets for their 2012 tour would be available starting January 10, 2012. On January 5, 2012, Van Halen played an intimate club gig at New York City's Cafe Wha? which received widespread praise from media and fans. On January 10, the upcoming album's first single, titled "Tattoo", made its premiere on radio stations. The following week, the single debuted at No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The band's new studio album from Interscope Records, titled A Different Kind of Truth, was released on February 7, 2012. It was Van Halen's first studio release since 1998's Van Halen III and the first new music from the band since the three new songs from the 2004's Best of Both Worlds compilation. It would also be the first Van Halen album to feature Eddie's son, Wolfgang, on the bass in place of Anthony. This would also be the first full-length album to feature Roth on vocals in over 27 years, and the first new material with him in 15 years, since the two new songs with him on the Best Of – Volume I.

Roth and Eddie Van Halen performing live in 2015.

On February 8, 2012, Van Halen performed a "friends and family" dress rehearsal at the Forum in Inglewood, California. The show featured many classics as well as several new songs from A Different Kind of Truth. Despite Van Halen's long lay-off between studio albums, A Different Kind of Truth sold 188,000 copies during its first six days of release, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. There was an overwhelmingly positive critical and fan response to A Different Kind of Truth, which helped to fuel the album's long run in the upper reaches of the U.S. Billboard 200 Album Chart; additionally, it earned the band its highest-ever charting album in the United Kingdom (debuting at No. 6).

Despite an average ticket price of approximately $150, Van Halen's "A Different Kind of Truth Tour" proved to be a commercial success as well, with nearly all U.S. arena shows "either sold-out, or close to it." Critically, the band received mostly positive reviews, particularly when performing throughout the U.S. Northeast and West Coast. R&B legends Kool and the Gang were hand-picked by frontman Roth to open the first two legs of Van Halen's tour.

On May 17, 2012, Rolling Stone reported that Van Halen was postponing all tour dates after their show of June 26 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Shortly thereafter, the Van Halen News Desk revealed that the band's members were in good health, had not been arguing with each other, and that the reason for the postponed tour dates was to take a break after 18 months of non-stop recording and touring as well as to allow the group the opportunity to enhance its concert presentation before resuming the tour in the late summer of 2012. However, the postponed dates were officially listed as canceled shortly thereafter.

On August 30, 2012, Eddie was diagnosed with diverticulitis and underwent surgery postponing the shows in Japan initially scheduled for November 2012. On April 20, 2013, the Roth-fronted Van Halen played its first show outside North America since 1984, and their first in Australia since 1998, at the Stone Festival in Sydney. This was followed by one show each in Tokyo and Nagoya, and two in Osaka, from June 18 to 26.

In February 2015, Van Halen fansite VHND.com announced that Van Halen would be releasing their first live album with Roth, Tokyo Dome Live in Concert, on March 31, 2015. The album featured performances from their June 23, 2013, performance at the Tokyo Dome. It was also reported that the band would be releasing newly remastered versions of their 1978 debut and 1984 on CD, digital, and vinyl. In an interview the same month, when asked about the status of Van Halen, Eddie responded by saying "I'd love to make a studio record. Depends on everybody's timing. I don't know what Dave Lee Roth is up to now. I don't know if he's living in New York or Japan or wherever he is."

2015–2020: North American Tour, Eddie's death, and disbandment

On March 24, 2015, Van Halen announced a 39 date tour with Roth to take place from July to October 2015 across North America. In April 2015, Eddie told Rolling Stone that the band would "probably hunker down and do a studio record" after their tour.

On September 12, 2019, Van Halen announced that they would be releasing a box set of the Japanese singles, which was released on November 1, 2019. On September 30, 2019, while promoting an upcoming 2020 solo concert, Roth expressed uncertainty towards the band's future, stating "I think Van Halen is finished." However, Hagar indicated in a May 2020 interview that he believed otherwise claiming "Until Ed or Alex Van Halen die, they're not finished." He expressed a hope that the band could reunite with himself and Anthony saying "My dream tour is the Sam and Dave tour with Ed, Al and Mike."

On October 6, 2020, Wolfgang announced on his Twitter account that Eddie had died from cancer. His death came just ten days after original Van Halen bassist Mark Stone died of cancer. In a November 2020 interview with Howard Stern, Wolfgang Van Halen confirmed the band's end, stating "You can't have Van Halen without Eddie Van Halen." He had also confirmed that the band had considered a "kitchen-sink" reunion tour with Hagar, Anthony and Cherone in the mix prior to Eddie's illness. He also stated that Eddie had been excited about reuniting with Anthony, Hagar, and Cherone. In August 2023, Wolfgang affirmed that there were no plans for a Van Halen reunion and stated that the band "doesn't exist anymore".

Contract riders

A laser show above the band
Van Halen's elaborate stage productions required extra security included in their contract riders

The complex technical demands of a Van Halen tour ultimately had a notable side-effect on modern pop music tours, especially via the concert's technical contract rider. The band used contract riders to verify the venue's power availability, security, structural and weight distribution details. Their now-famous riders specified that a bowl of M&M's candies was to be placed in their dressing room and, separately, in a different area of the contract, that all of the brown M&M's were to be removed. According to both manager Noel Monk and Roth, this was listed in the technical portion of the contract not because the band wanted to make capricious demands of the venue location, but rather as a test to see if the electrical, structural, security, and safety requirements in the rider had been thoroughly observed. If the bowl, without brown M&Ms was present, then the band, management and crew could safely assume the other, more legitimate concerns in the technical rider were fulfilled; conversely, if the bowl was missing, or brown M&M's were present, then Van Halen management would be within their rights to have their crew or the venue inspect the work, redo it or even cancel the night's production at the venue's expense. In one notable incident, officials at what is now Colorado State University Pueblo refused to honor the request, leading the band to go on a rampage that involved throwing food all over a dining area as well as "unmentionable" acts in a nearby restroom. However, even more damage was caused to the basketball floor in the gymnasium due to the weight of the stage brought in.

Musical style

Van Halen's musical style has been described as hard rock, heavy metal, AOR, pop rock, and glam metal. The band's early material has been described as a "party-ready pop metal sound" spearheaded by David Lee Roth's "over-the-top" vocal style, while their later material has been described as "milder" and "more accessible".

Band members

Final lineup

  • Eddie Van Halen – guitar (1972–2020; his death), backing vocals (1974–2020; his death), keyboards (1979–1997); lead vocals (1972–1974)
  • Alex Van Halen – drums, percussion (1972–2020); backing vocals (1983, 1990–1991)
  • David Lee Roth – lead vocals, occasional acoustic guitar and synthesizer (1974–1985, 1996, 2007–2020)
  • Wolfgang Van Halen – bass, backing vocals (2006–2020)

Former members

  • Mark Stone – bass, backing vocals (1972–1974; died 2020)
  • Michael Anthony – bass, backing vocals (1974–2006); occasional synthesizer (1980–1998)
  • Sammy Hagar – lead vocals, guitar (1985–1996, 2003–2005)
  • Gary Cherone – lead vocals (1996–1999)

Timeline

Lineups

Period Members Releases
1972–1974
1974–1985
  • Eddie Van Halen – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Alex Van Halen – drums
  • Michael Anthony – bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
  • David Lee Roth – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
1985–1996
  • Eddie Van Halen – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Alex Van Halen – drums
  • Michael Anthony – bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
  • Sammy Hagar – lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitar
1996
  • Eddie Van Halen – guitar, backing vocals
  • Alex Van Halen – drums
  • Michael Anthony – bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
  • David Lee Roth – lead vocals
1996–1999
  • Eddie Van Halen – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Alex Van Halen – drums
  • Michael Anthony – bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
  • Gary Cherone – lead vocals
2003–2005
  • Eddie Van Halen – guitar, studio bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Alex Van Halen – drums
  • Michael Anthony – live bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Sammy Hagar – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
2007–2020
  • Eddie Van Halen – guitar, backing vocals
  • Alex Van Halen – drums
  • David Lee Roth – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
  • Wolfgang Van Halen – bass guitar, backing vocals

Discography

Main article: Van Halen discography

Concert tours

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Van Halen

Van Halen's For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge won two awards in the 1992 season: Best Hard Rock Performance at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards, and Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album at the American Music Awards. The band has received an additional two Grammy nominations and eight further AMA nominations. The video for their 1992 single "Right Now" won three awards (of seven nominations) at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards including the prestigious title of Video of the Year. The band's videos had previously been nominated for four VMAs, with "Jump" winning Award for Best Stage Performance at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards in 1984.

See also

Notes

  1. During the time the band was known as "Genesis" and "Mammoth".
  2. "Van Halen" from this point on.

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Sources

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