“Push comes to shove, then some guys pulls a knife. They arrested him – but that was my introduction to Dave’s band”: Alex Van Halen on the first time he and Eddie met David Lee Roth at a show that nearly ended in violence

Being a member of a hugely successful rock band can often come with a lot of baggage – an observation that’s exemplified by the complex relationship between David Lee Roth and the two Van Halen brothers.

After Alex Van Halen recently discussed his and Eddie’s relationship with Roth and its impact on the band in his latest book, Brothers, the drummer has now opened up about an altercation that foreshadowed their strained dynamic.

Back in the early ’70s, Eddie and Alex’s band at the time, Mammoth, were scheduled to play an outdoor show at a park, but canceled last minute after realizing there had been a miscommunication regarding who was responsible for providing the gear.

“We get there, there’s no stage, there’s no nothing – there’s no sound system, no lights,” Van Halen tells Ariel Levy.

“And the park guy walks up, and I ask him, ‘So where’s all the gear?’ And he says, ‘What do you mean where’s all the gear? You’re supposed to bring it.’ And I said, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’ ‘Because your manager said you’re bringing the sound [system].’ It gets into a semi-altercation – long story short, Ed and I left.”

Alex Van Halen with Ariel Levy at Live Talks Los Angeles - YouTube

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Two hours and a couple of beers later, the two returned to the park, only to find another group playing. Turns out, it was Roth’s band.

“So we’re standing out there, not too happy about it all, but, ‘What the hell? Let's just listen to the band.’ A couple of the guys we knew, the Komora brothers, and I knew the bass player, and I knew the drummer. I just didn’t know Dave yet.”

The brothers weren’t too happy about being replaced, and in a moment of what Van Halen calls the “infinite wisdom of having false courage”, they walk up to Roth and his band. “‘Hey, man, what the hell are you doing here?’ And push comes to shove, and the park guy got really pissed off, and he was a very muscular guy.

“He starts pushing people around, and then some guy pulls a knife. Now it’s not play time anymore. ‘Put the knife away, pal,’ and the guy, they arrested him, but that was my introduction to Dave’s band.

“I thought it was appropriate and fitting in the context of what rock and roll was doing at the time – which is causing nothing but trouble!” he quips.