It took a few decades, but Van Halen finally performed on live TV in the U.S. with David Lee Roth.
Last night, a portion of Hollywood Boulevard was shut down so the band could perform before a crowd of about 6,000 die-hard fans (and a few last-minute stragglers) for ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live.
It was the band's first U.S. TV appearance with its original lead singer.
Below, you can watch three official clips from the event, including the band's performances of "Panama" (top video) and "Runnin' with the Devil." We've also thrown in a fan-shot clip of "Hot for Teacher" and "Eruption." (The sound quality is weak, but we like Eddie's "Eruption" solo; go directly to the 5:03 mark.)
"They opened with 'Panama,' but during Dave's microphone-stand ninja moves, he cut his nose," says Andy Alt of Los Angeles, who was at the show. "You can see he's dealing with it in some of the fan-shot videos—until he realizes they needed a bandage to stop the bleeding."
It was a live taping, so Roth announced they needed to start over. However, it appears Roth didn't tell Eddie he was stepping off stage, so Eddie performed an impromptu guitar solo, which was cool and unexpected.
Part of Van Halen's performance was broadcast on Kimmel last night. The rest will be broadcast tonight, March 31. Hollywood Boulevard was finally opened around 6 a.m. PST today, by the way.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
The Kimmel performance is an extended part of Van Halen's 2015 North American summer and fall tour, which kicks off in earnest July 5 in Seattle. Tickets go on sale April 4.
Van Halen's new live album, Tokyo Dome Live in Concert, also featuring Roth (not to mention Eddie, Wolfgang and Alex Van Halen), was released today. The album, which was recorded June 21, 2013, at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, includes 23 songs that span all seven of the band’s albums with Roth. It's available as a double CD, digitally and as a four-LP set on 180-gram vinyl.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
