Eddie Van Halen's final live solos showcase his unending creativity and love of the guitar

Anyone who was lucky enough to catch Van Halen on their final tour in 2015 is well aware that Eddie Van Halen’s playing was, well, on fire.

For proof of how on top of his game Ed was, witness his solo electric guitar spots on the tour’s last two dates, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 2 and October 4 of that year. The latter, sadly, also represents his final live solo performance ever.

The nearly 10-minute long solos feature a “greatest hits” of Eddie licks, from Mean Street to Eruption to Cathedral and beyond.

And he does it all with a trademark grin on his face and an EVH Wolfgang USA in his hands.

In fact, that guitar – finished in aged Ivory with a black undercoat –  was so sweet-looking that EVH Gear released a very limited-edition recreation of it (just 20 in total) following the tour. You can learn more about the Wolfgang USA Tour Relic Replica here.

Richard Bienstock

Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.