Wolfgang Van Halen joined Mr. Bungle on stage at Belgium’s Grasspop festival on Saturday (June 22) to lend a hand covering Van Halen’s Loss of Control – a track Scott Ian had once been terrified to tackle.
The high-energy set had already seen the band take on Slayer's Hell Awaits and Spandau Ballet's True – variety is the spice of life, after all – but seemingly saved their best and most-challenging cover until last.
“Alright people, look who we found.” vocalist Mike Patton booms. “A very, very extra special guest: Mr Wolfgang Van Halen!”
Wolfgang, doing his best Scott Ian impression in cargo shorts, opts for his signature EVH SA-126 for the performance, with fellow guitarist Trey Spruance using his go-to Schecter C-1 FR SLS Elite Evil Twin – plus a 5150 amp for good measure.
Scott Ian, meanwhile, plays a snot-green Jackson Soloist, and together, they create a huge wall of riffage beftting what Ian once described as Van Halen's “most metal song”. Wolfgang even gets involved with the vocals at one point, courtesy of Patton.
The singer's avant-garde metal gang – further augmented by thrash metal icons Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo following their 2020 reunion – first covered the track during a 2021 virtual concert as a tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen.
This latest iteration takes things one step further, with the image of Wolfgang and Ian locking fretboards during the track’s lightning-fast, pinch harmonic lacquered riff a sight to behold.
The track has long been close to Mr. Bungle’s collective heart. Speaking at the time of the livestream, Spruance said: “Mr. Bungle tried to play this song in the '90s and we scrapped it because we sucked at it.
“Thanks to the new [2020 album] Raging Wrath era, I've had to re-approach the guitar like I did when I was 13 and 14. It was all about Eddie Van Halen for me back then, so circling back at this moment felt really natural. Those riffs and lead parts at least are super fun! I'm just glad Scott took the palm-mute breaks. Jesus!”
It's a sentiment that his Anthrax-riffing co-guitarist echoes. In an interview with Metal Injection, Scott Ian spoke about the intimidating prospect of covering the song.
“When we were doing that live-stream,” he said, “I was really nervous. Look, I'm a bit of a caveman rhythm guitar player. And now, all of a sudden, I'm challenged with, 'I gotta play some Eddie parts.'”
However, he found solace in the metal thump that drives the song, seemingly drawing from Black Sabbath for its doomy intro.
“But that song,” Ian continues, “is probably the most metal song in Van Halen's catalog. That's right in my wheelhouse, and it's up-tempo. I listen to it all the time. I can't believe I'm a part of that. It's so good!
“I generally don’t get nervous about learning someone else’s riffs,” he reiterated to Guitar World. “When it’s an EVH riff it’s a whole different story. I was terrified! I did my best to just hold on and go for the ride.”
