Candid new footage of Eddie Van Halen doing what he does best on stage – and hanging out with big-name stars off it – has appeared online, and it's sending EVH fans wild.
Over five hours of unseen B-roll footage has surfaced, ranging from clips of Eddie and co. setting Madison Square Garden and the Monsters of Rock festival alight in 1979 and '84, respectively, to rubbing shoulders with Black Sabbath backstage. Oh and there are some Hot For Teacher music video outtakes, too.
The clips from the band's early years and beyond have been uploaded to YouTube by James Vega, and there’s plenty for fans to immerse themselves in.
The source of the footage remains unclear, but it follows the leak of Eddie's nine-minute Monsters of Rock '84 performance back in 2023, with these new clips offering a side-of-stage insight into a performance that went down in history, and much more beyond it.
The Donington clips show the band tearing through Hot For Teacher like it’s going out of fashion, and, reacting to the footage, YouTuber Michael Palmisano is left purring.
“Everybody gives Eddie so much praise about the note choices, he says, “but it is rhythm first. Watch his body language; he's thinking like a drummer. In every ounce of him, you see this power shuffle in every movement.”
Behind the scenes footage of the band’s fabled day at Donington also includes a cameo appearance from Slade guitarist Dave Hill, who is keenly watching on as Eddie takes his single-pickup guitar for a spin backstage.
Footage from the band’s New York show – their first time playing the iconic arena – takes in soundcheck, and offers performances of On Fire, Runnin’ With The Devil and Feel Your Love Tonight.
Separate footage from 1978 shows the band hanging out backstage at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, with Black Sabbath, who they were touring in support of at the time.
Those shows saw Tony Iommi and Eddie forge a lasting friendship, which led to Eddie help co-write a Sabbath song in the 1990s – but he wasn't allowed to be credited for his work.
The newly set up YouTube account presents a vast archive of previously unseen EVH footage, bringing memories flooding back for those old enough to have witnessed the band in their heyday and offering a taste of what it was like for those who weren’t so lucky.
The account also features clips from the band's Japan shows in 1978 and a rather thrilling visit to a McDonald's.
