Thursday, December 19, 2024

Mike Batt ‘used to wish’ he had Sir Elton John’s voice

Mike Batt “used to wish” he had a voice like Sir Elton John. The 75-year-old conductor-and-songwriter – who was...

Latest Posts

Stormzy eats food he hates and works out so he can seem ‘superhuman’ on stage

Stormzy eats food he hates and works out so he can appear “superhuman” on stage. The ‘Shut Up’ rapper,...

The Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap dies age 73

The Replacements guitarist Bob 'Slim' Dunlap has died aged 73. The musician - who was the final guitarist for...

Giggs hosts Beauty and The Beast themed Giggsmas celebration

Giggs brought his friends and family together for a 'Beauty and The Beast' themed Giggsmas. The festive event returned...

Billie Eilish brings out Charli XCX for Guess remix at Kia Forum

Billie Eilish brought out special guest Charli XCX to perform their 'Guess' remix in Los Angeles on Tuesday night (17.12.24).

Wolfgang Van Halen reveals sweet salute for late dad Eddie at every concert

Wolfgang Van Halen points to the sky in salute to his late pop, Eddie Van Halen, after every performance.

The late guitar god passed away following a battle with cancer in 2020, aged 65, and his 33-year-old musician son – who fronts his solo project Mammoth WVH and used to play with Van Halen – has revealed the touching way he honours his dad and hero at his concerts.

Speaking to PEOPLE magazine, he said: “The reason I do what I do is because of my dad. So if I didn’t or at least think about him throughout the process, I’d be doing a disservice to my existence.

“So I think it’s very important to establish that to thank my dad every night, every time I’m on stage. Just to thank my father and to know that he’s always there with me every night.”

Wolfgang recently revealed the reason he refuses to cover his dad’s songs is because it’s important to be his “own musician”.

He played bass in the ‘Jump’ group for four years, but he’s been focusing on his solo project since his death, and revealed why he doesn’t play any of the band’s hits at his shows.

Speaking on the ‘Talk Is Jericho’ podcast, Wolfgang explained: “I’m happy to be able to prove myself. The important key distinction is that I’m not doing what my dad did, I’m my own person, I’m my own musician … it’s why I don’t play any Van Halen music or have a plan to play Van Halen music during my sets.

“Even my dad hated doing covers back in the day, his quote resonates with me all the time where he says: ‘I’d rather bomb with my own music than succeed with somebody else’s’, and that’s exactly how I feel about playing Van Halen music. I’d much rather fail on my own than succeed heartlessly by playing ‘Panama’.”

However, the rocker – who recently joined Ryan Gosling, Mark Ronson and Slash onstage at the Grammys to perform ‘I’m Just Ken’ from ‘Barbie’ – made an exception last year when he took to the stage at the Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts in London and Los Angeles to perform ‘On Fire’, ‘Hot For Teacher’ and ‘Panama’ in honour of the later drummer, who was a huge fan of Van Halen.

Wolfgang said of the decision: “It was wonderful. It was the exception where it was like, this would be the time to do it. Taylor was such a huge fan and to get my own satisfaction of doing a direct Van Halen tribute for dad, it felt like the right thing to do in that moment. I’m really proud of it.”

Latest Posts

Stormzy eats food he hates and works out so he can seem ‘superhuman’ on stage

Stormzy eats food he hates and works out so he can appear “superhuman” on stage. The ‘Shut Up’ rapper,...

The Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap dies age 73

The Replacements guitarist Bob 'Slim' Dunlap has died aged 73. The musician - who was the final guitarist for...

Giggs hosts Beauty and The Beast themed Giggsmas celebration

Giggs brought his friends and family together for a 'Beauty and The Beast' themed Giggsmas. The festive event returned...

Billie Eilish brings out Charli XCX for Guess remix at Kia Forum

Billie Eilish brought out special guest Charli XCX to perform their 'Guess' remix in Los Angeles on Tuesday night (17.12.24).

Don't Miss

Ringo Starr ‘loves’ his voice on new country album

Ringo Starr “loves” the way his voice sounds on his latest album. The former Beatles drummer, 84, has followed...

Bernie Taupin brands his and Sir Elton John’s work during singer’s addiction years ‘not the best’

Bernie Taupin has branded the work he and Sir Elton John did when the singer was in the depths of drug addiction...

Ed Sheeran ‘set to launch another charity’

Ed Sheeran is reportedly set to launch another charity. The singer-songwriter, 33, has amassed a fortune of at least...

Sir Elton John moves onto new song if he can’t nail melody in an hour

Sir Elton John moves onto a new song if he can’t nail a melody in an hour. The prolific...

Morrissey reveals why he agreed to a Smiths reunion tour

Morrissey says he agreed to a Smiths reunion tour because it was "the last time such a thing would be possible".

Stay in touch

To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.