Should we give Eddie Van Halen benefit of the doubt for cancelling the band tour?
March 16, 2008
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Interested in writing for us? Click here. Also join us at 
for contests and further news. Thanks for visiting!
Should we give Eddie Van Halen benefit of the doubt for cancelling the band tour?
Many people spent their hard earned money for these show, some were even twice which is not really pro. BUT here is a very of someone close to the situaion. What do you think?
Comment:
Think what you want about it, because I know you will anyway. From what I’ve seen on youtube, Ed was completely clear and coherent in his playing and performance earlier in the last concert. By the time they got to the encore, he couldn’t play the solo to "Jump".
According to a guy who was on Wolfgang’s side of the stage, Ed came over and said to him, "I’m not drunk." Wolfgang responded, "I know." There is also a story that Ed fell over during the performance and tripped over the mic stand; that he had been having problems with the earpiece monitors, complicated by a hearing problem. You can see Ed throwing a monitor at his sidestage soundcrew in another youtube entry. I attended the second Toronto show on his sidestage and he was having problems with the sound for the first six songs or so and was pissed at his guitar tech. I have photographic evidence of this and could tell his guitar tech was screwing up huge, well into the tour.
Laugh if you want, but look at the youtube of the encore in question, which ends in him knocking over the amp on Wolfgang’s side. During the solo, he has his coordination, but seemingly can’t hear himself. That, along with the "balance" problems (pardon the pun), and I think he has a hearing issue. There is another youtube of Ed saving a guy, who jumped up on stage, from a security beating. None of his bandmates goes to the guy’s defense.
I choose to give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s a great guy and has produced the greatest music of a generation. Even if he has slipped in his recovery, how many people on the road to recovery have done similarly? Give him the benefit of the doubt, because he’s a better man and better guitarist than everyone out there. Don’t pile on just because you think you’re above human frailty and want to have someone big to laugh at. Recovery is all that you could hope for him and, quite frankly, he owes you nothing. You owe him, he’s already given you so much.
Support him and his future health and maybe he’ll recover: maybe he’ll be able to grace us with further evidence of his genius. May he be so strong. We should be so lucky. Tell me you wouldn’t buy the album and try to comp his licks.
You can see all comments on this post here:
There is another factor many are over looking. The man did have cancer a few years back. Could this have anything to do with the illness they describe? Could this be the reason for the stopping of the tour?
It pisses me off that everyone wants to assume the worst about Eddie right away and don’t want to even think there might be any other reason besides the bottle.
I admit Eddie has made me angry by giving Mike the boot in favor of his rollie pollie little son, but that withstanding. The man may be having treatment as this is being debated for cancer that has come back. So cut Ed some slack. Ed if you by chance read this some of us still have faith in ya. Get well soon.
The universe may not be infinite, but one thing is: The van halen brothers’s capacity to insult their fans. Where is/was Michael Anthony? Isn’t 30 year a little long to finally realize that your bass player is only mediocre? Eddie and Alex are ungrateful **** pigs.
Ed’s in his early 50’s.
I don’t know if he’s drinking again, and I myself find it really hard to just completely
stop drinking my self… so I understand how hard it is to….
But something’s up. I don’t know if it’s Ed’s hearing, or maybe it’s a more serious neuro-muscular condition… that’s some scary, scary stuff… I just hope he’s ok…
but he’s been running himself at mach 10 for years…
Ed seems to have this inner-metronome that runs at a higher speed -than many other people… ( many musicians’ do…)
maybe the self-medicating was a way to combat the never - ending restlessness he has felt since the early days….
If people are mad at VH for cancelling shows because they never got their money back that’s one thing… but I think the shows’ will either be made up or people will, eventually, get their money back…
people’s anger? Bottom line money. And so many things in life seem to revolve around money… Until a health scare shows up… then things become a little more clear in focus…
I wish they would release a DVD of the Tour though…
Eddie Van Halen, whatever the reason is about a “medical condition” needs all the support from his family, friends and HIS FANS.
Get well soon Eddie!
Give Eddie a ****ing break!!!
He has forgotten more about playing guitar than most of you will ever know.
So what if he has or had an addiction.
Didn’t Jimi H., Janis J., Jim Morrison, etc. have the same problems and we make them look like Gods.
So you you assholes that have never experienced this get a grip.
He’s trying and that’s good enough!!!!!!!!!!!
Hang in there Ed…..at least your true fans are backing you.
Hey guys here’s a thought, if given the opportunity to play with your own child on tour or even together for awhile, would you do that too ? of course, I’d love to jam with my kids on a tour. As to anything else, the fact that he even tries to play with what he has been thru in his life is a major complement in itself.
He dose not hide anything, he is honest in what he has been thru and, for all we may have known…. maybe he knew this might be his last chance to ever get to play with his only son, he might have known ahead of time of this current situation may arise.
And I’m sure he is using this tour to possibly aid wolfgang along on a potential career as well, thats a good father in my book ! Vito
ITS ALL COOL IF EDS DRINKING AGAIN. THE PROBLEM IS NOT HIM ITS DLRHUMPING THE STUPID MICROPHONE ON STAGE LIKE A FING HOMO
VAN-HALEN IS THE GREATEST ROCK BAND EVER!!!
I WILL CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR EDWARD VAN-HALEN AS I HAVE IN THE PAST…
HE IS ONE OF MY BIGGEST INFLUENCES ON MY OWN TUNES…
AND FOR THAT I AM ETERNALLY GREATFUL…
HE HAS INSPIRED MORE MUSICIANS THAN ANYONE EVER…
WE ARE PRAYING FOR YOU BUDDY AND WE ALL LOVE YOU MAN…
No one ROCKS like V-H… Hands down… the best GROOVES and the best TONE
so much Soul in that MUSIC…
God Bless Van-Halen and Family…
p.s. Music Like This Never Dies…