For Eddie...

 Husband. Brother. Father. Friend. Bandmate. Composer. Inventor. Innovator. Idol. Hero. Legend.

There are many words to describe the late and great Edward Lodewijk Van Halen. Listed above are merely a few of his best qualities for which he will remain immortal. I'm sitting in my living room, writing this memorial post in painful denial. The truth is, I have not yet accepted the fact that the king is dead. I can't. I won't; for a part of me has died with him. Of course, I was never blessed enough to have the opportunity to meet Eddie Van Halen, I am merely one of millions and millions of his fans, one of millions and millions who was blessed enough to hear his music, his gift to the world, and I was also fortunate enough to bear witness to the spectacle of his live performance. At the time, I thought of their 2015 summer Tour as a fun Roth-reunion tour, with an exciting career-spanning setlist riddled with all the hits, and some of the mega-fan's favorite B-Sides and rarities. Hell, they opened with "Light Up The Sky." It doesn't get any better than that. Unbeknownst to me, however, as well as the hundreds of thousands of other fans to have attended the tour, the 2015 summer Tour would actually serve as the band's unofficial farewell tour.

Eddie had been fighting a "long and arduous" battle with cancer, as his son Wolfgang called it. And this is true, he was really sick for some time around 20 years ago, when he had 1/3 of his tongue removed. He was said to be doing much better in the years since, but regrettably the cancer returned, and had spread to his other organs. Ed lost the fight to cancer just yesterday in a hospital surrounded by family and close friends, proving to the world that no one is safe from the devil disease, not even a god.

Rather than pouring my heart out all over the page and instilling more pain upon myself during this time of grieving, I thought maybe I should talk about the moment I first discovered my love for Edward Van Halen.

The first song I had ever heard (and really grasped onto) from the Pasadena rock band was 1984's "Hot For Teacher." No, I didn't live under a rock, of course I knew "Runnin' With The Devil," "Jamie's Cryin'," etc. etc. But for a kid that grew up wanting to be a drummer, "Hot For Teacher" was the one that truly changed the game. That intro, something that a high school friend of mine once described as "what it would sound like if you kicked a bass drum that was filled with rabbits," grabbed me and reeled me in immediately. I was amazed still further when that riff joined in. That riff, one of over a hundred mind-blowing licks from the legendary Eddie Van Halen. It was unlike anything I had ever heard before. I needed more of it. So I went home and dug through my father's CD collection. I pulled the only Van Halen title I could find, the one that would eventually become my favorite VH album to date, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. 

For you Roth fans reading this that groaned at that, get over yourself. Sam/Dave debate aside, can we FINALLY move forward and agree that Van Halen always was, and always will be, Eddie and Alex? Thank you.

Anyway, F.U.C.K. laid the groundwork for my inevitable Van Halen obsession. It was packed with more killer riffs! "Poundcake," "Judgement Day," "In N Out," "Top of the World," and more! There truly isn't a skippable song on the whole record. But the one track that truly stood out to me at the time of first hearing it, maybe this is a surprise, maybe it isn't, was "Right Now." The keyboard intro that builds and builds until percussion and guitar join in STILL gives me chills to this day.

In the years since my first discovery, I have accumulated the rest of their 12 studio albums, two live albums, and whatever demo or bootleg I could get my hands on. I have heard and studied each song time and time again, and will continue to do so for the rest of my days on this Earth, as will each and every one of Van Halen's millions of fans worldwide. It is absolutely undeniable that while Eddie Van Halen's physical being may have left us, his impact and legacy will live on until the end of mankind. 

RIP Eddie Van Halen. Long Live The King.

Outta touch, most all the time

Too many things on my mind

Shuttin' down, gotta stop this thing

Feelin'... no, I don't like what I've been told I'm feelin'

I'm bleedin'... like no one else will ever know I'm bleedin'

Dealin'... I'm dealin' with these things I'm feelin'