Hours of unseen footage from “cancelled Van Halen Chronicles documentary” released, offering rare glimpse into the band’s early years
Over five hours of never-before-seen Van Halen footage from the band’s early years, including live performances, backstage moments and outtakes, have been released into the wild.
Uploaded to YouTube by a user named James Vega, the clips are said to be part of his “private collection” from the “cancelled Van Halen Chronicles documentary”.
READ MORE: “I was like, ‘My life is completely empty and I need something to give me purpose’”: How Wolfgang Van Halen turned to music to cope with his father’s death
While details on the documentary remain scarce, the footage spans several key moments in Van Halen’s history, including two New York shows from 1978 where they supported Black Sabbath during the latter’s Never Say Die tour.
One of the 1978 NYC clips features a laidback David Lee Roth as he preps for their Madison Square Garden show: “We’re sitting here in the Drake Hotel. Van Halen is about ready to play their show in Madison Square Garden. As you can see, the atmosphere is tense. The air is ripe with anticipation,” Roth quips as he casually smokes a cigarette before hitting the stage.
The videos, totaling 16 clips thus far, include backstage footage, outtakes from music videos like Hot for Teacher and Jump, and even a hilarious silent clip of the band visiting a McDonald’s in Tokyo.
Among the highlights is the band’s legendary set at the 1984 Monsters of Rock festival. In one backstage video, the late Eddie Van Halen is seen shredding on his signature Kramer guitar, while Slade guitarist Dave Hill watches on with fascination beside him.
The release of the new footage has sent fans into a frenzy, with many commenting on the rare and intimate look into the band’s early days.
“We’ve all been watching the same old VH footage for decades, and now in a week there are these two amazing new videos from [the] 1978 tour! This is insane for old school fans thirsty for anything new, especially from the early years,” one user wrote, while another noted that “Eddie’s guitar sounds just like the album”.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
