“Eddie comes over and just kicks him as hard as he can, square in the nuts”: Shinedown drummer shares memories of supporting Van Halen on their infamous 2004 World Tour
Van Halen’s 2004 reunion tour went down in the rock history books for being one of the most tense live runs for the band, with vocalist Sammy Hagar having even described it as “the worst experience of my life”.
Someone who was there and experienced things on and off stage first-hand is Barry Kerch, drummer for the rock band Shinedown who supported Van Halen on the infamous tour. Things got so tense that Kerch claims Eddie once kicked Hagar “square in the nuts” while singing. Ouch.
READ MORE: Sammy Hagar misses Eddie Van Halen so much, he’d re-live “nightmare” 2004 reunion tour, “just to play with the guy again”
During an appearance on Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz, Kerch says (via Ultimate Classic Rock), “It was one of the most amazing times of my life – it was unbelievable. As much as those guys hated each other at that moment in time, they were so sweet to all of us.”
At the time of the tour, Eddie was struggling with alcohol and substance abuse. Kerch recalls, “Eddie was cigarette in his mouth, bottle of wine in one hand, guitar on, 24-7 – that’s how he lived. He’d kick open our dressing room door, [start talking], teach how [he did something] on guitar.
“Wolfie was still riding a scooter up and down the hallways – he was like 10 – and Valerie was there, taking care and everything. So I got to meet all that. She’s the sweetest, Wolfie was a good kid.”
Though Kerch says he didn’t see much of Alex Van Halen, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony would often invite him to drink in their own bar backstage. “Sammy would rate our shows … by leaving a bottle of tequila in our room,” he recalls. “If it was a shitty show that we did, he gave us the basic model. If it was a good show, he’d give us the good stuff!”
As of Hagar’s dynamic with Eddie, Kerch shares, “Onstage you couldn’t really tell that they hated each other – but occasionally you could. There was one night Sammy was singing, and I don’t know why Eddie was pissed at him, but he was. Eddie comes over and just kicks him as hard as he can, square in the nuts, while he’s singing.”
Aside from the tension though, Kerch thoroughly enjoyed his time with the band, and says they “sounded great every night”.
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Hagar is heading out on the road for the Best Of All Worlds tour this summer, where he will be performing classic Van Halen material. Tickets are still available.
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