Wolfgang Van Halen Says Opening for Guns N' Roses Was 'Trial by Fire'

Wolfgang Van Halen Says Opening for Guns N’ Roses Was ‘Trial by Fire’

2021-12-07

Wolfgang Van Halen – Story by Scarlett Hunter, photo by Travis Shinn

Wolfgang Van Halen says opening for Guns N’ Roses was an incredible, but stressful, experience

Being the son of legendary metal guitarist Eddie Van Halen meant that all eyes were on Wolfgang Van Halen from the time he was a little tyke. That said, when Wolfgang’s first tour with his band Mammoth WVH was opening for one of the biggest rock bands in the world, Guns N’ Roses, earlier this year, he really felt like the world’s eyes were on him.

“It was sort of a trial by fire,” Wolfgang told Consequence of Sound’s Heavy Consequence in a new interview of the opening slot. “You’re being thrown to the lions every night because the Guns audience, at least when we were on there, they would tell us they were notoriously not very receptive to openers. So when it started going really well, it was like, ‘Oh s***, we’re actually doing it!'”

Echoing that sentiment, earlier this year, Wolfgang told Audio Ink Radio that he was floored to get the Guns N’ Roses offer. “It’s insane,” he said. “Like, I can’t believe- it’s the highest honor that they thought of us and want to take us out. I can’t believe it. I mean, I was excited, in general, just to go on tour, but to take part in this, it’s a whole other thing. I’m blown away.”

Wolfgang has amassed major success over the past year, including No. 1 hits, such as the emotive “Distance,” which is a tribute to his late father. While the success is sweet, he says it’s been a “mixed bag” of emotions, since he did isn’t around to experience it. “While it’s overall an unbelievably humbling and incredible experience, it’ll never be where it could have been had my dad been here to witness it,” Wolfgang told Heavy Consequence. “But with everything going on, he’d be so f**king proud. He would just be so jazzed.”

Mammoth WVH is head out on a North American tour with Dirty Honey in 2022. The trek will set off Jan. 21 in Chicago and run through a March 5 date in Indio, California.

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Scarlett Hunter

Meet the expert - Scarlett Hunter has written about alternative music for a variety of publications over the past 10 years. She covers alternative and rock for Audio Ink Radio. Hunter is a graduate of Ohio State University. Contact her at scarlett@audioinkradio.com.

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