What can I say? I was about 15 years old when I heard this amazing music coming out of the car
I had always dreamed of meeting my idol someday. If for no other reason than to just shake his
I came very close to my dream chance in the mid-80's. When Eddie signed his endorsement
Let this be a good lesson to everyone: if you do good for others expecting nothing in return,
radio speakers. Turns out to be from some new band out of California calling themselves "Van
Halen". I buy the album and proceed to get impressed. By 1979, VH became my favorite band. I
followed them through every incarnation and turn they took. I would even take every January 26th
off from school or work and devote my entire day to playing guitar, in honor of Ed's birthday!
I caught them on each and every tour they ever did, but I never got into the "Deadhead" life
of following them around from city to city....I just couldn't afford to do something like that.
hand. He'd never know how much his music meant to me and there would just never be enough
time to stand there and tell him. I always thought that a simple handshake from the guy would
suffice. These guys probably heard from fans every day about how great they are and how much
their music touched their lives. I figured why bother......if I ever got the chance, I would try to
maintain a certain level of dignity and just enjoy the special moment. Because I did not have
any personal connections in the music industry, I doubted that I would ever get the chance. In
the big scheme of it all, I was just another ordinary fan who dug their music. I figured there had
to be millions of fans like me around the world who would like to meet their idol but would never
get the opportunity. I accepted that fact and went about my ordinary life as happily as I could.
deal with Kramer guitars, I was one of the first people in my area to purchase one of those
guitars with the magical Floyd Rose whammy system. I had a long-standing friendship with the
guys who worked at the local music store. They were one of a selected few Kramer dealers who
would get an in-store Eddie visit/clinic. The store manager knew how much of an Edward fan
I was, and actually offered to make me a "store employee" for the day, just so I could absorb
more of the proceedings. Something happened with their management and the clinics ended
up being cancelled due to schedule problems or something. The VH people were giving the store
10 tickets and backstage passes to meet Edward, which were to be raffled off at random. I had
bought tickets to all 4 of the band's shows at the Worcester Centrum and the store manager
told me to meet them at the front entry in case a winner didn't show up on time. The night of
the show, one person did not make it. Looks like my luck was working! I was going to finally
meet my musical hero, Edward. I was handed a pair of Kramer guitar cases to carry backstage
for Eddie to autograph. (The guitars were going to be raffled off for charity at the store later.)
We started down the side path into the special entrance and were met by a representative from
the band who was handing out the passes to our group. At the last second, the missing winner
came running through the door panting "Wow, I almost missed you!" The manager explained why
there were 11 of us now, instead of 10 and he told them what a great fan I was of the band,
but the rep said that they could only have 10 people and not one extra. You could have dropped
an anvil on my head and it probably would not have registered. I handed the guitar cases to the
manager and said "oh, well" and I strolled by myself back to the entrance, to catch up with my
wife and friends, bumming out more with each step. The show was great, and the manager was
able to get my 5150 program signed by Eddie for me. It wasn't the same, and I figured that was
my single and best shot if ever there was one. It just wasn't meant to be. Little did I know...
good things will happen for you. I always try to help anyone when I can and I never ask for
anything. I just feel good knowing that I might be helping someone out. One of the countless
people I had helped in the past was about to bestow a wonderful gift upon me. While talking
with this pen-pal about shows we would be attending in our area, we discovered that we both
had tickets to see Van Halen so we decided to hook up at the show and meet in-person for the
first time. A few days before the show, my friend told me that they had a connection with the
band, and offered me a backstage pass to meet the new band before the show. I got to the show
and met my friend at our pre-determined spot. We went through the backstage entry gate, and we
were all led into a tent-covered patio area to wait with many other fans. About 5 minutes later,
the band's road manager Scotty appeared, and asked for everyone's attention. He explained "the
rules" for meeting the band.
minutes to shake hands and chat. When we say 'turn around', we will count "1-2-3" and a photo
will be taken of your group with the band. If you aren't ready, there would be no second shot."
He then continued with specifics on the guys..."When you talk to Eddie, it is OK to shake his
hand, but don't squeeze too hard because he wears rings and could injure his hand easily. Alex
will be wearing a neck brace while playing onstage due to a couple of slipped vertebrae in his
neck, but he wouldn't have it on backstage, so do not pull on or put your arm around his neck.
After the group picture is taken, one person in each group will be handed the disposable camera
(decorated with Eddie's famous red-white-black stripes)and the remaining pictures can be taken
during the show. Only these special cameras will not be confiscated."
We were also told not to ask
them for anything and there would be no time for autographs either. Bummer, as I brought the first
Guitar Player magazine Eddie was on (about 20 years ago!), as well as photos of the other band
members I hoped to get signed for framing later. Then it was time to get in line by the number
on our passes. There were about 20 groups of fans. We had to line up, and wait for our group's
number to be called. This was it...I was finally going to meet my hero Edward in person!
Here's my Official Van Halen backstage pass:
There was an 8 foot wooden fence surrounding the patio area, and just over the top of it, I could
We were led into the tent and Michael Anthony was lined up on the right side, with Eddie to his right.
The photo was snapped and I quickly told Ed that I would be sitting in the front row corner on
see the roof of a tent, which would serve as the band reception area. About 5 minutes later, a
few cheers came up from the assembled fans in line. Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw the
familiar face of bassist Michael Anthony following his escort from the backstage exit, along the
paved path, and through the gate entrance to the tent. Behind him was new vocalist Gary Cherone,
Eddie and Alex Van Halen, followed by a few members of their staff. Now the blood was pumping!
The first group was let in and it seemed to take an eternity until the next one went in. Hey, no
problem I thought...the longer they get, the longer we will get! Each group seemed to be getting
about 5 minutes total time when I glanced at my watch. With each step closer to the entrance gate,
I thought my blood pressure would break the surface of my skin. I reminded myself that I was 35
years old and no longer a teenager...if nothing else, I should try to keep my dignity when I got
to meet them. When we arrived at the gate, I had settled down enough to take in the experience.
While in line, the people in my group were discussing who wanted to stand next to which Van Halen
member in the photo. I said qiuetly that I didn't care...I just wanted to be in a picture with the band.
I was about to finally get the chance. We were the very next group to meet the band...
Next was Gary Cherone and Alex was last in line. They had a large mural hanging behind them of
the new VHIII album cover. Across the top it read "Warner Brothers Welcomes Van Halen III". They
had a few lights set up for the photos, and a table filled with "Eddie" cameras was set up in the
middle of the tent. We were led up to the band and I was the last one in our line. I figured that
since I was someone's guest, I should just hang back and be last. I got to shake hands and chat
with Mike first, and he is just as friendly as he appears onstage. The guy made goofy faces and
had an enthusiastic handshake or high-five for everyone he met. He was really cool and we chatted
for a minute or two while everyone else went through the line. I then found myself standing eye
to eye with Eddie himself. He extended his hand and said "how ya doing?". I calmly reached out
and shook his hand and told him how honored I was to finally meet him. I mentioned that I had
wanted to meet him for the last 20 years. I was amazingly calm and chatted on with him for a
minute when their assistant said to face forward. I didn't know where I was with the exception
of knowing I was in front of the group, so I knelt down to keep from blocking anyone else out.
his side of the stage and if he got the chance, to try to toss a pick my way. He explained that
he was using a metal pick and he could not throw it out as he only had one and he "didn't want
to take someone's eye out". I said that it was cool and to have a great show anyways. I chatted
with Gary for a minute. He noticed my Extreme logo hat and commented on it. I told him I wore it
in his honor. I then chatted briefly with Alex and shook his hand. I didn't realize how tall him and
Gary were. Mike is average height and Eddie was a bit shorter than I thought he was. I guess
our heroes always seem 10 feet tall until we meet them in person. Eddie was great and extremely
personable, as I expected. This was the realization of a twenty-year wish for me and I could not
have been more thrilled. We were told our time was up and we had to head out so they could bring
in the next group of fans. I wished Alex and Mike good luck with the show on my way out, and Gary
patted me on the shoulder and thanked me for wearing the Extreme hat. As I headed for the exit, I
felt a tug on my shirt sleeve. Looking back, it was Eddie. He put his hand out to shake my hand
again. He winked and said "here ya go, buddy...enjoy the show". He tucked one of his signature
picks into my hand and smiled. I said thanks and followed my group out of the tent with a huge
smile on my face. That was just the icing on the proverbial cake! I'm sure I was just one of
thousands of fans that Eddie has met over the years and he absolutely made my day by making a
point of handing me a little piece of plastic. Surely just another blur to him, but a moment I will
always treasure. Someone once said that you should not meet your heroes in person because
they are never as wonderful as you think they are. That was correct....Eddie was even nicer.
Here's the pick Eddie handed me:
It was decided that I would be the one elected to shoot the remaining pictures because I had
Needless to say, the show the next night was nothing short of amazing! Lots of vintage VH
the best seats of our group. They were all seated halfway back in the rear pavillion sections
and I was down in front of Eddie. I shot the remaining photos and after 4 songs, the band had
to call it quits due to a problem with Gary's voice. Eddie and Alex came out onstage after a
few minutes and explained that Gary had lost his voice. They nicely asked us all to come back
the next night and they turned the houselights up after they left the stage. There were a few
idiots in the back of the place chanting "Sam-my, Sam-my". Personally, I wouldn't have cared
if they postponed the show for months or cancelled the show outright.....we're talking about
this guy's voice here. It's what he uses to make a living. Give him a break. I'd rather they
blow off the show and know that Gary would not risk injury to himself and his career. Gary's
a local boy and it made me even angrier at the response a few of these morons had. If they
didn't like his singing, why did they buy a ticket in the first place? Personally, I think he is
much better than Sammy was on the old material and I am delighted with the new lineup.
tunes and Gary was just fine. The beauty of the delayed show was that the person I gave the
camera to after the show was able to develop the photos and bring copies back the next night
for us all. Below is the final group picture. For me, it adds a moment of personal triumph. I
never thought I would ever get to meet Eddie and here I am in the photo with him leaning on
my back...too much! I thanked my friend immensely over the next couple of days, and I doubt
they will ever realize the emotional value this event had on me. It was just literally a dream
come true for me. I hope you someday get the opportunity to meet your individual heroes.
This was one truly magical day that I will not forget for the rest of my life!!
Here is my photo of a lifetime:
Do you like VH too? Then check out the Official Van Halen Website!
© Copyright - Steve Leavitt