Shinedown drummer Barry Kerch recently outlined the experience of opening for Van Halen on the infamous 2004 tour. He noted how the members of the iconic rock band were exceptionally friendly towards him and his bandmates, even though Sammy Hagar and Eddie Van Halen “hated each other at that moment in time.”
The 2004 Van Halen tour saw The Red Rocker perform with the legendary Los Angeles band for the first time since he departed in 1998. It turned out that time did little to heal old wounds. It has been noted that the reports suggested that Hagar and Van Halen clashed before the tour even started and that the same dynamic persisted until its very end. Both Hagar and Michael Anthony, who ended up leaving Van Halen a couple of years later, had few good things to say about it.
Barry Kerch opens up on Eddie Van Halen
While the tour went down in history as one of Van Halen’s low points, members of Shinedown seem to remember it as a positive experience, largely due to the cordiality of their hosts.
In a new interview on the “Paltrocast with Darren Paltrowitz,” Kerch described it as “one of the most amazing experiences of my life.” He added (transcription via Ultimate Classic Rock):
“It was unbelievable. As much as those guys hated each other at that moment in time, they were so sweet to all of us.”
But, it was apparent to Kerch and his bandmates that things weren’t the best in the Van Halen camp. Kerch also recalls that the late guitar icon still hadn’t kicked his habits at that point:
“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.”
It has come to light that Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony were particularly friendly towards Shinedown, and the drummer recalls the unusual way in which Hagar would “rate” his band’s performance after every show:
“Sammy would rate our shows … by leaving a bottle of tequila in our room. 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!”
Speaking about on Hagar’s relationship with Eddie, Kerch said:
“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.”
