Wolfgang Van Halen recently made an appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, where he delved into his father’s wishes and how he respects them. In the course of their conversation, the rock musician shared a unique rule he follows during his live performances, and he candidly admitted to breaking it during a tribute show dedicated to Taylor Hawkins. Wolfgang offered his thoughts on the performance:
“It was truly special. It was one of those rare exceptions where it felt right. Taylor was such an immense fan, and for me, it was not only a personal tribute to my dad but also a chance to pay my respects to Taylor. It felt like the perfect moment. I take a lot of pride in how it turned out.”
During the tribute show, Wolfgang had the honor of sharing the stage with renowned musicians such as Justin Hawkins from The Darkness, Dave Grohl, and Josh Freese. Reflecting on this experience of jamming with his lifelong musical heroes, Wolfgang expressed:
“Setting aside all the context and the emotional weight of the moment, just playing alongside three musicians I’ve idolized my entire life was surreal. Then, when you put everything back into perspective, it’s like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I managed to pull that off.'”
Wolfgang went on to disclose his steadfast rule, which he broke only for the tribute show:
“I take great pride in establishing myself as an individual artist. The crucial distinction is that I’m not emulating my dad’s footsteps; I’m forging my own path, my own musical identity… That’s why I’ve refrained from including any Van Halen songs in my sets or having plans to perform them.”
It’s clear that Wolfgang isn’t the only one who isn’t fond of covering songs. He clarified that this rule was also in line with his father Eddie’s wishes and elaborated on how he honors that legacy:
“Even my dad had an aversion to performing covers back in the day. His words resonate with me constantly when he said, ‘I’d rather fail with my own music than succeed with someone else’s,’ and that’s precisely how I feel about playing Van Halen music. I’d rather embrace the challenge of my own work than achieve hollow success by playing something like ‘Panama.'”
