Biography

In May 2012 "Rolling Stone Magazine" voted the band's "A Different Kind of Truth" Best Comeback Album of All-Time.

Members have included Gary Cherone, Sammy Hagar, David Lee Roth, Edward Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and Wolfgang Van Halen.

They were notorious for a seemingly silly rider clause in their concert contracts, which was later hailed as a clever quality control measure. The contract stated that a bowl of M&Ms, with all the brown ones removed, must be placed in their dressing room. They later explained that the rider was a test to see if the concert area management had strictly followed the terms of their contracted concert arrangements to ensure proper arrangements were followed for safety purposes; the presence of brown M&Ms would suggest otherwise. For example, when they were about to perform at a venue in Pueblo, CO, the rider was ignored: not only did the band members find brown M&Ms in the bowl, but their equipment crashed into the floor, which caused about $80,000 damage.

In April 2012 "Gibson Guitars" Reader's Poll voted the band #1 American Band of All-Time.

Mentioned in the ending credits of Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). It reads "Jeff Spicoli rescued Brooke Shields from drowning. Blew the reward money by hiring Van Halen to play at his birthday party". Eddie Van Halen did in fact perform the guitar solo in Michael Jackson's "Beat It" song. Jackson was good friends with Shields.