Wolfgang Van Halen’s MAMMOTH WVH played their first show as the support act for GUNS N’ ROSES last night (Saturday, July 31) at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania. You can check out fan-filmed video footage of the show below.
Last month, Wolfgang spoke to Ultimate Classic Rock about the opening spot for GUNS N’ ROSES, saying: “I’m a very anxious person. But in a funny way, it’s very similar to how I started out in VAN HALEN, where the first show I played was at an arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. This time, it’s at a stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania. So it’s following in a really funny way — but definitely still terrifying. It’s an honor to be there … and I’m going to do my best.”
Wolfgang said that he had never been to a GUNS N’ ROSES concert before. “I’m actually very excited, just as a fan, to be able to see them,” he said. “I knew they were going out, and it just kind of fell together really nicely by the time our stuff came out. I’ve known Slash for a while. Over the years, he’d come up to the studio, since I was a little kid, so I can’t even remember the first time I met him.”
Van Halen said that he was introduced to GUNS N’ ROSES via the band’s classic debut LP, 1987’s “Appetite For Destruction”. “I think that whole album is phenomenal,” he said. “At the time when they came out, they were just that much-needed ‘fuck you’ vibe. I loved their vibe.”
MAMMOTH WVH’s touring lineup features Wolfgang on guitar and lead vocals, Frank Sidoris (SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS) on guitar, Jon Jourdan on guitar and vocals, Garrett Whitlock (TREMONTI) on drums, and Ronnie Ficarro on bass.