To me, Van Halen is the most influential American rock band ever.

—Rick Savage

Ah, what these eyes have seen! I was there, brother, for the insane ‘round-the-world ride that was 1980 through 1984. Van Halen were kings … no, gods. We were Van Halen. We could do no wrong. The crazier we got, the more you loved us, and the more you loved us, the bigger we got. Nobody could improve on what we’d perfected. The Stones may have been a rock ‘n’ roll circus but we were a rock ‘n’ roll zoo. Animals with guitars. Wolves watching over the sheep. Creative chaos. We were the Jack Daniels Black Label of everything dangerous and desirous.

I was director of security. My job description was simply one line: Protect the band. But taking care of David (I was his designated babysitter), Edward, Alex, and Michael was not always such a simple thing to do. I had to keep them safe when they were playing live. How did I know that the lunatic jumping on stage only wanted to sing along with Dave? I had to keep them out of harm’s way when they were back at the hotel, when they were partying, when they were traveling. Berserk fans. Jealous boyfriends. Sold-out shows. Drinking. Drugs. Women. I had to protect them from each other and from themselves.

I could try and make you understand how it felt to wield this almost unlimited power. I could describe to you the most outrageously beautiful women in the world lining up outside your hotel room door. I could tell you about some of the things that happened. Or I could tell you about the time, after a major Van Halen backstage demolishing in Germany, how I had to scrape mustard, mayonnaise, butter, ketchup, relish and lunchmeats off a hospitality room ceiling because I was fucking starving and they had trashed every other edible morsel in sight. It wasn’t always about excess, mind you.

Now, I could reveal a lot more about these escapades but then I’d have to beat the shit out of you. And that’s not good for me or you — mainly you.

—Eddie Anderson

In the winter of 1980, my buddy and I drove through a blizzard to buy Van Halen tickets for a show at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. This was before MTV and the Internet, so it was like a pilgrimage to see your favorite bands. After avoiding hitting several cars and a few telephone poles, we had our fourth-row tickets in hand. Several months later we found ourselves at the concert. My friends and I had been listening to Van Halen for a few years prior to this, but nothing could prepare us for what we saw that night.

The show was completely over the top. Huge sound, huge lights. Dave was doing leaps off of the drum riser. All the guys in the band are amazing musicians. Being a drummer myself I always fixated on the drummer, and Alex was beating the crap out of a drum set that looked more like a spaceship than a normal drum set.

I attended many more Van Halen shows over the next several years. Each one was bigger than the previous one. Overall, it was one of those nights that help you realize what you want to do with your life. In the fall of 2005, I found myself playing drums for David Lee Roth. Go figure.

—Jimmy DeGrasso

Women and Children First doesn’t receive the credit it deserves. My uncle played it for me when I was five years old and I’ve been a diehard Van Halen fan since. It is a landmark record in my life and influenced me to pick up the drum sticks at a very young age. “Take Your Whiskey Home” is still my favorite Van Halen track. Every time I hear it I run and get a double!

—Joey Jordison

Even as a local band, Van Halen knew their destiny. There were great bands around L.A. and then there was Van Halen, peerless. With ferocious determination they set a new course for the history of rock.

—Grover Jackson

David Lee Roth, in my mind, is one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll frontmen of all time, untouchable! Although, the very first time I saw the mighty Van Halen live at Jantzen Beach Center in Portland was another story. Mid-show, the affable Roth reaches down into the surging swarm of hotties in the front to shake and slap some hands and as quickly as you can say jump, he’s pulled into the pit and engulfed by a sea of fanatics. The situation gets worse when security, in an effort to rescue the hapless Roth from the pit, pulls him one way and his signature yellow-and-black striped stage pants go the other! The tug-of-war with the now bare-assed Diamond Dave continued for what seemed like eternity before David was finally able to struggle back to the relative safety of the stage with his pants intact!

—Tommy Thayer

In 1980, my band Talas opened up for Van Halen on the Women and Children First tour for about forty shows.

We went out front to watch the show every night. At their very worst, they were spectacular. At their best, they were utterly untouchable. The show was simply the most exciting, entertaining, and incredible textbook kick-ass rock show ever, the standard by which all others are judged.

—Billy Sheehan

When I did my first photo session with Neil I was in awe of the photos he had of Van Halen. I was lucky enough to see them in concert many times during the Dave era. The first time was on the Women and Children First tour. Their showmanship was unreal, but their musicianship was just as good. Alex’s drum set was massive, like nothing I’d ever seen before. Eddie was on fire. I couldn’t believe someone could be running around and jumping all over the stage and still play like that! Dave was larger than life, the ultimate showman. I wanted to be just like all of them.

They influenced an entire generation of musicians and defined what it means to be a Rock Star. There was a magic with that band that will probably never happen again. You can’t really explain it to people who didn’t experience it.

—Blas Elias

It was 1980, and I was obsessed with Ted Nugent, KISS, and Bob Seger. A friend’s brother kept telling me, “Man, you gotta check out these guys” while holding up Van Halen I. But if they weren’t wearing makeup or running around in

a loincloth I wasn’t having it! Well, he sat me down and played me the record and told me I couldn’t leave his room until it was over. Holy crap, was I a changed man after that! It was Van Halen time for me. I immediately bought a cheap black Fender guitar and proceeded to put yellow tape all over it. Mind you, I couldn’t even tune the thing, but, man, did I look good holding it! Then it was David Lee Roth or bust! I started wearing the bandana on my wrist and the Capezio shoes. All I was lacking was his self-esteem, long blond hair, and the ability to touch my hands to my feet, let alone do the splits off the edge of my bed.

My first Van Halen show was the Women and Children First tour at the Forum. I walked away thinking, “Man, David Lee sure is tall!” He seemed twelve feet tall from where I was sitting (loge 12, by the way). He had something that I’ve never seen in a frontman before, a larger-than-life persona and more ham than Farmer John! All the guys wanted to be him and all the girls wanted to do him. I never missed a show from that point on and it’s a pleasure for me to say that I got a chance to become Dave’s music publisher in 2001. To be able to look after all of those songs and to deal with him directly is a dream come true for me.

—Mark Friedman