Wolfgang Van Halen Joins Guns N’ Roses Onstage for ‘Paradise City’
Guns N' Roses fans who attended the band's Saturday night (Oct. 2) concert got a special treat when Wolfgang Van Halen joined them onstage for a rousing encore of "Paradise City," which you can watch below.
Wolfgang's solo band, Mammoth WVH, has spent the last several months opening for Guns N' Roses on their U.S. stadium and arena tour. Last night’s show at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., marked the penultimate date of the U.S. trek, which wraps up tonight with a second show at the same venue.
"Wolfgang Van Halen," Axl Rose told the crowd as the multi-instrumentalist walked onstage. "Do you know how cool it is to say that? That's fucking cool. You don't understand. We're talking legacy."
Rose previously praised Mammoth WVH's music, calling "Don't Back Down" a "straight fuckin' rock and roll" song, according to bassist Duff McKagan. "I thought that was the biggest compliment I could have heard. It still feels like a dream," Van Halen said.
Van Halen's "Paradise City" cameo is likely the closest fans will get to seeing the bandleader relive the 1980s glory days of his late father, Eddie Van Halen. The Mammoth WVH frontman continues to field requests from fans to play Van Halen songs live, despite making his reasons for not doing so abundantly clear. In August, Wolfgang fired back at yet another Facebook user who implored him to cover Van Halen, writing, "I honor my dad by existing and doing what I do every day. I'm not fuckin' playing 'Panama' for you guys." He tweeted a screenshot of the exchange with the caption, "Y'all are never gonna fuckin stop are ya?"
Guns N' Roses, meanwhile, have tucked a few surprises into the recent sets on their ongoing tour. Their new single "Hard Skool" received its live debut last Sunday, two days after the studio version came out. Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl also joined GN'R during "Paradise City" at last month’s BottleRock Napa Valley festival, but the power got cut halfway through the song in order to comply with a strict curfew. The band soldiered on without the loudspeakers, and fans assisted them by belting out the lyrics.