Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 has paid tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen by unveiling a concert clip featuring himself, Slipknot singer Corey Taylor, and longtime Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony performing The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”. The song was famously covered by Van Halen on their debut album.
The video dates back to John 5’s Los Angeles show at The Whiskey A Go Go in 2019, when Taylor and Anthony joined the guitarist for the classic cover. As John 5 explained in an Instagram post, The Whiskey was an oft-played venue for Eddie Van Halen in Los Angeles.
Along with the clip, John 5 wrote the following:
“It’s difficult to put into words the impact that Eddie Van Halen had on my life. There’s no one that influenced me more than Eddie, he was an inventor an amazing songwriter and the greatest guitar player that ever lived. R.I.P my friend.
As a special tribute here’s an unreleased track from the LIVE INVASION album featuring Michael Anthony, Corey Taylor and Fred Coury from The Whiskey which was one of the venues Eddie played the most in L.A #eddievanhalen #rip”
John 5 just released the Live Invasion album in August, culling choice performances from the 2019 tour. This ripping version of “You Really Got Me” didn’t make the cut, perhaps due to licensing issues. Thankfully, it’s been preserved in video form by John 5 himself.
The heavy metal and music world at large has been paying tribute to Eddie Van Halen this week following his death last week. Barring a dismissive exclamation from one David Crosby, there have been many heartwarming sentiments and reflections shared about the guitar legend, including the revelation that Sammy Hagar and Eddie had secretly made up prior to his passing.
Watch the video of John 5, Michael Anthony, and Corey Taylor performing “You Really Got Me” below.