Watch a high-school student nail Van Halen’s Eruption
He was playing as part of a pep band for a basketball game in Des Moines.

Image: imageBROKER / Alamy
Eddie Van Halen’s Eruption solo is not only one of the most fondly-remembered aspects of his legacy, it’s also notorious for being incredibly difficult. Which is why the guitar corner of the internet has been so enraptured by Kaya Latcham, a highschool student and member of an Iowa pep band, who performed a relaxed but flawless rendition of it before launching into You Really Got Me.
As reported by local radio station 94.1 KRNA, the performance took place as the basketball team of Latcham’s hometown, Montezuma, played a match at the Wells-Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
The footage was filmed by Jeff Johnson, who tweeted it with the caption: “Here they are. My boy, Kaya Latcham, and the rest of the Montezuma pep band playing Eruption and You Really Got Me.”
Aside from eliciting a stadium-wide cheer for his Van Halen cover, Latcham’s day was a good one through-and-through as his hometown’s team then went on to win the Class 1A championship game.
Take a look below:
Here they are. My boy, Kaya Latcham, and the rest of the Montezuma pep band playing "Eruption" and "You Really Got Me." #iahsbkb pic.twitter.com/wjtHz3ZF9n
— Jeff Johnson (@jeje66) March 11, 2021
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