Wolfgang Van Halen and Michael Anthony share photos as they reunite after 20 years
Warning: This article contains very wholesome photos.
Images: (Left) Bryan Steffi and (right) Roberto Ricciuti / Getty
Wolfgang Van Halen and Michael Anthony have met up for the first time in 20 years following a Mammoth WVH show in Las Vegas last Friday (8 December).
Both musicians shared the moment on their respective social media channels, with messages of mutual support and admiration for each other.
The gig took place at Vegas’ House of Blues, with Anthony writing on Instagram afterwards, “Went to see Mammoth WVH last night here in Vegas, and they threw it down! Love ya Wolf, so great to see ya! Proud of you brother!”
Shown in Anthony’s post is a video of Wolf performing a solo rendition of the 2021 Mammoth track, Distance. The song was, of course, written about his father and Anthony’s former bandmate, Eddie Van Halen.
WVH also shared a photo of the two along with the caption, “Ran into an old friend at the Mammoth WVH show in Vegas tonight. Love ya, Mikey.”
At the time of Anthony and Van Halen’s last meet up, Wolf would have been around 12 years old. Famously, he joined the Van Halen band some years later at only 16 during a time which he likened to being “fired out of a cannon” in a print edition of Classic Rock magazine back in July.
Wolf filled in for Anthony on bass for the 2007 reunion, and was aware that some fans were not happy about him taking over the position. “I was there to support my dad,” he remembered. “But I was aware that I’d become the biggest enemy of every 40- to 50-year-old man out there in the world.”
He added, “It was a lot of pressure, but we had rehearsed constantly, to the point where those songs were in my bones. And luckily nobody was staring at me – they were staring at Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth on the stage together – so I got to lay back and do my part.”
He went on to describe his relationship with Anthony as “very cordial” at the time of the interview: “He’s a wonderful fucking guy. We talk and it’s great.”
Mammoth WVH have wrapped up all of their tour dates for 2023, but are due to head out on the road again next year. Find out more via their official website.