Wolfgang Van Halen: “I’m Not F*ckin’ Playing ‘Panama'”
More or less every opinion I’ve read of Wolfgang Van Halen’s newly launched Mammoth WVH project is positive: people seem generally stoked for the guy, helped in no small by the fact that his music is good! But there will always be a few haters out there, especially concerning the legacy of Wolfgang’s dad. Requests for Wolfgang to play Van Halen tunes continue to dog him… and the kid (well, he’s 30, not so much a kid anymore) is fighting back.
The latest: one fan on Facebook recently suggested that Wolfgang should “honor Dad” in some way. “Wolfie. I like your stuff,” the comment began. Polite enough. “I just think the time to honor Dad is now. You’ve already shown you can stand on your own!” Again, a fairly harmless comment on its own, but just one of many piled on that Wolfgang is forced to deal with on a daily basis, I’m sure, adding to his frustration.
“I honor my dad by existing and doing what I do every day,” Wolfgang shot back. “I’m not fuckin’ playing ‘Panama’ for you guys.” Wolfgang later screen shotted the exchange and posted it on Twitter, adding “Y’all are never gonna fuckin’ stop are ya.”
Saucy! I love it. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Wolfgang get involved in social media on this level, either; earlier this year, Porcupine Tree founder Steven Wilson had some less-than-kind words about the late, great Eddie. He later apologized after fan backlash and media headlines, and the two e-hugged it out on Twitter.
Mammoth WVH recently had to cancel several dates of their jaunt opening for Guns N’ Roses because of a positive Covid-19 test amongst their “touring personnel,” but they’re now back out on the road again. Remaining dates of that tour, as well as headline shows:
Aug. 25 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center at San Jose (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Aug. 27 – Las Vegas, NV @ Allegant Stadium (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Aug. 29 – Tuscon, AZ @ Rialto Theatre (headline show) [Tickets]
Aug. 30 – Phoenix, AX @ Phoenix Suns Arena (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Sep. 01 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Sep. 02 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s (headline show) [Tickets]
Sep. 04 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, KTBZ’s Buzzfest (festival) [Tickets]
Sep. 05 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion, KEGL BFD 2021 (festival) [Tickets]
Sep. 08 – Indianapolis, IN @ Lucas Oil Stadium (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Sep. 09 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts (headline show) [Tickets]
Sep. 11 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Sep. 12 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Sep. 14 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom (headline show) [Tickets]
Sep. 16 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Sep. 17 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center, KXXR Family Reunion (festival) [Tickets]
Sep. 18 – Milwaukee, WI @ American Family Insurance Amphitheater | Summerfest (festival) (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Sep. 21 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Sep. 23 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Sep. 25 – Camden, NJ @ BB@T Pavilion, WWMMR MMR*B*Q (festival) [Tickets]
Sep. 26 – Baltimore, MD @ Royal Bank Arena (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Sep. 29 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Oct. 01 – Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live (headline show) [Tickets]
Oct. 02 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Hotel (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
Oct. 03 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Hotel (with Guns N’ Roses) [Tickets]
